Prepare to Dare and Learn Fiendish ABCs With Monsterbet

Prepare to take a dare!  Author Sarah Steele and Illustrator Daniel Manduka offer early and reluctant readers a monstrous-good way to laugh and learn letters with their picture book, The Monsterbet: The ABCs Do Not Scare Me!

​About the Book
Title: The Monsterbet: The ABCs Do Not Scare Me! |  Author: Sarah Steele |  Illustrator: Daniel Manduka | Publication Date: 2016 | Publisher: bysarahsteele.com | Pages: 48 | Recommended Ages: 3-8

 * Amazon US *

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What Kids Will Like
​Steele creates an imaginative world of friendly fiends representing individual alphabet letters.  She pens four-line rhymes per page to cement that letter into children’s memory with silly monster attributes. 

This is a pleasant read, with a well-spaced layout that won’t overwhelm young readers.  In fact, kids will love shouting out, The ABCs do not scare me! as they encounter that mantra sprinkled in throughout huge dialogue call-outs.​

They'll also have a hard time selecting their favorite monster.  Mine was S for the snake, A mischievous​ creature who loves to snack on science teachers (perhaps because I remember a science teacher back in the day that I wished would disappear?!).

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​Manduka further brings Monsterbet to life with his drawings.  Colors pop off the page as animals contort into letter-y shapes that help kids learn the ABCs.  Art throughout the book is themed by text on each page that sits inside bright balloon-like circles.
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​What Parents, Educators Will Like

It's important to instill a love of reading at an early age, and adults can have fun reinforcing Monsterbet’s challenge of being unafraid of letters.  Plus, they won’t tire of reading aloud this charming story as they help kids become confident and learn. 
 
I like the way the actual letter is also printed on each page, so children can see how it corresponds to the imaginary creature.  A Monsterbet chart of all 26 letters presented together on a single page at the back of the book is an excellent visual summary. 

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Recommendation
The Monsterbet is perfect for helping preschool and early readers learn letters.  Moreover, its confident premise, The ABCs do not scare me!, will lift the spirits of reluctant readers.  In fact, I can see an older child or reluctant reader sharing Monsterbet with a young friend or sibling and both coming away with a positive reading experience. 

Connect with Sarah Steele
Website  | Facebook | Etsy  |  Goodreads
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Disclosure: I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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