MONSTER MORNING
by Franca Munoz ; Edith Wilcox Mevec ; illustrated by Franca Munoz ; developed by Purple Ely
The morning rituals of little school-bound monsters are examined in friendly detail in an app structured like a family scrapbook.
Peter and Peril, monster siblings with very different personalities, get up at dawn to start their day, then eat breakfast, get cleaned up, pack their things in backpacks and board a rocket ship. Each step is shown on a page with touch options to help them along (getting Peril dressed, for instance, or feeding Peter his bug-laden breakfast). The pages are lined with bright borders within which readers will find movable doo-dads like buttons, birds, and the mom and dad monsters. Their nonthreatening world is filled with polka dots, flower patterns and familiar routines, setting a soothing tone for even very young readers who may be ambivalent about spending time with even these harmless-looking monsters. It’s easy to navigate, well-narrated and offers rhymes that don’t overstay their welcome and only occasionally reach too far (“Peter and Peril are ready to go. / You’ve helped them out from head to toe. / That’s not an easy thing to undergo. / They’re so happy you helped them, you know”).
The little monsters in this family seem happy, loved and well-adjusted. They’re worth a visit.
(iPad storybook app. 2-7)