"I can tell time at school," Monster tells Teacher. And to prove it, he makes a school clock. It doesn't have numbers, hands, or go tick-tock. Instead, Monster's clock has pictures showing playtime, storytime, lunchtime, naptime-in order, all the "times" of his preschool day. Virginia Mueller's simple text and Lynn Munsinger's delightful monsters of all shapes and colors tell a fun story and introduce concepts of time and sequencing, too.

School Library Journal PreS-Gr 1-- These two books attempt to capitalize on children's fascination with monsters. In Monster Goes to School , a green spiky-haired boy learns the daily routine: playtime, storytime, music time, lunchtime, naptime. The same boy invites his friends to a party in Monster's Birthday Hiccups . In the midst of games, the little creature gets hiccups. He stands on his head, but still can't get rid of them. Finally, when he blows out the candles on his cake, his wish comes true. The hiccups vanish and the party fun resumes. In both books, story lines are shallow. Although the words are simple enough for first-graders to read, there is little to sustain their interest. Pictures also lack appeal as the colors are washed out and there are few amusing details for youngsters to examine. Too often the characters are just standing or sitting in a line, and they all look alike with their overbites and pop-eyes. While the idea of monster tales promises pleasure, these weak offerings do not follow through. --Nancy Seiner, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh