October is a great time to discuss and explore monsters, but really you can do this any time of the year. This post shares monster picture books that you can use for this purpose. All of the picture books on this list lend themselves to this topic really well. Take a peek below to learn more about these monster picture books!
Monster Picture Books
Below is a list of some of our favorite monster picture books to share with elementary students. They are included in our Monster Book Companion Bundle. Check them out!
1. I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll
Ethan was getting ready for bed when he found out his monster will be gone for a week. He starts to worry about how he will fall asleep without his monster, Gabe, there. Ethan needs his monster, with long, sharp claws, and a long tail in order to sleep at night. He decides to call in a substitute monster.
The first monster arrives and does not have long enough claws. The next monster has long claws but they are not ragged like his monster’s claws are. Ethan is visited by 5 monsters and none of them are scary enough, so he sends them away. Finally, Gabe, returns from his fishing trip and Ethan is so happy to see him. Gabe felt like the fish scared too easily, and likes that Ethan is a challenge. Thankfully, Ethan is able to fall asleep now that his beloved monster has returned.
Check out these I Need My Monster teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
2. How to Catch a Monster by Adam Wallace
Adam Wallace’s story How to Catch a Monster is about a boy who finally has enough courage to try to scare and trap his monster. The boy goes home and puts on his ninja gear and gets ready to scare his monster!
The boy tries many things to scare his monster but not many of them work. Finally, when the monster is trapped, the monster explains that he only scares the boy because he wants him to stay awake to play with him. The monster brings the boy to meet his family and the boy and his monster play and play.
Kids will love this story about how an unlikely friendship develops between a boy and the monster he was trying to catch.
Check out these How to Catch a Monster teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
3. Pig the Monster by Aaron Blabey
Pig is back in this Halloween book by Aaron Blabey. In fact, Pig has turned into a monster! He runs through the streets being greedy and demanding treats. Pig took whole baskets full of treats without leaving anything for anyone else.
Pig was so greedy that if he felt he did not get enough treats, he would be very disrespectful. He turned pumpkins over or played tricks on people! His poor behavior ruined Halloween night for many people.
Pig started eating all of his candy at once! He started shoving chocolate into his mouth when Trevor cautioned him that dogs should not eat chocolate. Pig did not listen and ate the chocolate anyway. He started chocolate on all the chocolate goo. Thankfully Trevor was able to help. He swung Pig around until all of the chocolate came unstuck, but it created a big mess!
By the end of the book Pig learned that it is important to be respectful on Halloween and share with others. Students will love to see one of their favorite characters back in this Halloween story.
Check out these Pig the Monster teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
4. Love Monster by Rachel Bright
The story Love Monster by Rachel Bright is about a Monster who is very different than the world around him. Monster is a bit funny looking and lives in a world of cute, fluffy things that everyone loves. This makes life hard for Monster and he decides to solve his problem and set off to search for someone to love him.
Monster’s search becomes difficult as he can’t find anyone that looks like him. Right when Monster is about to give up, love finds him.
Check out these Love Monster teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
Grab the Free Reading Resources!
In closing, we hope you found this list of monster picture books helpful! They are part of our Starts With a Story collection. If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie. It includes read aloud books lists, reading logs, and reading challenges for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!
