A review by scostner
The Problem with Not Being Scared of Kids by Dan Richards

4.0

A great companion book to The Problem with Not Being Scared of Monsters, this story turns the situation around and shows what monsters deal with when they try to befriend kids. No matter what they do, it doesn't work out. Sleepovers end because all the kids run away. Games at recess don't work out when you're always stuck being IT. Even reading books on how to make friends doesn't help. But maybe, if you keep trying, you might find someone that will change everything.

These are the same monsters shown in the earlier book, but here they are trying to find human friends. Nothing works, even when they all break out the advice books like How to Win Friends and Influence Humans. This is a story that could be read just for fun, but would also be good to read aloud to a class that has a new student who is trying to fit in. It puts the situation in a different perspective while still making the point that sometimes finding a friend is hard.

The illustrations in both books are wonderful and show all sorts of monsters. Some have tentacles, others have claws. They are different colors and sizes and shapes. The page on monsters trying to make friends by sharing made me laugh with the picture of monster holding out an ice cream cone with a giant eyeball on top; it's really eye-scream. (Haha)

Whether you read the books together or separately, they are loads of fun and a sure hit with fans of Mike and Sully from "Monsters Inc."