| Leonardo, the Terrible Monster | |
| Cover Artist: | Willems |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | children's books picture books |
| Release Date: | 2005 |
| Pages: | 44 |
| Isbn: | 978-0-7868-5294-9 |
| Dewey: | [E] 22 |
| Congress: | PZ7.W65535 You 2005 |
| Oclc: | 60822832 |
Leonardo, the Terrible Monster (known on the front cover as Your Pal Mo Willems Presents: Leonardo, the Terrible Monster) is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Mo Willems. An ALA Notable Book, it was released in 2005 by Hyperion Books.[1] In 2007, Weston Woods adapted the book to an animated film, directed by Pete List.[2]
Leonardo is truly a terrible monster - terrible at being a monster, that is. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to frighten anyone. Determined to succeed, Leonardo sets himself to training and research. Finally, he finds a nervous little boy, and scares the tuna salad out of him! But scaring people isn't quite as satisfying as he thought it would be. Leonardo realizes that he might be a terrible, awful monster-but he could be a really good friend.
Kirkus Reviews called it a "sweetly original morality play about a very unscary monster",[3] while Publishers Weekly wrote " Willems's (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!) finale feels apt but syrupy; Leonardo's decision to be nice seems homiletic. Yet this is an appealing book, sketched in dark brown against grayish pastel backdrops, with evergreen lettering and highlighted keywords."[4]
It is listed in the 2009 literary reference book 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.
In 2017, the sequel, Sam, the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World, was released.[5]