Children's Corner: Monsters Eat Whiny Children

Review:  New Yorker cartoonist, Eric Kaplan has written and illustrated this little gem.  I will say it's not for everyone, but if you have a warped, Edward Gorey-esque sense of humor, which we have in spades in our house, this book is a hoot!

My daughter is not afraid of anything, let alone monsters, but I think even children who are a little apprehensive will enjoy this one.  The children, Henry and Eve, are going through a "terrible phase" in which they whine constantly.  There father warns them that monsters eat whiny children, but they pay no heed.  And when a monster carts them off and puts them in a salad, they're still whining.  However, as the monsters get sidetracked with their indecision about the best way to prepare whiny children (whiny child vindaloo?), the children get a taste of their own medicine. Henry & Eve must amuse themselves while the monster's whine & bicker... and finally, in their boredom, they escape.

This book is perfect for my daughter and her "terrible phase" at the moment.  She understands the humor in it and will tell you that, "Children aren't for eating. That would be hurty!"  The minimalistic drawings are cute and imaginative. This one is a definite keeper.

About the Author

Bruce Eric Kaplan, known for his distinctive, off-beat single-panel cartoons, has been a New Yorker cartoonist for over ten years. He is also a television writer, and was an executive producer for the acclaimed HBO series Six Feet Under, as well as a writer on Seinfeld (funnily enough, one of his most well-known episodes is one where Elaine becomes increasingly frustrated over what she takes to be an utterly nonsensical New Yorker cartoon).

He has authored and illustrated six adult titles for Simon & Schuster: the cult classic The Cat That Changed My Life; the collections, I Love You, I Hate You, I'm Hungry, No One You Know and This is a Bad Time; and Every Person on the Planet and Edmund and Rosemary Go to Hell, both featuring the wonderfully neurotic Brooklyn couple, Edmund & Rosemary. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.