Bub

Written and Illustrated by Elizabeth Rose Stanton
Published in 2018

Why we chose this book:
We are checking out most of our library's new acquisitions if they have appealing covers. I know we're told not to judge books by their covers, but I definitely do.

Mom's Review

A cute little monster tires of stressful family dynamics and turns himself invisible.

Bub is the middle monster child with a star older sister, an adorable baby sister, and argumentative parents. He becomes crabby as a result of family strife and conceives a solution some children may have wondered about themselves. He disappears from sight and watches what happens when his family misses him. Spoiler alert: happy ending.

When I placed my hold request for Bub using my phone, the tiny book cover looked like a cat to me. I did a double take when I was given a monster book! The cuteness of all the illustrations appeals, but I most enjoyed the portraits in the background in Bub's home. Their expressions change to reflect Bub's emotions on each page.  Bub states how his family's behavior affects his emotions, and while children may identify with that situation, the fact that he is a monster may override their connection. As we drove home from the library, T told me he was going to look at the book to "see what the book is about;" his understanding that this was a monster story held true even after reading.

I liked it, but I've recently read that human characters resonate with children more than animal characters, so I've tried to strike a better balance.

Here's the article about human vs. nonhuman characters in children's lit: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/sep/01/only-childrens-books-with-humans-have-moral-impact-study-finds

Son's Review
(age 2 years and 11 months)

Mom: Did you like this book?

Son: Yeah

Mom: Why did you like this book?

Son: Because the [scary] monsters are going to come.

Mom: What did you think of the big ugly monsters?

Son: I think that they are kind of bad for Bub.

Mom: Did you like Bub or his sister Bernice better?

Son: Bub

Mom: Who did you like the best, Bub, Bernice or Baby?

Son: Baby

Mom: Why?

Son: Because she called him "Blub."

Mom: Was that a good name or a bad name?

Son: A good name

Mom: Was there anything happy or sad in this book or both?

Son: happy and sad

Mom: What was happy?

Son: How they found Bub.

Mom: What was sad?

Son: How they didn't find Bub...how he disappeared.

Mom: What do you have to say about the pictures?

Son: I have to say I like, I just like the pictures.