Marilyn's Monster

What if monsters weren’t scary at all, but instead made fantastic friends? Today’s book helps us imagine a world where every child has a special monster friend. Featuring Marilyn's Monster by Michelle Knudsen, illustrations by Matt Phelan.

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PICTURE THIS: MORE FROM THE ILLUSTRATOR

A monster sketch by Matt Phelan — Matt Phelan's challenge: Draw a monster a day!
Courtesy of Matt Phelan

Illustrator had the monstrously fun task of designing the creatures that fill Marilyn’s Monster. To get into the groove, he drew one monster everyday in his sketchbook.

“Some monsters reflected their kids. I imagine Marilyn’s brother’s monster squeezing his head a bit too tight. Maybe that’s why her brother acts the way he does,” Phelan said.

If you’re feeling inspired and want to start sketching yourself, Phelan shared his tips for crafting your own creatures.

Instructions for how to draw a monster, from illustrator Matt Phelan — Courtesy of Matt Phelan

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY: MAKE YOUR OWN MONSTER

After listening to the very first episode, keep your imagination going and draw a picture of what your — and your family’s — monsters might look like. Do they have wings? Tails? Feathers? Scales?

Consider illustrator Matt Phelan’s tips when you’re crafting creatures of your very own. You can always share your pictures with the Julie’s Library team, and they might even land on our library’s fridge.

Send us your monsters!

THE BACKSTORY

“Sometimes ideas for books just pop into my head. So for this story, I saw an image in my mind of a classroom and some of the kids had monsters sitting on their desks, or looking at them through the window — and there was one girl sitting all alone who didn’t have a monster.” –, author of Marilyn's Monster