Leonardo, the Terrible Monster

Poor Leonardo is a monster who can't scare anyone. He doesn't have 1,642 teeth like Tony, isn't big like Eleanor, and can't lay claim to being just plain weird like Hector. Based on author-illustrator-narrator Mo Willems' 2005 picture book, the simply but winsomely animated Leonardo, the Terrible Monster follows the cuddly-looking, mini-horned Leonardo on a quest to find the most scaredy-cat kid in the world and scare the “tuna salad” out of him. After a bit of research, Leonardo settles on wimpy little Sam, but after launching what he thinks is a successful surprise scare attack, he learns that Sam is crying for entirely different reasons, which—in an admittedly sappy ending—earns Leonardo's sympathy and friendship. Although Willems' narration sounds a bit on the amateur side, I suspect the target preschool audience will enjoy this adaptation of the ALA Notable Book by the author of the popular Knuffle Bunny (VL-3/07). Recommended. Aud: K, P. (R. Pitman)