My Monster Burrufu [Kindle Edition]

Alberto Corral (Author), Alessandra Sorrentino (Illustrator)

Book Description

Seven-year-old Olivia has just moved to a new house—the same house where a lonely monster named Burrufu lives hidden in a secret attic. One night, unable to resist the smell of delicious cookies, Burrufu sneaks out and is discovered by Olivia. The two soon learn that you can find friendship in the most unexpected places.
'My Monster Burrufu' is a story of fear overcome, a curse, and a most unusual monster who learns from a little girl how to trust his heart.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Midwest Book Review, September 10, 2012:

"Joyful and upbeat from cover to cover, My Monster Burrufu is an excellent pick for beginning to intermediate readers, highly recommended."

Kirkus Reviews, July 18, 2012:

"Corral is a lively storyteller. The book shines in Corral's depiction of Olivia's exuberance and Burrufu's deep layers: a touch of melancholy, a tender heart and a resigned understanding that the larger world will never see past what I look like. The tale shines with lively prose and engaging illustrations."


She Saved, July 2, 2012:

"It's DARLING!!  Burrufu (which is just fun to say!) is a monster that lives in the secret attic of Olivia's new home. This book is not only fun to read and share, but has a great message about overcoming fears and creating friendships. This one just warmed my heart ... great read."

Simply Stacie, December 10, 2011:

"While it is full of exciting adventures, I appreciate that it's also subtly teaching about important values too. The story is creative and imaginative. My Monster Burrufu is a wonderful and heart-warming tale for children of all ages and would make a delightful holiday gift idea or stocking stuffer."

Parka Blogs, October 6, 2011:

"It's a charming story about their friendship, one with some surprises as the monster has some secrets of its own. The illustrations from Alessandra Sorrentino are so beautiful I want to squeeze them. The book's an enjoyable read. Recommended. "

From the Back Cover

Seven-year-old Olivia has just moved to a new house -- the same house where a lonely monster named Burrufu lives hidden in a secret attic. One night, unable to resist the smell of delicious cookies, Burrufu sneaks out and is discovered by Olivia. The two soon learn that you can find friendship in the most unexpected places. 'My Monster Burrufu' is a story of overcoming fear, a curse, and a most unusual monster who learns from a little girl how to trust his heart.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 1748 KB
• Print Length: 104 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 061545934X
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Petite Grande Idée; 1 edition (April 4, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006GCZR36
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,824 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Chapter Book For Kids! September 26, 2011

By Textbook Mommy

Format:Paperback

My daughter is 9 years old and she absolutely loved this book! It has a wonderful balance of pictures mixed in with the chapters, making it fun and easy to read! As a mom I love the message behind the story, "don't judge someone on the outside". I would recommend this book to any family with young readers!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An enchanting story, both funny and dramatic, with an important moral. September 30, 2011

By Jess Shevlin

Format:Paperback

My Monster Burrufu is a storybook about a young girl who finds more than just dust in the attic of her new home. By the way, did you know that monsters are good luck? Well, now you know.

This is an enchanting story about an outgoing, unique and friendly little girl who tries with all of her might to befriend a very reclusive monster, who just wants to be left alone in his lonely attic to write his stories and eat stolen chocolate chip cookies. The book is peppered with beautifully drawn black and white illustrations, and the dialogue is enhanced by increases and decreases in font size to indicate yelling and whispering tones. It's a sweet story that is fun to read, especially out loud in different voices!

This story has a very important central moral: don't judge someone by how they look; it's what's inside that counts. It's a kind of "don't judge a monster by his fur" type of moral, which is applicable to children and adults alike.

My Monster Burrufu was created by Alberto Corral, a character animator at Dreamworks Animation. He, like Burrufu, also loves dessert. Alberto told me, "I love movies and stories in any form. That passion took me to write a children's book."

My 10 month old daughter Lily is too young to yet appreciate the moral of the story (it is geared toward the 8-12 age range), but she loved hearing the story and looking at the pictures. As she gets older, I think we'll read the story while baking batches of chocolate chip cookies... This is truly a tale that children and parents can all enjoy.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An instant classic September 22, 2011

By I.Gonzalez Pile�o

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

My Monster Burrufu is a great read for Parents to share with their kids. The book is also perfect for kids to read on their own and get spellbound by the heart warming adventures of Olivia a 7 years old little girl and his unexpected new friend Burrufu.

My Monster Burrufu is written in a way that appeals to children but without talking down to them, the readers will find plenty of situations that children can identify with.

The book also has wonderful illustrations full of charm and details that will complete the reading experience and will help the children get to know their new best friend, a sweet monster named Burrufu.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming story and adorable illustrations July 2, 2012

By Bookphile TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I have to admit, I get some warm fuzzies just by looking at the cover of this book. It seemed like a great book to read with my eight-year-old daughter, and I was not disappointed in that regard. She really seemed to eat this book up, laughing at some sections, feeling sad and distressed in others, and ultimately loving the ending. I also enjoyed reading it, particularly because it never felt dumbed-down to me, which is a major, major flaw in some children's books. Some spoilers ahead.

My favorite part of this book is the character of Burrufu. He is just awesome. I expected him to be a warm and cuddly monster, so I was pretty thrilled to find that he was rather curmudgeonly and really only wanted to be left alone to work on his manuscripts. A monster who has a passion for writing books! Seriously, what's not to love about that? He was a fresh character, one who had to be reluctantly coaxed into a relationship with the charming, precocious, and adorable Olivia. I loved that they weren't instantly best friends. I loved that Burrufu sometimes just wanted her to go away but, in the end, was ultimately unable to resist her charms.

And Olivia is charming. She's blithely oblivious in that way that only kids can be, and she's a wonderful vehicle for showcasing the innocence of childhood, where it doesn't really matter how you look, as long as you like to play. Olivia was a joy of a character, and I was highly entertained by her selective attention to detail--namely, she only paid attention to the things she wanted to hear.

This is ultimately a really nice story about friendship and how it can transcend barriers. This is always a lovely message for children, particularly when it's done in such a fun and engaging way.... This book proves that you don't have to be preachy in order to teach kids a little something. My daughter and I had some nice talks about the friendship between Olivia and Burrufu, and about how unfairly Burrufu is treated simply because of the way he looks. I loved that Olivia sought a better way. That's certainly a message that I want my daughter to take to heart.

It would be remiss of me not to talk about the drawings because they are wonderful. Burrufu is extremely strange looking, while Olivia is absolutely adorable. My daughter and I were also in love with the drawings of Tula, who is probably the most adorable cartoon dog I've ever seen. Yet, it's not just the fact that the drawings are cute, it's that there is some really amazing detail to some of them. I particularly love the illustration of Olivia's room, because there's just so much to take in there. From Olivia's hilariously adorable pajamas to Burrufu's expression to the room's decor, it's the kind of picture I'd love to blow up and hang on my daughter's wall because it's just so whimsical and sweet. I'm also extremely enamored of the picture on the last page, as it really tugs at my motherly heartstrings.

I have no doubt this is one of those books I'll catch my daughter paging through quite often. I don't think I'll ever look at it without picturing her scrunching up her face, hugging the book to her chest, and declaring, "Burrufu is so cute!" The time I spent reading this book with her was time very well spent. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Memorable Story: Entertainment and Learning - and Not Just for Kids! April 21, 2012

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Now and then along comes a book intended for children, written by an adult who understands very well how to slip in important lessons on interaction with humanity while not skipping a beat in creating a memorable fantasy. Such is the case of this fresh new release from Petite Grande Idée, a publishing house that proves that the precious world of fine books is not dying! The story is by Alberto Corral, born in the Canary Islands, Spain and now living in Lo Angeles, California where he is a character animator for Dreamworks , a filmmaker, and a screeb writer. Corral wisely joined ranks with Italian illustrator and animator Alessandra Sorrentino who adds just enough visual depictions of the storyto enhance its appeal to both young and old.

Olivia Norby is seven years old and she and her sole parent father Steve ( a writer who happens to work for a money hungry boos named Mark) are moving from New York City to the country where Steve can work in peace and provide Olivia with a quiet healthy childhood. Early on we see why Steve's boss is mentioned: `All of his work was finally starting to pay off. His look was a bit bohemian, which clashed with Mark's elegance, but that is what friendships are about. Every person is who they are, and we must learn to accept it.' The tone is set for the tale that follows.

Soon after moving into the new big old house Olivia and her little dog Tula discover the presence of a monster who lives in the attic, writing books in elected solitude: people outside his little private word don't accept him because he is big and hairy and when people act scared he grow in height up to 100 feet tall. Olivia is not afraid of the monster who informs her that his name is Burrufu.... Gradually Olivia and Brrufu become close friends, Burrufu is accepted unconditionally by Olivia, and Olivia finds a way to get Burrufu out of his attic and into her treehouse, Burrufu rewards her by growing huge and taking Olivia and Tula on a fast trip to the beach. When Steve discovers Burrufu his fright makes Burrufu grow tall an in a short moment the entire town with police and military see Burufu as a threat. But it is Olivia's friendship for her monster friend that saves the day and opens some unexpected doors of opportunity.

This beautifully illustrated and written story's moral is to accept people as they are and discover unexpected friendships in strange place and honor them. The writing is fluid and fun and of the current time and language. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, April 12 Read more ›

More About the Author

Spanish born Alberto Corral is an animator at DreamWorks Animation Studio whose film credits include titles such as 'Shrek Forever After' (2010), 'Kung Fu Panda 2' (2011), 'Madagascar 3' (2012) and 'Planet 51'(2009) amongst others.
In 2009, after he moved to Los Angeles, Alberto started to develop other artistic areas such as screenwriting, film directing and in 2011 he published his first novel, 'My Monster Burrufu'.
He currently lives in Glendale, California, where he has already begun work on his second book.