Customer Reviews

My Mama Says There Aren't Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Ever since I read "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day", I always wanted to pick up another book by Judith Viorst. This book is it and does not disappoint. A little boy, Nick, is convinced that there are monsters, vampires and other night creatures out to get him. His mother tells him there aren't any. But Nick is not so sure, especially since his mother is wrong about so many other things, such as there being no more cream cheese left when it is really hiding under the lettuce; him being able to carry the heavy bag with the eggs in it when he can't; and telling him his crayons are on the top shelf when in fact they are not. Just as Alexander said: "It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day", little Nick says: "So...sometimes even mamas make mistakes." However there are some things mamas are right about. The black and white illustrations by Kay Chorano are great and I especially like the way she draws the various monsters---very unusual, fantastic and scary. Children who are certain there is something lurking under their bed will enjoy this book and its comforting ending.

A terrific book to share with your children. Builds relationships as it acknowledges that even Mothers make mistakes. I'm the mother of a 19-, 14- and 6-year old. They have each roared in laughter as we have shared this book! It's pure fun, but also teaches a fundamental lesson - that we are all fallible!

This was my FAVORITE book when I was little. The monsters did creep into my dreams, but the theme of the book is that Mom, though she did sometimes make mistakes, was the strongest around. I mean, heck, she could scare away monsters!
I still to this day admire my mom's strength that I began to imitate since this book showed me that women, even single mamas who aren't always perfect, can be fearless and strong! I would never have done all of the good things in my life if I hadn't stood up to the 'monsters' of the world. College, travel and love are all scary things to enter, but SO worth the effort and THAT is what this book is about to me!
Thanks Mom.
Love Kassimo.

Sure, some of the illustrations scared me as a kid, but I loved it all the same. I used to beg my mom to read it to me all the time. Sadly, I got rid of it a while ago, and pretty soon I missed it dearly. I bought a new copy of it just today and couldn't be happier. I'm so glad to have found it still in print. This book is indespensible, no matter what...

I purchased this book specifically because my daughter has sensory issues with exaggerated fears of the dark and monsters. It was a bit helpful in trying to assuage her fears but it really didn't calm her down and had to read the story to her a few times. I was a bit disappointed but my daughter brings up the story when she has her bad days dealing with this type of fear. The drawings in the book didn't really help her and at times had the opposite affect and frightened her.

She did respond to the premise that there were other children with the same sort of fears she has of going to sleep and the dark. For my daughter, she thinks she is the only one to have these kinds of issues. I did appreciate that the book was able to make her realize she is not alone with her fears.

Very interesting book. All my kids (6, 4 and 3) love it for the ghosts and monsters, although I think the book is a bit too difficult and long for the 2 younger ones to follow. All the same, they like to hear about Monsters - again and again. Yet, at the end of every reading they will ask "so are there monsters?" and "did you also make a mistake about monsters, mummy?".

I love to read. I read mostly Horror, this can make for dificult questions from my son. This was a fun book to give my son on his birthday and keep his dreams full of fun!

If you're looking for a book to make your kid be unafraid of monsters, then this is probably the wrong book. If you are looking for a short, entertaining read for your child then look no further. At one point in my childhood, I had this book memorized! It was a silly way for me to deal with the shortcomings of my mother without being frustrated by them. Kids expect their parents to be perfect, for me, this book always intimated that they weren't, but it was okay. It became a joke between my mother and I, and to this day if one of us makes a silly mistake we'll quote the book! Am I still a little afraid of the dark? Sure! Did the monsters scare me to varying degrees as I aged? Sure! Did the monster scritchy-scratching at my window turn out to be a tree? Sure! (mom did get that one right) I dearly love this book and have purchased it for my nieces (I still have my original copy!)

I read this book to my two youngest when they were 3 and 9. They both loved it to the max, and still remember lines from it even though they are now 17 and 23. It finally fell apart and I've been wanting to replace it ever since.

It contributes to a healthier view of relationships: those in power or authority are not always right, and we all make mistakes. My children benefited immensely from it, and even their much older siblings loved to read it to them.

It's a great way to deal with what children inevitably notice: parents make mistakes. I'm not sure it would cure terrors about something under the bed, but it's a very healthy look at relationships.

Highly recommended.

This book was one of my all time favorites...I could not remember the name of it only that moms arent always right...and the imagery has stayed with me for some 20 years!