Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Leonardo is a terrible monster — an actual monster who is terrible at scaring people. Despite his best efforts, he simply was not as scary as the other monsters. To prove he could scare someone, he decided to find the most scaredy-cat kid in the world and try to scare him. But when he gives his best effort, he realizes the boy is crying because he had a bad day, not because Leonardo was able to frighten him. Leonardo decides that if he cannot be a monster, he will try to be a wonderful friend instead.

Leonardo spends his time comparing himself to other “better” monsters who are actually good at being terrible. When he fails at being scary, he realizes that being a good friend is much better than being a scary monster. The book is a good reminder that being kind is always a good option and that we have all been gifted in different ways.

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