Buying Options
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

![That Monster on the Block by [Sue Ganz-Schmitt, Luke Flowers]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51NOMptJfDL._SX260_.jpg)
Follow the Authors
OK
That Monster on the Block Kindle Edition
Sue Ganz-Schmitt (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Luke Flowers (Illustrator) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Price | New from | Used from |
- Kindle
$0.00 Read with Kindle Unlimited to also enjoy access to over 1 million more titles $4.99 to buy - Hardcover
$10.99
Monster is excited to see what kind of creature will move into Vampire’s old house on the block. He even starts practicing his welcome growl for the new neighbor. But when the moving truck pulls up, it’s not a greedy goblin, an ogre, or a dastardly dragon that steps out. Instead, it’s something even more terrifying than Monster could have imagined! Monster quickly rallies the other neighbors to unite against the new guy on the block. But what if the new neighbor isn’t exactly as bad as Monster thinks? Join Monster as he confronts his fears in this charming and lighthearted look at what it means to accept others who are different from us.
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade levelPreschool - 3
- PublisherTwo Lions
- Publication dateOctober 1, 2020
- ISBN-13978-1542005340
![]() |
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Editorial Reviews
Review
“This humorous, fast-paced story, narrated with clipped sentences, conveys an important, unsubtle message about the importance of accepting diversity…This entertaining tale about making new friends may also help readers conquer their fear of clowns.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A closed-minded monster begins to broaden his perspective as a group of familiar Halloween characters address otherness and tolerance…With the good times rolling all around him, Monster’s resolve softens, and he starts opening up to making a friend. The proceedings are energetic and fun—with onomatopoeic words and boldly hued digital artwork that toggles between spot illustrations, smaller panels, and spreads.” —Publishers Weekly
“This book also has a great message about diversity. Monster can’t wait to see what kind of creature will move into the newly vacant old house on the block—daydreaming about ogres and other dastardly potential menaces. Then, Monster and his neighbors are disappointed to learn the newest addition is actually a squeaky clown. Clown finds a way to bond with the rest of the neighborhood, and the story teaches empathy and kindness in a silly Halloween setting.” —Book Riot
From the Publisher
On its face, this is a story about a new neighbor moving in. And Monster, who lives next door, is not happy about it, because (spoiler alert!) that neighbor is a clown. Clowns are creepy, right? Monster’s other neighbors all seem to agree. (To be honest, some humans I know have feelings about clowns as well.) But when Monster says uncomfortably familiar things like “There goes the neighborhood!” and “Before you know it there will be more!” we humans are exposed too.
One of the great powers of the picture book format is the simplicity with which a message can be delivered. Through the endearing characters in this story, a light shines on how terribly unfair it is to be prejudiced toward someone simply because of a group they belong to. In this case, the message is direct and honest—but not at all heavy-handed. And wouldn’t you know it, Clown turns out to be a barrel of laughs!
- Marilyn Brigham, Editor
About the Author
Sue Ganz-Schmitt was born on the Fourth of July and grew up in Sherman Oaks, California. She now lives in the mountains of Los Angeles with her husband, two daughters, and three dogs. She is the author of many picture books, including the popular Planet Kindergarten and Planet Kindergarten: 100 Days in Orbit, both illustrated by Shane Prigmore. Sue is the cofounder of a children’s musical theater program, a philanthropist, and a space enthusiast. She has traveled to China to help medically challenged orphans and set up a birthing clinic in rural India. She holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Learn more at www.sueganzschmitt.com.
Luke Flowers is the illustrator of more than fifty children’s books, including the New York Times bestseller A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood with poems by Fred Rogers and Disney’s The Muppet Christmas Carol storybook. Growing up, Mister Rogers and Kermit the Frog were two characters that inspired his dream to become an artist, so these were milestone books to bring to life. He is also both the author and illustrator of the Moby Shinobi series. Luke grew up with a love for all things Halloween and classic monster movies, and although he’s never been a clown, Luke does enjoy puppeteering, playing banjo, and having wacky adventures with his family. He lives with his wife and three children in Colorado Springs. Learn more about his story, books, and art at www.lukeflowers.com.
Product details
- ASIN : B07YL8Z7LF
- Publisher : Two Lions (October 1, 2020)
- Publication date : October 1, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 8056 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Not enabled
- Enhanced typesetting : Not Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Not Enabled
- Lending : Not Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank: #38,126 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Luke Flowers has illustrated more than sixty children’s books. Most notably, the New York Times Best-seller “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” poems by Fred Rogers, the award-winning “Unicorn Day”, by Diana Murray, and Disney’s “The Muppet Christmas Carol” storybook. He is also both author and illustrator of “Jim Henson’s Labyrinth ABC Storybook” and the “Moby Shinobi” series with Scholastic. The “Moby Shinobi” book series has sold over a million copies since book #1 was published in 2016.
When Luke isn’t illustrating or writing in his creative cave he enjoys puppetry, playing banjo, basketball and outdoor adventures with his family. He lives with his wife and three children in Colorado Springs. Colorado. Learn more about his story, books and art at lukeflowers.com.
He has created work for a range of clients that include Scholastic, Penguin Random House, Little Golden Books, Disney Publishing, Fred Rogers Productions, The Jim Henson Company, Nickelodeon, Little Bee Books, Insight Editions, Imprint (Macmillan), Two Lions, Sourcebooks, Hallmark, Highlights, Albert Whitman Co., Hachette Book Group, Workman Publishing, The Smithsonian Institute, Discovery House Publishing, Cantata Learning and Capstone Publishing.
To enjoy more of Luke's work, please visit lukeflowerscreative.com
SUE is an award-winning children’s book author, musical theater producer, SCBWI member, and philanthropist. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in writing for children and young adults. Sue has performed in RENT on Broadway, run a marathon, and pursues other improbable and exciting challenges—as often as she can.
Her books include THAT MONSTER ON THE BLOCK, NOW, I'M A BIRD, PLANET KINDERGARTEN, PLANET KINDERGARTEN:100 DAYS IN ORBIT, THE PRINCESS AND THE PEANUT: A ROYALLY ALLERGIC FAIRYTALE, and EVEN SUPERHEROES GET DIABETES.
Sue has served as a NASA Social Media correspondent, a volunteer for The Planetary Society, and a space advocate representing the Space Exploration Alliance to Congress. She has also written and produced a STEAM video featured by The Planetary Society (The Galaxy Girls Save Pluto).
You can often find Sue at her home in the Los Angeles mountains with her eyes to the stars.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
I get that it was supposed to show that Clown was nice, but he could have just been nice. He could have been rightfully frustrated by his unwelcoming neighbors and not gone out of the way to help them 24/7 and he still would have deserved respect, but that's a message that didn't come through, imo.
PLOT: Monster is excited about his new neighbor – until he realizes that it's a clown! Neighborhood meetings are held. Ostracism is preached. But Clown wins everyone over, including Monster. By the time the next new neighbor moves in, minds and hearts have been opened.
TEXT: Small print. Concise. Clever. Second grade and above.
ARTWORK: Loved it.
PROS:
- Good story.
- Encourages empathy.
- Helps children learn about mythological Halloween creatures in a non-scary setting.
CONS:
- None.
BEST READ BY: You to your child the first time. This book should be talked about.
NOTE: I was not far into this book before I realized that this tale was less about monsters than about modern-day race relations. (Or was it? Given the current political climate, the lens through which I viewed this book may not be what the author intended. But it is nevertheless how I viewed this book.) In my mind, this book quickly became not about a clown moving into a neighborhood of monsters but about an African-American moving into a white neighborhood. The fear. The gossip. The instant ostracism. The neighborhood meetings. The horror that this clown would be living on their block. (“There goes the neighborhood!” “Before you know it there will be more!”) My heart just sank; it was painful to read.
On the plus side, everyone does come around, including the ringleader. When the next new non-monster neighbor arrives, he is ready to greet them with kindness.
On the minus side, everyone comes around because Clown puts in extraordinary effort to win them over. He's friendly. He's helpful. He goes around to every home. He leaves presents when doors won't be open to him. In short, he does far more to win over his leery neighbors than anyone should ever have to.
BOTTOM LINE: Good as a Halloween tale. Great as a tale on not being a closed-minded jerk.
(This book was acquired through my daughter's Amazon account and shared through the "share with family" feature.)
I am probably being a bit harsh but I have read soooooo many children's books to my boy that I can say this is not the worst by any means but about average thus the 3 stars.
The pages are cluttered, which interrupts the flow of the story and I docked 1 star for that. When I'm reading a story to a child I want to hit each line one after another. I found myself trying to riddle out which line should be next in this book. The good news is the story line is unaffected if one line is read before another, for the most part.
The illustrations, though crammed together, are playful and quirky. Children are sure to enjoy the craziness swirling around. I had fun reading each monster's voice as written - the drawings give gobs of inspiration.
Top reviews from other countries



Nice to read children/ class tho get them thinking about making new friends at school or in their neighbourhood along with change and people being different. Especially when they may have had a long time away from other outside children (covid).
Nice for children to read to themselves and spot all of the fun little pictures and changes e.g. how the vampire house actually looks like a vampire and when Clown redecorates it 、it looks like a clown etc.

One of the things I most miss during the pandemic is browsing in bookshops and looking for colourful stories for the children in my life, hence why I chose this! This is a really good story with a clear message which is presented in a colourful way and is easy to understand. The illustrations are excellent and I’m sure young children will really appreciate them as they are a lot of fun. The ending is really good and makes you smile.
