Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Let's meet Alexander Applebee's Math Monster in the storybook My Math Monster by E.M. Olsen. Alex was a good student and Ms. Emily was surprised to see him distracted one day. Alex's Math Monster was peering over the edge of his desk and he was muttering and whispering and waving his arms about his head. Alex couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. Ms. Emily noticed Alex was having trouble paying attention in the math class. She decided to help him by going over some problems together. As soon as Alex opened his book, the Math Monster appeared and started distracting him. Alex tried pointing out the Math Monster to Ms. Emily but she was unable to see him. The same thing happened at home; his mother also couldn't see the Math Monster and the same thing happened with his Grandpa too. Soon Alex realized that many of his friends had their own monsters like Amy had a Shy Monster and Stephanie had a Kickball Monster.

My Math Monster by E.M. Olsen speaks about the importance of taming the monsters inside us to become successful. The illustrations are colorful and lively and they breathe life not only into the characters but also the concept, making it tangible to young readers. I like the way the author has given a personality to the Math Monster, making him interesting. It is a good storybook for tutors to use for storytelling sessions in classrooms to help children understand how important it is to tame the monsters inside them to achieve success. The author tackles the topic in an interesting way that makes it easy for youngsters to understand. Parents can also use the story at home to guide their kids in dealing with their monsters so that they are not distracted. The concept is good and relevant and the approach to it is simple and entertaining.