D is for Drool

Reviews

From Kirkus
Why count sheep when an alphabetical array of monsters is queued up to crawl under the bed?
Lying wakeful in his moonlit bedroom, the pale-skinned lad from the I Need My Monster series begins with “A…is for Arms.” This cues the entry of a multilimbed, popeyed, purple-striped yellow creature at the head of a parade of blobby, slobbery boojums as wildly diverse of shape as they are saturated of hue. It’s almost a pity this book is codex bound instead of concertina folded, as careful design finds elements from the right edge of one double-page spread continuing on to the left edge of the next. The green-furred, horned monster on an early spread is revealed to have a long, spiked tail after the turn of the page, for instance, and the substance dripping from the many noses of a blue, finned creature makes quite the trail of bright pink ooze across the following spread. Readers will enjoy flipping back and forth to see the contiguity. Being all smiles and more likely to elicit snorts of amusement than screams of terror, the monstrous marchers crawling, oozing, slithering, or strolling into and out of view with each page turn have the intended soporific effect. As the alphabet progresses, the lines of narrative become more and more…stretched…out…until a final “Y…is…for…Yawn…and…Z……is for…” signal mission accomplished. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A monstrously effective lid-dropper. (Picture book. 3-5)

From Elizabeth Dulemba – Interview with illustrator Howard McWilliam
Before my summer hiatus, I had one more interview to share, which got a little delayed. So, without further adieu, Howard McWilliam stopped by to talk about the latest book in the adorable “My Monster” series from Flashlight Press, D is for Drool! – read it here!

From Foreword Reviews
A bedtime story that flips the monster under the bed on its head, this whimsical alphabet book is a surefire hit. Ethan’s parents have told him to try counting sheep when he can’t sleep, but he prefers counting monsters. A parade of colorful creatures appears as he works his way through the alphabet. Their claws, spikes, and warts are rendered in exquisite detail before the book concludes with Z for zzz.

From BabyBookworms
First let me begin by saying how absolutely adorable and imaginative the illustrations in this book are.  I love them!  The monsters are not scary but so innovative and animated that kids will love each and every one of them.  
When Ethan is unable to sleep he recites his ABCs.  He doesn’t count sheep but monsters.  Each letter is attributed to the appearance and action of a monster:  A is for Arms, B is for Belly, C is for Claws, and D is for Drool!  Kids will love this book and all the others in the award-winning series “I Need A Monster.”  This book a pure delight from A to ZZzzzzz when Ethan finally falls asleep.  The book is playful, creative and a very fun read.  I highly recommend this book!  
Storywraps Rating – 5 HUGS!

From GrandmaIdeas, Nina Lewis
How many alphabet books do you think there are on the market? I did a VERY quick (and limited) search and found well over 50. Man oh man! A is for apple and B is for banana. Then there are things like oranges and strawberries with a truck thrown in for good measure. Yawn.
How many times does it take for a parent reading a typical alphabet book before she’s bored beyond tears? Not very many, I predict.
But then along comes an alphabet book that teaches kids their alphabet and is also very engaging for toddler and parent alike. D is for Drool is that book. Let’s shout huzzah from the rooftops!
Counting monster-ly things will guarantee you’ll never be bored!
Ethan, the little boy in the book, is not sleepy. No siree, Bob. Instead of counting sheep to help him sleep, he counts monster attributes — like monster bellies, monster noses, and monster wings. I love that! That’s a lot more entertaining than boring white sheep.
There’s one thing that is exceptionally clever. Many times, part of the monster you see on the current page is also on the next page. It’s like you’re seeing the monster as he’s leaving. Or! Sometimes on the current page, you see a wee bit of the monster that will be coming up on the next page. It’s fun to ask your grandchild (or child) what he thinks the next monster is going to be like.
There are lots of fun things to discover on all of the pages. For instance, J is for jumping. There are tiny monsters jumping around. But if you look closely, you’ll see that some of those itty bitty monsters are throwing snowballs and making snow angels. That’s because the previous monster is leaving snow as he walks along. So clever!
Then there’s the monster that oozes stuff out his plethora of noses . . . that other monsters have to avoid walking in! Yuck! By the time Ethan gets to the letter Z, he’s ‘cutting z’s (he’s asleep).
And what about all of the monsters? Why they’re asleep under Ethan’s bed because EVERYBODY (kids especially) knows that there are monsters under the bed!
I absolutely love this book! It’s clever. It’s innovative. It’s colorful. It’s charming. It’s one that will delight toddlers and parents alike for a long time. Oh. And also older siblings . . .What a monstrously magnificent ABC book! I highly recommend it. And I think you’ll love it, too.

From Midwest Book Review, Story Monsters Ink Shelf, Dr. Dawn Menge
When Ethan can’t sleep, he doesn’t count sheep – he says his ABCs. But in monster-loving Ethan’s alphabet, A is for Arms, B is for Belly, C is for Claws, and D is for Drool! What a colorfully illustrated book! The academic concepts of learning the basic alphabet are enhanced by the use of the monsters as the characters. An older child would be completely thrilled to read this book to their younger sibling. (Ages 3-5)

From Bookworm for Kids, Tonja Drecker
Today’s review made my entire household smile. I thought the cover was cute, when I was offered to take a peek at this one. Little did I know that it’s only the beginning of one of the most imaginative and entertaining ABC books I’ve run across in awhile.
Ready for a monsterly adventure into the realm of bedtime fantasies? 
When Ethan can’t sleep, he doesn’t count sheep – he says his ABCs. But in monster-loving Ethan’s alphabet, A is for Arms, B is for Belly, C is for Claws, and D is for Drool! Kids will love pointing out the alphabetical attributes on the silly monsters that parade across Ethan’s room – like earlobes, noses, spikes, and wings – and discovering where all of those monsters are headed. By the time Ethan gets to Y, he’s Yawning. And by Z, kids will be ready to sleep as Ethan does, surrounded by the tails, tentacles, and drool sticking out from under his bed. ZZzzzzz. D is for Drool is a monstrously magnificent ABC book that offers a new way to fall asleep. With the perfect balance of giggles and shivers, it is a captivating companion to the award-winning I Need My Monster series.
ABC’s take on a delightfully, monsterly twist, which will leave readers smiling and willingly peeking under their beds.
Ethan can’t sleep. So, he decides to recite the ABC’s, but with his imagination working at full throttle, these turn out a bit differently than what might be expected.
The text is very simple and short because it’s the illustrations, which carry this book. Every letter of the alphabet is listed, one by one, and immediately, a word with it follows. For example, D is for drool (like the title). Sometimes, there are two or three words with the same beginning letter mentioned, but this only ranks up the silly fun. And this one is silly fun.
The monsters parade across the page, one, two or even three at a time. They start out rather sinister and creepy but grow sillier and funnier as the pages turn. It’s not only the attributes mentioned by the ABC’s which make this cute, but each monster carries a distinct personality. It’s super fun to meet each one…and listeners will probably start rattling off other attributes the can think of that start with the letters, too.
The entire thing ends on the perfect, bedtime-read note, and despite the claws and growls, this one does invite to sweet dreams. To say it’s a fun read is an understatement.

From Schizanthus Nerd
I love alphabet books and bedtime stories, and this book is both. I wish I’d learned the alphabet this way. There’s no boring A is for Apples in this book; A is for Arms, enough that you will need to use all of your fingers to count them.
I would have giggled my way through this book as a kid and would have had fun calling out what each letter is for. The monsters aren’t scary at all; they’re actually quite adorable. Howard McWilliam’s illustrations pop with colour and all of the monsters are expressive.
I enjoyed the continuity throughout the book. When you turn the page you get to see the tail end of the monster from the page before. Oftentimes you’ll see snow or ooze on subsequent pages from the more messy monsters.
I loved the baby Jaws making a snow angel but my favourite monster was the one with green pigtails and pink tutu.
Howard McWilliam’s alphabet is amazing. Not only does each letter match the colour scheme of each letter’s monster, many of their attributes are also represented.
I would love to see a special edition of this book that includes an alphabet wall border. It needs to be on my wall.
I definitely need to get my hands on the I Need My Monster series.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Flashlight Press for the opportunity to read this picture book.

From Jolie Taylor, author and Instagram influencer @endlessfairytales
Hands down, this is my FAVORITE ABC book! I adore these illustrations and that all the ABC’s are about monsters. It makes me happy every time I read it to my son. This book has several others in the series. They don’t have to be read in order, and they are all fantastic! The first one I ever bought and read was “I Need My Monster.” I bought it completely on the cover, not even knowing what was inside because the cover was so fun (illustrations are by Howard McWilliam). And then the words were fun too! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Five stars on this whole series. These are the kind of books that make kids love reading.

From librarian, writer, and influencer @kids.books.i.didnt.hate
I hadn’t come across this series before finding this book, and to be honest, based on the cover I was a bit worried this would be too scary for some of my kids. I was nervous enough that I read it to myself first, which was totally unnecessary.
I LOVE these adorable little monsters. They are vibrant and funny and very approachable. I can’t wait to check out the rest of the series.
There is so much to see in these illustrations. And I love the way the endpapers tie into the story. You’ll have to check out the book to see my favorite letter – V is for vanish…

From Vanesa Josevski, author
When Ethan can’t sleep, he says his ABC’s but not the boring kind.
A is for Arms
B is for Belly
C is for Claws
and D is for Drool
Monster-loving kids will LOVE spotting all the silly, slightly spooky, illustration features as they parade across the room. Spikes, wings, noses, tails… and yes, drool dripping from under the bed! Wahh!!!
By the time Ethan reaches Y for Yawning… you’ll be hearing those little Zzz’s too.
It’s the perfect mix of giggles and gentle shivers a fun twist on the ABC’s and a playful bedtime read.

From Barbara Gruener, The Corner on Character blog
Why I like this book: So this one took me completely by surprise today. As I was perusing my shelves for a book I hadn’t yet reviewed, D is for Drool caught my eye. Oh gosh, when did I get that one? In 2021? 
How did I miss it? 
September of 2021. My brother Mark had just died. Sigh.
As you may know, Flashlight titles are some of my all-time faves, so I even sent an email to the publisher that Fall, telling them about my loss and letting them know that I wouldn’t likely be reviewing books for the foreseeable future. But the books kept coming. So kind, right?
Somehow this one got lost in my collection.
Now that I have a toddler to read with, I’m so thankful it resurfaced.
Cue McWilliam’s adorable lad from I Need My Monster; in an attempt to get to sleep, Ethan starts going through the alphabet and assigning ooey, gooey monster parts to each letter. 
A is for Arms. B is for Belly. C is for Claws.
I is for Icy. J is for Jaws … and Jumping. 
X is for eXhausted. Y is for Yawn. Z is for ….
Ok, you get the picture.
You can even feel the drool on the book jacket.
Use this heavy-hitter as a springboard for going through your child’s stuffies and invite them to assign a trait from each one to a letter. 
For example:
Hans the SquishMallow? H is for Hat.
Simba from Lion King? M is for Mane.
That crocheted Elephant? T is for Trunk.
I’m sure we can find at least 26 stuffed critters in Leah’s basket.
D is for Drool is such a fun and entertaining read-aloud. Prepare for lots of laughter and then ooos and aaahs as the brilliant illustrations bring this monstrously-slimy (and not-at-all-scary) tuck-in-time treasure alive to tickle that funny bone of yours.

About the Creators

Amanda Noll is the author of the award-winning I Need My Monster series. She is an elementary school teacher/librarian and lives with her husband and children in Spanaway, Washington. She is also a grandmother and enjoys sharing stories with all the little monsters in her life. The monster under her bed is Gertie. You can find out more about Amanda and her work on her website.

Shari Dash Greenspan has been the editor and art director at Flashlight Press since its launch in 2004. She conceived of and co-wrote D is for Drool based on the monster world created by Amanda Noll and Howard McWilliam. The monster under her bed is Yankel who loves to yank on her blanket.

Howard McWilliam is the award-winning illustrator of the I Need My Monster series, When a Dragon Moves In series, John Cena’s Elbow Grease series (a NY Times #1 Bestseller), and many other children’s books. He is the cover artist of The Week (US & UK), and he lives with his wife and three sons in Cheltenham, England. The monster under his bed is Brompton. You can find out more about Howard and his work on his website.

ISBN: HC 9781947277496  SC 9781962269339  ePDF 9781947277502  EPUB 9781947277519  KF8 9781947277526  Audiobook 9781947277205  Read-along Audio 9781947277755
Print Length: 32 Pages (SC: 36 Pages)
Publication Date: September 2021 (HC), February 2026 (SC) 
Age Group: 3-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021937110
Foreign Editions: Korean
Themes: Sleep Issues, Monsters, Imagination

Activity Guides & More

• Monster Coloring Page
• ABCs Coloring Page
• Monster Lettering Freebie from Queen of the 1st Grade Jungle, Katie King
• D is for Drool Word Search

Leveling Information

Fountas and Pinnell – Text Level H

Lexile Measurements provided by Metametrics.

Lexile Display: AD200L
Word Count: 143
MSL: 4.086
MLF: 3.339