Growl refers to both the title character a diminutive purple monster and the ear-shattering sound she loves to make. Growl's growling isn't an issue as long as she leads a solitary life within the confines of her impressive castle. But when her well-meaning growling spoils teatime for the neighbors, the spiny heroine suddenly finds herself on the receiving end of a NIMBY movement until she proves her worth as a one-monster neighborhood watch. Horacek (illustrator of Where Is the Green Sheep?) draws goofy cartoons with a genial, contemporary look, and Growl exudes a Pokémonesque charm: her saw-toothed smile is hard to resist. The text leaves little to the imagination (Growl was the saddest she'd ever been.... She tried to run around her garden, but running is hard when you're trying not to cry), but frequent cues to say growl as loudly as possible will invigorate readers. Ages 3 8. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

K-Gr 2 Tomi Ungerer's Crictor the snake tied up the robber until police arrived. William Kotzwinkle's Walter the Farting Dog grossed out the robber. In this book, Growl, a small purple, toothy monster, scares the robber with her mighty sound and saves the day. Growl lives in a big castle at the end of an otherwise ordinary street. She growls all the time. It's just what she does. One day she lets out an extra loud growl, just as her neighbors are having afternoon tea. They are appropriately startled, tables and chairs are upset, and their tea is ruined. They call the police. Growl is forbidden to growl. She becomes listless and depressed. She cries all day. Late one night she sees a robber creeping across their yard. She lets out an ear-shattering roar that sends him fleeing. When the neighbors realize what she's done, they apologize and invite the little monster to tea. The cartoon illustrations done in gouache are outlined in black. The volume and intensity of each growl is shown by the size and the placement of the word. While the pages are colorful and the text is always easily visible, this title is not a necessary purchase. Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information