“What are the best Children’s books about Monsters?” We looked at 143 of the top Kids Monster books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 17 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Kids Monster” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 100+ titles, as well as the lists we used are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.
Happy Scrolling!
Lists It Appears On:
Stories in verse about the monster-sized problems Dracula, Wolfman, Bigfoot and other monsters have.
Lists It Appears On:
Rhyming text describes a mother guiding her young monster through bedtime preparations, such as howling at the moon, snacking on worm juice and beetle bread, and choosing a bedtime story.
Lists It Appears On:
When Ethan checks under the bed for his monster, he finds a note saying that Gabe has gone fishing and will be back in a week. He tries out several substitute monsters, but finds that none are as perfect as Gabe.
Lists It Appears On:
Featuring the only Monster in Cutesville, LOVE MONSTER is a wonderfully warm and witty look at how sometimes, when you least expect it, love finds you… From a phenomenal picture book talent. It can be tough being the only funny-looking Monster in Cutesville, but this Monster is not one to hang around and feel sorry for himself, so he’s off – out into the big wide world to look for someone to love him. He looks high, he looks low and he looks everywhere in-between, but it’s only when he’s just about to give up that he finally finds what he is looking for… Featuring an instantly charming main character who will appeal to children and adults alike
Lists It Appears On:
Playful monsters combine their favorite crayons, red, yellow, and blue, to create new colors, including one never before seen.
Lists It Appears On:
A young monster describes all the things its mother does to show she loves it.
Lists It Appears On:
Bobby thinks his teacher, Ms. Kirby, is horrible, but when he sees her outside of school and they spend a day in the park together, he discovers she might not be so bad after all.
Lists It Appears On:
A young monster resents being called a monster.
Lists It Appears On:
Zack’s house is overrun when he buys defective monsters from the Monstore.
Lists It Appears On:
Childhood fear of the dark and the resulting exercise in imaginative exaggeration are given that special Mercer Mayer treatment in this dryly humorous fantasy.
Lists It Appears On:
Encourages the reader to shake, tilt, and wiggle the book to remove the little monster inside, but once it is out, another problem arises.
Lists It Appears On:
Die-cut pages through which bits of a monster are revealed are designed to help a child control nighttime fears of monsters.
Lists It Appears On:
Monsters sing their own version of this popular song that encourages everyone to express their happiness through voice and movement.
Lists It Appears On:
Leonardo is a terrible monster — he can’t seem to frighten anyone. When he discovers the perfect nervous little boy, will he scare the lunch out of him? Or will he think of something better?
Lists It Appears On:
As Halloween nears, Monster tries out a variety of costumes, including a cowboy, a ballerina, and a ninja, but finally comes up with the perfect idea.
Lists It Appears On:
A naughty little boy, sent to bed without his supper, sails to the land of the wild things where he becomes their king.
Lists It Appears On:
Grover worries page by page about meeting the monster at the end of this book.
| # | Books | Authors | Lists |
| 18 | 13 Monsters Who Should Be Avoided | Kevin Shortsleeve | Goodreads |
| 19 | Badger’s Parting Gifts | Susan Varley | Family Education |
| 20 | Bear’s Scare | Jacob Grant | Romper |
| 21 | Bedtime for Monsters | Ed Vere | Goodreads |
| 22 | Big Sister, Little Monster | Andria Warmflash Rosenbaum | Goodreads |
| 23 | BLEAGH AND BLEEP! A Second Book About Values | Leana Lyn Doray | Goodreads |
| 24 | BLEAGH, BLEEP and BAXTER! A Third Book About Values | Leana Lyn Doray | Goodreads |
| 25 | BLEAGH! A Book About Values | Leana Lyn Doray | Goodreads |
| 26 | Boris and Bella | Carolyn Crimi | Goodreads |
| 27 | Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug! | Ed Emberley | Goodreads |
| 28 | Can You Make a Scary Face? | Jan Thomas | Goodreads |
| 29 | Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear? | Martin Waddell | Family Education |
| 30 | City Of Ghosts | Victoria Schwab | Romper |
| 31 | Crankenstein | Samantha Berger | Goodreads |
| 32 | Creepy Carrots | Aaron Reynolds | Preschool Inspirations |
| 33 | Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters | Jane Yolen | Goodreads |
| 34 | Curious George Goes to the Hospital | H.A. Rey | Family Education |
| 35 | Does Frankenstein Get Hungry? | Read Brightly | |
| 36 | Eat Pete | Read Brightly | |
| 37 | Elmer and the Monster | David McKee | Preschool Inspirations |
| 38 | Ernestine, Catastrophe Queen | Merrill Wyatt | Romper |
| 39 | Even Monsters Need Haircuts | Matthew McElligott | Goodreads |
| 40 | First Day Jitters | Julie Danneberg | Family Education |
| 41 | Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance | Keith Graves | Goodreads |
| 42 | Frankenstein | Rick Walton | Goodreads |
| 43 | Frankenstein Takes the Cake | Adam Rex | Goodreads |
| 44 | Glad Monster, Sad Monster | Ed Emberley | Goodreads |
| 45 | Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody | Michael Rex | Goodreads |
| 46 | Goodnight, Little Monsters | Kara LaReau, illustrated by Brian Won | Romper |
| 47 | Groggle’s Monster Valentine | Diana Murray | Goodreads |
| 48 | H Is For Halloween | Disney Book Group | Romper |
| 49 | Harry and the Terrible Whatzit | Dick Gackenbach | Goodreads |
| 50 | How the Nobble Was Finally Found | C.K. Williams | Goodreads |
| 51 | Huggly’s Christmas (Huggly, #7) | Tedd Arnold | Goodreads |
| 52 | I Love You, Stinky Face | Lisa McCourt | Goodreads |
| 53 | If Your Monster Won’t Go to Bed | Denise Vega and Zachariah Ohora | Barnes & Noble |
| 54 | It Hurts When I Poop! | Howard J. Bennett | Family Education |
| 55 | Jellaby (Jellaby, #1) | Kean Soo | Goodreads |
| 56 | Jeremy Draws a Monster | Peter McCarty | Goodreads |
| 57 | Little Monster at School | Mercer Mayer | Goodreads |
| 58 | Lucia and the Light | Phyllis Root | Goodreads |
| 59 | Maggie And The Monster | Elizabeth Winthrop | Goodreads |
| 60 | Marilyn’s Monster | Michelle Knudsen | Goodreads |
| 61 | Maximillian Villainous | Margaret Chiu Greanias | Goodreads |
| 62 | Mind Your Monsters: | Mommy Evolution | |
| 63 | Monster Cheese | Steve Wolfson | Goodreads |
| 64 | Monster Goose | Judy Sierra | Goodreads |
| 65 | Monster Mama | Liz Rosenberg | Goodreads |
| 66 | Monster Mash | David Catrow | Goodreads |
| 67 | Monster Mayhem | Read Brightly | |
| 68 | Monster School | Kate Coombs, illustrated by Lee Gatlin | Romper |
| 69 | Monster Trouble!: | Mommy Evolution | |
| 70 | Monster, Be Good! | Natalie Marshall | Preschool Inspirations |
| 71 | Monster, Monster in the Tree | John E. Dorey | Goodreads |
| 72 | Monsters and Mold | Asia Citro | Preschool Inspirations |
| 73 | Monsters Are Afraid of the Moon | Marjane Satrapi | Goodreads |
| 74 | Monsters Come In Many Colors | Jocelyn Stevenson | Goodreads |
| 75 | Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli | Barbara Jean Hicks | Goodreads |
| 76 | Monsters Eat Whiny Children | Bruce Eric Kaplan | Goodreads |
| 77 | Monsters Love Underpants | Claire Freedman and Ben Cort | Barnes & Noble |
| 78 | Monsters on Machines | Deb Lund | Goodreads |
| 79 | Mostly Monsterly | Tammi Sauer | Goodreads |
| 80 | My Mama Says There Aren’t Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins or Things | Judith Viorst | Goodreads |
| 81 | Mythological Monsters | Sara Fanelli | Goodreads |
| 82 | Nighty Night, Little Green Monster | Ed Emberley | Goodreads |
| 83 | No More Monsters for Me! | Peggy Parish | Goodreads |
| 84 | Not Now, Bernard | David McKee | Goodreads |
| 85 | Ol’ Halloween Night | Casey Browning | Goodreads |
| 86 | One Monster After Another | Mercer Mayer | Goodreads |
| 87 | Peanut Butter & Brains: A Zombie Culinary Tale | Joe McGee | Goodreads |
| 88 | Playtime with Monster: | Mommy Evolution | |
| 89 | Porkenstein | Kathryn Lasky | Goodreads |
| 90 | Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-A-Zoo | Mercer Mayer | Goodreads |
| 91 | Rainbow Fish and the Sea Monsters’ Cave | Marcus Pfister | Goodreads |
| 92 | Robot Zombie Frankenstein! | Annette Simon | Goodreads |
| 93 | Roly-Poly Monster | Charity Tober | Goodreads |
| 94 | Roly-Poly Monster Goes to the Zoo | Charity Tober | Goodreads |
| 95 | Romping Monsters, Stomping Monsters | Jane Yolen | Goodreads |
| 96 | Say “Ahhh!” Dora Goes to the Doctor | Phoebe Beinstein | Family Education |
| 97 | Scaredy Boo! | Claire Freedman | Preschool Inspirations |
| 98 | Scaredy Squirrel | Melanie Watt | Family Education |
| 99 | Serendipity | Stephen Cosgrove | Goodreads |
| 100 | Shrek! | William Steig | Goodreads |
| 101 | Silly Monsters ABC | Gerald Hawksley | Goodreads |
| 102 | Skelly’s Halloween | David Martin, illustrations by Lori Richmond | Romper |
| 103 | Spider Sandwiches | Claire Freedman | Preschool Inspirations |
| 104 | Stop Following Me, Moon! | Darren Farrell | Barnes & Noble |
| 105 | That’s Not My Monster | Fiona Watt | Goodreads |
| 106 | That’s Not the Monster We Ordered | Richard Fairgray, Terry Jones, and Tara Black | Barnes & Noble |
| 107 | The Aliens Are Coming! | Colin McNaughton | Goodreads |
| 108 | The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers | Stan and Jan Berenstain | Family Education |
| 109 | The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist | Stan and Jan Berenstain | Family Education |
| 110 | The Gruffalo | Julia Donaldson | Goodreads |
| 111 | The Hidden Witch | Molly Knox Osterberg | Romper |
| 112 | The House In Poplar Wood | K. E. Ormsbee | Romper |
| 113 | The Invisible String | Patrice Karst | Family Education |
| 114 | The Legend Of Everwinter | Tara Behan | Goodreads |
| 115 | The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything | Linda D. Williams | Family Education |
| 116 | The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating | Alice W. Flaherty | Goodreads |
| 117 | The Monster in the Backpack | Lisa Moser | Goodreads |
| 118 | The Monster Next Door | Read Brightly | |
| 119 | The Monster Who Ate My Peas | Danny Schnitzlein | Goodreads |
| 120 | The Monster Who Did My Math | Danny Schnitzlein | Goodreads |
| 121 | The Monster Who Lost His Mean: | Mommy Evolution | |
| 122 | The Monsters in my Tummy | Roman Dirge | Goodreads |
| 123 | The Monsters’ Monster | Patrick McDonnell | Goodreads |
| 124 | The Monstrous Book of Monsters | Libby Hamilton | Goodreads |
| 125 | The Octonauts and the Only Lonely Monster | Meomi | Goodreads |
| 126 | The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark | Jill Tomlinson | Family Education |
| 127 | The Utter Zoo: An Alphabet by Edward Gorey | Edward Gorey | Goodreads |
| 128 | There Are Monsters Everywhere | Mercer Mayer | Goodreads |
| 129 | There Was An Old Monster! | Rebecca Emberley | Goodreads |
| 130 | There’s No Such Thing As Monsters | Michael Yu | Goodreads |
| 131 | This Monster Cannot Wait! | Bethany Barton | Goodreads |
| 132 | Thunder Cake | Patricia Polacco | Family Education |
| 133 | Tickle Monster: | Mommy Evolution | |
| 134 | Trick or Treat on Monster Treat | Danny Schnitzlein | Goodreads |
| 135 | Valensteins | Ethan Long | Goodreads |
| 136 | Valentina and The Haunted Mansion (Valentina’s Spooky Adventures, #1) | Majanka Verstraete | Goodreads |
| 137 | What a Bad Dream | Mercer Mayer | Family Education |
| 138 | When a Monster Is Born | Sean Taylor | Goodreads |
| 139 | When I Was a Child: I Was Always Afraid | Michael Cascio | Goodreads |
| 140 | Where’s My Mummy? | Carolyn Crimi | Goodreads |
| 141 | Who is the Beast? | Keith Baker | Goodreads |
| 142 | Who’s Afraid of Godzilla? | Marc Cerasini | Goodreads |
| 143 | Zombie in Love | Kelly DiPucchio | Goodreads |
| Source | Article |
| Barnes & Noble | 5 Picture Books About Not-So-Scary Monsters |
| Family Education | Books for Kids Afraid of the Dark, Monsters & More |
| Flashlight Worthy Books | The Best Picture Books about Not-So-Scary Monsters |
| Goodreads | Picture Books with Monsters |
| Mommy Evolution | Lovable Monster Books for Kids |
| Preschool Inspirations | Not So Scary Monster Books for Kids |
| Read Brightly | 9 Funny Children’s Books Starring Silly, Lovable Monsters |
| Romper | 9 Spooky Children’s Books To Read With Your Little Monsters This |
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