Chompy Has a Friend for Lunch

Submitted by TBoudreau on
Author
Mark Satterthwaite & Pedro Eboli
New York, NY: Scholastic (Distributed in Canada by Scholastic Canada), 2023
32 pp., hardcover, $23.99
ISBN
9781338847062
Grades
Preschool-grade 1
Ages
Ages 4-6
Review by
Dave Jenkinson
Excerpt

Hi! I’m so happy
you’re here!

I’m CHOMPY!

Thanks for having a playdate with me!

So...let’s just get this out of the way:

Yes, I am a MONSTER.

And yes,

SOMETIMES
monsters
eat people.

In this colourful toy book, Chompy, a kid monster, has invited you, the young reader, for lunch. Despite the fact that Chompy’s parents, grandparents, great grandparents, in fact, his entire lineage, do and did eat people, Chompy repeatedly reassures you, the reader, that he is seeking a friend, not a meal item. Things start off well with high and low-fives being exchanged, but Chompy’s natural instincts start to come into play, beginning with a sniff, then proceeding to an elbow lick that is followed by a nose nibble before the book’s creators deliver a delightful surprise ending.

The “toy” part of the book consists of the foldout pages that invite readers to engage in high and low-fiving, being licked, and participating in a hug. Printed on a heavy weight of paper, the folding portions of Chompy Has a Friend for Lunch should stand up well to normal home use but may not fare so well in library settings.

Recommended
Reviewer

Dave Jenkinson, CM’s editor, lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.