Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

As an author every time I send a book out for review, I hope that my book will be understood and appreciated.  For my children’s books, I always hope that the person who is doing the reviewing can appreciate a book from the reader’s perspective.  Some reviewers don’t.  That’s why it’s a special pleasure to read a review where the writer has shared my book with their children.  It’s an even bigger pleasure to come across a review where the children are shown enjoying my book, and it’s a super big delight when the reviewer also enthusiastically endorses my book.

Recently Tired Mom Kelli reviewed The Monster on Top of the Bed on the blog 2 Wired 2 Tired. I’m super delighted with the results. Here are a few brief excerpts, but I encourage you to visit the blog, read the full review and see the photos of the reviewer’s children enjoying my book.

Click to read the full review of The Monster on Top of the Bed

“Last week a new book arrived in the mail… The Monster on Top of the Bed by Alan Jordan.

Since then we have read it so many times that I have lost count. It is now one of those books that you somewhat memorize and can recite without actually reading the pages!

All 3 of my kids, aged 18 months, 5 yrs, and 7 yrs, have brought the book out to read either independently or for me to read to them, without suggestion or prompting! . . .

Click here to request a review copy

If you would like to review The Monster on Top of the Bed,please click here to request a download or printed editions, or call  (775) 453-6636 or write to alan @ monbed.com.

Click to read the full review of The Monster on Top of the Bed in The American Chronicle

. . . I don’t really feel that it’s proper to call this product a book in this edition, it’s really so much more than that.

Not only is the physical book a treat for the eyes, the words pleasantly read out loud, complete with sound effects, in English, it’s also done in Spanish and Italian.

I believe the combination of those three languages for one children’s product hasn’t been done before. The ‘monster’ on top of the bed is a little girl named Suzy. The ‘monster under the bed is a cute little guy named Karrit, that finds the courage to come out from under the bed to talk to Suzy, though he’s quite scared of her at the time. He’s so scared, because he’s heard that she eats things like Toma toes, dogs that she likes hot, cakes made of pans, and worst of all Karrits. Suzy gets some of the foods to show him what she really eats, not Karrits, but carrots, not “toma toes” but “tomatoes”, and “pancakes”, not “cakes made of pans.” Karrit’s fears are eased, the two begin to build a friendship.

The obvious lesson this product teaches is not to be scared of the dark when it’s time for bed. However, there are so many messages this personal size book and read-along CD teach subtly, the list is long, I won’t list them all. . . . The one lesson I’m particularly fond of is the idea that it teaches children not to be afraid of people or things, just because they’re different. Monster on Top of the Bed shows different can be good, and fun, all demonstrated in a manner that’s pleasant, interesting, and creative.

Book Review: Excerpt from Amazon.com.

And now for something completely different … well not quite. Audio books on CD are nothing new, but children’s picture books that accompany a CD with a small picture book that fits inside the CD case is a innovative use of the medium. It’s true that bands have been producing full color “liner notes” for years, but this is the absolute first time that I’ve ever seen a legitimate children’s book that features artwork that is Italian ice-cream parlor delicious.
This method lends itself to being played in portable CD players, home CD players, computers with a CD or DVD drive, and car CD or DVD players. . . . Discussion questions are included with the product, as is a web address where the children can see the book being read to them. I review children’s books often, this is the first I’ve seen of its kind. There’s been a great deal of thought invested in how it can be used to teach a large number of things. Even the website is well thought out to maximize the learning, while still being fun. Some teachers are using it in their classrooms as a teaching aid that captures and holds the children’s attention. It comes as no surprise to me to learn that the team that put the finished product together is multi-cultural from many places around the globe, and the team was awarded a grant from the Nevada Arts Council to complete the work. I had only one complaint about this product, and that will soon be addressed when the team comes out with the larger-size full-color book. If you have young children or grandchildren, get the current version of Monster on Top of the Bed you won’t be sorry. When the full size book is released, get that too, it’ll definitely be a keeper that your children will love for many years, maybe they’ll eventually hand it down to their children or grandchildren, only time will tell about that.

Exceprts from Book Reviews

From Parents
“Last weekend, I had occasion to drive home four rowdy children, ages 5 to 10. One of them found the CD to The Monster on Top of the Bed and asked me to play it. Another one found the book and turned the pages for the others. For the next 15 minutes, I had four rapt children in my car as the CD played twice. Any story that captures the attention of these four kids is definitely very good.” – Sharon Wood, parent.

From a teacher
“I like the fact that Karrit’s smaller than Suzy, and I love the monster’s eyes. You can’t tell if the monster is Asian, Eurasian, or American, and I like the ponytail. Every boy and every girl can identify with Karrit.”

- Belinda Chua, S. F. Bay Area

From Bloggers
The Monster on Top of the Bed . . . is sure to become a new bedtime classic. All the components are perfectly intertwined to make the story jump off its pages and come to life. And in fact it does, in several different versions that are available . . .” – Donna M. McDine – Donna has been published in Stories for Children Magazine, and Newsletter for Writers, Kid Magazine Writers, Long Story Short, Institute of Children’s Literature Rx for Writers, Once Upon A Time Magazine. She contributes articles for the SCBWI Metro NY Newsletter, Cross & Quill, The Christian Writers Newsletter, and Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine.

Sign up to receive The Monster on Top of the Bed Newsletter – with .mp3 Files

You’ll be able to listen to the book being read in different languages,  and you’ll get many interesting things.  Yes, I want to receive your newsletter.

Or, place an order.

Tree Root and Twig Review

. . . The Monster on Top of the Bed is a sweet story about a young girl who has traded places – in a sense – with the monster underneath her bed. It turns out that she has been frightening him, and once the two finally communicate with and listen to each other, the misunderstanding is resolved. It’s a lovely story about overcoming fears and misconceptions to become friends . . . The book was sent to me as part of a CD set – in fact, the “book” itself is actually a full-color book inserted into the CD case. I thought this was very clever, as the packaging comes completely self-contained, and the size of the book is perfect for little hands. The illustrations are wonderful, and I particularly love the adorable gap between Suzy’s teeth. – Tree Root & Twig blog.

The author has created a captivating story. Manuela Pentangelo, the illustrator, has crafted ice-cream-parlor-delicious artwork. On the accompanying audio-book CD (available separately) the book is performed in English (2 versions), Italian and Spanish (2 versions.) As children listen to the different performances, they cannot help but develop an appreciation for the beauty of different languages. Just by listening, they pick up many Italian and Spanish words, and start to develop an appreciation of different cultures.Like the Pixar movie, Monsters, Inc., this book allows children to discover the fact that a monster might be as afraid of them, but it does it in a very different, almost cerebral way. Also, as children read the story, they find a mantra that they can say to themselves to banish monsters, “You’re welcome to stay, until I say ‘nay,’ then it’s time to go, and you can’t say no.” Children love to have magic enchantments, and this mantra can provide great comfort. – Brenda Silver – Book Reviewer eZineArticles.com

Kids love to listen to the CD in the car

The next time that your children are bored on a road trip, pop The Monster on Top of the Bed into your CD player and they’ll stay occupied for a long time.

What really makes this book different is that the discussion questions are built into the CD as well as printed in the book, and that the .mp3 files can be downloaded to an iPod and played through the car speakers.

“Last weekend, I had occasion to drive home four rowdy children, ages 5 to 10. One of them found the CD to The Monster on Top of the Bed and asked me to play it. Another one found the book and turned the pages for the others. For the next 15 minutes, I had four rapt children in my car as the CD played twice. Any story that captures the attention of these four kids is definitely very good.” – Sharon Wood, parent.

“I like the fact that Karrit’s smaller than Suzy, and I love the monster’s eyes. You can’t tell if the monster is Asian, Eurasian, or American, and I like the ponytail. Every boy and every girl can identify with Karrit.”

- Belinda Chua, S. F. Bay Area

The Monster on Top of the Bed . . . is sure to become a new bedtime classic. All the components are perfectly intertwined to make the story jump off its pages and come to life. And in fact it does, in several different versions that are available . . .” – Donna M. McDine – Donna has been published in Stories for Children Magazine, and Newsletter for Writers, Kid Magazine Writers, Long Story Short, Institute of Children’s Literature Rx for Writers, Once Upon A Time Magazine. She contributes articles for the SCBWI Metro NY Newsletter, Cross & Quill, The Christian Writers Newsletter, and Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine.

“. . . These are things that they relate to and when they read a book it helps them to understand the situation better and feel that they are not alone.

For example to overcome my girl’s Nighttime Fears, we read a delightful online book called The Monster on Top of the Bed from Lets Be Creative.org. The ebook is also available on CD and hardcopy, you’ll have to visit the site for more details. . . The book tells the tale of a monster who lives under the bed who believes that the girl sleeping on the bed is a Monster on Top of the Bed. My girl was really amused to think that the monster would think of the little girl in the book as a monster. . . . ” Parenting Times

. . So, instead of asking every 5 minutes if it was time to go, I set them up with a copy of the book and the CD. I let the CD do the reading and Walker held the book so that he and Jace could both see. We didn’t hear from them again until it was time to get ready to go to the game. . . . Believe it or not, Walker has listened to the CD with the book several times and I’ve heard him trying really hard to read the book to his brother without the CD already. Can’t get much better than that! – Mom is Teaching blog.

Sign up to receive The Monster on Top of the Bed Newsletter – with .mp3 Files

You’ll be able to listen to the book being read in different languages,  and you’ll get many interesting things.  Yes, I want to receive your newsletter.

Or, place an order.

Click to read the full review of The Monster on Top of the Bed in The Amercian Chronicle

. . .  I don’t really feel that it’s proper to call this product a book in this edition, it’s really so much more than that.

Not only is the physical book a treat for the eyes, the words pleasantly read out loud, complete with sound effects, in English, it’s also done in Spanish and Italian.

I believe the combination of those three languages for one children’s product hasn’t been done before. The ‘monster’ on top of the bed is a little girl named Suzy. The ‘monster under the bed is a cute little guy named Karrit, that finds the courage to come out from under the bed to talk to Suzy, though he’s quite scared of her at the time. He’s so scared, because he’s heard that she eats things like Toma toes, dogs that she likes hot, cakes made of pans, and worst of all Karrits. Suzy gets some of the foods to show him what she really eats, not Karrits, but carrots, not “toma toes” but “tomatoes”, and “pancakes”, not “cakes made of pans.” Karrit’s fears are eased, the two begin to build a friendship.

The obvious lesson this product teaches is not to be scared of the dark when it’s time for bed. However, there are so many messages this personal size book and read-along CD teach subtly, the list is long, I won’t list them all, but they are listed on a blog entry, http://monbed30.max-opp.com/faqs/what-are-the-subtle-messages-of-the-monster-on-top-of-the-bed. The one lesson I’m particularly fond of is the idea that it teaches children not to be afraid of people or things, just because they’re different. Monster on Top of the Bed shows different can be good, and fun, all demonstrated in a manner that’s pleasant, interesting, and creative.

Place an order

What people and the press are saying about The Monster on Top of the Bed

Princess Sleeping Beauty book review of The Monster on Top of the Bed

“Like Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc., children. . . [who read] this book . . . [like] the fact that a monster, as might be afraid . . . of them, but it does so in a very different, almost cerebral way.  Also, as children read the story, it [has] a mantra that they can say . . . to banish monsters, “You’re welcome to stay until I say ‘yes’, then it is time to go, and then can not say no. “Children who love the magic spell, and the mantra to ensure a good Comfort[able night's sleep].” Order in the format you prefer: Book/CD/iPod/Book and CD.

Place an order now.

“Last weekend, I had occasion to drive home four rowdy children, ages 5 to 10. One of them found the CD to The Monster on Top of the Bed and asked me to play it. Another one found the book and turned the pages for the others. For the next 15 minutes, I had four rapt children in my car as the CD played twice. Any story that captures the attention of these four kids is definitely very good.” – Sharon Wood, parent.

“I like the fact that Karrit’s smaller than Suzy, and I love the monster’s eyes. You can’t tell if the monster is Asian, Eurasian, or American, and I like the ponytail. Every boy and every girl can identify with Karrit.”

- Belinda Chua, S. F. Bay Area

The Monster on Top of the Bed . . . is sure to become a new bedtime classic. All the components are perfectly intertwined to make the story jump off its pages and come to life. And in fact it does, in several different versions that are available . . .” – Donna M. McDine – Donna has been published in Stories for Children Magazine, and Newsletter for Writers, Kid Magazine Writers, Long Story Short, Institute of Children’s Literature Rx for Writers, Once Upon A Time Magazine. She contributes articles for the SCBWI Metro NY Newsletter, Cross & Quill, The Christian Writers Newsletter, and Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine.

“. . . These are things that they relate to and when they read a book it helps them to understand the situation better and feel that they are not alone.

For example to overcome my girl’s Nighttime Fears, we read a delightful online book called The Monster on Top of the Bed from Lets Be Creative.org. The ebook is also available on CD and hardcopy, you’ll have to visit the site for more details. . . The book tells the tale of a monster who lives under the bed who believes that the girl sleeping on the bed is a Monster on Top of the Bed. My girl was really amused to think that the monster would think of the little girl in the book as a monster. . . . ” Parenting Times

. . So, instead of asking every 5 minutes if it was time to go, I set them up with a copy of the book and the CD. I let the CD do the reading and Walker held the book so that he and Jace could both see. We didn’t hear from them again until it was time to get ready to go to the game. . . . Believe it or not, Walker has listened to the CD with the book several times and I’ve heard him trying really hard to read the book to his brother without the CD already. Can’t get much better than that! – Mom is Teaching blog.
. . . The Monster on Top of the Bed is a sweet story about a young girl who has traded places – in a sense – with the monster underneath her bed. It turns out that she has been frightening him, and once the two finally communicate with and listen to each other, the misunderstanding is resolved. It’s a lovely story about overcoming fears and misconceptions to become friends . . . The book was sent to me as part of a CD set – in fact, the “book” itself is actually a full-color book inserted into the CD case. I thought this was very clever, as the packaging comes completely self-contained, and the size of the book is perfect for little hands. The illustrations are wonderful, and I particularly love the adorable gap between Suzy’s teeth. – Tree Root & Twig blog.

The author has created a captivating story. Manuela Pentangelo, the illustrator, has crafted ice-cream-parlor-delicious artwork. On the accompanying audio-book CD (available separately) the book is performed in English (2 versions), Italian and Spanish (2 versions.) As children listen to the different performances, they cannot help but develop an appreciation for the beauty of different languages. Just by listening, they pick up many Italian and Spanish words, and start to develop an appreciation of different cultures.Like the Pixar movie, Monsters, Inc., this book allows children to discover the fact that a monster might be as afraid of them, but it does it in a very different, almost cerebral way. Also, as children read the story, they find a mantra that they can say to themselves to banish monsters, “You’re welcome to stay, until I say ‘nay,’ then it’s time to go, and you can’t say no.” Children love to have magic enchantments, and this mantra can provide great comfort. – Brenda Silver – Book Reviewer eZineArticles.com