How to Scare Blue Monster
Petr Horáček
Otter-Barry Books

According to Blue Monster’s friends, Fox, Wolf, Raccoon and the rabbits the sounds he made when approaching made them very scared. However they are bemused by Blue Monster’s response, “Scared? What does that mean?” Even more so when Blue Monster requests that they teach him what it is to be scared: they agree to do so however.

The following morning Blue Monster goes out walking and there in his pathway is a pile of leaves containing Wolf. Rather than being scared Blue Monster recognises his friend. A similar thing happens when the monster encounters something white that goes, “Boo! Boo! Boo!” This time Blue Monster is amused and tells the rabbits and Racoon that they made him laugh.

Fox’s “Boo!” from up on a branch causes the monster to ask, “When are you going to teach me to be scared?”
Fox is left speechless and off he goes to meet the others in the meadow and there he suggests trying out his idea.

On his walk the next day Blue Monster meets … Nobody: this he finds strange. He wonders where all his friends are and having searched everywhere, calls out, “Where are you?” It’s a perplexed, lonely and worried Blue Monster that sits down and contemplates what might’ve happened to his friends. Supposing they are lost. Now it is Blue Monster’s turn to be scared ‘…

Really scared!” so he tells Fox, Raccoon, Wolf and the rabbits having given them all a hug.
Petr Horáček’s mixed media collage style illustrations for this second Blue Monster story are superb: those scribbles are so effective and I loved the mango print in the first scene. In fact all the printed items (block print or otherwise) add considerably to the overall effect and the depiction of the animals’ eyes catch their changing mood as the story unfolds.

A story to share, ponder upon and discuss, especially on the topic of what it means to be scared.