The Monster at the End of This Book
by Jon Stone, Michael Smollin · first published 1971
6mentions
5recommended by
6HN commenters
2011–2026first – last mentioned
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A playful, interactive picture book featuring Grover. Kids enjoy it, and it is easy for parents to read aloud. It offers a first encounter with self-reference and makes a good library find for children.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Is there a monster at the end of this book? Lovable, furry old Grover believes that there is, and he will try anything to stop you from turning the pages to find him! The Monster at the End of This Book, the bestselling Sesame Street book of all time, is an exciting and highly original tale that children will want to read again and again.
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Favorites When I Was Younger: The Monster at the End of this Book The Little Red Caboose Favorites to Read to Kids: The Hiccupotamus Dear Zoo The Sneetches Mercy Watson to the Rescue Pete the Cat (I Love My White Shoes or His Four Groovy Buttons) Favorite Authors:…
on “Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?” ↗Personally, my own introduction to self-reference is the most excellent The Monster at the End of This Book, a literary work which I had the great pleasure to introduce to my kids upon discovering it on the shelves of our local public library.
on “Awesome Self-Reference” ↗My daughters love the Sesame Street iPad translation of "The Monster at the End of this Book". Generally we read paper books to them, but they enjoy the interactive Grover story, too. I don't see any moral or development issues. Everything in moderation.
on “For Their Children, Many E-Book Fans Insist on Paper” ↗…books in the iBooks store is amazing. I think an iPad is better than a cheap laptop because kids like to touch things and the direct interaction is amazing. Some of the books I read as a child like "The Monster at the End of This Book" are amazing interactive on the iPad.
on “We consistently underestimate kids.” ↗I read it and also highly recommend it. Knowing the book ends in 2017, the whole thing has something of a "Monster at the End of This Book" effect with both Trump and Myanmar.
on “Meta exposé author faces $50k fine per breach of non-disparagement agreement” ↗…have a difficult time doing in my own, is a regular age-appropriate book. It's hard to remind yourself every few weeks to try something new. When you think of books you liked as a kid, like "there's a monster at the end of this book," isn't always at the right level for your child and I always err on what he liked yesterday not really knowing what he'll grow into next.
on “Dolly Parton Gives a Library of 100M Books (2018)” ↗