by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells
This was Eleanor's first proper book, and it still gets picked occasionally months later, when others have been chewed into an unmourned pulp, or shredded in a fit of unbridled criticism. The illustrations are wonderful, and the textures are interesting: I like the green monster with the bobbly nose, Eleanor's favourite is the one with the bumpy paws - they are both excellent monsters.
It's one of the best That's not my... books, and fit refreshingly into my PC search for ungendered reading material. I, however, am a woeful creature of calcified sexism, accreted over many years, and quickly dropped into the bad habit of referring to some of the monsters as 'him' or 'her', whilst the text properly calls each one 'it'.
This book grew with Eleanor, as shortly before her first birthday she learned to do a mouse noise, and to identify the mouse who is hiding somewhere on every page. This gave the book a whole new lease of life, and she still grins whenever it gets brought out. Its an old favourite, and has stood up to the rigours very well, indeed. I can't wait to use it again, with a younger sibling...
Eleanor's age: 6 months +
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