ClassX Video Lessons ???????? Kid’s Read-Aloud | HEY, THAT’S MY MONSTER! by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam
Hey there! I’m Ryan Le God, and I’m Craig Tovy. We’re so happy you’re here for Story Time with us! Today, we’re reading a super fun book called “Hey, That’s My Monster” by Amanda Noll, with pictures by Howard McWilliam.
One night, I looked under my bed to find my monster, Gabe, but instead, I found a note. It said, “So long, kid. Got to go. Someone needs me more than you do. Gabe.” Oh no! Gabe was my monster! But it seemed like my little sister, Emma, needed a monster too.
Emma had just started sleeping in a big kid bed, and she loved to get up and play at night. I thought a monster could help her stay in bed, but not my monster Gabe! I needed to get him back.
I went to Emma’s room and found Gabe there. I asked him to come back, but he said he’d give me three chances to get Emma to sleep. If I couldn’t, he’d stay with her.
First, a slime-covered monster named Agatha tried to scare Emma, but Emma just laughed and said, “Icky!” Next, a monster with claws named Cynthia came out, but Emma thought she was pretty and decorated her tail with bracelets. Finally, a monster with tentacles named Vladimir tried, but Emma just played with him too!
After all the tries, Gabe came back. He was big and scary, but Emma thought he was fuzzy and fun! Gabe tried to scare her into bed, but Emma wasn’t scared enough to fall asleep.
Just when I thought all was lost, Gabe’s little sister Stella showed up. Emma was a bit surprised by Stella’s hiccups and tiptoeing. Stella was perfect for Emma! She helped Emma get into bed, and Gabe came back to me.
With Stella watching over Emma, I was so happy to have Gabe back. I jumped into bed and felt safe and cozy. Emma had her monster, and I had mine. Everything was just right!
Thanks for reading “Hey, That’s My Monster” with us! We hope you enjoyed the story. If you want to hear more stories, come back next time for more fun with Ryan and Craig!
Create Your Own Monster: Imagine you have your own monster like Gabe or Stella. What would your monster look like? Draw a picture of your monster and give it a name. Think about what makes your monster special and write a few sentences about how it helps you at night. Share your drawing and story with your family or friends!
Monster Bedtime Routine: Just like Emma needed a monster to help her stay in bed, think about your own bedtime routine. What helps you feel safe and cozy at night? Create a list of things you do before going to bed. Try adding a new step to your routine, like reading a book or listening to calming music, and see if it helps you sleep better.
Monster Observation Game: Go on a “monster hunt” in your house! Look for things that might seem like monsters in the dark, like shadows or shapes. Use a flashlight to see them clearly and talk about how they aren’t scary once you know what they are. This will help you understand that sometimes things seem scary until you learn more about them.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hey, I’m Ryan Le God, and I’m Craig Tovy. Welcome to Story Time with Ryan Le God and Craig Tovy! Today’s book is “Hey, That’s My Monster” by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam.
Tonight, when I looked under the bed for my monster, I found this note instead: “So long, kid. Got to go. Someone needs me more than you do. Gabe.” What? Gabe was my monster! Nobody needed him more than me, but someone sure did need a monster—my little sister, Emma.
Now that Emma slept in a toddler bed, she liked to climb out, roam the house, and play noisy games at night. I knew a monster would keep her in bed so she could fall asleep, but not my monster. I had to get Gabe back. I tiptoed across the hall to Emma’s room. She wasn’t even there, but Gabe was.
I whispered, “Please go back to our room. I’ll get Emma to sleep.” He snorted, “You’re going to get her to sleep? That’s a good one! But you know what? I like you, kid, so I’ll give you three chances. If she’s not asleep, I’ll be back.” And Gabe was gone.
Wow, he has to scare his sister to sleep—that’s intense! I don’t even know where to start.
Just then, Emma toddled into the room. She clearly needed a monster. “Hey Emma,” I said, “let’s play! Can you knock on the floor?” Emma knocked with a dinosaur. It worked! I heard some creaking under Emma’s bed, then something sniffled and squelched. So far, so good! I thought this monster sounded scary enough for Emma, but Emma kept on playing.
A slime-covered monster slid out. It oozed toward Emma. “Icky!” she laughed, wiping one of the monster’s noses. “Icky!”
“Excuse me,” I said to the mucus monster. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“My name is Agatha,” she said through stuffed noses. “Time for bed, Emma.”
Emma giggled and wiped some more. I knew this wouldn’t work. “Thanks, Agatha. Nice try, but I think we need a monster with claws.”
Agatha snuffled and then she was gone.
Wow, Emma does not scare easily! I mean, that monster was huge!
Just then, I heard more creaking. A slippery tail slithered out from under the bed. The second monster rasped, “I’m Cynthia.” Much better, I thought when I saw the jagged claws. Cynthia might be the perfect monster for Emma, but Emma blinked and said, “Pretty!” Then she decorated Cynthia’s tail with bracelets.
Cynthia snarled, “I’m not here to play dress-up! I’m here to scare you into bed!” But Emma danced to the beat.
“I’m sorry, Cynthia,” I said. “This isn’t going to work.”
Cynthia sniffed and then she was gone.
Just then, Emma demanded, “Cynthia, come back!”
Tentacles swarmed from under the bed, and an icy voice called, “Who’s out of bed?” I shrank back in horror, but Emma was enchanted.
“Come to me, Emma!” The monster continued. Emma high-fived one of the tentacles, and the third monster emerged. I already had doubts about this one, but he was my last chance.
“Vladimir,” I asked, “can you get Emma to sleep?”
“Yes,” he hissed, reaching for Emma. “I can get her.”
Emma giggled and hopped over the tentacles like jump ropes. Oh no! I blurted, “She’s not supposed to be having fun! This will never work!”
Vlad’s tentacles drooped, and he slunk under the bed.
“Sorry, Vlad,” I called. Boy, was I sorry! I was about to lose Gabe forever.
Now Emma was coloring and singing. Gabe must have heard her because he was back. “That’s it, kid,” he grunted. “You had your three tries. Now it’s my turn.”
Gabe’s green ooze sizzled across the floor as he growled, “Get in bed!”
Emma appeared at my hulking sharp-clawed monster and said, “Fuzzy!”
Gabe burst out from under the bed and loomed over Emma. Steam spurted from his ears.
“Get in bed!” Gabe thundered.
Emma hopped up, but she kept saying, “Fuzzy, fuzzy monster!”
“Gabe,” I said, “Emma’s not scared enough to fall asleep. Please, let’s go back to our room.”
“No can do, kid,” Gabe growled. “I may not be the perfect monster for Emma, but I’m the best so far. At least she’s in bed now. I got to stay here. You’re on your own.”
I knew Emma needed Gabe, but he was my monster! How was I ever going to get to sleep without him?
Just then, we heard a tiny noise. Emma froze. Gabe and I peered under the bed. Nothing was scaring Emma, and now he was losing Gabe for good.
“Hey, how do you scare a sister?”
“Hey, sister expert over here! My third sister, she has a doll collection. I took the dolls and hid behind the edge of the bed. I jumped up and said, ‘Sit down! You’re going to want to see this!’ Then her dolls proceeded to tell a story. They solved a mystery, and she was like, ‘How are these dolls moving?’ At the end, she applauded!”
“Did you do a puppet show for your sister?”
“Yeah! She was scared—terrified! But she clapped at the end.”
Just then, Stella appeared. “Hi, Gabe!” she said, tugging on her tutu. “You forgot your snack! Mom thought you’d be hungry.”
Who knew Gabe had a little sister too? I thought Stella’s hiccups were cute, but Emma obviously didn’t. Stella noticed and tiptoed closer, hiccuping with every step.
“Hi!” Emma squeaked.
“Shh, shoo!” Stella repeated.
“Oh, shoo! That’s where toes go!”
Stella crept toward Emma’s feet. Emma squealed, scrunched in her feet, and giggled.
“No toes! No toes!”
Gabe laughed. “Stella, it looks like you’re the perfect monster for Emma now. If you don’t mind, you can get her to sleep while I get back to what I do best.”
Stella nodded. Gabe laughed. I sighed with relief and switched off Emma’s lamp. Then I ran to my room, leaped into bed, and scrunched in my feet so Gabe couldn’t get them.
I shivered happily. Emma had Stella, and I had Gabe. Everything was back to normal.
Okay, Emma is finally asleep. She has her monster, but Craig, I still don’t understand how to scare a sister.
“Okay, this last one—my little sister. This is really a masterpiece. She used to always come to my room at night. I’m like, ‘Ooh, I’m going to show her!’ So I get in my bed, pull up the covers, and pretend like I’m asleep. Then she gets close, and I go—”
“No, Ryan! I fall asleep because I’m very tired!”
She gets underneath my bed and jumps up, and I wake up with a scream that could have broken glass! I was terrified! I even started crying just a little bit. She runs out of the room, and I’m like, ‘I’m going to tell Mom!’ She never did that again.”
It sounds like you got scared!
“Oh yeah, I was terrified! But I think in return, gotcha!”
“Still got it! Hey, that’s ‘Hey, That’s My Monster’ by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam. Thanks for watching Story Time with Ryan Le God and Craig Tovy!
Now it’s time for shout-outs! Miss Bond’s third-grade class in Phoenix, Arizona—yes, I see you! Bye-bye, kids in St. George, Utah!
Oh, and Jack and Lucas McCall from Taylor, South Carolina! Mrs. Rosen’s library class in Lebanon, Virginia!
If you want your own shout-out on an upcoming episode of Story Time with Ryan and Craig, just go to RyanandCraig.com and send us a message.
Thanks for watching! We’ll see you next time!
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