????30 Minutes of MY MONSTER Books for Kids Includes Fresh Reading of I NEED MY MONSTER w/Sound Effects

Here’s a sanitized version of the provided transcript:

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Hello, my reading friends! In this video, I have a special treat for all of you monster fans out there: three monster books all in one place! There’s also a new reading of “I Need My Monster” along with sound effects. I hope you enjoy them!

**How I Met My Monster**
Written by Amanda Knoll
Illustrated by Howard McWilliam

One night, when I reached under the bed for my truck, I found a note instead: “From the office of Mr. Z. Monsters meet here for final test.” My parents were obviously trying to trick me into staying in bed. I didn’t believe in monsters, so I crumpled the paper, grabbed my truck, and zipped over to my garage. I heard some creaking and rumbling, but I wasn’t scared; our house always made noises at night.

Then a voice under the bed scolded, “Stop that stomach rumbling! The child will hear you!” If this was part of my parents’ trick, it was pretty cool. I peered into the inky blackness and saw five pairs of eyes blinking back at me. “Now he knows we’re here,” the voice said. “One of you has broken monster rule number one: maintain the element of surprise.”

“This is no trick,” I thought. There are monsters under my bed! A long-necked yellow monster slid out, followed by four little monsters. “Rule number two,” the yellow one instructed, “never block the bed. All of you scoot over!” I realized that one must be their teacher. I sat up straight, mesmerized by the monster parade shuffling across my bedroom.

“That’s better,” the teacher monster said. “Access to the bed is clear. Now, who knows rule number three?” The purple monster teetered on his tiptoes and gurgled, “Oh, oh, oh! Get the child into bed!”

“That’s correct, Genghis. And how would you do that?” Mr. Z asked. “Well, I would roar my scariest roar!” “Alright, give it a go!”

Genghis took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and let out a tiny bloop. Stomach rumbling would have a better chance of getting me into bed than that funny little noise! I laughed. “The child is right,” said Mr. Z, shaking his head. “That was not sufficiently scary, Genghis. I’m sorry, you’re not the best monster for this child.”

There was some creaking as Genghis slunk beneath the bed. Before I could investigate where Genghis had gone, Mr. Z asked, “Now who wants to try to get the child into bed?” The orange monster looked at the ceiling, and the red monster looked at the floor. Only the green one looked at me. First, he stared at my toes and started drooling. Then he took a step toward me, and I heard that rumbling noise again. I sprang into bed so he couldn’t get my feet!

Mr. Z blinked. “Very unconventional, Gabe. Your stomach gurgles seemed to be what this child needs.” What I needed was to make sure this little monster didn’t eat my toes! “Right, you three. The child is now in bed,” said Mr. Z. “Every monster knows the ultimate objective is rule number four. Who can tell me what that is?”

The orange monster bounced and squeaked, “Oh, oh! Keep the child in bed until he falls asleep!” “Correct, Morgan. And how would you accomplish that?” “Shadow puppets!” she squeaked again. Gabe whistled through his nose and snickered, but Mr. Z said, “Interesting idea. Try it!”

Morgan hopped onto my night table and flailed her arms near my lamp. Silly shadows blobbed onto the wall, and a cloud of fluffy fur tickled my nose. “Huh, you—Morgan, stop at once!” Mr. Z ordered. “You’re supposed to scare him, not make him sneeze!”

“I’m sorry, but you’re not a match either,” Morgan’s arms flopped to her sides, and she scuttled under my bed. There was some more creaking, and Morgan was gone. After all that sneezing, I really needed a tissue!

Suddenly, a huge shadow with uncut claws loomed across my room. Awesome, I thought, and kind of scary! I froze in place. “Performance!” Gabe said. “But do either of you see a problem?” “Oh, I know!” chirped the red monster. “That child is out of bed again!”

“Correct, Abigail,” Mr. Z continued. “And one of you must get him back in. Let’s revisit rule number one: maintain the element of surprise.” All at once, poof! The monsters vanished. Then I heard more rumbling. Were they hiding in my closet, making noises to scare me? No, it was only my stomach rumbling. All this excitement was making me hungry!

I tiptoed past the closet and peeked out the door. So far, so good—no monsters. Then I stepped over the squeaky stair and sneaked down to the kitchen. As I reached into the pantry, I heard some chattering behind me. I sure hoped it wasn’t that tough-loving Gabe! I yanked open the fridge. It wasn’t Gabe; it was just the red monster shimmering on the shelf. “Found you!” I laughed.

“Nice try, Abigail,” said Mr. Z, “but this isn’t working. You’re not the right monster for this child.” “But Mr. Z,” she whined, “it’s not my fault he’s not scared of me!” “I’m sorry, Abigail. Let’s go.” Abigail clomped behind Mr. Z, and when I heard the creaking, I knew she was gone.

I grabbed some crackers and headed upstairs, wondering if Gabe was gone too. I munched all the way down the hall, then went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Again, when I opened the door a minute later, Gabe was definitely not gone. He was right there, and he was huge!

I charged into my room and slammed the door. When I leaped into bed, I knew my toes were safe. I was surprised to hear breathing under my bed—ragged breathing and stomach rumbling. “Hey, kid,” Gabe growled. “Good to see you!” I pulled my covers up tight. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to start the evening with an ominous puddle of drool!” I peeked over the edge of the bed. Green ooze spread soundlessly from underneath. Then the bed quivered as Gabe unfurled his spiked tail.

“Wow, this looks quite promising,” Mr. Z noted. When I heard more creaking, I knew Mr. Z was gone. I was alone with Gabe. Gabe loomed over my bed and began sharpening his uncut claws on my bedpost. “How’d you get so big?” I gasped. “Rule number five, my friends,” he explained. “People food makes monsters grow. So thanks for the crackers! Got any toes I can munch?”

I scrunched in my feet so Gabe couldn’t get them. This was way better than playing with trucks! “No toys tonight, but you can have this,” I offered, tossing a stuffed monster off the bed. “Go for it!” Gabe’s soft, comforting snorts filled the room as he snuffled the toy. I shivered. “Kid, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. No other monster can scare me like you!” I giggled. Gabe was the monster for me. His snorts and oohs were perfect.

I yawned and shivered again. I was asleep in no time.

**I Need My Monster**
Written by Amanda Knoll
Illustrated by Howard McWilliam

Tonight, when I looked under the bed for my monster, I found this note instead: “Gone fishing. Back in a week. Gabe.” What was I going to do? I needed a monster under my bed! How was I supposed to get to sleep if my monster was gone?

I tried to sleep, but it wasn’t the same without Gabe. I missed his ragged breathing, his nose snorts, the scrabbling of his uncut claws. How would I ever get to sleep without Gabe’s familiar scary noises and his spooky green ooze? It was no use; Gabe would be gone for a week, and I just had to have a monster!

I climbed quietly out of bed so my parents wouldn’t hear me. Grown-ups have some strange ideas about monsters under beds. I knocked on the floorboards, then scrambled back under my covers. I waited nervously. Would a new monster appear? What would he be like? Would he snort as cheerfully as Gabe’s?

When I heard some creaking under my bed, I knew that the substitute monster had arrived. “Good evening,” said a low, breathy voice. “My name is Herbert, and I will be a monster for the evening.”

“Herbert? What kind of a name is that for a monster? You don’t sound scary at all! Have you ever scared a kid before?”

“Well, no, but I have read all the best books on the topic.”

“Do you have long teeth and scratchy claws?” I asked.

“No, but I have an overbite and I’m a mouth breather.”

Listen, Herbert, I’m sorry, but I just don’t think this is going to work. It’s nothing personal, but I really need a monster with claws!”

“Picky, picky,” Herbert complained. “As you wish, girl.”

There was some more creaking, and then Herbert was gone. Some scratching warned me that a second monster had appeared.

“Good evening,” he said in a high, silky voice. “My name is Ralph. I understand you need a monster with claws. If you would please lean over, I will hold out an arm for inspection.”

I crouched on the edge of the bed, hoping to see a horrible, shaggy arm with sharp, ragged nails. Instead, I was surprised to see sleekly brushed fur with smooth, shiny claws.

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to be rude,” I asked, “but is that nail polish on your claws?”

“Yes, it is,” Ralph replied. “I believe professional monsters should always be well-groomed.”

I could tell this was not going to work either. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Ralph, but I need a monster with scary claws like Gabe’s.”

I thought I heard some more scratching, and I knew Ralph was gone. A minute later, a third voice from under the bed said, “Check out these claws, kid!”

I gathered my courage and peered over the edge. The claws were impressive—jagged and dark and razor-sharp. So far, so good! I was a little nervous. “Could you stick out your tail?” I whispered.

“Sure, but don’t get scared.”

I peeked through my fingers at the slimy tail slithering over the foot of my bed. That’s when I noticed the bow. “Are you a girl monster?”

“Of course I am!” she snapped. “I’m Cynthia. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Um, yeah, I do,” I admitted. “I definitely need a boy monster. Boy monsters are for boys, and girl monsters are for girls. Everybody knows that!”

“Well, aren’t you a picky one?” she sniffed, and then she was gone.

Was I being too picky? No! I knew that my monster needed to be well-clawed and menacing. The whole point of having a monster, after all, was to keep me in bed, imagining all the scary stuff that could happen if I got out.

Then I heard a shuffling noise and some slobbering. A fourth monster was under my bed. “Hey, the name’s Mack!”

One look at his claws proved that Mack was a big, scruffy boy monster. I shivered. Maybe this one would work out. “Those are excellent claws! But do you have a long tail?”

“My tail is stumpy,” Mack slurped, “but I do have an unusually long tongue.”

“Why would I be afraid of a long tongue?” I asked.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, trying to sound terrifying. “You never know when I might lick you!”

Well, I fell back on the bed laughing. “Well, if you’re not even going to try to work with me, Mack, I really don’t think you should send me away.”

He warned, “Kids who reject five monsters in one night…”

I did not reject five monsters! “Tonight my regular monster went fishing!”

“Fishing, eh? Maybe he just left because you are so picky.”

“Fine, I’m out of here! But I wouldn’t expect another monster to not devour you!”

How was I ever going to get to sleep without my monster? I was surprised to hear more creaking under the bed—loud creaking with scratching.

“Uh, I thought no more monsters were going to appear tonight,” I said.

“Sorry I’m late, kid!”

“Wait, it was Gabe!”

“I thought I would enjoy fishing, but I didn’t,” he explained. “Those fish scare too easily. No challenge at all! You, however, are challenging, my friend. You’re almost too old to be afraid of monsters. You keep me on my toes!”

“Ah, toes! A delicious snack!” The bed quivered as Gabe’s stomach rumbled with hunger. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to start the evening with an ominous puddle of drool!” I peeked over the edge of the bed. Green ooze spread soundlessly from underneath. Then the bed trembled as Gabe unfurled his spiked tail. He was daring me to guess where he might pop up.

I shivered. “So you had some substitute monsters tonight?” Gabe said, sharpening his claws on my bedpost. “Were you scared?”

Then Gabe started tapping. I could tell he wanted to know if I still needed him. “No other monster can scare me like you!” I giggled, diving under my covers and pulling them up tight.

“I knew it! We’re made for each other!” he growled. When my blanket started to slip off the bed, I knew Gabe was ready to eat. “Now, if you could please stick out your foot,” he said, “I’d like to nibble your pinky!”

I yanked my blanket back up and scrunched my feet in so Gabe couldn’t get them. “No toys tonight, but you can have this,” I offered, pushing a pillow off the bed. I didn’t even hear it hit the floor. Gabe was back! The ooze was perfect. Everything was back to normal. I shivered again. I’d be asleep in no time.

**Hey, That’s My Monster**
Written by Amanda Knoll
Illustrated by Howard McWilliam

Tonight, when I looked under the bed for my monster, I found this note instead: “So long, kid! Gotta go! Someone needs me more than you. Dog, 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 gulped, zoomed across the carpet, and leaped onto Emma’s bed. “Gabe!” I whispered. “Please go back to our room! I’ll get Emma to sleep.”

He snorted. “You’re gonna get her to sleep? That’s a good one! But you know what? I like your kid, so I’ll give you three chances. If she’s not asleep, I’ll be back.” And Gabe was gone.

Just then, Emma toddled into the room. She clearly needed a monster! Maybe she didn’t know how to get one, but I did. “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. It squelched and dripped. So far, so good, I thought. This monster sounds scary enough for Emma!

But Emma kept on playing. A slime-covered monster slid out and oozed toward Emma. She laughed, wiping one of the monster’s noses. “Excuse me,” I said to the mucus monster. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“My name is Agatha,” she said through stuffed noses.

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. “Emma!” I coaxed again. “Knock, knock!”

She knocked on the floor with a teapot this time, and I heard more clicking. Then 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, then she decorated Cynthia’s tail with bracelets.

“Ugh!” Cynthia snarled. “I’m not here to play dress-up! I’m here to scare you into bed!” Cynthia rattled louder, but Emma danced to the beat.

“I’m sorry, Cynthia,” I said. “This isn’t going to work.”

“Well, I never!” she sniffed, and then she was gone.

“Cynthia, come back!” Emma demanded, stomping on the floor.

“Excellent!” I thought. Maybe that would summon the perfect monster for Emma. Tentacles swarmed from under the bed, and an icy voice called, “Who?”

I shrank back in horror, but Emma was enchanted. “Who’s out of bed?” the monster continued.

“Vladimir!” 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’ll never work!”

Vladimir’s tentacles drooped. He slunk under the bed, and he was gone. “Sorry, Vlad!” I called. Boy, was I sorry! I was about to lose Gabe