My Review (5 stars out of 5)

Ned is a spotted monster who tends to get angry. And when he gets angry his green spots turn red. Next-door neighbour Yuri, who always seems to be the one to make Ned mad, tries to find a way to make his friend into a permanently green-spotted (and friendly) monster.

This picture book from author Chris Jones is beautifully illustrated by Sarah Marsh. Written in rhyme, we learn how angry Ned is visited by a spooky ghost who takes the spotted monster to task on his temper.

This witty tale is a joy to read, with illustrations that perfectly match the monstery tale. My only gripe is that the story changes tense several times which is a shame, as it’s so easy to put right.

Author Bio

For as long as he can remember, Chris has had a huge passion for storytelling. When his son was a young boy, instead of reading bedtime stories, they would make up their own far-fetched tales around the fictional superhero Deadly Derek. In fact, this has remained his main Google account name ever since, which means that upon joining Zoom calls, his name appears as “Deadly Derek” – much to the amusement of his network.

So far in 2021, he has published three children’s rhyming picture books, with two more on the way. His stories combine humour with beautifully crafted rhyming verse that challenge young readers using subtle alliteration and powerful vocabulary.  He believes that children’s stories should have a positive moral without preaching or being overly serious. The result are joyous stories that will captivate and educate in equal measure.

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