Monsters in the Fog - by Ali Bahrampour (Hardcover)

About the Book

Hakim the donkey is traveling up the mountain to visit his friend Daisy when an old goat appears and warns him about monsters in the fog; Hakim trots on and along the way he encounters 'monsters' who prove to be other travelers going about their business, all of them frightened of half-seen shapes in the mist.

Book Synopsis

A donkey's trip up the mountain turns eerie when he encounters "monsters" along the way in Monsters in the Fog, a humorous, suspenseful picture book about challenging first impressions.

Hakim is traveling up the mountain to visit his friend Daisy, but the fog is so thick that he can't see the road ahead. Then an old goat appears out of nowhere and delivers a sinister warning: "Beware! Beware! There are monsters up there!"

Hakim trots with caution, until he hears an awful groan, growing closer and closer. And out of the mist comes the strangest creature Hakim has ever seen . . . Is Hakim doomed? Or are things not always what they seem?

In this clever story about how appearances can be deceiving, author/illustrator Ali Bahrampour reminds us that everyone looks like a monster in the fog--until you get closer.

* "The cartoonish humor of the drawings provides a perfect counterpart to the calm, concise language of the tale's spare sentences, much as Hakim's steady resolve provides counterpoint to the jitters of his companions." --School Library Journal (starred review)

Review Quotes

**STARRED REVIEW**
"The cartoonish humor of the drawings provides a perfect counterpart to the calm, concise language of the tale's spare sentences, much as Hakim's steady resolve provides counterpoint to the jitters of his companions. With a subtle moral--everything is a monster in the fog--that is rendered playfully but is still thought-provoking."

--School Library Journal

"'It's hard to knit a sweater with your hooves, ' writes Bahrampour (A Pig in the Palace) in the irresistible opening to this parable about curiosity versus fear, 'but Hakim somehow did it, '. . .he book's meaning is unmistakable, and even urgent: snap judgments and trepidation are no way to move forward in the world." --Publishers Weekly

"Plays on viewer expectations, but the real fun comes from the opportunity to guess what the fog illusions really are at storytime." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The watercolor illustrations are dramatically composed, full of humor, and punctuated with mysterious glowing fog. A book that is perfect for storytime and, with its clean design and accessible text, also for new readers." --The Horn Book Magazine

About the Author

Ali Bahrampour grew up in Tehran, Iran, and the United States. He was a 2011 recipient of the Sendak Fellowship for picture book artists and is the author/illustrator of A Pig in the Palace. He lives in New York City with his family.