Monster Trouble
“Winifred Schnitzel was never afraid. Not of monsters or ghouls or the noises they made.”
“Monster Trouble,” by Lane Fredrickson is an awesome story about a brave little girl. Winifred Schnitzel loves scary movies, pirates, ballet and she thinks monsters are cute!
But, she has a problem: the monsters are bugging her at bedtime leaving her too sleepy for math, dinnertime, and fun activities. Our courageous heroine does not despair. Instead, she uses her creativity, engineering skills, and tenacity to finally beat the monsters.
We know that children’s picture books are seriously lacking in representing Black children outside of the context of a struggle overcoming racism and a history of slavery. “Monster Trouble,” places the protagonist - a young Black girl- in a position of power, bravery, and intelligence. Thus creating a much-needed reminder of all the things little girls can be.
We love how dynamic Winifred’s character is and how all of her interests showcase her courage. Not only is she into spooky stuff, but she is also in a ballet class with all white children. Throughout the story, she dabbles in math and engineering - a field that is predominately represented as white and male.
The combination of obvious and subtle examples of how a girl like Winifred would have to be brave add nuance to the narrative currently available regarding Black characters.
Kudos to Fredrickson for being brave enough to write this story.
Some things to think about…
What unique interests and hobbies do you have?
What are you afraid of? What strategies can you use to overcome them?
Activity Idea: Cut out images from a magazine and piece them together with glue to create your own monster. What is your monster’s weakness?
Activity idea: Did you know that adults have fears too? Interview a grown up about what they are afraid of and what they do about it. Maybe you can offer them some tips of your own!
Excerpt from Monster Trouble
