The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone, illustrated by Michael Smollin
This picture book doesn’t just feature Grover, that fabulous blue friend who lives on Sesame Street (and, as it happens, my favorite resident of that beloved street). Oh no, this book STARS “lovable, furry old Grover.” And, really, who doesn’t love furry old Grover? The thing about Grover, though, is he’s not bravest of the Sesame Street bunch. So when Grover hears that there is a monster at the very end of his book he warns readers to stay as far away from the end as possible. But, of course, the more Grover tells his readers not to turn the page, the more they want to. Grover is so desperate to keep himself from the monster at the end of the book he tries to nail the pages together and even builds a brick wall. The persistent reader, however, will keep going despite Grover’s pleas to not turn the next page. After all, as he keeps reminding us, there is a monster at the end of this book!
The identity of the monster, which we do find out at the end, turns out to be a surprise to both Grover and his readers, who also learn that things are not always what they appear. It is also just one in a handful of books starring Grover, including “Please Do Not Open This Book!” and “Another Monster at the End of This Book.”