There is a Monster on My Holiday Who Farts

There is a Monster on My Holiday Who Farts by Tim Miller, illustrated by Matt Stanton (ABC Books) HB RRP $24.99   ISBN 978-0-733334-65-8

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

The Monster who Farts is back, so get your passports ready for some hilarious fun!  This story is cleverly written and illustrated for children, and might I say adults, too.  Co-creators, Tim Millar and Matt Stanton, not only know their young audience well, but their approach is fresh and original. 

A family trip around the world: who could possibly be the unexpected, extra passenger? A farting monster of course! This embarrassing problem becomes obvious when on the plane to the first stop, Japan, there’s unexpected turbulence. The reader is left guessing.  Is the farting monster responsible or is it someone else?

The colorful illustrations with comical facial expressions and gassy puffs entertain and delight, but also add cheeky fun to complement the text.  For example, the Mona Lisa’s smirk is turned to a look of smelly distaste.  The author and illustrator tango dance together briskly to tell this fart tale.

The reader travels with the family from country to country, and points of interest in the simple text provides extra fun. For example, ‘The Leaning Tower of Pisa finally topples -- ‘because there’s a monster on my holiday who farts.’

Subjects such as family, travel, culture and geography make this story so much more than a just simple fart tale.  This is one of those books that a child will want to visit again and again, as laughter really does make the world go around.