Welcome to Monster Isle
by Oliver Chin and Jeff Miracola
Immedium, Inc. (2008)
ISBN: 978-1597020169
Welcome to Monster Isle is an adventure story of the shipwreck of seven on a deserted island. Or not so deserted, as it turns out. There are monsters aplenty hidden in the trees, the mountain tops and the water depths.
A shipwreck, seven resourceful castaways, all kinds of weather, a disgruntled volcano and multicultural monsters combine to make a fast-paced, action adventure for children ages 4-8. There are many obstacles to overcome in their search for help, but the crew and passengers never lose their sense of humor or their cool. And in the end, help comes from where they least expect it.
Jeff Miracola Illustrator, Children's Books
Jeff Miracola has, for many years, illustrated collectible card games like Magic: the Gathering and role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, cementing his reputation as a fantasy artist. The influence is plain to see in the slightly surreal style he utilizes in Welcome to Monster Isle, the first children's book Miracola has illustrated. The strong lines and stylized representations combine with vivid colors to impart atmosphere and convey the story. Scenes such as the one on the beach just before monsters and humans become friends are a delight, and the detail in each page provides young readers with plenty to discover each time they return to the book. The cover, featuring a volcano with a big cheesy grin and a manic look in his eyes, won the 2009 Bookbuilders West award for Best Children's Book Cover.
Oliver Chin, Author and Publisher of Monster Isle
Author Oliver Chin, the publisher at Immedium, Inc, has written a number of children's books, some of them with Asian influenced themes, including a series featuring the Chinese zodiac and Julie Black Belt. Immedium, based in San Francisco, specializes in children's books that emphasize contemporary Asian America. Welcome to Monster Isle stays true to this emphasis with a set of monsters who each come from a different culture and time.
The prose in Welcome to Monster Isle is mostly simple and direct, with strong action words and descriptions. There are a lot of sounds to play with, and the glossary of the monsters at the back of the book. adds an extra dimension. However, there were a few times that the prose did not roll off the tongue easily when read aloud. For example, 'Hastily, Dad hollered....' would read more smoothly without the adverb, with the reader adding the haste by reading more quickly. Similarly, alliteration, which is mostly used to good effect, does hinder rather than help the flow in places. One example of this is 'Swiftly, the shimmering bird slithered after them.' With this sentence closely following the former example, it gave the effect of too many adverbs and too much alliteration.
Welcome to Monster Isle for Younger and Older Children
The story is an action adventure guaranteed to stimulate the imagination. Younger children will probably need some of the vocabulary explained, while older children reading the book themselves may need assistance with some of the longer, more difficult words such as anticipation and pursuit.
All in all, the book is popular with children. It is bright, positive and good fun, and that is pretty well all you need in a picture book.
Marlene de Wilde - Marlene has a BA in journalism and psychology. She teaches English as a Second Language in Crete.
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