Blue Monster wants to play with Rabbit – but Rabbit is sleeping and doesn’t want to play. SO... what should Blue Monster do?

Blue Monster does something you should NEVER do and then... he does it again and again!

Now he DEFINITELY has no one to play with! He feels sad, lonely and VERY guilty. But when Blue Monster opens
his mouth and YAWNS... what a surprise!

Things may get better after all! If Blue Monster only says he’s sorry...

Prizes

Short-listed for The Week Junior Book Awards 2025

"Illustrated with his usual panache, Petr Horáček’s tale is a surprising mix of friendship and silliness; it’s also a tad anarchic and a terrific read-aloud that will both shock and amuse young listeners as well as being a great starting point for discussion, be that in the classroom or at home."

"Achuka is a huge Petr Horáček fan and we’re pleased to recommend yet another OUTRAGEOULY good picture book from him."

"A wonderfully funny and surprising picture book about friendship and forgiveness, that’s perfect for reading aloud."

"Layered texture, expressive character, glowing colour... a funny, original, handmade picture book about a monster who swallows his friends when he’s unsettled by them."

"A blue monster realises that swallowing the people he wants to play with isn’t the best way to make friends."

"The artwork is wonderful, with chaotic scribbles adding to the colours of the animals and the sense of movement, and just the right amount of facial expression for a young reader to pore over, matching the text well. When the animals emerge from being swallowed by the monster, the downturned mouths and sidelong glances catch the mood perfectly."

"A lovely, colourful picture book for under 7s... Lightly and gently, themes around emotional control are explored in an easily accessible way. The text is arranged around the lovely, colorful illustrations, with interesting vocabulary choices, conventional punctuation, and capitalisation for voice volume making this a good text for early literacy exploration."

"This book is so simple and enjoyable. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story holds a powerful message that is given gently and humorously.... The approach to solving friendship problems is clear and simple, and one that could easily be used with a class of children."

"The story is full of surprises, with a wonderful page-turning quality and the ending is very satisfying. Blue Monster is an irresistible character and Horáček’s immediately recognisable scribbly, textured illustrations will make everyone want to get out their own crayons too and start drawing."

"This is an absolutely delightful book which made me laugh on first reading... The text encourages a discussion about rights and wrongs of behaviour, how a small misdemeanour can escalate and how impulsive actions are often regretted, together with the importance of forgiveness and friendship... Altogether an excellent addition to the Early Years classroom that will become a firm favourite."

Petr Horáček was born in Prague and studied at the Academy of Fine Art. After graduating in 1994, he moved to England. His first two picture books were published in 2001, winning the ‘Books for Children’ Newcomer award. Since then he has gained a string of international distinctions. His books for Otter-Barry include The Last Tiger, The Perfect Present, shortlisted for the BookTrust Storytime Prize 2024, and The Star Whale with Nicola Davies. He lives in Worcester.