Monsters don’t bother Mina.
In the valley of a snowy mountain range, a group of children sit in rapturous awe listening to the story of the fierce creature who lives in a nearby forest; “its roar alone can unleash a storm.” “That monster doesn’t scare me at all,” declares young Mina, who vows to hunt down the creature herself. With her trusty pooch in tow, she steps out onto the snowy terrain. Peril awaits—a bridge in disrepair, for instance—but a silent savior emerges in the form of the monster, a spirited beast with white fur and red cheeks, who, unbeknownst to Mina, looks after the blithely unaware girl (holding up the bridge and shielding her from raging winds). Though she returns home disappointed at her apparent failure, that doesn’t stop her from trying again the next day. Young readers will strongly relate to Mina’s determination and independent streak; they’ll also delight in knowing something she does not. Andrés effectively showcases the harsh landscape, with Mina’s bright-red coat and blue scarf popping against the stark white and gray backgrounds. Dramatic angles give the tale a cinematic flair, though there’s a softness to the images as well. Andrés also gently cautions readers against unthinkingly trusting rumors, as each description of the good-natured monster is eventually debunked.
Atmospheric and inviting—with a lesson in cultivating a healthy sense of skepticism.
—Kirkus Reviews
Little Mina is not at all intimidated by a storyteller’s cautionary tale of the fearsome monster who freezes the forest, howls to scare all the animals away, and causes avalanches with its booming footsteps. On a blustery winter morning, she sets out with only her perky dog as a companion to search for this monster. She calls through the forest, heads toward the mountains, and crosses over a gorge without a second look at the rickety wood-and-rope bridge. Each step of the way, she’s shadowed by a toothy, sharp-clawed, white-furred figure that keeps its distance but occasionally helps from afar. With the snow falling hard and no sighting of the monster, Mina lies down to rest and ends up falling asleep, only to wake up with a blanket and a huge mug of hot chocolate. Resigned but not discouraged, Mina returns home and promises to seek out the monster another day as the monster smiles from behind a snowbank. Gorgeous full-page spreads of graphite shadows tone the stark blank of snow and skew the color scheme moodier, while, in contrast, the characters and their pencil-lined textures (be it fuzzy like Mina’s cold-weather accoutrements or furry like the monster’s stealthy form) glow with soft pastels like watercolor. Bold and utterly charming, Mina is small but sturdy, a red-clad, blue-scarved bundle of determination, and, in a playful visual, her cheeks and wind-chafed nose match the rosiness in the monster’s features. The narration and monologuing are straightforward if a bit disjointed in their progression. Although there are not enough sightings of a friendly monster to be a search-and-find, the adorable illustrations still manage to create an engaging atmosphere, and the book would be well-suited as a storytime choice paired with Hunt’s How to Find a Yeti.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
