Book Review of Have You Seen the Berry Monster?
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The Children’s Book Review
Have You Seen the Berry Monster?
Written by Jane Carlson-Pickering
Illustrated by Abby Ellis
Ages: 4+ | 56 Pages
Publisher: IngramSpark (2025) | ISBN: 979-8-3495-1110-3
What to Expect: Science, critical thinking, and the natural world.
In this fun and interactive picture book, readers will learn about the importance of observation in solving a mystery scientifically and put their own observational and deductive skills to work to help the protagonists solve the puzzle of why the berries are disappearing.
Two young children are ready to fill their pails with blueberries—but every time they visit the blueberry bushes, there are fewer and fewer berries left for them to pick! There must be a berry-munching monster coming in the night and stealing them… Determined not to lose any more fruit to the berry monster, the children start gathering information about everything they see and hear. If they can identify the monster, maybe they can stop him. They gather lots of information—including lots of footprints near their bushes—but what’s the real identity of the berry monster?
Curious and determined, the two main characters are children just like the reader, emphasizing that STEM deductive skills really can be used in everyday life. The softly colored digital illustrations are packed with clues for the reader to observe and decipher. The book doesn’t give readers the answer to the mystery—instead, a facts page and set of critical-thinking questions at the end of the story help readers identify the animal tracks depicted in the book and draw their own conclusions about who the berry monster might be.
Have You Seen the Berry Monster? is a wonderful starting point for discussion about natural history and critical thinking—but it is equally enjoyable as an entertaining puzzle!
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About the Author
Jane Carlson-Pickering was a K-College Educator for 34 years. Her career centered in the areas of Gifted & Talented Education, and in the Integration of Multiple Intelligences & Technology, specializing in the development of Science Curriculum for grades K-8. Jane was the first RI recipient of the AMGEN Award for Science Teaching Excellence in 2003.
In Have You Seen the Berry Monster, Jane has turned children’s’ curiosity into an adventure inspired by nature, poetry, and playful imagination which encourages young readers to explore the world around them.
She and her husband have two grown children and reside in South County, Rhode Island.
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