Tom Lichtenheld knows plenty about monsters, and fortunately for 8-year-olds everywhere, he"s willing to share his secrets in Everything I Know About Monsters, the sequel to Everything I Know About Pirates. Presented as a field guide of sorts, the instructive book begins with a diagram of a typical monster, with the usual characteristics from hopelessly bad hair to weird feet. The guide, which delves into monster psychology (very simple) as well as monster hygiene (very minimal), is divided up by type of monster such as: "Under-the-Bed Monsters" (lazy, eat dirty socks, scared by smiley-face night-lights), "Basement Monsters" (Sock Suckers, Ankle Fiends, Tool Ghouls), "Attic Monsters" ("sit around all day reading old National Geographic magazines that your parents are saving for no apparent reason"), and "Outside Monsters" (such as Big Foot "a Boy Scout gone bad" and Swamp Thang). A handy Monster Avoidance Chart may help kids get a good night"s sleep. Monsters are also discussed from a cultural perspective in sections such as "Man-Made Monsters" (Frankenstein, robots) and "TV and Movie Monsters:" "Lots of monsters audition for parts in monster movies, but they never get the parts because they"re such lousy actors." Even space aliens, "not officially part of the monster kingdom," are given play, because they"re "fun to draw." The Official Mad Scientist Monster Maker includes three columns of words that kids can mix and match to create a monster name, such as Creepy-Eared Knucklehead or Bat-Nosed Belcher. Lichtenheld"s comical, color-rich illustrations capture Essence of Monster most gruesomely, and each double-page spread boils and bubbles with funny captions, cartoons, side jokes, and general silliness. And remember, "If you do see a monster don"t overreact. It only encourages them." (Ages 6 to 10--not for kids who are still afraid of monsters!) --Karin Snelson