What's For Dinner? Monster Chefs by Brian and Liam Anderson

What does a monster king eat? ANYTHING he wants!

And for the Monster King's royal chefs, that is a problem. It seems the King has become a picky eater.

"I'M SICK OF EATING EYEBALLS AND KETCHUP!" ROARED THE MONSTER KING.

"FIND ME SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT OR YOU WILL FIND YOURSELVES ON THE MENU!"

In fear and trembling the King's four chefs split up to search out a novel comestible to tempt the tyrant's palate. But the potential foodstuffs are not inclined to cooperate.

To the first chef, a tasty-looking hare points out an unforeseen consequence of eating him:

"IF YOU EAT A RABBIT, YOU TURN INTO A RABBIT. WHY DO YOU THINK THERE ARE SO MANY OF US?"

When he contemplates serving up a fine fillet of fish, the second chef gets the same story from the would-be main course.

The third Chef heads off to the desert and spots a snake, thinking he would make a novel entree.

"LOOK AROUND YOU!" HISSES THE SNAKE. "WHEN YOU EAT A SSSSNAKE, YOU TURN INTO SSSSAND!"

The three chefs, having struck out in their quest for a new dish, trudge back to the Monster King's court where they prepare to slather themselves with ketchup for the King's dining pleasure. Felicitously, the fourth chef appears with his find, not a food, but a tiny chef whose creations never need ketchup. She's a pastry chef and produces a wondrously novel product for the King's consumption--a cupcake!

All is forgiven in the Monster King's kitchen, and he forgoes eating eyeballs, unless they are fake toppings for the cupcakes, in Brian and Liam Anderson's Monster Chefs (Roaring Brook Press, 2014), a super silly little monster tale that is as light and fluffy as the frosting on the Monster King's cupcakes. Author Brian Anderson cooked up this monster story with his five-year-old son Liam, and the result is a story that begs to be read aloud. As Publisher's Weekly proclaims, "The narration is a winner from beginning to end: aurally redolent (“The king, spit seething from his massive mouth, glared down at them”) and punctuated with lovely alliteration and delectable vocabulary, it’s like a tasting course for the ear—and a performer’s dream."

A recipe for the King's cupcakes, complete with directions for edible eyeballs as topping, is appended by the author.