The Story of Growl by Judy Horacek Baby-PreK 32 pages Kane/Miller September 2008 Hardcover     Growl is a small purple monster who lives by herself in a castle at the end of Eucalyptus Drive. Growl is a joyously bouncy, skippy monster, drawn in adorable detail down to her pointy yellow teeth and thumping spiked tail. Growl’s favorite thing to do is to growl, which she does all day long with happy abandon. But one day, Growl goes too far with her growling, earning her the wrath of her neighbors, who call the police to complain. Soon, a “no growling” sign goes up in Eucalyptus Drive. Growl is miserable; she mopes around all day and can’t sleep at night. However, on one such sleepless night, Growl looks out her window and sees something that eventually helps her get her growl back. This is Australian cartoonist and illustrator Judy Horacek’s second picture book for children. The text and the illustrations in the The Story of Growl are pitch-perfect. The charm and expressiveness of Growl’s face makesthe story appealing even to children too young to follow the plot line. This is an absolutely delightful book that is sure to captivate the hearts of toddlers everywhere, who will identify with Growl’s frustration at not being able to do what she wants to do. Highly recommended!     web reviews   Usha Reynolds/2008 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)