This book was controversial when it came out — adults thought that Max was too badly behaved and his monsters were too scary. But generations of young children know best — this book connects perfectly with a young child's fears and his ability to conquer them.

Emberly has created a monster out of cutouts, layered so that every time you turn the page, another part of him disappears, while your preschooler gets to shout, "Go away, bushy eyebrows!" and so on. Very satisfying for young children.

I normally don't like books that come from TV shows, but this one is a huge exception. The Monster at the End of This Book is one of the best picture books of all time. The protagonist, Grover learns there is a monster at the end of the book by peeking at the title (breaking the fourth wall!). Terrified, he goes to ever-more-desperate and hilarious lengths to keep you from turning the pages. But when you get to the end, there is indeed a monster, but an unexpected twist makes it all OK.

Mercer Mayer handles fear of the dark and monsters with empathy and humor. Like the other books in this list, the protagonist conquers the monster, once again in an unexpected way.