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artist, author, educator
As a side gig when working at a phenomenal children’s bookstore (of blessed memory), Kelli Gleiner wrote two books for very young readers. Cheer Up, Monster! (2013) and A Day With Monster (2014), were illustrated using her needle felted creations (along with a little help from other media).
Both books were published by blue manatee press, and are available for purchase on this very website (signed copies! hooray!). As of April of 2025, the books are out of print.
Here’s a collection of images from the books, reviews, and a sweet story time from the Cincinnati Public Library.
Cheer Up, Monster!
Cheer Up, Monster! is the first book about Monster, and was published by blue manatee press in 2013.
It is comprised of cardboard, even though the illustrations are comprised of wool.
Cheer Up, Monster! Spread
A spread from Cheer Up, Monster! by Kelli Gleiner
A Day with Monster
This is the cover of A Day With Monster. It was written by me, Kelli Gleiner, and I also made the illustrations. blue manatee press did the publishing.
Most of the illustrations are made of wool, but some are not. The book is made of board.
Storyboard illustration from A Day With Monster.
This is a sketch I did for A Day With Monster, using Prismacolor pencils. I created storyboards in the exact board book size, then moved them around a lot with the words on top so I could get the right flow to the story.
And that is how books are made.
Kirkus Review of A Day With Monster
Once, some nice people at Kirkus review said nice things about my book, A Day With Monster.
I am pretty sure I happy cried.
A Day with Monster in Publisher's Weekly!
The people at Publisher’s Weekly were nice about A Day With Monster, too!