“The Monster That Ate My Socks” by A.J. Cosmo

I had every intention of writing something funny and spirited this week.  Then, something happened that caused a distraction.  Funny how one thing can spiral into many things and get in the way of the one good thing you planned for the day.  I almost missed the opportunity to trigger my happy hormones focusing on something I had no ability to fix.  I am so glad that I dodged some darts loaded with negativity.  I had to duck and weave in order to get back to my original plan.

This children’s book reminded me of the times I folded clothes and came up a few socks short.  I always put the socks in a pile so that I could roll paired socks together.  Sometimes the missing socks would be found behind the washer or dryer and other times I would figure out that I left the missing socks in the laundry basket with other dirty clothes.  There was a belief that the dryer ate the socks.  I believed that theory until a washer and dryer repairman told me that the washer actually eats the socks.  He said it was very likely that the socks were so lightweight that during the rinse cycle the water carried the socks out of the tub, through the hose, and into the great unknown.

I found this book by A.J. Cosmo online.  I decided to read it because of my prior curiosities about missing socks.  I also thought about the socks with holes in them.  I never figured out how one sock in the pair has a noticeable hole and the other showed no sign of wear.  Just this week, I put on a nice pair of socks, started putting on my shoes when I n noticed a large hole in the heel of my left sock.  The mom in “The Monster That Ate My Socks” often expressed her frustration with the missing dirty socks.  Unlike my circumstance, her son’s dirty socks weren’t even making it to the washing machine.  Like me, she was aggravated with the money spent buying new socks.  Her son grew frustrated too because he was tired of his mother accusing him of being irresponsible.  He devised a plan to solve the mystery of the missing socks.  He hadn’t told his mother, but he also had reason to believe that something might be eating his dirty socks.

One night after leaving socks in plain view he pretended to fall asleep.  As he laid there in the darkness waiting for something to happen, a green monster with three eyes came into his room.  I loved that the illustrations of the monster depicted him as a kind, gentle, friendly being.  It was not hard to imagine that a child could enjoy this book without experiencing fear or nightmares.  It turned out that the monster was responsible for the missing socks and the holes in the socks.  However, the boy enlisted the assistance of a friend to delve deeper into the mysterious behaviors of the monster.

The boy and his friend learned that the monster had a family.  The family needed sustenance in the form of dirty socks.  The tale of the dirty socks joined human boys with monsters from some world beyond in the mission to secure dirty socks for the family of monsters.  As one might imagine, the supply of dirty socks ran out and the monsters had to find another food source.  The food source turned out to be the boys homework which made me chuckle.  The boy could honestly tell his teachers that the monster ate his homework.  While that explanation sounded pretty similar to the dog eating the homework, it was not as believable.

In my opinion, this book would be a good purchase for a child under the age of eight or nine.  It has a sweetness about it that encourages inclusion of life different than the norm.  The book also introduces opportunities for adults to discuss chores and taking responsibility for belongings.  Finally, the characters in the book show the world that it is possible to support others who have needs even if you don’t completely understand their needs or their journeys.