The NOT a Big Green Monster Book! by Ian Johnson ~ Guest Post – Picture Book Perfect
I have known Ian for many years as he has worked on his craft and delved into the world of publishing. So, I am delighted to be sharing a guest post by Ian Johnson on publication day for The NOT a Big Green Monster Book!, a rhyming picture book inspired by his grandson Luca.
Luca loves to draw. Especially animals with big ears, lots of legs, huge noses and toothy mouths. And colourful monsters, fun, scary, friendly… he loves to show them to Mummy and Daddy.
Green Monster wants to be in the pictures, but other animals and colours always get there first. Can Green Monster make it into the book?
And then Luca decides to draw a completely different monster to any he has done before…
The twist at the end is emotional and unexpected, and brings the boy and his grandad closer together than ever.
Over to Ian to tell us about the inspiration for the book…
The NOT a Big Green Monster Book is inspired by my grandson. Luca loves to draw and show us his imaginative creations. We also like to play that game with him where you draw a head and neck, then fold it down and pass it on to the next who draws a body and arms, and then the same again to another who draws the legs and feet. Luca laughs so much when we uncover the finished characters. And those wonderful family moments are what has led to this book. Luca and I also hope this will inspire other children to try drawing, and have fun doing it.
I love the playfulness and fun elements in this book. The idea is that the simple rhyming text and the colourful drawings are done by the young boy Luca, who uses his vivid imagination to great effect:
Thank you so much, Ian! The NOT a Big Green Monster Book! was published 4 August 2026
ISBN: 978-1919329956
About Ian:
Ian Johnson has been writing seriously for 9 years. He writes across the age ranges – picture books, chapter books, middle-grade, teen and adult, and genres include contemporary, fantasy and historical. He has been short-listed in the Yeovil Novel and Write Mentor competitions. He won an indie-publisher open submissions out of 150 entries, only for them to go bust before my middle-grade novel was published. After this heart-breaking experience, he made the decision in 2026 to take his writing future into his own hands. To date, he has published 4 picture books with more, older age-range, books to come. He has loved enjoying every minute of his self-publishing experience and you can find out more via his website.
