You're listening to Julie's library, where books bring us together.

Today we're reading, Maryland's Monster by Michelle Nudson, illustrated by Matt Falen.

Hello, I'm Julie Andrews, and I'm so glad you're here.

In my mind, the most wonderful place to be is one where books are nearby.

Maybe you have a tall stack on your bedside table, or a backpack that holds some favorites.

Or maybe you go to a library like the one I'm in, and stand among bookshelves full of lovely stories.

Each unopened book holds a promise. A promise to take us on a journey, introduce us to new friends,

make us laugh and wonder and dream.

Hi, Mom. Oh, hello, Emma. Listeners, this is my daughter Emma Walton Hamilton.

She loves books just as much as I do. In fact, she and I have written lots of books together.

We have. We make a very good team. Well, I think we do. Today we've pulled a wonderful book off

the shelves to share with you. It's about a girl that goes looking for a monster, but not a scary

monster. Right. Most of the time when we talk about monsters, there's something to be frightened of.

But in this book, monsters are kind, helpful and fun, and everyone has their own special monster

friend. Isn't it awesome how books can do that? They can create imaginary worlds where the

normal rules don't apply. Well, that's what makes them so special. Can you imagine a world

where a monster was your friend? What would your monster look like? What would you do together?

My monster would be fuzzy and cuddly, like a puppy, and we would play games and go everywhere together.

What about you, Mom? What would your monster be like? My monster would be a helping monster.

He would help me solve problems and protect me whenever I was scared. We have some friends to

imagine their monsters too. Let's hear what they came up with. My monster would be a silly monster.

It would be a giant pink fluffy ball that had sparkles around it. My monster would look like a human,

...