About the books
With tumbling rhymes and an infectious sense of humour, the weird and wonderful students at the School of Monsters are guaranteed to spark a love of reading!
Start by reading only the last word on every line and work your way up to reading the whole story.
The School of Monsters is a playful and child-centred introduction to language, literacy, and lunch-time dynamics in a world of monsters just starting school.
Created by best-selling author, Sally Rippin, and illustrator, Chris Kennett, the School of Monsters series has sold over 2 million books across 16 territories.
The School of Monsters is both fun and educational, focusing on the emotional world of young children from a place of authenticity.
Who is the School of Monsters for?
Testimonial
“The extraordinary book sales were confirmation enough, but even more convincing was watching the impact and success of these stories in my own home.
I have watched my two children become obsessed with the School of Monsters: my two-year-old is drawn to the iconic characters, bright colours and simple narratives, while my nearly five-year-old almost forensically unpacks the social dynamics and emotional conflicts. Despite the narrow
age gap, it’s a rare story that can bring us all together - and yet this series has done it over and over.”
- Marisa Pintado, Hardie Grant Children's Publishing
The School of Monsters prepares children for what to expect once they start school. Each story centres around a different character who, with the help of their teachers and new friends, find ways to overcome challenges and thrive in their new environment.
While the monsters and the world they live in may look very different to a child’s reality, their personality traits and challenges will be very familiar.
Children learn about social and emotional intelligence, creative problem-solving and how to embrace difference, not only in others, but also themselves.
Each monster is complex and fully realised, with a unique family life outside of school. Some personality traits come from a monster’s physicality or how they have been depicted in stories throughout history, others are completely fresh, but all characters strive to act with kindness and integrity, under the gentle guidance of their teachers, Ted, Pat and Kim.
By depicting a wide range of monsters, the creators aim to have every child viewer see aspects of themselves represented, both physically and culturally. The world the monsters inhabit is both thrillingly different and reassuringly familiar.
There will be thirty School of Monsters books released by the end of 2026, along with several spin-off series, including the World of Monsters and the Learn and Play series.
About the Creators
Sally Rippin - author
Sally Rippin is a best-selling and beloved author for children with over ten million copies of her books in print around the world and translated into over sixteen languages.
Sally has also published Wild Things: How We Learn to Read and What Can Happen If We Don’t as a resource for adults wanting to better support neurodivergent and dyslexic children in the home and classroom.
Sally was named the Eighth Children’s Laureate for 2025 – 2025: the national ambassador for reading and Australian children’s literature. In this role, Sally aimed to create public awareness around learning difficulties as well as the most effective practice in teaching children to read.
Currently, Sally is working to adapt some of her work for screen.
Chris Kennett - illustrator
Chris Kennett has been drawing ever since he could hold a pencil (or so his mum says). But professionally, he has been creating quirky characters for just over 20 years.
Working his way from animation through to children's books, Chris has managed to work on some truly "out of this world" projects, including the beloved Star Wars series of Little Golden Books.
His most recent projects include the hugely popular first reader series School of Monsters with Sally Rippin, the "Mr Luke's Magic Library" with Internet sensation Mr Luke and "Brunocorn" with prolific picture book author Rory H Mather.
With a keen eye for visual storytelling, Chris prides himself on capturing the emotions within us all. From the soft gentle moments to the laugh out loud.
