Uploaded on August 2, 2011
You’re not awake. It’s 6 o’clock.
You hear a ring. You hear KNOCK KNOCK.
You hear the door come crashing down—
THE BIRTHDAY MONSTERS ARE IN TOWN!
Five birthday monsters barge right in
and yell, “IT’S MORNING! LET’S BEGIN!”
They rush you down before you’re ready
and use your breakfast as confetti.
“OH LOOK!” they shout. “IT’S 6:08!
YOUR PRESENT-OPENING CAN’T WAIT!”
They’ve brought the presents they like best.
You get the wrap. They keep the rest.
“AND NOW,” they say, “IT’S HIDE-AND-SEEK!
YOU GO AND HIDE, AND WE WON’T PEEK!”
You find a hiding place that’s great.
You wait, and wait, and wait, and wait.
You realize 20 minutes later
they’re raiding the refrigerator.
“IT’S TIME FOR CAKE!” the Monster shout.
“SO HURRY! BLOW THE CANDLES OUT!”
You close your eyes and make a wish,
and blow upon …
… an empty dish.
“AND NOW, GOODBYE! IT’S BEEN A THRILL!”
And out they go. The house is still.
They took your gifts. They ate your cake.
They made the mess that monsters make.
There’s nothing more that could go wrong.
And then KNOCK KNOCK.
And then DING DONG!
One last surprise is here for you—
THE BIRTHDAY MONSTER CLEANING CREW!
They fix! They sweep! They scrub the floor!
The house is clean! They’re out the door!
And on your kitchen shelf you find
the birthday things they’ve left behind.
—Sandra Boynton
Birthday Monsters!
08.1.2023: My daughter Bridget had turned 13 when I took this picture of the candles from her cake. This year, she turns 25!
All Sandra Boynton books are fun, but this is one of my favorites. Perhaps one of these days soon, my grandson will be old enough to sit still and enjoy it with me.