reviews:

"The holidays don’t need much help to get chaotic, but one family is really in for it after two siblings ask Santa for a monster for Christmas. Reworking the lyrics of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” with style (and lots of household destruction), Fliess contrasts the children’s joy about their new friend/pet with their parents’ less-than-thrilled reactions (“Our mom took up meditation./ Our dad hollered in frustration./ But we had a celebration/
with monsterly cheer!”). In lively digital illustrations, Ranucci pictures the monster as an overgrown beast with lustrous red-orange fur, a spiky tail, and evident affection for the children, even as he inadvertently turns the house upside-down with his mess making."

—Publishers Weekly 

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"This narrative poem is intended to be sung to the tune of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and it easily fits the familiar melody. A girl and her younger brother dream of all the fun they could have with their very own monster. When the suggestion is met with refusal from Dad, the siblings visit Santa, who assures them that since they’ve been good all year, it will be delivered. The promise is fulfilled, but of course, the monster wreaks havoc. The solution: put him outside. Furzilla adapts well to the backyard and even helps with some of the more arduous chores. Best of all, the kids still get to have fun with him. VERDICT A fun departure from elves for those who prefer monsters and monkeys."

—School Library Journal