Episode 70 - The Eye of the Cyclops (Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob and Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters)

It's October, it's monsters and ghouls time, and this week we're reading books that feature cyclopes. Our picture book is Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron, a delightful parade of all creatures grim and evil putting on their pyjamas, having their baths, cleaning their teeth and going to bed. Super simple conceit, outstanding execution. Eagle-eyed readers will spot the ship of Odysseus just barely picked out through the cave mouth of the sleeping cyclops baby. So fun and so dark! The juxtaposition of cosy bedtime lullaby with the repeated use of the word "disgusting" to describe a child - priceless.

Then we're revisiting Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson in book two: The Sea of Monsters. Percy is still new to the world of gods and legends, green enough to think that when a pack of cannibal giants invade his school, the police will do something about it. He's also inexperienced enough not to notice that his enormous friend Tyson is in fact a cyclops. Percy, Annabeth and Tyson set off together on an illicit quest to find the Golden Fleece, rescue their friend Grover, and save Camp Half-Blood. Lots of hijinks and set pieces along the way. Our favourite scene was the bit with the sirens.

Huw Aaron's blod about Not Now, Bernard can be read here

The book Matt compared it to (which we cannot name in our squeaky clean feed) can be seen here

Our episode covering the first Percy Jackson is here

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