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Thursday, 10 June 2010

Review: Monkey and Me

Title: Monkey and Me

Author: Emily Gravett

Illustrator: Emily Gravett

Publisher: Pan Macmillan, $14.99 RRP

Format: Board book

ISBN: 9780230739437

For ages: 4 - 8

Type: Picture book

About: A little girl takes her toy monkey on an adventure to the zoo, where they see penguins, kangaroos, bats, elephants and, of course, monkeys. And, like all children after a big day out, she is exhausted when she finally arrives home.

This is a simple, beautiful story. Each adventure to see a new animal begins with a lovely repetition – ‘Monkey and me, monkey and me, monkey and me, we went to see, we went to see some…’ – which is both catchy for young children and simple for early readers.

The illustrations are wonderfully appealing, with a certain charm that makes kids laugh. Small things, like a belly-button showing, a joey peeking out from its mother’s pouch, a cheeky monkey stealing a banana and a drawing of the outing, are great for kids to point out and have a chuckle over.

Monkey and Me has been an instant hit in our household, a new favourite to join the line of classics on the shelf, and one I have no doubt my daughter and I will enjoy reading together for a long, long time.

This book is available online

Author website