Monkey Walk

March 1, 2018
In this sparsely worded tale, an older sibling of messy twins turns out to be uniquely gifted at meeting the needs of a particularly prankish ape during a family trip to the zoo. As their mother blithely attends to her phone rather than her offspring, it's up to the protagonist to pick up the detritus of those pesky little sibs. Perhaps recognizing her eldest's frustration, their mother encourages the beleaguered kid to climb up a rope trellis to something called the "Monkey Walk." The protagonist complies only to find both hat and personal gaming device snatched by quick orange fingers, which is all readers see of the troublemaker till the end. Trades are suggested via signs held by various animals including (to the protagonist's understandable, "Oh, you have got to be kidding" reaction) penguins for the device. The denouement reveals the thief to be a multitalented orangutan (not the titular "monkey," but that's neither here nor there). With a keen eye to the importance of detail, Madden immediately and easily sets the tone, the feel, and the characters. Refreshingly, the book avoids the proselytizing tone so many picture books succumb to when addressing the hand-held electronic world. Instead, this light and airy storytelling opts to show rather than tell. The protagonist's family all present white, but other zoo visitors are diverse.Bubbling over with a singular charm of its own, this book will have kids going ape over the monkeyshines here. (Picture book. 4-6)

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April 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 1-This clever, nearly wordless picture book creates an adventure that includes a lesson on turning off devices and enjoying the world without ever becoming didactic. En route to the zoo, a cranky girl sits crammed between her twin toddler siblings, engrossed in her electronic device. Upon arrival, her oblivious mother takes a break from her phone to send the protagonist on the "monkey walk." Inside, a shaggy arm steals her hat. Next a trunk appears, distracting her while the arm takes her device, setting off a chain of wacky events as the child tries to get her device back. She succeeds but also learns a lesson. Smiling in the car home, she entertains her siblings with penguin puppets, the device ignored. Madden does a great job of moving the story along, incorporating comic-style boxes along with single pages and spreads to portray movement and propel the action. The understated humor in both the absurd story and the characters' reactions work perfectly, and her cartoonish style effectively represents the story's emotions. VERDICT This tongue-in-cheek adventure will be a worthwhile addition to any collection, especially those looking for books on decreasing screen time.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2018
Preschool-G A grumpy girl finds a zoo outing unexpectedly eventful and cheering in this entertaining story told with vibrant visuals, minimal text, and gobs of humor. From the car ride there to sulkily trailing her mom and stroller-riding sibs, the girl's clearly not happy?her mood is not improved when, in the Monkey Walk, a furry hand reaches down and snatches her hat. Then an elephant trunk sneakily pilfers her cell phone, and a flamingo drops into view, holding a sign: Trade? After the girl's exasperated, Trade for what? comes a picture of a banana. And while procuring that is relatively easy, she still doesn't have her phone back, and the subsequent request?a trio of penguins?will take some doing. In colorful, animated, primarily wordless spreads using panels, full-page scenes, and a variety of perspectives, the whimsical cartoon illustrations depict the expressive girl, the animals, and their antics, all with scrutiny-inviting, whimsical touches. Particularly amusing is the reveal of the furry, playful thief, which is sure to delight readers in this crowd-pleasing picture book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)