Monkey and Me

Starred review from January 7, 2008
With a lot of imagination and some creative contortions, a little girl pretends that she and her adored stuffed monkey fit right in with tribes of penguins, kangaroos, bats, elephants and... monkeys. A catchy refrain sets up each scenario: “Monkey and me,/ Monkey and me,/ Monkey and me,/ We went to see....” Readers can take a moment to guess which species the feisty pigtailed narrator, a Pippi Longstocking in the making, is miming before a turn of the page shows the relevant animals at their antic best. To evoke a mama kangaroo and her joey, for example, the girl stuffs Monkey under her shirt; to become an elephant, she bends at the waist, makes one of her arms a trunk and turns the other into a prehensile tail that pulls Monkey-as-calf behind her. Working in pencil and watercolor, with a palette limited to red, black and brown, Gravett (Orange Pear Apple Bear
) portrays the action in a series of exuberant spot sketches set against a white sweep. This approach not only gives the pictures the momentum and spontaneity of roughed-out animation, it also provides readers with step-by-step instruction for recreating at least some of the fun in their own homes. A final spread has girl and toy going “zzzzzzzz”—but the game has not ended: a real monkey watches them, a huge and contagious grin on his face. Ages 2-6.

Starred review from April 1, 2008
PreS-Gr 1-A delightful and energetic story, illustrated in muted reds, soft browns, and pale grays. A child, dressed in rumpled red tights, a gray skirt, and a red-and-white striped T-shirt, plays with her long-limbed stuffed monkey. The repetitive refrain, "Monkey and me, /Monkey and me, /Monkey and me, /We went to see, /We went to see some]" is accompanied by the little girl and her toy imitating five different animals that appear on the following spread. She waddles like a penguin, hops like a kangaroo, hangs upside down like a bat, lumbers along like an elephant, and swings like a monkey, before finally wearing down. The text's buoyancy and changes in font size enhance the visual appeal. Monkey's body language and facial expressions, reminiscent of Pippo in Helen Oxenbury's "Tom and Pippo" stories (S & S), add humor to the sweet tale of a ????child using her imagination in active play. This charming and engaging book will have children repeating the words and anticipating the animals to come. Perfect for one-on-one sharing or with storytime groups."Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2008
A little girl and her stuffed animal, a monkey, cavort as she imagines and imitates a series of wild animals. The girls actions as she pretends to be each new beast can give rise to a guessing game for children, resolved when a turn of the page shows the actual animal mimicked: Monkey and me, / Monkey and me, /Monkey and me, / We went to see, / We went to see some . . . / ELEPHANTS! The rhythmic, patterned text reads aloud exceptionally well, though the storys ending is a bit of a letdown. Still, the spare, expressive pencil drawings are charming, and the restrained use of watercolor washes heightens their effectiveness. This upbeat picture book has great read-aloud potential for responsive listening and extended play in storytimes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)