Baby Monkey, Private Eye

Starred review from November 20, 2017
A nearly 200-page chapter book for emerging readers? Using a pared-down vocabulary and luxuriant, chiaroscuro drawings, Selznick (The Marvels) and husband Serlin make it work—brilliantly. Four oddball robbery victims show up at Baby Monkey’s Sam Spade–worthy office, including a chef whose pizza has gone missing and a clown who has had his red nose stolen. Baby Monkey’s basic MO is always the same: look for clues, take notes, eat a snack, put on pants, and solve the crime (generally by looking right outside his office door). The tight, repeating structure gives Selznick plenty of opportunity to riff on the details: in each chapter, Baby Monkey has a different (and triumphant) wrestling match with his pants, and the furnishings of his office change to match the profession of each client (for those who can’t guess these Easter eggs, a key and index are included). “Hooray for Baby Monkey!” are the last words of this endearingly funny graphic novel/picture book/early reader—it’s a sentiment that readers of all ages will wholeheartedly affirm. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from January 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 1-Selznick and Serlin take the easy reader format to new creative heights. Baby Monkey may be a baby (and a monkey) but he has a full-time job as a private eye. Baby Monkey solves five cases (one for each chapter) by looking carefully for visual clues. Full-page illustrations facing single, simple, and often repetitive sentences in an oversized typeface make this ideal for emerging readers. The sharp pacing and charming humor also make it an excellent read-aloud choice. Selznick's signature black-and-white drawings-his noir-like style here played up to full effect-invite readers to linger and look carefully. With each case, the framed paintings and various bric-a-brac decorating Baby Monkey's well-appointed office changes. Hidden clues and jokes abound, as in "The Case of the Missing Spaceship," wherein the opening two-page spread shows a framed poster of A Trip to the Moon (a hat tip to devoted Selznick fans), an image of Apollo 13, a portrait of Galileo Galilei, and a bust of John F. Kennedy. Will most of these references sail over the heads of the intended audience? Perhaps. But the story works just as well without them, and Selznick and Serlin take pains to make sure young readers have enough information to look them up if they are so inclined; the "Key to Baby Monkey's Office" in the back matter lists each visual reference by chapter/case. A running gag about Baby Monkey forgetting to wear-and struggling to put on-pants will have readers cracking up. In the very last case, the primate private eye jumps into the loving arms of his mom and takes a well-earned nap. VERDICT A delightful easy reader that is as funny as it is elegant. This will be enjoyed equally by youngsters and their grown-ups.-Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 15, 2017
In five chapters spanning almost 200 pages, Selznick--here working with husband Serlin--manages to do for the early reader what he accomplished with the picture book: reinvent it. The narrative unfolds in finely wrought, crosshatched compositions drawn in pencil and introducing the color red to reward readers as they hunt for stolen objects alongside the pint-sized simian detective. Though he's as successful as his hard-boiled, cinematic counterparts, Baby Monkey is still a youngster, so after each client arrives for consultation, he playfully peers through his magnifying glass, scribbles findings, nibbles snacks, and attempts to dress himself. This structure provides the repetition that, when paired with brief sentences, visual clues, a large typeface, and clear dialogue bubbles, serves the format extremely well. Impish expressions and oversized trousers will amuse the audience throughout each of the several-page wardrobe sequences. Preceding each knock on the door is an office "scene change" inviting viewers to analyze objects and predict the visitor's identity; for example, and in a nod to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the iconic image from Georges Melies' A Trip to the Moon heralds an astronaut. An oversized bonnet and dress shroud the final guest in mystery until the loving denouement. Not to be missed are the sendups of a bibliography and index, and adult readers will enjoy the visual keys to the clues planted in Baby Monkey's office.Wrapped in the chiaroscuro of film noir, kids will forget they are learning to read, focusing instead on the comic bits, persistence, and vulnerability of an endearing hero. (Early reader. 4-9)

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Starred review from December 1, 2017
Preschool-G *Starred Review* In an office that looks like it came straight out of a noir film, Baby Monkey solves a series of perplexing mysteries. First, an opera singer is missing her necklace. Then, a chef's pizza's been stolen, a clown's nose goes missing, and an astronaut can't find her spaceship. In every case, Baby Monkey eagerly offers to help, has a snack, takes some notes, puts on his pants, and captures the culprit. There's not a lot of detective work (he spends more time struggling with pants), but the details in Selznick's signature fine-lined, crosshatched pencil artwork reveal plenty of clues. When the astronaut stops by, for instance, Baby Monkey is reading Famous Space Crimes, and a still of Georges Melies' A Trip to the Moon is on the wall. Though 192 pages might seem like a lot for a picture book, Selznick and Serlin pull off the feat rather brilliantly. Actions are stretched out over multiple pages (one struggle with pants takes nine pages), which makes the chapters fly by, and while they can be read individually, those who read them in order will notice clever changes as the cases progress. An inventive format and tongue-in-cheek sense of humor make this sweet and silly book almost irresistible.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)