Monkey with a Tool Belt

March 24, 2008
Slightly edgy, highly detailed comics-style art will have readers poring over the pages of Monroe's (illustrator of Totally Uncool
) latest. Chico Bon Bon, a monkey, loves to build and fix things with his tools. An early picture of the monkey nonchalantly modeling his brilliantly complex tool belt, its contents neatly labeled on white space, gives a clue to the upcoming daffiness: “screwdriver/ nutdriver/ nutcracker/ squeegee/ ouija/ planer/ strainer/ grease container.” The story itself, a clichéd affair about an organ grinder who abducts Chico and Chico's subsequent use of his tools to escape, gets its oomph from the art. Laid out in panels, some numbered, some boxed; laid out in loops; arranged as vignettes; or composed like a maze, the illustrations command a reader's attention. Chico, looks sophisticated—he's a grown-up cousin of Julius the sock monkey. Look past the jacket; not only gadget jockeys will enjoy this visually polished tale. Ages 4-8.

February 1, 2008
K-Gr 3-Chico Bon Bon builds and fixes all kinds of things for his friends and family. Suddenly, lured by a banana split sitting on a small table, he is trapped by an organ-grinder and taken on a long, rough ride to the circus camp. Held captive in a box, he uses his trusty tools in a 12-step plan to escape. After catching a bus and getting home safely, he puts on his pajamasand his tool beltbefore dreaming of more things to build. The story is told with occasional rhymes, as when Chico builds "a dock for the ducks/and a clock for the clucks." The art is much stronger than the text. Monroe's watercolor-and-ink illustrations enlarge Chico's adventure. Maps show twisty roads, a busy village, and a handy bus stop, and captions label the tools in Chico's belt. Small pictures show the pipe organ he builds for a ladybug and a go-kart to transport skunks. The escape of Bobo, the organ-grinder's previous monkey, with the help of several tigers, is a real treat for observant readers. These same observant readers may also ask where Chico got the big rubber hammer to hit the organ-grinder's big toe. Because there is so much to see in the tiny, detailed pictures, this is better suited to independent reading-and looking-than to group sharing."Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.