Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem

March 30, 2009
A loud “Arooga Boom Clang Clang,” awakens Chico Bon Bon (from Monkey with a Tool Belt
) “early one morning.” Armed with his vast number of tools, he seeks the root of the noise. A cross-section of the mansion-size tree house shows the enormity of Chico's task, and the source of the problem is certain to provoke laughs. Tiny ink detailing (every room of the house is distinctively patterned) lends a miniaturist charm, and the humor in Chico's industrious solution (delineated into step-by-step panels) warrants repeat readings. Ages 4–8.

March 1, 2009
K-Gr 3-Chico Bon Bon, the fix-it expert who debuted in Monkey with a Tool Belt (Carolrhoda, 2008), is trying to locate the cause of a loud and strange noise in his tree house. After much head-scratching and searching, the resourceful monkey finally identifies the sourceit's Clark, an elephant who has become stuck in the laundry chute. Chico Bon Bon whips out some tools from his trusty tool belt and extricates the wayward Clark; Clark's admiration of Chico's do-it-yourself talents prompts the monkey to produce a size XXL tool belt for his neighbor. Rendered in thin black line and bright watercolors on visually diverse page spreads, the cartoon illustrations offer much to pore over and reflect this illustrator's trademark sense of quirky humor. The plot, however, feels forced and the ending is disappointingly flat.Kathleen Finn, Winooski Memorial Library, VT

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2009
Preschool-G In this companion to Monkey with a Tool Belt (2007), Chico the monkey has all the gadgets that he could ever need in his tool belt. Someitems are playful, but most arefamiliar, everyday devices, such as a screwdriver, a hammer, anda flashlight. Monroe creates a real story, not just a scenario, when Chico uses the tools to rescue his elephant friend, who has fallen down the laundry chute. The gadgets provide the fun, especially because they can make a small creature so powerful, and kids will pore over the details in the small line-and-watercolor vignettes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)