Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Seaside Shenanigans

October 3, 2011
For his third adventure, handy monkey Chico Bon Bon joins his friend Clark at his uncle’s sprawling seaside resort, where things are mysteriously breaking. Clark, a surf-loving elephant, and Uncle Bill, an alligator, show Chico the items that need fixing, including a hole in a cabana roof, a leaky boat, and a busted waterslide. In a story brimming with goofy humor, Monroe fills her watercolor pages with intricate ink details, zeroing in on each of Chico’s meticulous repairs. A sort of Bob the Builder meets Sherlock Holmes, Chico combines smarts with an upbeat can-do attitude. Ages 4–8.

October 1, 2011

PreS-Gr 3-Chico Bon Bon is a cheerful monkey who likes to fix things. In this entry, elephant Clark invites him to fix things (and go surfing) at his uncle's beach resort. The resourceful monkey patches, repairs, and adjusts; solves the mystery of the source of the damage (a klutzy duck); then wraps up the day with some surfing. This quirky, over-the-top tale will amuse children with its random silliness and fun seaside setting. Chico's repair jobs range from plausible to ridiculous, as do the contents of his tool box (he has glue, but he also has a rubber-duck extractor). Detailed full-color line drawings invite readers to pore over the scenes for humorous touches. There's not much point to the story, but the style is entertaining.-Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2011

Chico fixes a whole bunch of stuff at the beach and solves a mystery, too.

On a hot summer day, clever monkey Chico Bon Bon, armed with his trusty tool belt, sets about repairing the lawn sprinkler, which has been spraying too much water. Just as he's finishing up, Kitty pedals up on her mail bicycle with a postcard for Chico. It's from Clark, his elephant friend, inviting him to his uncle's beach resort for a vacation. Chico loves surfing, so it's off to the beach. The resort looks "amazing," but, mysteriously, many things have suddenly broken there. In short order, Clark and his uncle Bill (who happens to be an alligator) put Chico to work making repairs. He uses seaweed to fix a hole in a cabana roof, patches a leaky boat and repairs ropes on a whole row of hammock. But his biggest challenge by far is the water slide, which is going crazy, spraying water in a whoosh like a giant fire hose. The door to the pump room is locked, but that doesn't stop Chico. He easily breaks in (in an eight-panel operation that includes eating a banana) and finds the surprising culprit. There's only one thing left to do: "Let's go surfing!" Monroe's breezy, detailed illustrations match the energy and enthusiasm of her tale.

Fact-filled fun for the curious fixer-in-training. (Picture book. 4-8)

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