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LITTLE MONKEY SAYS GOODNIGHT

Name: LITTLE MONKEY SAYS GOODNIGHT
Author: Ann Whitford Paul
ISBN: 0-374-34609-7

by Ann Whitford Paul & illustrated by David Walker ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 7, 2003

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Called to bed, Little Monkey won’t go until he says good night. “He scampers to the Big Top tent. ‘Come back,’ calls Papa. / But Little Monkey jumps / BOING! / into the Ringmaster’s spotlight. ‘Good night, Ringmaster.’ Ringmaster tips his tall top hat and sweeps Little Monkey / SWISH! / through the Poodle’s hoop. / ‘Good night, Poodle.’ ” One onomatopoetic leap follows another as Little Monkey bids good night to each performer. His rounds end in a swish with Mama on the trapeze followed by the excited clapping and cheering of the crowd. Finally, Papa tucks Little Monkey in with a good night of his very own. Paul (Silly Sadie, Silly Samuel, 2000, etc.) inspired by her own son’s need to wish everyone in the house good night, has written one of the noisiest bedtime stories ever. Debut children’s book illustrator Walker’s pudgy, smiling, energetic characters are rendered in soft yet bright pastel colors. Together they have created a perfect good-night read. The only drawback is that when listeners reach the end, they’ll ask to start again. (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: April 7, 2003

ISBN: 0-374-34609-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Melanie Kroupa/Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2003

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
IF ANIMALS CELEBRATED EASTER
by Ann Whitford Paul ; illustrated by David Walker

- BOOK REVIEW
IF ANIMALS TRICK-OR-TREATED
by Ann Whitford Paul ; illustrated by David Walker

- BOOK REVIEW
WHO LOVES LITTLE LEMUR?
by Ann Whitford Paul ; illustrated by Jay Fleck

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OUR EASTER ADVENTURE

by Emma Randall ; illustrated by Emma Randall ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 12, 2021

An adequate addition to an Easter basket.

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Four children try to track down the Easter Bunny.

Of the four children searching the grounds of this farm, one is Black (lovely to see the Black child tenderly cuddling a lamb), one is possibly Asian, one has brown skin and brown hair, and the last is White. It’s Easter day, and the mostly rhyming (sometimes straining) text follows the children as they try to track down the Easter Bunny, who “brings chocolate every year[.] / And then hops away again—just watch him disappear!” The children don some truly remarkable Easter bonnets and then are off to find the Easter Bunny. The quartet discovers eggs along the way as they search for the elusive egg-giver over a bridge, through a forest, across a meadow, and finally behind a waterfall—where they find not only the Easter Bunny and his cave full of eggs, but also his egg machine, which makes what appear to be chocolate eggs. Though pastel colors abound, the palette overall is, refreshingly, brighter than what’s seen in many Easter books. The details of the patterns and colors of the eggs will give readers lots to look at as they absorb the Easter Bunny’s lesson that he leaves eggs to remind people of “new life to be appreciated,” embracing the themes of springtime. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 29.6% of actual size.) An adequate addition to an Easter basket. (Picture book. 2-4)

Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-5247-9333-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
A BOOK OF LOVE
by Emma Randall ; illustrated by Emma Randall

- BOOK REVIEW
OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOOD
illustrated by Emma Randall

- BOOK REVIEW
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
illustrated by Emma Randall

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TEN RED APPLES

by Pat Hutchins & illustrated by Pat Hutchins ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2000

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A farmer’s bountiful apple tree is besieged by his hungry livestock in this lively countdown from the author of countless clever concept books. Rhyming verses tell the tale of the hapless farmer as he watches his animals gobble up his shining apples. The whole barnyard emerges one by one, from mighty horse to tiny hen, to sample the succulent fruit, emitting their distinctive calls when they’re through. “Duck came and ate one, / pick, pick, pick. / Quack, quack, fiddle-dee-fee.” Each time a piece of fruit is consumed, the farmer counts the remaining apples, beseeching the animals to leave one for him. Every number has its own two-page spread, with the featured numeral in oversized red text and the appropriate number of apples lined up next to it. Hutchins’s (Pink Pig, 1994) exuberant verses will have children chanting the refrain “fiddle-dee-fee” along with the farmer. Her vivid illustrations dazzle the eye with brilliant colors. A red outer border frames the pictures, which contain a festive row of sunny yellow flowers, running along the top and bottom of the page. The characters, both animal and human, resemble brightly colored wooden toys—as if a child’s toy set had suddenly become animated. The illustrated end pages provide additional counting practice for readers; counting up to ten on one side and down to one on the facing page. A welcome addition to the counting-book genre, Hutchins’s playful tale is an edifying and energetic romp. (Picture book. 3-5)