MEET THE HOWLERS!

Sayre (Honk, Honk, Goose!: Canada Geese Start a Family, 2009, etc.) delivers yet another entertaining and accessible guide to the natural world. Each spread contains rhyming text narrating the daily activities of a howler monkey family and cleverly comparing them to a young reader’s experience. For example, “Sister claims a branch / yet no one says to share. / She never has to bathe. / Her suit is wash-and-wear!” Also on each spread are a few sentences offering an explanation and supplemental information, appearing in a smaller font. In this case: “Frequent rains wash a howler monkey’s coat. Howlers sometimes nibble and handpick insects, dirt, and leaves out of their own and one another’s fur.” Monkey sounds—“Woo-hoo-hoo! Ah-uh-oh!”—anchor a catchy refrain that is sure to get storytime crowds howling. Miller’s appealing multimedia illustrations, in rich greens, browns and blues, depict the howlers engaging in their various activities with plenty of personality. A brief section—“More about Howler Monkeys,” with additional interesting information about howlers—concludes this appealing introduction. (map) (Informational picture book. 4-8)