Redlich dumps off a single-joke solo debut in which the simian victim of a fecal prank goes around repeating the titular enquiry over and over. And over.
Suddenly acquiring a cap of crap, Furley the monkey springs up to accost a succession of larger animals. All offer threatening and woodenly phrased denials along the lines of Elephant’s “I’d sooner trample you to dust that do such a filthy thing!” and Python’s “Even if I could, I wouldn’t do such a sorry thing! I’d sooner squeeze you tight and swallow you whole!” Ultimately, the text devolves into simple repetitions of Furley’s accusing question, until at last, his brother Charlie drops in to gloat and (predictably) receives an airmailed anointment of his own: “SHOOP!” The illustrations keep this funny longer than the language and storyline do with an exaggerated size differential that places most of the other animals’ bodies well beyond the edges of the page and a very small tailless ape (not a monkey, despite the text) who displays caricatured outrage and bare butt cheeks colored a bright, garish pink.
A heaping flop, even for children who fall on this sort of humor and devour it with relish. (Picture book. 6-8)
