MONKEY LOST

Any child who’s ever lost track of a prized companion will feel for young Eric, who suddenly realizes that the monkey he was bringing to school for show-and-tell is gone. After a fruitless search, his classmates start speculating: where would a monkey go? To the zoo? A movie? Up the Empire State Building? Heck illustrates each increasingly unlikely surmise with a simply drawn cartoon scene done in bright colors and thick, blocky lines. Ultimately, the monkey turns up in the hands of a bus driver. “Why, your monkey is only a stuffed animal!” laughs the teacher. “Only a stuffed animal?” a vastly relieved Eric thinks. “Not to me!” A bit sketchy, but the familiar situation, a bit of silliness and some authentically conveyed feeling add up to a Heck of a solo debut. (Picture book. 5-7)