100 HUNGRY MONKEYS!

Sebe is up to some monkey business with his latest counting escapade, following 100 hungry monkeys as they search for food, take a nap, narrowly escape a monster who turns out to be a new friend, have a campfire singalong and bed down for the night after a very busy day.

Young readers are sure to sympathize with the hungry monkeys who groan, cry and complain about their empty bellies, and their body language will be familiar to all those adults who have dealt with a famished child. As in his previous two counting outings, Sebe rewards patient readers who are slow to turn the pages with seek-and-find games on every page (and another at the back of the book). Humorous asides from various monkeys combine with questions for readers to answer using the busy illustrations: “Which monkey is biting a tail?” “Where is the baby monkey?” These questions challenge color, food and animal recognition, vocabulary knowledge, and of course, counting skills. Unlike Let’s Count to 100! (2011), the monkeys are spread willy-nilly across the pages with no effort made at organization or grouping, so counting each spread of 100 is a challenge indeed. Too, the similar-looking monkeys get a little old after just a few page turns, their expressions and body language often off-putting.

Not Sebe’s best, but fans will want the complete collection.