Author: Brian Selznick and David Serlin
Illustrator: Brian Selznick
© Date: 2018
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 189
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: Yes, illustrations are on most pages and tell part of the story
Publisher Recommended Age: 4-9
Bonus Activities at End of Book: Not really, but there is a key to baby monkey’s office that has details for some illustrations
Summary from Book:
Lost jewels?
Missing pizza?
Stolen spaceship?
Baby Monkey can help…
if he can put on his pants!
Caldecott medalist Brian Selznick and debut children’s book author David Serlin bring Baby Monkey’s adventures to life in a winning new format that blends elements of picture book, beginning reader, and graphic novel. It is ideal for sharing aloud and for emerging readers.
Hooray for Baby Monkey!
Note: This review is done from memory. I originally read this awhile ago.
Page Pig Thoughts: Page Pup and I agreed that Baby Monkey was super cute. Baby Monkey’s pants issues remind me of Sandra Boynton’s Blue Hat, Green Hat turkey, he is definitely endearing while he figures out his pants. The black and white illustrations are rich with details and made me want to sit admiring them for a long time, but sleep won out and I never got back to them. The bibliography at the end makes me wonder what some of the other mystery books would be like if we dug into them.
Since there are not many words, but a lot of pages, this might be a good book for a child gaining their reading confidence. Or maybe a child that wants to read a book as thick as an older sibling.
We enjoyed the sweet Baby Monkey mysteries, and I will definitely smile the next time I come across the cover at the library.
Family Unit: Baby Monkey and his mother are the only family shown.
Conflict/Social Issues:
- Characters that are missing items.
Positive Items:
- Baby Monkey solves cases, but still finds time to take care of himself.
- The realistic black and white illustrations are rich with details that you can spend lots of time looking through. The only color is on some of the items that Baby Monkey finds.
Items of Interest:
- Baby Monkey solves a case of missing jewels for an opera singer. A zebra did it.
- Baby Monkey solves a case of the missing pizza for a chef. A lion did it.
- Baby Monkey solves a case of the missing nose for a clown. A snake did it.
- Baby Monkey solves a case of the missing spaceship for an astronaut. A mouse did it.
- Depending on how your child feels about people in costumes, the full astronaut suit at the beginning of the spaceship chapter may be uncomfortable.
- Baby Monkey solves the case of the missing baby for a mother…his mother, he is the baby.
- Baby Monkey looks for clues, takes notes, eats a snack, and puts on his pants. Then he goes out and solves mysteries.
- Baby Monkey gets more tired as his mystery solving day progresses.