Little Monkey Lost
PreS—Little Monkey is bored. Looking for something to do, he climbs aboard a lily pad and is quickly swept downriver. Luckily, his mother has told him, "If you ever get lost, find other monkeys. They will lead you home." As it turns out, the jungle is alive with monkeys of all shapes and sizes, and each new group has something to share. He learns to howl, swing, eat fruit, and hug. While he has to find his own way home, he uses these new skills to do so. Once there, he shows the others what he has learned so that no one is ever bored again. A palette of greens creates a generalized backdrop of leaves and swirling color upon which the animated creatures engage in their various antics. A few other animals help enliven the scenes. Back matter has facts about each of the nine New World monkey species featured. This simple tale follows the circular pattern of a classic hero story, although conflict is held to a minimum; no territorial behaviors are evident. An additional purchase.—Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.