ISBN: 9781509812493
Monkey is so sad – he lost his mommy! But Butterfly comforts him and tells him not to cry, because together they will find his mommy. Monkey then describes her to Butterfly in his childlike way, and together they set off looking for her. But Monkey’s mom is not the only animal that is big or has a tail that coils around branches or lives in trees! Even though Butterfly keeps finding animals that fit the little monkey’s description, they aren’t quite right! Butterfly keeps getting it wrong until the little Monkey gives her the key information that his mom looks like he does. Once the misunderstanding is cleared, Butterfly succeeds in helping Monkey find his Mom and Dad.
A wonderful picture book displaying Julia Donaldson’s brilliant rhymes and Axel Scheffler’s wonderfully bright illustrations, Monkey Puzzle is a great story to read when doing a unit study on Rainforests or learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly.
Before turning the page there is always a clue as to which animal is next, and children have fun guessing, while the repetition of Monkey’s response when they find an animal – “No, no, no!” – is quickly picked up and engages kids in the story! And there are sooo many discussion topics wrapped up in this book!
You can listen to a reading of Monkey Puzzle here: (and look at the book!)
Read more about Julia Donaldson here, or read my review on A Squash and a Squeeze !
