Customer Reviews

The Chimpanzees of Happytown

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As I have said previously, I am a sales rep for a major book publisher so I see a lot of books. I am certainly not afraid to tell you when my company sends out what I call a stinker. On the otherhand if we publish one I really like, I do not have a problem telling a school or library that they have to have a book.

This is a book that they should all have. It will appeal to students on a social level. It is wonderful teaching tool for teachers and parents alike. It does a wonderful job of being consistent on the rhyming text. Plus, it is just a real great story with really great pictures.

I ultimately judge a children's book by how often my child pulls the book out of the bookcase for me to read, and I can truly say that this is a book my two year old grabs almost every night.

Echoing both Sombertown (from the stop motion classic Santa Claus Is Comin to Town) as well as Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927), Drabsville is a gray town filled with sad inhabitants.

Into this cold, unhappy world walks a suspiciously happy, guitar-playing, vest-wearing hippie named Chutney. Actually, much of the story follows the plot from First Blood. Like Rambo, Chutney finds an enemy of authority (the mayor, to Rambo's Sheriff Teasle) and is unfairly thrown into prison. The *seed* that Chutney illegally brings into Drabsville could easily be seen as allegorical marijuana. "Destroy that nasty weed!"

Upon his release, and with the mayor temporarily out of town, Chutney incites the masses. Surely another influence at this point was Reagan's "Tear down this wall!" speech. We see formerly morose chimps painting their homes pink(!) and turning the palace into a fruity playground. Nor is it a stretch to see the kiddie rocket ship as a decommissioned weapon of mass destruction.

Chutney soon has the entire town's population dancing in the streets. Everyone is eating copious quantities of food, no one is working anymore. Drabsville (now renamed Happytown, in the classic revolutionary tradition) has gone from dystopia to utopia.

Having successfully turned the guards against their master, Chutney has *him* thrown into jail. With the mayor under lock and key, Chutney completes the coup d'état by assuming the mayoral post. He lets the former mayor out of jail but only to rub his nose in the new world order. Power to the people! Or at least to the chimpanzees.

This children's book packs some heavy messages into its colorful pages. For children conditioned to equating chimps with Curious George, they may not pick up on every facet of the story without parental assistance. How much you clue them in is up to you.

Scholastic paperback (February 2007)

Very colorful pictures and beautifully written. The story is great. One of his favorite books and favorite authors.

This is my favorite childrens' book. The illustrations are happy and colorful and the story is something all kids should hear. I buy this book 5 at a time and give them for birthday presents. This book belongs in every child's book collection.

It is a tricky thing to try to teach kids that authority is not always right and sometimes you have to stand up to it. This book strikes a perfect balance, with the main character being punished for doing something beautiful and for the common good but technically against the rules. When he ultimately wins out (with the help of some young chimps), rather than punishing the person who jailed him, he teaches him the error of his ways. A very thoughtful book, but one that won't be over the heads of the intended audience.

Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees' THE CHIMPANZEES OF HAPPYTOWN tells of Chutney the traveler who plants a tree in the gloomy town of Drabsville - a tree which leads to his fellow chimps renewed fun. The rhyme lends to read-aloud at either the parent/child or school library level and provides an inspirational story of hope.

I like the storyline, but introducing the concept of prison/jail is a bit tricky to the toddlers/preschoolers especially when the "crime" is planting a tree. I wish I can come up with a better explanation why the mayor put Chutney in jail than just because the mayor is a bad monkey.

I think the whole thing could have worked without a jail/prison. The mayor just could have ordered the tree be cut down or something.

Anyhow, even without this "minor" thing, this is not exactly my favorite out of my 1200 picture books. Sorry authors. (I know you must have worked so hard..)

My 6-year-old loves to read it to us and we totally enjoy how she's able to get into the cadence of the rhymes. It's a fun book to read for this reason, not to mention the fabulous illustrations and the story is delightful. We have several books illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees, who illustrated this book. I just love his artwork, as do the kids. If you like this book, also check out "Down by the Cool of the Pool" and "Giraffes Can't Dance".

My 2 yr old son loves this book and has all the others too. I enjoy reading it to him, its a fun read because the paragraphs rhyme so nicely. The pictures are great, every page is colorful fun!

Drabtown is a boring, dreary place filled with sad chimpanzees. The town has no color, no parks, and no trees. That is until one day Chutney the traveling chimp comes back with a seed! He plants that seed and sees that it brings happiness. The mayor finds out and puts him in jail! Will this be the end of happiness in the town? Read to find out how it ends?