Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed [Board book]

Eileen Christelow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 1998 | Age Range: 2 - 3 years

“NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!” The nursery rhyme “Five Little Monkeys” has long been a favorite song and finger play with the preschool set, but Eileen Christelow gives it new life as a hilarious picture book. Her expressive pencil and watercolor illustrations capture both the glee and the pratfalls of those misbehaving monkeys. A sure-fire hit at story hour, this rhythmic romp is a counting lesson, too, as the five bouncy bed-jumpers bump their heads and get hauled off to the doctor one by one. This board book edition is just the right size for small human hands. (IRA/CBC Children’s Choice Award, 1990)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this zany cumulative verse, five silly simian siblings insist on bedtime mayhem, and--heedless of the doctor's admonition--each suffers the same injury. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-- In a brief prelude to the title rhyme, five little monkeys ready themselves for bed, and say goodnight to their mother. Then, really getting down to business, they launch into some serious bed-jumping. Young children familiar with this popular finger play will appreciate Christelow's incorrigible monkeys, jumping with abandon, oblivious to the repeated warning: "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Newcomers will find the rhyme a delightful discovery which begs to be repeated. With each successive casualty, mother monkey dutifully consults the doctor, and bandages the wounds. Finally, all five battle-weary monkey children are asleep, and mother can go to bed. Colored pencil drawings in soft pastels depict the totally silly but lovable monkey family and its doctor. This is a natural for younger story hours, and can also be used with beginning readers. Whether sublimely happy or ridiculously goofy, Christelow's expressive monkeys pack a lot of appeal. --Corinne Camarata, Port Washington Public Library, N.Y.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Board book edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 2 - 3 years
  
• Board book: 28 pages
• Publisher: HMH Books (March 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395900239
• ISBN-13: 978-0395900239
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.8 x 5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #386,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eileen Christelow has created numerous fun and funny picture books, including the Five Little Monkeys series, Author, and most recently, Letters from a Desperate Dog. She and her husband, Ahren, live in Vermont. For more information visit www.christelow.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Doctor, ain't there nothing I can take? June 19, 2005

By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

If you're an ambitious person with a particular yen to write children's books, there's a sure-fire painless way to do so. Just take an already existing kid's song in the public domain and accompany your own particular brand of pictures to it. Sound easy? Thousands of would-be writers do it every day. Eileen Christelow's a little different, though. When she decided to bring, "Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed" to vivid life, she did so in the knowledge that the song itself hasn't much of a beginning or conclusion. Add a little nip here and a little tuck there and voila! Suddenly you've a plausible believable picture book that's so popular that it inspired sequels upon sequels. And it all began right here.

It's bedtime and a family of five monkey siblings bathe, dress, and brush their teeth for slumber. Their mama says good night to them, but it doesn't take long for pandemonium to ensue. If you know the song then you know what happens. One by one the free-spirited primates fall head over heels off the safety of the mattress and land hard on their noggins. With each additional injury the doctor, called by a frantic mama, gives the no nonsense answer of, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!". By the end the multiple concussions render the little monkeys into an obligatory sleeping state. And in the next room? Why there's mama, finally given the chance to do a little bed jumping herself!

Text-wise, I did kind of wish that Christelow had taken the time to make the beginning and ending of the book rhyme. As it stands right now, these words are straightforward descriptive sentences. How hard would it have been to maintain the jouncy bouncy flavor of the song? Not hard. It's a peculiar choice on the part of the author. Still, aside from that this is a fun book. Ms. Christelow's illustrations, all done in some colored pencils, give us some pretty raucous animals. They don't just jump on the bed. They flounce and fly and pounce and fling themselves hither and thither on the bed. I also liked the fact that they weren't all boys. In every other "Five Little Monkeys" representation out there, the monkeys tend to be male. As if girls wouldn't jump on a bed the minute they got a chance. Sheesh.

I find the argument from some parents that this isn't a good purchase because it might give your children ideas TO jump on the bed somewhat silly. Kids like to jump on beds. If they don't do it now, they will sometime in the future. And if you want a story where the consequences of bed-hopping are laid out clear as crystal, I can think of no better cautionary tale than "Five Little Monkeys Jumping On the Bed". Seriously, people.

So Christelow drops the ball a little with her lazy writing, but otherwise this is probably the quintessential book version of the Monkey song. It's catchy and fun and a fine l'il ole purchase. Recommended for anyone with a high-spirited monkey of their own.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars memory supports reading November 25, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I first read this book to a group of sixteen two year olds. They had a wonderful time echo reading. They were learning and did not even know it. I think books that have expressive, repetitive lines are sensational. I recommend this book for any parent or teacher teaching reading.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars you (and your children) will die laughing December 9, 2000

By M. H. Bayliss

Format:Board book

I love this book. My daughter (3 ˝) could not stop howling with laughter as we read this book about five times in a row. By the fifth or so reading, she'd memorized it (not that hard to do since we just count down the number of monkeys jumping on the bed: "five little monkeys, jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head, mama called the doctor and the doctor said, No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" How could you not laugh after reading this book? Plus, the illustrations with the little monkeys are adorable. The other ones in the series are not nearly as good as this one, so if you only buy one, make it the original five little monkeys.