I Love You, Little Monkey [Hardcover]

Alan Durant (Author), Katharine McEwen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Little Monkey is being naughty. So Big Monkey gets very angry and Little Monkey ends up very sad.

But even though Big Monkey doesn't always like the naughty things Little Monkey does, one thing is clear:

Big Monkey loves Little Monkey.

Always.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K—Little Monkey gets into mischief when Big Monkey is too busy to play with him. First he amuses himself by throwing figs that Big Monkey has picked for supper. Then he swings and jumps in the Big Tree, but crash-lands in the middle of the bed that Big Monkey has made for him. Finally, he swings from a branch and lands right on top of Big Monkey, who is trying to nap. Little Monkey fears that he is no longer loved when he is sent to bed for punishment, but is reassured that Big Monkey loves him always, even when naughty. There's nothing original here, but the familiar message is always on target for small children, who will easily identify with Little Monkey. Lively cartoon drawings in watercolor and pencil depict the mischievous animals at play in a colorful jungle setting.—Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Little Monkey finds it hard to be good while he waits for Big Monkey to finish his work. After Big Monkey picks figs for their supper, Little Monkey throws them "SPLAT!" against a big tree. They pick more figs together. After Big Monkey makes a leafy bed in the branches, Little Monkey jumps on it and breaks it. They repair it together. Playing up high in the tree, Little Monkey slips and falls on top of Big Monkey, who roars with anger and sends him up to bed. Later, they exchange apologies and express mutual affection despite mutual failings. Readers who have developed allergic reactions after overexposure to sugary picture books with "I love you" in their titles will find this offering relatively low on the sweetness scale. Not only does it show a parent provoked to the point of losing his temper with his thoughtless, impish offspring, it also features illustrations filled with bold, imaginative plant forms and painted in a wild, fresh palette of colors. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (April 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416924817
• ISBN-13: 978-1416924814
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #701,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alan Durant is the author of books for a wide age-range, from picture books such as Burger Boy to top-end teenage thrillers (Blood, Flesh and Bones). Having worked as a copywriter at Walker Books, he is now a full-time author.

He's married, with three children and lives just outside London. He does a lot of school visits throughout the UK and abroad and also runs writing workshops.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Little Monkey Beans Loves It!, May 13, 2007

By 

Gramma Linda (NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Love You, Little Monkey (Hardcover)

I purchased this book to read to my little granddaughter who is just 2 years old. Her mommy takes her to the zoo frequently and she enjoys all the animals, especially the monkeys. My little "Beans" loves the book and she will pull it from her bookshelf to read most every time she visits. We have snuggled and read the book so much that Beans tells the story to me through the beautiful illustrations! We look for monkeys in the trees of our backyard and at the zoo with her mommy, and Beans even has to kiss Little Monkey on the pages of the book! The book is so great that I purchased another copy for the children in the elementary school where my husband works.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like the Message - Feel You Can 'Tweak' It Through Discussion, May 19, 2010

By 

L. Erickson "Mommy Mystic" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Love You, Little Monkey (Hardcover)

My kids, ages 3-6, really love this book. The little monkey wants to play with his mother, but she is busy doing monkey-housework type things, and then resting, and keeps putting him off. In the meantime, he gets bored and into trouble, and eventually she loses patience with him. In the end though, she apologizes, and says she loves him always, and they play happily together. Both the story and pictures really engage my children, and I always reinforce after that I always love them, even if sometimes I seem 'grumpy' or sometimes they make 'mistakes'.

For me, the value of stories is partly about helping kids process different emotional experiences, and so I think the story of this one does that. Of course, if you never lose patience with your kids, maybe yours don't need help processing that one, lol:-)

As for the critical review here, I first off don't really agree that all the actions of the 'little monkey' in this book could be considered accidental. Some are and some aren't. Mostly he just seems bored, so again, I think this book offers a good opportunity for discussing how to deal with boredom, how to play alone, and how sometimes Mommy (or Daddy, or Grandma, etc.) need to do other things. It also offers the opportunity to discuss what is 'on purpose' and what is 'accidental'. In short, it is just a fantasy version of something that honestly occurs in many households every single day, and this offers a wonderful and fun way to air that out, and reinforce the message that love trumps all.

5.0 out of 5 stars "Love" for Our Little Monkeys, April 17, 2010

By 

Leanne M. Gallipeau (rochester ny) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I Love You, Little Monkey (Hardcover)

Adorable book!! My grandson just loves monkeys and didn't want to return this book when due at the library. Thankfully the Easter Bunny brought him his very own copy!! This story has a great message for kids that teaches them patience and understanding. When mommy monkey can't devote her attention to little monkey, he gets into trouble but the mommy monkey still loves him even though he sometimes misbehaves!! Cute illustrations too.