Customer Reviews

Monkey Made of Sockies

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

 

 

Shannon Grissom, Monkey Made of Sockies (AuthorHouse, 2005)

Every once in a while a book comes along that you look at, and then you look at again, and soon you find that you can't stop looking at it. Shannon Grissom's Monkey Made of Sockies is one of those books.

It's your basic kids' book-- a few lines of a poem per page, with the whole adding up to an entire poem (one that, in these days where most kids' books are heavy-laden with messages that have the distinct odor of dead fish, is refreshingly simple and straightforward-- a nostalgic look back at the narrator's old toys becoming a paean to a sock monkey). The rhyme scheme is a bit too far off for slant in one place, and the rhythm breaks in another, so it's not perfect verse, and it's a little too wooden for these to be looked at as adventurous choices. But still, compared to a lot of what we see in adult poetry volumes these days, it holds its own quite well.

What is truly arresting about this book is its illustrations. They're done an an interesting combination of soft-focus and bold colors that's both mesmerizing and a bit unsettling. It's hard to describe the actual style of the pictures; as the cover illustration shows, there's a kind of odd impressionist quality to the otherwise photographic pictures. One almost wants to call them the visual version of magic realism. Whatever you end up calling them, they're endlessly fascinating. You might want to take into consideration that the book contains a marionette, if your child happens to be scared of such things. (Or your wife.)

Still, good stuff, and I unhesitatingly recommend it. *** ½

This book has alot of beautiful art of old toys and a monkey made out of socks. The words go together with the colorful art that a child can enjoy with his/her parents to share. My children and I love it."Great gift idea" THANK YOU Grand MA we love you.

This is a beautifully done children's picture book illustrated with paintings by Artist and Author Shannon Grissom. The colors are vibrant and each page brings a smile to my face. Shannon's Monkey made of Sockies comes to life and is a must for Sock Monkey lovers everywhere.