From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2 - Sock Monkey, "the famous toy actor," has a problem: he needs a dance partner for the Big Celebrity Dance, and all of his friends are going out of town. He advertises for a good dancer, but none of the toys that audition seem to be the right fit. Then he's inspired by gifts that his traveling friends send to him. Out of a hat and sweater, a big pair of socks, and some cotton, he makes his own sidekick - another sock monkey named Sock Buddy - and teaches him to groove. Together, they have a great time at the event. This bouncy tales skips along on the strength of Bell's colorful, cartoon digital illustrations. Readers will giggle at Sock Monkey's array of failed partners - from a troll doll who's "Too funky" to a pair of chattering teeth with bad breath - and the illustrations of Sock Monkey and Sock Buddy breakdancing, doing the hula, and disco dancing take the story right over the top. All in all, this offering is as light as cotton candy.
- Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PreS-Gr. 2. These days, children are more likely to find sock monkeys in picture books than in their toy boxes. Bell's character, first introduced in
Sock Monkey Goes to Hollywood (2003), is an ironic fusion of modern and old-fashioned, a digital assemblage of smooth curves, bold shapes, and swatches of scanned-in knit fabric. Here, Sock Monkey discovers that his friends will be out of town for the upcoming Celebrity Dance. After auditioning dance partners to no avail (robot is "too clunky," plastic troll "too funky"), he sews the companion of his dreams from a pair of argyle socks. The notion of two male sock monkeys twistin' the night away may seem cheekily progressive to some adults, and, much like sisters Kara and Jenna Lareau's
Rocko and Spanky Go to a Party (2004), the book's most passionate fans are likely to be adults for whom sock monkeys evoke strong nostalgic emotions. Still, the silly, cheerful artwork and story will attract kids' attention, and the enthusiasm beaming from their elders will seal the deal.
Jennifer MattsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved