From School Library Journal
reS-Gr 2-A story of friendship, death, and new beginnings. Monkey is young and rambunctious but his best friend is Hippo, "the oldest and wisest of all the animals." Hippo tells her young friend stories every night and laughs at his silly jokes while shy Chameleon listens. One night, she gently explains that she is very tired and is going to die. Puttock captures the loss of a friend and the slow process of healing. Chameleon and Monkey remember Hippo with her stories and begin new ones together. Using warm tones to show the grassland settings and cool colors along the banks of the river, Bartlett illustrates Monkey's grief process from his anger and tears to his slow recovery. This is a book that librarians will reach for when filling requests for stories about death for children.
Kathy M. Newby, Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, Russiaville, IN
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Ages 6-9. Books alone can't guide a child through grieving, but they can suggest healing ways of thinking about a lost loved one. Energetic Monkey loves being with wise old Hippo, listening to the stories of his "best best best friend." When, after a preparatory conversation, Hippo goes off into "the jungle's deepest shade where all the hippos go when it is time for them to die," Monkey turns gloomy and silent. Bartlett's richly hued riverside scenes are equally effective in capturing the affection between Hippo and his comically big-eared friend and Monkey's grief. Eventually, a shy chameleon creeps up to ask for "a story with Hippo in it," and Monkey finds comfort--as do the animals that gather around to listen--in telling his own tale about a monkey and a chameleon who miss a hippo but share happier experiences, too. A purposeful picture book, but one that sensitively explores the topic.
John PetersCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
