Monkey Ono

PreS-K—In this debut story, a toy monkey uses his ingenuity to solve his problem of not being included in his boy's family's day at the beach. Monkey Ono is a planner, as evidenced by the notebook in which he draws: "Step One: Hide in Beach Bag; Step Two: Stow away in car; Step Three: Jump out." Children can repeat phrases such as "Bananza!" whenever the little chimp develops a new scheme and "Oh, noooo!" when his new idea is thwarted. In the end, a successful strategy is settled upon by his pals, Telly the dog and Java the cat. Preschoolers will be able to decipher the wordless frames on the spread as the trio makes a final attempt at outdoor fun. The colorful collage artwork employs a variety of textured materials to add interest to each page. However, because the attractive illustrations are stronger than the plot, consider this book as supplemental summer material.—Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA