Monkey's Friends

PreS—Monkey sets out on a walk to greet half a dozen friends in turn, including a kangaroo, chameleon, and baby bear. Each spread has an additional half page that hides the animal. A rhyming phrase and picture clues help readers guess which friend Monkey is meeting. When the half page is turned, the creature is revealed, but the text is also slightly changed to another sentence of similar meaning. For example, "Monkey saw the branches shake and knew he'd meet his old friend…snake" becomes "Monkey saw… snake." The illustrations are richly colored and have lots of movement and details for kids to enjoy, and the rhythm of the text makes this picture book an easy read-aloud. All of Monkey's friends may not truly live so close to one another, but that shouldn't detract from this bouncy, find-the-animal story.—Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY