The Monkey King

Gr 2–4—Written with brief, straightforward text, this simple story, originally published in India, relates how a troop of monkeys living in a mango tree at the edge of the river Ganga (Ganges) escape being harmed by the King of Benares' soldiers. They cross on a strong banyan vine that the monkey king stretches across the river, then walk across their king's back to freedom. Thus does the monkey king wins the admiration of his human counterpart, who allows the simian group to return to their home and declare the mango tree to be their own secret spot. Painted in bright, rainbow hues, the primitive, folk art-style illustrations ("a combination of various Indian folk traditions," according to a note in the book) are stronger than the text. Trees, animals, leaves, waves in the river, and clothing are patterned in contrasting colors. Monkeys and the mango tree are black with white detailing and patterns, indicating that both monkeys and fruit are camouflaged. Many of the stylized monkeys have human features and hairdos. A short reference to the sacred Buddhist Jataka Tales is included, but this is not one of them; it lacks the cleverness and colorful language that distinguishes great folk literature. A well-known Jataka tale about a monkey that tricks a crocodile into helping him reach an island filled with mango trees has been charmingly retold and illustrated in Paul Galdone's The Monkey and the Crocodile: a Jataka Tale from India. (Houghton Mifflin, 1987) and Gerald McDermott's Monkey: A Trickster Tale from India (Houghton Harcourt, 2011).—Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH