My first reaction to this book was, what’s going on? The illustrations and the wordplay were clever. But, I thought, where’s the story? So I decided to hold off writing this review until I read it to my grandchild. Sometimes what doesn’t appeal to adults is loved by children.

Although my granddaughter is only 23 months old, the sound of the words and the silly pictures intrigued her. She is a little parrot, repeating words and phrases spoken by others and read in books. “A monkey among us. A monkey among a fungus. A monkey, humongous.” was definitely challenging for her. However, she asked for the book to read again.

The third time through, the book started to grow on me. My granddaughter and I shared a few chuckles over the naughty giraffe and the trickster monkey. I liked that the book showed the monster was only a monkey dressed in a costume. This is a concept my granddaughter is just learning.

The illustrations are very large, bright, and simple. Most have little or no background illustration. The naughty smile of the giraffe and the mischievous grin of the monkey are amusing. We enjoyed examining the drawings inside the cover of the monkeys antics.

I think older children would enjoy this book even more. It almost reads like a tongue twister. It’s original, funny, and intriguing. ( )

Really simple cute book to read. I love the illustrations and the precious animals. There is a monkey, a hippo, a giraffe, a man, and a monster. Simple book, but less can be more! ( )