Esphyr Slobodkina (1908–2002)

It took me a long time to figure out what his book is about. Nothing happens---a peddler wants to sell his caps, he nearly loses them, mananges to regain them all, and the story ends with him still trying to sell his caps. There is no growth or change it, at least not in the physical world. If anything, he is hungrier at the end than the beginning. What's changed is understanding---on the part of the reader and, optimistically, on the part of the peddler. We have learned that true show more communication occurs via actions, not words; especially not words to monkeys, who don't speak the peddler's language. I realized this while sitting in a motivational meeting given by my boss, who was explaining how important it is to stay in touch with customers, even if it is to say that we haven't yet done what they wanted. The irony, of course, is that he rarely did this himself. Shakespeare's "my words fly up, my deeds remain below..." came to mind. As did this story. show less

La repetición de este cuento es una forma de mágica. ¿Quién no puede encontrar paz en la rutina del vendedor ambulante? También, cuando los monos copian el sonido de la lengua de los humanos, es un momento para pausar y pensar en toda la inutilidad de vivir una vida tan reglada.

This is a very fun book to read aloud to kids! The repetition of the peddler's "caps for sale!" and the interactions with the monkeys are silly and fun. The illustrations are beautiful, and seem to be reminiscent of the author's Russian heritage.

CONT. REAL. FIC. : Everything that happens in this book is plausible. The monkeys seem to act slyly, craftily, and cunningly, which is how monkeys behave in real-life, as well.

A hat salesman wakes up from a nap to a startling surprise -- all of his wares have been stolen by monkeys! How can the frustrated peddler get his caps back?

This is a classic of children's literature, and I can't believe it took me this long to finally read it. It is humorous and can be interactive in a readaloud with all the various motions (the peddler checking his high lineup of hats, the peddler shaking his finger at the monkeys, etc.). It also has some repetitious phrases, which show more children tend to enjoy in readalouds. It is a tiny bit on the longer side so it would probably work best with preschool-age and up. The illustrations fit the text nicely. show less