So Say the Little Monkeys

by Nancy Van Laan and G. Brian Karas

Book Overview

Filled with repetitive rhythm and captivating artwork, this charming tale about putting off a day's work for a little bit of play helps share the lesson that sometimes it pays to plan ahead. ​... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689810385
• ISBN13: 9780689810381
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Atheneum Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.8" x 9.9"
• Age Range: 3 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Rainforest Fun

The talents of the prolific Nancy Van Laan ("In a Circle Long Ago," and many others) and illustrator Yumi Heo ("Sometimes I'm Bombaloo") combine in this cheery retelling of a Brazilian folktale about blackmouth monkeys. The monkeys frolic through the Brazilian rainforest, swinging from vine to vine, and, most importantly, climbing the thorny tall trees: Still they climb, UP-UP! And they slide, Down-Down! They sing, "Jibba-jibba-jabba." swinging round and round JUMP, JABBA JABBA, RUN, JABBA JABBA, SLIDE, JABBA JABBA, Tiny monkeys having fun! But these same trees keep them from having a comfortable home, unlike their neighbors the armadillo and the toucan. The monkeys SAY they're going to build a house, but fun and delicious things (e.g., bananas!) keep them from doing it! The short rhymes and wonderful animal and nature sounds make this a very fun book to read out loud. The rhythms are musical, and the capitalized sounds (e.g., PLINKA PLINKA, WOOYA WOOYA, GURR-YUH GURR-YUH) are your cue to turn up the narrative volume for your little one. They'll eat it up. Slightly older toddlers may also enjoy the monkeys' priorities of fun and food over practicality. Yumi Heo has an unusual palette: I love the blues in her bubbling river and stormy sky. Her repetition of the playing monkeys nicely complements the repeated sounds of the text, and her flat, "folkish" drawings, filled with repeated designs and iconic imagery, evoke the teeming rainforest. The book was included in "The 3rd Edition of The New York Times Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children." A simple but superb performance by van Laan and Heo.

the RHYTHM is makes the book fun for young and old

This book that is great to give to new families starting out their library. The rythm of this story makes it so fun to read and for the kids to listen to- over and over and over again. Its simple enough for the youngest child to have fun with and fill in the fun sounds, or a life lesson in getting, or not getting, your work done for older kids.

Wonderful!

My 7 month old loves this book. His face lights up when he hears the rain "plinka, plinka" and the wind "Wooya, Wooya". He also loves the pictures. I know this will always be one of his favorites.

A Fun Read

Both my three year old daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's rhyming verse is fun to read and the pictures are captivating. The actual story of how the carefree monkeys avoid making their night-time nests is light-hearted and amusing. My daughter and I borrowed this entertaining book from our local library. We liked it so well that I intend to buy it for her collection of favorites.

My boys love this book!

Never mind the review that says this for age 3+. My 14 month old won't go to bed until we've read this at least three times. He's barely talking but he picks up the books and says "Whee!" And his older brother (age 4) chimes in with the "Jibba Jibba Jabba" every time!