Monkey and Elephant, Carole Lexa Schaefer, Candlewick, 2012
Format: Easy Fiction
Rating: 1-5 (5 is excellent or a Starred review) 4
Genre: Easy Fiction
What did you like about the book? This is a wonderful addition to the early reader genre. Elephant and Monkey are friends who like each other “Not too much…And not too little…but just right.” They have adventures in 3 chapters: Getting a Ride, Singing Songs and Finding Shapes. They sometimes disagree, but they always stick together. The repetition is perfect for early readers and the story is conveyed through appropriate reading level vocabulary. The digital art by Galia Bernstein has a beautiful jungle palette of greens, blues and purples. I hope this is just the first of many Monkey and Elephant books to come.
What didn’t you like about the book? Nothing
To whom would you recommend this book? This is a great new addition to the early reader genre. The friendship is reminiscent of Frog and Toad, Gerald and Piggie , George and Martha and this books would be enjoyed by their fans.
Who should buy this book? Public and elementary school libraries
Where would you shelve it and why? Easy Fiction since it is an early reader book.
Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? Not unless you need some new easy fiction readers.
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City: Catherine Coyne, The Ames Free Library, Easton
Date of review: 7/3/12
