In a lush and lively jungle, a little monkey manages to lose sight of her mom. Fortunately, though, a kind butterfly comes to her aide. Fluttering about, she soothes the frightened little one with a lullaby, and determines to ensure a happy reunion.
But like all good adventures, how could the path run smooth? Try as they might, the reunion is anything but assured! While the little monkey offers up description after description of her mom, the butterfly comes up with anything but the right match. What could possibly be lay behind this miscommunication, and more importantly, how might it be resolved to unite mom and baby?
A work from Julie Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (authors of The Gruffalo), this is a glorious addition to the bookshelf of toddlers. The jungle setting is vibrant, with myriad details to explore on every page. Still, the animals take centre stage with my little one, who is familiar with most of the species names, but eager to learn the rest. Playing off the rhythm of “Hush little baby,” the text is fun to sing or read aloud, and easy for little ones to pick up by memory. And when the reason for the miscommunication is finally revealed — well, it’s a poignant fact that inspired a good ‘think’ in my little one!
For anyone using this book in library story-time sessions, Nikarella’s blog offers thoughts on using it as a flannel board story. Hop over to Kirkus for a review, too.
