Hooray for Baby Monkey, Private Eye!

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Submitted by RJ Carter on Mon, 02/12/2018 - 10:16

Some days, we all have a little trouble putting on our pants.

Meet Baby Monkey, Private Eye, the cutest little sleuth in the business and presented in a format that will entertain littles and literati alike. Caldecott medalist Brian Selznick (THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET, WONDERSTRUCK) teams with debut children's author David Serlin to launch a wonderful set of stories that are whimsically silly and chock-full of highbrow Easter eggs.

Baby Monkey's office is brimming with a different set of artwork and knick-knick nacks for each new adventure, themed to match the story. Older readers will appreciate this, even as they chuckle at Baby Monkey preparing for each job that is brought to him, said preparation always involving the important tasks of looking for clues, taking notes, eating a snack, and putting on pants.

Selznick's illustrations are exquisitely detailed, and a complete joy to look at as the sequential artwork elevates a humorous story to the level of a chilren's classic. The format is that of a standard YA or adult hardcover, but can be read by anyone in the space of just a few minutes, which will give younger readers a strong feeling of accomplishment and boost their self-esteem, prompting them to be less afraid of other books of similar page counts.

One thing I can say for certain: once the world has met Baby Monkey, they're going to be clamoring for more of him! Hooray for Baby Monkey!

Grade:

5.0 / 5.0