Not Me, Said the Monkey by West, Colin (2009) Paperback - Softcover

Colin West enjoys working on all types of book, including poetry and story books and has been described by The Good Book Guide as "the most consistently good poet of the absurd for children since Edward Lear." Colin lives in Epping, Essex in a house that was once a laundry. Visit www.colinwest.com.

PreSchool-K West's cumulative tales of mischievous animals feature watercolor cartoon illustrations which, although of average quality, are the high point of the books. Both formula pieces tell a story in which the somewhat humbled protagonist gets the last laugh; unfortunately, the laughs are minimal at best. In Hello. . . a bullfrog is greeted by successively bigger animals who challenge him to "Guess who I am." (Since the head of each animal is clearly shown, the challenge is slight, even for the youngest readersnone of the guessing game cleverness of Carle's Do You Want to Be My Friend? Crowell, 1971 here!) Recognizing his small stature when compared with the other creatures, the bullfrog grows more and more dejected. Nevertheless, his self-esteem is restored when he can lord over a tiny bumblebee who happens by, leaving readers with the questionable value that size is all. Not Me. . . is the tale of a monkey who angers a succession of jungle animals with his banana peel-dropping, coconut-throwing pranks. He's finally outsmarted by the elephant, who gives him an unexpected shower, but the monkey splashes the laughing crowd and turns the tables to his advantage in the end. The humor is stronger here, but the ungrammatical title rankles the ears. For funny, simple animals antics, look to the works of Carle, Kraus, and Shannon. Who needs these? "Not I!" Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, Wheeler School, Providence, R.I.
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