Monkey of the Month
Written by Adam Kramer
Illustrated by David Kramer
Helpful apes and slovenly ones alike collect in our birthday boy’s house for twelve months, until his mother sends them packing, but how long will her home be quiet?
Monkey of the Month is an entertaining read aloud for a second grade class. The cadence and flow of the text is charming, but the most captivating aspect of this book is the unexpected qualities that each month’s monkey brings. One can hear a class of second graders giggling as a fellow student reads, “So the seasons quickly passed, and the monkeys kept arriving. One mowed the lawn, one raked the leaves, and one liked scuba diving.”
The illustrations and text spark any child’s imagination. Children will certainly delight in the humor of a monthly primate delivery, but they may want to know more detail about each month’s monkey.
Perhaps a writing assignment to go along with this book would be for the class to write a few additional lines to describe each monkey’s role in the unavoidably loud house. Another writing project, in which the whole class could participate, would be to write a sequel to Monkey of the Month, based on the final illustration and style of the book. Although this assignment may prove too challenging for an individual student, it would be excellent for teaching the creative writing process to an entire class. The class’ artists and writers would revel in this.”
Title: Monkey of the Month- Author: Adam Kramer
- Illustrator: David Kramer
- Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
- Reviewer: Sharon Schulte
- Paperback, 40 pages
- ISBN: 978-0-7643-4156-4
- Genre: fiction/fantasy
