Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping (A Five Little Monkeys Story) by Eileen Christelow

Five Little Monkeys

by Eileen Christelow

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. It's the day before school starts, and Mama takes her five little monkeys shopping for clothes. But it doesn't take long for her rambunctious brood to scatter every which way. Will Mama ever have all five monkeys together again? Kids will love finding out in this adorable addition to the Five Little Monkeys paperback collection filled with repetitive phrases and counting fun.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Mathematics, Storytime, Animals, Fiction, Humor

Hardcover

First published August 22, 2007

About the author

Eileen Christelow is an acclaimed American author and illustrator of children’s books, best known for her beloved Five Little Monkeys series. Beginning with Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, a playful retelling of the classic nursery rhyme, the series has captivated generations of young readers with its humor and rhythmic storytelling. Over the course of her career, Christelow has published more than 30 books, encompassing both fiction and nonfiction, and many inspired by her surroundings in Vermont, her family life, and even her dog, Emma.
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1943, Christelow spent her formative years in Connecticut and briefly in Japan, where she attended the American School in Tokyo. She studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, a discipline that would influence her later work in design and illustration. After working for several years as a freelance photographer, she turned her focus to writing and illustrating picture books while raising her daughter in California. Her earliest works, Henry and the Red Stripes and Mr. Murphy’s Marvelous Invention, were published by Clarion Books in the early 1980s.
Christelow’s books often celebrate storytelling, curiosity, and mischief, appealing to children and educators alike. Titles like What Do Authors Do?, What Do Illustrators Do?, and Vote! provide engaging nonfiction content for young readers, while others such as Letters From a Desperate Dog and The Great Pig Escape draw on humorous real-life scenarios. Her works have received numerous accolades and several Five Little Monkeys titles have been translated into Spanish and Chinese.
She continues to live and work in East Dummerston, Vermont, in a home designed by her husband, where she draws inspiration from the natural beauty of the state. Christelow remains a cherished voice in children’s literature, with a lasting legacy of entertaining and educating young readers.

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

funny

[Vivian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Does not lend at all to the game of "five little monkeys jumping" that children so much enjoy. Rather, this shows monkeys wandering off in a department store where several monkey families have converged for back-to-school shopping. It lamely poses as a math story with lots of addition and subtraction. A complete yawner all around.

[Terri Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know the song, “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.” This book takes Mama and her five little monkeys shopping. You can guess what happens when the little monkeys wander off at various times in the store. This is a great resource in reviewing subtraction.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the worse 5 Little Monkey books. I think it could be used as a math read aloud with a group of maybe 1st graders, using white boards to keep track of and update the number of monkeys, but is otherwise a bit exhausting for just reading to kids 😂

[Diane Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

What more can I say when you add more than five monkeys? My youngest grand was so excited to see the book because she had NEVER seen this book before so we had to read it before she went home. It did not disappoint! This series is a delight for both kids and adults alike.

[Lynnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this one to be the most interesting in this series. it's kind of funny how the story develops. lots of math and number exposure. good for babies and toddlers cuz there aren't very many words on a page.

[Awjtf · Rating 4 out of 5]

very funny naughty monkeys!

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute enough, basic math

[Dylan Mx · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little complicated for 3 year old dylan to follow but she still loves the monkeys. She’ll get it!

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was kind of good but I like the original five little monkeys jumping on the bed more. So I recommend five little monkeys jumping on the bed more than this one.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like monkey math is always stressful and monkeys keep going missing in this story...

[Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eileen Christelow's Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping is a great book for children who are learning how to count. It also a good book for beginner learning addition and subtraction. In the book, Mama Monkey takes her five little monkeys shopping for school clothes. Before they even begin trying on clothes, Mama loses a little monkey. As she goes looking for the missing little monkey, other little monkeys wander off making Mama continuously looking for her five little monkey. The book allows the children to count along as they read, "Bu I only see three little monkeys,' says the saleslady. '1,2,3.'" It lets children actually count out and understand the number of monkeys and missing monkeys throughout the story. Christelow also illustrated the book. She did a good job in having the pictures match the story. The pictures are colorful and she makes sure to bold and emphasize the numbers when the monkeys are being counted. Overall I enjoyed reading this book. I feel it is appropriate for ages 3-6.

[Madeline Natzke · Rating 5 out of 5]

After hearing the original 5 little Monkeys last week, I picked this one up at the library to be a mystery reader for a GA Prek Class. I loved this story even more than the orignal. Momma monkey is taking her five monkeys back to school clothes shopping. Every time she turns her head she is missing one of her baby monkeys. Sometimes she even has extra monkeys that her kids have made friends with. Along with great pictures and humor, come many math skills with the story.

Extension:
Go back through the story. Sometimes Momma monkey has five monkeys. Sometime she has 7 or 3. You will need chart paper. As you re read the story do the math of how many monkeys Momma has before the book actually states it. Its a great way to incorparate math while the children read a book full of laughter.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kati found this book and brought it to me to read, and we ended up reading it twice...So many really great elements in a picture book...predictable pattern, counting, adding, subtraction, humor in the words and pictures.

Mama Monkey needs to outfit her five little ones for school, but everyone knows how difficult it is to keep five kids together. Between Mama, the dressing room attendant, and a father of five OTHER little monkeys, we are led through several combinations of lost monkeys and monkeys minding their parents.

Kati quickly figured out the pattern and demanded to 'read' the repeating lines herself. That's such an important first step to reading...

This was a cute book that we both enjoyed.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Mom monkey takes her five monkeys to the store for back to school clothes and supply shopping. This book (the part I did like) taught math, as Momma would loose some of her monkeys and she would have to add or subtract the monkeys that were with her to figure out the ones that was missing. What I didn't like about this book is it teaches children that they can just wonder off in a store anytime and anywhere they want without an adult around. Not only did the Mom loose her monkeys but they incorporated another family that was run by a Dad and he lost some of his too. The 'idea' behind the adding and subtracting was a nice one but teaching children they can just do as they please in a busy department store not a good idea!

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellen Christelow, Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping (Clarion, 2007)

Christelow's Five Little Monkeys juggernaut rolls along, this time with a book that subtly teaches basic addition and subtraction skills as the FLM and their mom shop for school clothes. The book abandons the rhyme scheme of the previous entries in the series, which mmakes for a refreshing change. Very likable entry in the series; it keeps getting better as it goes on. *** ½

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I fell in love with The Five Little Monkeys from The Wiggles. Of course, they sang Five Little Joeys. No matter. Beetle, when she was a few weeks old, promised me that she would never become a shopper. Her mother had great fun bringing this book into the house.

Unfortunately, this book was nothing great. Barely amusing. It wasn't based on the song, but just a ridiculous counting of lost children in the mall. Bah!

[Elle Markov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally I don’t see the appeal of the Five Little Monkeys, I personally find every story repetitive and lacking in imagination. However, young readers love them. The sentences are simple enough that when they are learning to read they can put their skills to practice.

In this little adventure, the monkeys go shopping and obviously get into a whole lot of trouble.

Rating 3 out of 5
Read@Book

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping tells the story about the adventures the monkeys have when they go shopping for school clothes. Monkeys go missing...extra monkeys show up. Such confusion! Mama is befuddled!

The story used simple math problems to figure out how many monkeys there really are.

Used for "A Little Monkey Business" storytime- January, 2010.

[Dylan & Belle at LearnPlayFun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about five little monkeys who go shopping and everytime you see the mother leave the page, in a few pages she will come back in surprise because you will see some little monkeys go somewhere like the water fountain and the bathroom. My favorite part was the end because she accidentally brings one little monkey home.

Rated and reviewed by Dylan, age 8.

[Megan Rowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every child knows five little monkeys jumping on the bed. This book will remind the kids of that one so they will love it and it helps them count. This book is Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping. Mama takes her five little children to go shopping for clothes for school but they each wander off. The kids will count down from five and not even realize it.

[Cana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mommy says: Nothing really beats the original 5 Little Monkeys for rhythm and pacing. This isn't rhyming, but it does incorporate some math as Mama Monkey counts how many kids she does and doesn't have during a shopping trip that I would never take, including other Monkeys' kids.

[Chris C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the Five little Monkey series, but I haven't used this book for Storytime. The five little monkeys are in the store, and Mama keeps wandering off and leaving them alone. I just don't feel comfortable with that part of the story.

[Sandybear76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those 5 little monkeys!! They are confusing their poor mom as they all go back-to-school shopping. The monkeys wander off when their mom syas not to wander off. Then mom has to do math problems to figure out how many monkeys she is missing or found.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good story to read while teaching basic math to children. Addition and subtraction of monkeys is used throughout the book. I enjoyed this book a little more because it wasn't quite as predictable as the other books by Ms. Christelow.

[Fjóla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't care for it, and neither did my son. The idea is good enough, try to sneak in some addition and subtraction, but the book was just confusing and boring. Or maybe it's just that I don't like shopping at a department store all that much ...

[Meg McGregor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book does a good job of showing children how to count and I know that little ones love monkeys but am I the only one who wondered why a Mom would wait till the day before school begins to buy everything?

[Mommywest · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE this book! I have definitely felt like the monkey mama when shopping with all my little monkeys! Thank goodness I haven't taken home someone else's little monkey...yet. :) This book also subtly gets kids to add and subtract to figure out how many monkeys are missing this time. So cute!

[Kylie Moffat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a continuation of our favorite monkeys. Mama took them shopping but they kept disappearing. The book would be a good way to talk about subtraction with your students. I read it for class as one of my picture books

[Saralyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty silly and not as good as the original story. But not horrible.