Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Five Little Monkeys

by Eileen Christelow

 “NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!” The nursery rhyme “Five Little Monkeys” has long been a favorite song and finger play with the preschool set, but Eileen Christelow gives it new life as a hilarious picture book. Her expressive pencil and watercolor illustrations capture both the glee and the pratfalls of those misbehaving monkeys. A sure-fire hit at story hour, this rhythmic romp is a counting lesson, too, as the five bouncy bed-jumpers bump their heads and get hauled off to the doctor one by one. (IRA/CBC Children’s Choice Award, 1990)

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

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1989

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

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's like Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, but with more monkeys injuring themselves...

My daughter loves the book though and laughs ever time she sees the last page, so I guess that's a plus. Given all the repetition in the book, and how you will no doubt be asked to read it over and over again, I highly suggest reading the doctor's lines with a sense of horror, then acceptance, as if he's been in this groundhog's day loop long enough to have to deliver the same lines, but know it will never work out. 3 existentialist crises out of 5.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review
4+ of 5 stars to Eileen Christelow's children's story Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, one of a bunch in a series about little monkeys and their crazy antics. This wonderful little book wasn't published until I was around ten years old, but I still read it one summer in a reading contest held at my library every year. I was so excited to pick out new books... sometimes children's books meant for kids younger than me, sometimes books meant for older kids... and by 12, I was reading the Scarpetta series about serial killers. What eclectic taste even at a young age!

Who would not adore these monkeys? I remember being called a little monkey when I was a youngin'. And I call my cousin's and friend's kids little monkeys now whenever I'm around them. But this one was the best in the series, at least in my opinion... they were jumping on a bed. And Momma Monkey just couldn't control them... but when they got hurt, they learned their lessons.

It's books like this that help make or break a child's interest in reading. If you take the time and read the story over and over again... kids learn what it means to tell a story, to write a rhyme, to sing along, to behave, to listen, to see what happens in a book series over the course of a character's journey... and this one is all about the numbers... and the countdown... 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. Where'd all my monkeys go????



Writing this review makes me smile... I might have to go to the library this weekend just to re-read a copy of this one again. :)

About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.

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[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these books

[sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

having a story time at barnes & noble rn fr 😜

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every child I know can sing this little rhyme. This edition is a little board book that I picked up for the kids. They will enjoy it and be singing this for days. I recommend it for the old and young alike.

[Lina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan of this book. It has never made sense to me why the same thing keeps happening even after a doctor has ordered it to stop multiple times. Or even just common sense? I guess they are monkeys... I will still read it to my children because it’s an easy read but... we will have a chat about learning from our mistakes every time.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite children's book of all time. It's just so readable, so funny, and so perfectly illustrated. Oddly, it was never read to me as a child, but read by my mother to her grandchildren. I loved listening in though because, in the book, what Mama does when she finally gets all her children in bed results, every time, in howls of laughter from all parties. Just one small problem: the result of the five little monkeys jumping on the bed is basically the same, absolutely repetitive. I'd have had a different thing happen and then I'd have extended the story: a favorite toy (plus some backstory) is destroyed and the toy can't be enjoyed unless one has the use of all fingers, so for a month or so the little monkey can't enjoy said toy. Just add a little variety. Maybe I should do a fan fiction version.
Still, endlessly entertaining. I can pick it up and read it and feel good instantly: a quick happy hour martini-read.

[Ronan Crutchfield]

I thought it was fun when my mom bounced me on her lap every time she read “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”

[Ben Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby was pleased. Fell asleep shortly after.

[Rebecca Crunden]

✾ children’s book review ✾

Fun rhymes and art!

☆ Blog | Twitter ☆

[Melissa Swistek · Rating 4 out of 5]

To give anything less than 4 stars would feel like rating Shakespeare as a one star writer.

This version has a strange twist at the end that I found confusing and sudden but otherwise is a total bop.

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

We always end up having a discussion on the monkeys NOT obeying their mama.

3/25/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.

[Chelsie Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can still hear the singing rhyme of the Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed as sung by my mother when I was a little Girl. Eileen Christelow brings this rhyme to life in the picture book retelling of this classic story. Five little monkeys climb into bed after saying goodnight to their mother. Not quite ready to fall asleep, the five monkeys jump on the bed until "one fell off and bumped his head." The monkeys' doctor leaves them with the instruction: "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Alas, these troublesome monkeys fail to follow directions until all five have fallen off the bed.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed is a fun, read-aloud book to initiate and promote counting in young children. This book would be great for preschool-kindergarten age children as five is a very small number and is easy to count on fingers. Not only can the children initially count the five monkeys, but can later learn to count backwards (5 monkeys, then 4 monkeys...) from five as well, gaining a better understanding of mathematical concepts. I could also see this book being used to teach music or language concepts such as rhyme and rhythm.

Christelow's colored pencil illustrations are light and playful and help to bring the text to life. Each monkey has great facial expressions and they never distract from the story being told.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute, sing-song kind of book, one of a series of "Five Little Monkeys". It's funny, because I remember the counting song we used to sing in high school, "There were five in the bed and the little one said, 'Roll over, roll over.' So they all rolled over and one fell out, he hit the floor and his guts fell out. Please remember, to tie a knot in your pyjamas. Single beds are only made for four in the bed and the little one said..." and so on. This isn't the same song, obviously.

It starts out with a bedtime routine (bath, pyjamas, brushing teeth, saying goodnight to Mama), then they all jump on the bed, one falls out and bumps his head. The mama calls the doctor and the doctor says, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" And it repeats until they've all fallen off the bed. I love the illustrations too, they're more detailed than what's on the cover. You can have some fun with this one, and I wouldn't mind getting some of the other Five Little Monkeys books, too.

[Courtney Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously perfect for toddlers

[Alexandria · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fun of "Five Little Monkeys" is the way it rhymes and the sing-song nature of it. This particular retelling loses a lot of that fun, interrupting the flow of the sing-song for interjected comments from Momma. I imagine this could have been done well but in this case it cause a lot of stumbling when the book was read aloud. It's not a terrible book but it's not the version of the sing-song that I would opt to read aloud, given a few options.

[Gracie Simundson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fun read for children with the use of rhyming words and repeating words. Children can sing along the book making it very engaging for them. This book could be used in the classroom to teach number concepts like counting down 5,4,3,2 and 1. It also help the kids to listen before they get hurt which is shown throughout the story because by the end all of the monkeys have gotten hurt. This is a great short story that has been a classic for many years.

[Fiona Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will always be a classic to me. It is a light-hearted book that is good for nearly any age.

This book would be beneficial in earlier classrooms. It is a whimsical tale that can get any child laughing at the monkeys. It also impromptus a lesson at the end which is good for children reading. It gives them a take-away.

[Leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very engaging for young children because they sing along the book. it teaches number concepts,to count down 5,4,3,2 and 1. It also help the kids to listen before they get hurt.

[Xavier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book to read. Even though we all know the story, the illustrations are fun for kiddos.

[Adrienne Furlong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic

[David H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a simple retelling of the classic rhyme, but I love the final page when the Mama monkey jumps on her own bed.

[Justin Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

it’s a banger

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic. My kids love the repetitive, sing-song text, and the little twist at the end is cute.

[Hezekiah Huang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like when my 啊媽 sings me this song

[Robert DiRe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full bonus star because my kid knows all the words all I gotta do is hold the book.

[Ben C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peak writing. A masterclass of work. A goal every writer should work towards.

[Maliha Arman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic book that is designed to match a nursery rhyme. Children can learn repetition from this book because it repeats what the mother says and what the doctor says. Finally, it teachers math, safety and sequencing.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this hundreds of times this year. So I’m counting it towards my annual quota

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mind-numbing repetition might give adults a headache, but by the end of the story, kids will wind up fast asleep just like these darling little monkeys.