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Such is the way of the world
When his pet monkey is frightened away by a dog, a little boy has many misadventures before he finds his pet again.
Hardcover
First published June 1, 1975
14 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin Elkin
23 books5 followersBenjamin Elkin was educated at Lewis Institute, Chicago Teachers College, and Northwestern University. His published works include The Loudest Noise in the World (Viking, 1954), Gillespie and the Guards (Viking, 1956), Six Foolish Fishermen (Childrens, 1957), The Big Jump and Other Stories (Random House, 1958), The True Book of Schools (Childrens, 1958), The King’s Wish and Other Stories (Random House, 1960), The True Book of Money (Childrens, 1960), Lucky and the Giant (Childrens, 1962), Al and the Magic Lamp (Harper, 1963), and Why the Sun Was Late (Parents, 1966).
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 11, 2012
This is a book I read as a child and enjoyed because of the fantastic pictures by Yoko Mitsuhashi.
Desta (the child) loses his monkey (Jima) while looking after his family's cattle. He spends most of the book distraught looking for his monkey.
The monkey is initially scared by a dog and thus begins a series of seemingly unconnected events that eventually lead back to the monkey. The dog's owner gives him a game board in exchange for his dog having scared the monkey. In the next page Desta trips over a misplaced saddle and the game board is burned in the fire. The owner of the saddle gives him something else and so on - until at the end he's handed a bag with Jima inside. In the meantime, the book contains a lovely message of continuity and hope, as with each loss Desta is given a new item which eventually leads to his recovery of Jima.
Throughout, each character tells Desta, 'such is the way of the world', and gives a little life lesson or philosophy that fits the circumstance.
Just lovely.
Desta (the child) loses his monkey (Jima) while looking after his family's cattle. He spends most of the book distraught looking for his monkey.
The monkey is initially scared by a dog and thus begins a series of seemingly unconnected events that eventually lead back to the monkey. The dog's owner gives him a game board in exchange for his dog having scared the monkey. In the next page Desta trips over a misplaced saddle and the game board is burned in the fire. The owner of the saddle gives him something else and so on - until at the end he's handed a bag with Jima inside. In the meantime, the book contains a lovely message of continuity and hope, as with each loss Desta is given a new item which eventually leads to his recovery of Jima.
Throughout, each character tells Desta, 'such is the way of the world', and gives a little life lesson or philosophy that fits the circumstance.
Just lovely.
April 7, 2011
In this story a young boy named Desta was given the responsibility of herding cows. As he began to handle his responsibilities he realized that the task is actually a lot harder than he expected. The whole lesson of this book is to show that life is not always what you expect it to be. I would recommend this book for grades 3-5.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews