When the Monkeys Came Back

by Kristine L. Franklin, Robert Roth (Illustrator)

Years after the jungle in her Costa Rica valley is cut down, Don+a1a Marta persuades her husband to give her a piece of land on which she plants trees that she and descendants care for until they grow into a forest and the monkeys that had once lived there return.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

Staple Bound

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Kristine L. Franklin is the author of several novels for young readers, including ECLIPSE, NERD NO MORE, DOVE SONG, and the best-selling LONE WOLF, a SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Book of the Year.

Reviews

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a quiet book to show your children the power of one humble, courageous woman, read this one. The illustrations are a little strange, but the story is good--Dona Marta loved hearing the monkeys sing as a child, but then they went away. Could her diligence, passion, and patience bring them back?

[K Morlando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, about a lady who loves the trees and the monkeys so much that when people cut down almost all the trees she plants new ones. By the time the trees are tall and the monkeys return, she is an old lady.

[Kristen Dutkiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid story for younger children to help them understand cause and effect and sequencing.

[ZukyDianny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una lectura maravillosa para los más pequeños. Nos orienta sobre el peligro de la deforestación de una forma sutil y la trama es maravillosa sin tener que caer en la fantasía. 💖

[Laura]

Franklin, Kristine L. When the Monkeys Came Back. (1994)

Annotation: When Dona Marta is little, she could hear the sounds of moneys in the forest by the mountain, but some men offer her father for the trees on that part of their land. When they cut down the trees, the monkeys move away. As Dona Marta gets older, she wants the monkeys to come back so she replants trees where the old one were cut. After 56 years of the monkeys being gone, in the early morning Dona Marta hears the monkeys have come back.

Theme: Monkeys, trees, conservation of natural resources, Costa Rica

Way to use with children: You can talk about what happens to animals when humans take away their habitats, you could give each student to plant a tree in their own yard.

Recommended ages:6- 13

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the children's librarian reading this story a long time ago. I loved how the story covers the lifetime of the main character. The book just touched me. I forgot about it until recently when I came across it in the library with my two daughters who are now older and who both love monkeys. Beautiful story.

[Dianna Juárez Ibarra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es uno de esos libros, como todo los infantiles, que te deja el gran mensaje de cuidar el planeta, los animales y que parece ahora hemos olvidado.