This 20th-anniversary treasury features a special introduction and five full-length picture books— Five Little Monkeys Jumping on a Bed , Five Little Monkeys Bake a Cake , Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree , Five Little Monkeys with Nothing to Do , and Five Little Monkeys Wash the Car —as well as a lesson on how to draw your own fabulous monkeys. Sheets of colorful stickers and musical notation round out this amazing collection. It’s the perfect addition to any child’s classic library.
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.
I started reading this anthology with a partner, but finished it by myself, all as part of enjoying the nostalgia of simple rhymes brought into a full universe. As the series go on, the books tend to rhyme less, with the original and the fifth being the only ones with a consistent rhyme scheme. All of the books have good themes and present compelling stories for small children, encouraging us to help each other and our families, but the original is the strongest in its poetry and classic story. Overall, a very sweet series of stories, which makes me want to read to kids or receive a warm hug.
Goodness, I keep telling myself that I will review this and then it keeps passing me by, but at last I found a moment to share my thoughts...
Growing up it seems the song about monkeys jumping on the bed has stuck with me but I'm not sure I ever knew about a book. I am delighted to have the images to share with my daughters especially my preschooler that has always been fond of monkeys. Watching her reaction to the stories and rythym in the prose as well as the fun pictures of child-like monkeys is fabulous and somehing that I am sure to remember.
In addition to the great Monkeys Jumping on the Bed this book has a handful of Five Little Monkeys stories to share in a great perfectly (IMHO) sized treasury. Each story is fun and filled with more absolutely ridiculous and not to be acted out monkey antics. I am absolutely delighted at the treasuries I am finding these days and loving that many of them are this same square size (9x9 maybe?). I have a few from another two publishers and have added some more from HMH to my wishlist. Great to add to a bookshelf for bedtime, storytime, early readers or any family shelf (or libray or even school!).
If all of this was not already enough another feature that I am finding to love from HMH is that this is a bilingual English/Spanish book. Not only can English readers enjoy this read but Spanish speakers can as well. Or if your child is learning Spanish this is a fun way to work on it. Or even ESL Spanish classrooms lout find this to be a fun tool. Each pages has both language text in a different color. It gives so many possible ilities for fun am education. And also if you just want to teas one of the languages the other text is unabtrusive and really does not interfere.
Jam definitely a fan, but always remember to put a disclaimer with this one for your kids. These monkeys are into way more monkey business schnaigans than Kurdish should be.
This fully-illustrated collection brings together five different Five Little Monkeys stories in both Spanish and English. Bonus content in the back includes lessons on how to draw a monkey, a short biography of the author, the lyrics and sheet music for the song "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed", and a sheet of monkey stickers. Collection contains the following volumes: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the bed, ...Sitting in a Tree, ...with Nothing to Do, ...Bake a Birthday Cake, and ...Wash the Car.
Readers who have long loved the antics of these mischievous little monkeys will have plenty to enjoy in this collection, as the little ones follow their impulses straight into trouble...over and over again. The illustrations are a nice complement to the story, conveying the sense of good-hearted impishment in the little monkeys. This edition contains both the English and Spanish translations of the stories. While a good idea, sometimes the two sets of words are done in similar colors and/or placed close together, making them difficult to distinguish at first, which can lead to some confusion on the first few reads.
One of our absolute favorites in the home library! A must-have for anyone building a childhood bookshelf full of joy.
This collection brings together five timeless monkey misadventures in one beautifully illustrated volume. The classic art style feels cozy and familiar, and each story brings its own dose of chaos, laughter, and charm. Story time easily turns into an entire evening of giggles — and always ends with “Just one more story, please!”
This is the collection of all of Christelow's Five Little Monkey stories -- kids will love turning the pages and singing the "Five little monkeys" song while reading some of the monkey stories that they may not have seen yet.
B really enjoys these stories right now. I get a bit bored with the first two (we read the entire compilation about every 3 days), but the last three are more complex. All entertaining and great pictures.
A nostalgic childhood treasure. A gift from our librarian! Our 3 year old loves it and we have read the charming antics of these 5 little monkeys many times.