Five Little Monkeys Wash the Car

May 1, 2000
PreS-Gr 1-A slight story told in rhyme. The monkeys' old family car becomes too much trouble for Mama and is put up for sale. The five little ones take it upon themselves to spruce it up, but despite their good intentions, the vehicle ends up in a swamp. Some crocodiles come to the rescue and decide to buy the wreck and the monkey family drives off in a snazzy red convertible. The pencil-and-watercolor illustrations highlight the industrious little monkeys and their expressive faces as the mishap unfolds. The rhyme scheme enhances the story, such that it is, although it sometimes sounds forced. Children may enjoy this addition to the other stories about the little monkeys, but may need an explanation of the economics of selling a heap and ending up with a brand new car.-Denise Reitsma, Howe Library, Hanover, NH

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2000
Ages 3^-6. Christelow's fifth rhyming book about the five little monkeys is a lot of fun. In this adventure, Mama decides to sell the rickety old family car, and her helpful offspring get in on the action with some marketing ideas. One monkey decides to wash the car. Another monkey decides to paint it. A third thinks moving it to a more noticeable position will help sell it. But during the move, the car ends up in a swamp where the monkeys meet some crocodiles. A fourth monkey uses her brain to outfox the crocs and get her siblings safely home. The fifth monkey makes the sale and closes the deal so that everyone wins in the end, including Mama. Christelow's watercolor-and-pencil illustrations show great energy and movement, peppered with just the right amount of silliness. The endpapers add a nice touch with the old car on the front and the new car on the back. ((Reviewed May 1, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2000
These further adventures of Christelow's five little monkeys find them cleaning up and selling Mom's broken-down, smelly car. The bouncy, tongue-twisting rhymes occasionally falter, but the resolution--in which the monkeys avert trouble by convincing a bunch of crocodiles to buy the car--will amuse. Colorful, exuberant illustrations depict appealingly independent and resourceful monkeys.

(Copyright 2000 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)