Photo from Amazon.com
Review by Sandra Horning
A few years ago when my sister-in-law was in London she bought my older son Night Monkey Day Monkey. The book instantly became a bedtime favorite and now my younger son loves it too.
Julia Donaldson is well known for The Gruffalo, which you can easily find in the U.S., but for some reason this wonderful book is harder to come by. The book is a bit British, with the repetitive line “Don’t be daft”, but that makes it all the more endearing.
As the title reveals, Day Monkey and Night Monkey are two monkeys as different as, well, night and day. The story begins with Night Monkey waking up Day Monkey. Day Monkey follows Night Monkey through the night and learns about the unfamiliar nighttime world, such as fireflies, bats and the croaking of frogs.
Finally, Day Monkey gets tired and goes back to sleep, but as soon as he wakes up, he quickly wakes up Night Monkey to show her the daytime world, with butterflies, chimpanzees and parrots. And, as they learn about each other’s world, they also become the best of friends!
The lyrical text accompanied by cheery, bright illustrations is always a pleasure to read (and, believe me, we’ve read it over and over). The concept of being the same, but different is nicely done and easily speaks to twins and multiples. An excellent choice for settling your little ones into a cozy bed.
Ages 3 – 8
This books sounds like it’s a fun one to read. I’m going to check it out and pass the title along to some friends. Thanks for sharing it, Sandra.