Spunky Little Monkey by Bill Martin, Jr. and Michael Sampson (review)

“Sleepy little monkey/Won’t get out of bed./ Mama called the doctor/And the doctor said.” That familiar simian rhyme with its emergency call always signals street chant/game fun, and here the doctor’s advice is for Monkey to get some exercise. Four simple call-and-response sequences will get preschoolers moving as well. Monkey dons a sombrero to “First you get the rhythm of the head: Ding-Dong!” and on the next page turn he demonstrates some back and forth head movement to “Have you got the rhythm of the head? Ding-Dong!” The rhythm of the hands demands clapping; foot rhythm required stomping; hip rhythm involves shaking maracas and a wiggly rear end in unison. “Put them all together/You’ll be feeling so much better” captions moving forward and backward and in a group parade. An endnote from Sampson expounds briefly on the late Bill Martin, Jr.’s early reading strategies (assuming, apparently, that adult readers will already know such kidpleasers as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?), but Monkey’s antics are so intuitively engaging and compelling as to render the note superfluous. Won’s collages could use more tonal contrast among the sherbet colors, but in terms of providing directions for audience movements, they more than get the job done. Pass around some rattly noise makers and shake it!