Monkey: Not Ready for Kindergarten by Marc Brown (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- Monkey: Not Ready for Kindergarten by Marc Brown
Library ed. ISBN 978-0-553-49659-8 $15.99
Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-553-49658-1 $12.99
E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-553-49660-4 $9.99 Ad 4-6 yrs
With the start of kindergarten only a week away, little Monkey has a long list of worries, from the logistical (“What if he can’t find the bathroom?”) to the emotional [End Page 14] (“What if he doesn’t make new friends?”). His supportive family regales him with stories of the wonderful things he will do in kindergarten, and he even has the opportunity to meet some future classmates (all of whom seem far more confident than he is) at a playdate, but on the big day he’s still nervous. The story ends with a wordless sequence of Monkey being warmly greeted as he enters the classroom and then happily playing on the playground, in what is clearly a successful first day. School anxiety is certainly a common thing, and Monkey’s concerns are easily understandable. While the wordless conclusion may leave the ending open for little listeners imagining their own first days of kindergarten, the effect is abrupt and unsatisfying, particularly when read aloud, and Monkey’s parents’ anticipation of hearing about Monkey’s day dangles unfulfilled. The visual style is a departure from Brown’s more familiar work in the Arthur series; colored pencil and gouache illustrations, with childlike touches to the draftsmanship, are often intense with texture in the full-bleed spreads; there’s an ochre tint to the palette, and soft edges replace Brown’s more familiar line drawings. The font is composed in kid-style crayon writing, and the endpapers are chock full of kindergarten-esque crayon art. Families may find Edwards’ Dinosaur Starts School (BCCB 5/09) a smoother selection for addressing first-day jitters, but Monkey’s fears may resonate with some incoming students, and the open ending has potential as a talking point.
