Three Little Monkeys; by Blake, Quentin (review)

Every time Hilda Snibbs leaves her house, she admonishes her three pet monkeys to be good—but every time she comes home, she finds a terrible mess after Tim, Sam, and Lulu pull the feathers off her best hat, spill a pot of soup on the stove, tangle her knitting, or overflow the bathtub. As the monkeys' messes escalate, Hilda becomes increasingly distraught, but when she comes home one day to a pristine house, with no monkeys anywhere to be found, she is frantic with worry. The warm palette of blues, golds, and reds turns to black and white as Hilda soaks her handkerchief with tears—until she finally finds the three little monkeys hiding in the closet (after having emptied the silverware drawer into her bed). The illustrations capture Tim, Sam, and Lulu's antics in chaotic, carefully detailed spreads that offer a charming counterpoint to the "before" images of Hilda's tidy, formal rooms, and small variations to each episode keep listeners on their toes, inviting both reader performance and call-and-response when familiar elements recur. This will be a giggly delight from start to finish.