Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

Having already received (and loved) another of Emily's books: Orange Pear Apple Bear, we were absolutely delighted to receive 'Monkey and Me' - especially as The Little Dude has a bit of a 'thing' about monkeys anyway. (I blame his daddy!)

We certainly weren't dissapointed - it seems that not only is Emily Gravett a super talented artist, but she's also a bit of a genius when it comes to keeping small children amused and entertained!


It's all about a trip to the zoo, and all the wonderful animals that 'Monkey and Me' see along the way.
Again, it's a well made chunky board book which I predict will stand the test of time (ie: being eaten, bent in all directions and generally 'loved' by The Little Dude!). And again, I can't shout loudly enough about how beautiful the illustrations are.  I love that they abandon the usual board book style of 'BRIGHT is better! - they're actually quite subtle, almost vintagey, but still really eyecatching and engaging.

This is more 'wordy' than the first of Emily's books we read, but still manages to hold The Little Dude's attention with lots of great repetition and surprises. I think he'll still enjoy it when he's a little older too (he's 11 months just now) - as there's more to keep a toddler amused than most 'baby' books tend to offer, so he won't outgrow it so quickly.

In short, it's a lovely story, perfectly illustrated, and I'm sure it'll be one of The Little Dude's favourites for years to come. Highly reccomend it.

And, having had a peek at Emily's website, it looks like there are a few other titles we're going to have to hunt down too!

Monkey and Me is published by Macmillan Children's Books & is available now.
ISBN No: 978-0-230-73943-7