Steven Michael, Get Off That Bed Right Now!
Written: Nov 27 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cute monkeys are very engaging for little ones
Cons: Jaws might lock at the repetition
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| Barefooter's Full Review: Eileen Christelow - Five Little Monkeys Jumping on... |
At first glance, Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed doesn't appear to be much of a book. After all, why buy a book with sentences that repeat over and over?
If you're not familiar with the rhyme, let me help you achieve that glazed-eye look that children find amusing:'
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell out and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
One of the reasons this book is so engaging is that the illustrations look as if they were expertly done by crayon and colored pencils. The monkeys are scruffy, but adorable. Kids are amused at the idea of monkeys dressing up in clothes and living like humans.
Open the book and you'll find the five monkeys in a very large bathtub filled with the most perfect bubbles. So begins their nightly routine. On the next page, we discover via pajamas, that two of the monkeys are girls and three are boys. As they brush their teeth, the author colorfully illustrates the spitting action of one of the boys. As any mother knows, this will instantly attract kids that are 5 years old whose favorite word is "poophead."
The five little monkeys are then tucked into bed and say goodnight to their mama. The next thing you know, five of them are jumping on the bed. What do you know, one of them falls out. And bumps his head.
The mama monkey comes running in and calls the doc for some advice. "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
And so it goes. Five times over. After the fifth call, the doctor gets a bit cranky and YELLS in all caps.
Once the mama monkey gets her five sprouts into bed and fast asleep, she slips away to her own room. Here, the readers get an amusing surprise: Mama is jumping for joy because her little ones are finally asleep.
She's jumping on the bed!
I sat down to write this review a couple of weeks ago with the intention of telling readers not to bother with this book. After all, why pay $5.95 for a book that you can simply sing to your kids? Why read the same sentences five times over? Don't you know that one of these days that eye glaze is going to permanently freeze your eyes?
Well, a couple of days ago, my kids picked up the long forgotten book and have renewed their interest. They haven't put it down since. My three year old keeps bringing me the book and giggling every time Mommy waggles her finger at the doctor's advice. He howls with laughter when Mommy imitates a monkey's wounded head. All that repetition has been very good-- my five year old has learned how to speed read right through this book. So it can be a great book for beginning readers. And for $5.95, the giggles and laughter have been worth it.
The bad part: the other day, I opened the door to my son's room and found my three year old jumping on the bed.
"Steven Michael, you get down from that bed right now!"
See, it's not good to strain Mommy's vocal cords like that.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Barefooter
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Member: Karen
Location: Chicago area
Reviews written: 199
Trusted by: 402 members
About Me:
"Life is too short to pout all the time."
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