Shortlisted for Roald Dahl Funny Prize Shortlist 2013: The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under
| Monkey Nut by Simon Rickerty | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Louise Jones
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| Summary: Two little spiders argue over a monkey nut and will have you laughing out loud from beginning to end. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: January 2013 |
| Publisher: Simon and Schuster | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9780857075765 | |
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Two curious little spiders find a monkey nut lying on the ground. They don’t know what it is, but they do know that they both want it and that they don’t want to share. But what is this strange, knobbly object? Is it a chair? A musical instrument? Maybe a boat? Whatever it is, the two little spiders are not the only ones interested. A much bigger, hairier spider is lurking in the shadows, waiting for the chance to grab the monkey nut for himself, but will he succeed?
Monkey Nut is a bright and cheerful picture book that will have young readers laughing out loud from beginning to end. The beauty of the book is its simplicity; basic illustrations in bold primary colours combining hand-drawn characters with photographs. The text is also minimal, with only two or three large-print words on each page, making it perfect for those just learning to read. With just a few well-chosen words and pictures, Rickerty is able to tell a charming story with likeable characters.
The story encourages creativity, with the little spiders finding different uses for the nut. On one page it is a telephone, on the next, a hat. It rather reminded me of the props round in the TV show Whose Line is it Anyway? when the contestants were handed a random prop and expected to find as many creative uses for it as possible!
My little boy loved the book and kept bringing it back to me to read again and again, although as soon as I opened the book, he started reading by himself out loud. The book is such a lot of fun and so engaging that it is the kind of story that young children will want to read over and over again.
For more of Simon Rickerty's wonderful illustrations, try I Don't Want To Be A Pea! by Ann Bonwill and Simon Rickerty
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You can read more book reviews or buy Monkey Nut by Simon Rickerty at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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