Monkey Business by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and David Wojtowycz
| Monkey Business by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and David Wojtowycz | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Zoe Page
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| Summary: A brilliant and useful book for toilet training little ones and making their parents smile in the meantime. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: October 2013 |
| Publisher: Orchard | |
| ISBN: 978-1408313787 | |
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We’re on Noah’s Ark and all the animals are here, from the snakes to the lions to the crocodiles. There are two of everyone, of course, though randomly there only appears to be one monkey, Charlie Chatter. And uh, oh. He’s lost his potty! Now Charlie Chatter is a bit big to be going on the potty, so the other animals, and Noah, try to convince him to try the loo instead, extolling its virtues, explaining how much fun it can be. Charlie Chatter remains unconvinced though, but when his potty fails to reappear his has a troubling choice to make.
This is a brilliantly entertaining, rhyming story that paints a positive picture of graduating your botty from a potty to the lavatory. The humour is obvious and in your face and really made me grin. It’s definitely a little cheeky, especially if you’re little:
The monkey wailed “No!
I can’t sit on the loo.
Not for a wee and not for a
P … number two!”
That said, I read it out loud to The Boy and his comment was that it was only a few tweaks away from being an ‘adult’ tale, and I can see what he meant. It’s definitely a little tongue in cheek too which makes it all the more fun for parents who may be reading it again and again.
While the setting – Noah’s Ark – is familiar, there are some tweaks which make a classic story more modern, like Mrs Noah being the practical one, donning dungarees and toting a tool box. The illustrations are brilliant, lots of bold colours and quite thick, stubby drawings. All the animals are cheerful and friendly, and there’s a real sense of cooperation between them as they work to encourage Charlie Chatter to upgrade his throne.
I don’t know how quickly this book would help a child move from potty to loo, but it certainly sends the right message and is a fun read even when they’ve made the switch. Much more fun and useful than a dry (or not!) parenting manual on the same subject, it’s really well done and I really enjoyed reading it. Two thumbs up!
Thanks go to the publishers for supplying this book.
Have You Seen My Potty? by Mij Kelly is also fun and fabulous.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Monkey Business by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and David Wojtowycz at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Monkey Business by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and David Wojtowycz at Amazon.com.
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