Naughty Little Monkeys
By Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Henry Cole
Puffin Books, $6.99
32 pages, ISBN 0142405620

Reviewed by Amy Brozio-Andrews

When the parents are away, youngsters will play, as all parents know. For anyone in doubt, it's further evidenced by Jim Aylesworth's new reprint edition of the well-loved Naughty Little Monkeys. Yes, all 26 of them. Each is tucked into bed before Mother in her beautiful formal dress and Father in his tuxedo step out for the evening. But before their parents are even in the car, monkeys are up and out of bed, getting into lots of letter-related mischief (there are 26 of them, remember).

When mom and dad finally come home several hours later, they're shocked to see what's gone on in their absence, and just in time for Z of course-- a quick little twist at the end that will have readers-- expecting these monkeys to get into big trouble-- smiling with glee.

Everyday antics become even more funny as the monkeys, one by one, take advantage of mom and dad's night out by cooking, digging, swinging, dressing up, cutting hair, going after the goldfish, flying a kite, and more. Moving through the alphabet, Aylesworth's rhyming prose entertains readers with letter-specific words and actions, highlighting the word that exemplifies the activity in the story.

"Naughty little monkey, swinging on a drape. The curtain rod is bending into a funny shape," is accompanied by Danny the monkey flying past the window, clutching a drapery panel as his parents prepare to drive away.

Aylesworth's rhyme scheme is solid-- each verse is perfect in meter and rhyme. No forced parts, no awkward phrasing or line breaks. The first line of every letter's rhyme is the same, so kids can join in, too. Young listeners will likely relate to the impulsive antics of the monkeys, having fun while Mom and Dad aren't looking, and being able to chime in with each verse will add to kids' feelings of participation.

Aylesworth has numerous other titles to his credit-- 25 in all, including Once Upon a Time: Three Favorite Tales, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and The Tale of Tricky Fox-- and his work remains enthusiastic and engaging to young readers. You may think if you've read one ABC book, you might as well have read them all, but Naughty Little Monkeys is definitely a fresh and fun worthwhile addition to the children's picture book shelf.

With equally funny illustrations from Henry Cole, Naughty Little Monkeys is a terrific read-aloud book. Bright jewel-toned pictures fill the pages with color and activity. Illustrations of an energetic monkey in action with his or her letter-specific name emblazoned across the front or back of a tee-shirt further carry on the alphabet-related theme. A colorful block letter set next to the text of each stanza also gives kids the opportunity to recognize the letter and i's accompanying sounds.

Naughty Little Monkeys is a silly read-aloud book with broad parent and child appeal, as long as you don't mind the possibility of your kid getting ideas from these little monkeys (I don't think it ever occurred to my child to draw on the wall with lipstick until little Luke leaves his masterpiece on the hallway wall for his mother to see).