"A fun, clever, kid-enticing way to learn facts about a group of jungle animals... Painting with a rich Pantone color palette, Rivoal captures the lushness of the jungle while providing a stimulating visual feast for readers. Are You a Monkey is a great choice for energetic story times at home or at school and could introduce interactive classroom lessons on animal traits and behavior." —Celebrate Picture Books
"This book has children guessing, giggling, and considering animal behavior and characteristics." —Learning
"A joy... This unusual book is stylish and engaging."—Absolutely Mama
"Printed in vivid shades of yellow, blue, and vermilion, Rivoal's blocky prints couldn't be more vibrant as the animals take turns posing as other creatures while three birds make guesses... Rivoal's page turns are especially well-handled, creating lovely visual parallels between the pretend and real animals... Along the way, readers pick up details about animal behavior, and Toucan's bad guesses add light laughs to a book that's equal parts handsome and fun."—Publishers Weekly Online
"Gorgeously illustrated book about a group of animal friends pretending to be each other in a game of charades - play along with them."—Bambino Goodies
"The title Are You A Monkey? is memorable, intriguing and matches the tone of the story... The screen-printed illustrations are bright and fun, creation a lively jungle setting and atmosphere... The structure of the book is ideal for keeping a child turning the pages... with added humour... This book would be great for acting out the characters at home or in the classroom and could spark of a wide range of investigative work on finding out more about the animals portrayed."—Armadillo Magazine online
"[R]eads like a fun guessing game, and children will giggle with excitement as they play along... A winner!"—School LIbrary Journal
"Entertaining... Will have your child in fits of giggles... The captivating illustrations by French author and illustrator Marine Rivoal feature rich and vibrant Pantone colours with a stylish screen-print design that brings out all the personalities of the animals so well. This book is ideal for imaginative play and allowing children to discover different ways to see animal shapes and behaviours. As well as the fun element, there is a lovely message throughout the charades that demonstrates the importance of empathy and kindness as the animals all play together."—OutsideInWorld.org
"Engaging... Ends with a poignant act of group inclusion."—Early Years Childcare Magazine
07/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—In this tropical land, the animals are not just monkeying around—they are playing charades. The birds are all aflutter high in the trees, causing excitement to ripple through the area. Parrot starts the fun by pretending that she is a lion and having all of the animals try to guess what she is. Is she a pineapple? No! Of course not! Crocodile is curious about the game, so Cockatoo explains. Crocodile thinks this sounds like great fun, so he pretends to be an ostrich. Soon, all of the animals are joining in, even the little starfish, who thinks that her physical constraints prevent her from playing. The English translation of this French title reads like a fun guessing game, and children will giggle with excitement as they play along. Many of the animals' guesses are outrageous, sure to induce laughter. The block print illustrations are bright with orange, gold, blue, and green. Although most of the animals will be familiar to children, they will enjoy figuring out which animal is being described and what creature might be named next. VERDICT "Sounds like"…a winner!—Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE
