Lucky Monkey, Unlucky Monkey

by James Kaczman

Overview

This story is about Ed and Ted, two thinking, speaking, fully clothed, house-dwelling monkeys. One day, Ed walks out of his just-the-right-size-for-a-monkey house. He is greeted by a bright, sunny day, with butterflies fluttering about and cute, friendly animals cheerfully hopping around.
Meanwhile . . . Ted walks out of his just-the-right-size-for-a-monkey house and is met by a forbidding sky with dark clouds, large insects swarming about, and frightening vermin crawling around.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547528984
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/21/2008
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 10 Years

About the Author

James Kaczman received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Massachusetts College of Art in 1982 and also studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He lives in a beautiful, green valley somewhere in the North, where he is a full-time illustrator. He resides there with his wife, Libby, his son, Henry, and a wire fox terrier named Chauncey, who is a funny, charming fellow.

Editorial Reviews

Like any good children's book, it's silly, it's fresh, it's told at kid-level, it teaches without preaching (the theme here is the changeability of circumstances), and it throws many bones to the adult reader
—The Washington Post

Carolyn Hax

At first glance, Ed and Ted seem cut from the same cloth: they are both "thinking, speaking, fully clothed, house-dwelling monkeys." But Ed is a lucky monkey. When he meets a strange dog, it is friendly and playful; when he finds a treasure chest in the woods, an elf praises him. Ted, however, is unlucky. The dog he encounters chases him right into a gang of even fiercer animals, and a violent troll accuses him of stealing his treasure chest, forcing Ted to take refuge in a swamp. Kaczman's (A Bird and His Worm) acrylic paintings, set up as pairs of tableaux-one idyllic, the other gloomy-feature nattily attired animals and give the book the feel of a wry, winking primer. At the bottom of several pages, woodland creatures offer such reality-check observations as: "In children's stories, elves often live in mushrooms.... This does not quite make sense if one thinks about it. A mushroom would actually be a rather unpleasant place to live, because mushrooms are damp and mushy inside." By mirroring each monkey's adventures in both text and art, Kaczman plays up the contrast as the monkeys' fortunes continue to diverge over the course of the day. An epilogue reveals luck's fleeting nature by switching the monkeys' fates the following morning. A well-executed exercise in irony, this seems better aimed to hipster parents than to kids. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

PreS- This didactic story uses a simplistic plot to hammer home the theme that your outlook on life will affect the type of day you will have. The parallel tales of two "thinking, speaking, fully clothed, house-dwelling monkeys" are told side-by-side in six short chapters illustrated with stylized, acrylic pictures. Ed wakes up to a sunny day, is followed by friendly critters, finds a treasure, and is made an honorary king by some happy woodland elves before returning home. Meanwhile, Ted is greeted by clouds, creepy bugs, and slimy slugs; chased by several angry animals; finds a treasure owned by a troll who wants to eat him; jumps into a mucky swamp to avoid him; and returns home in shabby, torn clothes. But on the last page, their fates appear to change as Ed expects a bad day and Ted decides it will be a good day. The rather pedestrian plot is accompanied by boxed commentary in tiny print that is distracting. The one-dimensional story and stilted drawings are unlikely to hold a child's interest. Stick with Aesop's Fables if you are looking for stories with a moral.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

In this exploration into the nature of luck, Ed and Ted seem alike in most ways, but one is lucky, the other unlucky. Ed greets the sunny day with cheer, while Ted's day is filled with clouds. As the day progresses, Ed makes friends and finds treasure. Ted, meanwhile, is chased by enemies and a club-swinging troll, until he lands in a foul-smelling swamp. The following day their situations reverse and their moods invert: Ed's bleak day is unlucky; Ted's bright day is lucky. Kaczman's flat, stylized illustrations are handsomely modern. Told in six short chapters and an epilogue, rich with symbols, words and pictures to compare and contrast and assisted by the humorous (lightly instructional) asides of tiny animals, this might puzzle those who believe you make your own luck. The message that if today is unlucky, tomorrow could be lucky carries a certain satisfying verisimilitude, but beware, the contrary may not seem as pleasantly acceptable. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews

"A well-executed exercise in irony." Publishers Weekly 01/07/2008 Publishers Weekly

"Kaczman's flat, stylized illustrations are handsomely modern...rich with symbols, words and pictures to compare and contrast..." Kirkus 3/1/08

Kirkus Reviews

"The story ends cleverly...watercolor-and-ink art effectively uses color to establish the contrast in luck." Booklist 3/15/08 Booklist, ALA

“…it's silly, it's fresh, it's told at kid-level, it teaches without preaching…and it throws many bones to the adult reader.” The Washington Post

From the Publisher