Publishers Weekly
A loud "Arooga Boom Clang Clang," awakens Chico Bon Bon (from Monkey with a Tool Belt) "early one morning." Armed with his vast number of tools, he seeks the root of the noise. A cross-section of the mansion-size tree house shows the enormity of Chico's task, and the source of the problem is certain to provoke laughs. Tiny ink detailing (every room of the house is distinctively patterned) lends a miniaturist charm, and the humor in Chico's industrious solution (delineated into step-by-step panels) warrants repeat readings. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
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School Library Journal
K-Gr 3
Chico Bon Bon, the fix-it expert who debuted in Monkey with a Tool Belt (Carolrhoda, 2008), is trying to locate the cause of a loud and strange noise in his tree house. After much head-scratching and searching, the resourceful monkey finally identifies the source-it's Clark, an elephant who has become stuck in the laundry chute. Chico Bon Bon whips out some tools from his trusty tool belt and extricates the wayward Clark; Clark's admiration of Chico's do-it-yourself talents prompts the monkey to produce a size XXL tool belt for his neighbor. Rendered in thin black line and bright watercolors on visually diverse page spreads, the cartoon illustrations offer much to pore over and reflect this illustrator's trademark sense of quirky humor. The plot, however, feels forced and the ending is disappointingly flat.-Kathleen Finn, Winooski Memorial Library, VT
Kirkus Reviews
Industrious monkey saves mistaken elephant. Chico Bon Bon is awakened from a sound sleep in his tree house by a loud "AROOGA BOOM CLANG CLANG." Strapping on his trusty tool belt, the monkey thinks he spots the problem almost immediately, fixing a curtain rod that has fallen down in the strong wind. But the booming sound returns during Chico's breakfast, and he scours his tree house looking for the cause: stairs, hamper, chimney, the walls, even the pool-nothing. But later, Chico tosses some dirty clothes into the laundry chute and the noise comes booming back. With the aid of his flashlight, Chico discovers there's an elephant (named Clark) stuck in the chute! Monroe's imaginative illustrations play with composition as well as perspective, offering detail-minded readers endless surprises. The goofball text unfolds with tongue firmly in cheek, the vision of Clark wedged in the chute producing only a mild concern in Chico, who reflects, when Clark tells him he was looking for Elsa's house, just a couple trees over, that it "DOES look a lot like mine." A winner. (Picture book. 3-7)
