MONKEY WITH A TOOL BELT AND THE MANIAC MUFFINS

Runaway muffins attack the town! Can Chico Bon Bon, the titular monkey with the tool belt, get them back and help Clark with his pancake party?

Chico's pal Clark is something of a disaster in the kitchen. His giant pancake is so heavy that it causes the kitchen table to collapse. Broken dishes and syrup are everywhere, but the elephant cook is unfazed. “They’re very dense,” he says calmly. Clark is prepping for a party to celebrate Uncle Bill’s graduation from hotel management school, and Chico is eager to help, his tool belt full of cool kitchen gadgetry and cleaning gizmos. Clark is also working on a gooey lemon pudding and his “supersecret blueberry muffins.” But his recipe is rather…explosive. It blows the door of the oven, and the muffins wreak havoc in the kitchen before bursting through the front door and terrorizing the town. Chico chases after them before coming up with an ingenious plan. It involves the pancakes, the lemon pudding, and, of course, the tools in his belt. Chico saves the town, then enjoys the party. Monroe’s impish illustrations are busy with delightful touches—Chico’s kitchen-specific tool belt, complete with “thermometer with bling” and “butter splapper” is particularly terrific—and her deadpan humor should please adults as well as kids.

The silliness still feels fresh, even in Chico’s fourth outing.