MONKEY BUSINESS

A free-wheeling tale about the first monkey in space who returns home a hero and turns his fame into industry. He manufactures strange little objects that are so popular that he plans to put the millionth one in a museum. A miscalculation puts the millionth in the path of a homeless bug named Penelope; she can't lift it, but a helpful man named Quincy takes it home and accidently aims the television remote control at it. It opens to reveal a room just the right size for Penelope. The monkey, in the meantime, discovers his mistake and goes in search of the millionth little object. There's a happy ending, the setting is postindustrial, the characters are outlandish, and Penelope is just lovely. The plot unfolds in computer-generated illustrations (the same medium Seibold used in Mr. Lunch Borrows a Canoe, 1994, not reviewed, etc.) that are completely wacky. They never stray too far from the red/yellow/brown part of the color spectrum, showing figures, faces, and postures that are screwball and upbeat. The compositions are chaotically cluttered with words, signs, and diagrams—and no shortage of visual jokes. Flawless three-dimensional shading has been harnessed to a perspective that looks as if it has been turned inside out and on its head. This may sound unreadable, but it's not; the presentation is crisp and clear, and the result is unbridled fun. (Picture book. 3-8)