MONKEY BUSINESS
by Wallace Edwards & illustrated by Wallace Edwards
Teachers rejoice: a great new tool for teaching idioms (and encouraging creativity) has arrived. Edwards presents a single sentence and illustration per page, each featuring one of 26 unrelated idioms. “Eloise had a craving for snails, but she accidentally opened a can of worms.” A fish in a bathrobe must deal with the worms that have spread out to cover her kitchen. The definition of an idiom begins the text, while the last page explains the meaning of each one featured. Richly elaborate illustrations are full of details that young readers will enjoy discovering with each subsequent reading. And they must find the monkey hidden on each page. In the last illustration, the monkey asks, “Did you find the monkey on every page?” sending readers back for another look. While the meanings of most of the idioms can be determined through context clues, this is still sophisticated enough for adults to share with a younger audience. A great addition to the many books that play on words. (Picture book. 8-10)