Ages 3^-7. The small "blackmouth" monkeys that live along the banks of Brazil's Black River have inspired an indigenous tale to explain why they sleep on thorny palms each night. In playful rhyme, Van Laan describes them as they swing, jump, and run: "Tiny, tiny monkeys having fun!" They have so much fun each day that when the rain starts ("PLINKA PLINKA") and the wind blows ("WOOYA WOOYA"), they wish they had spent time building a shelter. But morning comes, and the sun is out, and there are ripe bananas, so they decide to build one Amanhatomorrow. Heo's pencil, oil, and collage illustrations in earth tones and black form patterns evoke aboriginal bark paintings on some pages and Asian calligraphy on others. The rhyme and rhythm ("Shout, Jabba Jabba, Munch, Jabba Jabba, Swing, Jabba Jabba, Sing, Jabba Jabba") make for a bouncy read-aloud. --GraceAnne A. DeCandido

Children will find much to relate to in this whimsical tale of a wild bunch of monkeys intent on having fun and easily distracted from more practical considerations. Drawn from a Brazilian folktale, Van Laan's (Little Fish, Lost) infectious rhyming text tells of the tiny monkeys ("blackmouths") who live along the Rio Negro in Brazil. Homeless wanderers, the blackmouths sleep in tall palm trees which, because of sharp thorns on their branches, are not the most comfortable resting places. Heo's (Pets!) pencil, oil and collage illustrations carry the childlike energy that has become her calling card. She illustrates the antics of the monkeys in a crazy quilt of offbeat hues: chartreuse, burnt orange, banana yellow and aqua. The primates cavort and dance among the thorns in pages that alternate between spreads and single-page illustrations. As in all folktales, there is an underlying cautionary lesson woven through the revels and sing-along soundings ("Plinka Plinka" when it rains, "Wooya Wooya" when the wind howls): sometimes it pays to plan for the storms and dangers that seem so distant when the sun is shining and calling little ones out to play. Ages 3-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Van Laan (With a Whoop and a Holler, p. 119, etc.) recasts a traditional story into a catchy rhymed chant to explain why the blackmouth monkeys along Brazil's Rio Negro sleep in the open, in uncomfortably thorny palm trees. Shivering at night from the rain (``PLINKA PLINKA'') and wind (``WOOYA WOOYA''), plus an occasional passing jaguar (``GURR-YUH GURR-YUH''), the monkeys resolve to build homes in the morning, but in the sun's light their decisions fall to such pleasures as jumping and sliding, gobbling bananas, singing (`` `Jibba jibba jabba' '') and swinging (``WHEEEE''). In other words, they just can't get it together. Wearing Curious George smiles or frowns, these small, rubber-limbed monkeys cavort against Heo's Klee-like backgrounds, or sometimes across a white page: Lines of text, too, take an occasional swoop. Van Laan doesn't drive her point home, but then, she doesn't need to; look for plenty of grudging recognition here, from adult readers as well as children. (Picture book/folklore. 5-7)

PreS-Gr 2-In this Brazilian folktale, a group of impractical little monkeys live alongside the black waters of a cool, dark river where they sing and play all day. At night it rains, "PLINKA PLINKA," and the wind blows, "WOOYA WOOYA," and the only available shelter is the uncomfortable, thorny branches of the tall trees. Shivering and crying, the monkeys vow to build themselves a home. Remarkably, it doesn't take much more than a bunch of ripe bananas and a sun shining brightly to keep these frisky fellows from their intended chore. In fact, these mischievously charming primates never do get around to completing their task; they're just too busy enjoying themselves. Stylishly drawn illustrations rendered in pencil, oil, and collage reflect the natural colors of the forest while maintaining a sense of animated glee. The rhyming text occasionally swings across a bright white page, keeping pace with the monkeys' unrestrained exuberance as "They swing, WHEEEE, over here./They swing, WHEEEE, over there./They sing, `Jibba jibba jabba,'/ as they jump and run." An author's note states that the tale comes from the Indians who live along the Rio Negro in Brazil and was created to explain the unusual behavior of the "blackmouth" monkeys. A read-aloud delight with a repetitive text that supports beginning readers, this picture book is a guaranteed good time for all.-Alicia Eames, New York City Public Schools (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This Brazilian Indian [cf2]pourquoi[cf1] tale explains why tiny blackmouth monkeys spend their nights in thorny trees: they intend to build shelter but end up playing instead. The swinging rhyme leads the reader from phrase to phrase with a noisy monkey jabber refrain, which lends itself well to reading aloud. The pencil, oil, and torn paper illustrations recall simple folk art. From HORN BOOK Spring 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.