"One fell off and bumped his head. The Mama called the doctor. The doctor said, No more monkeys jumping on the bed." Originally published as a picture book in 1989, this classic rhyming bedtime story about five ebullient monkey siblings now comes in many formats: an easy read-along paperback with a CD, in Spanish, as five little finger puppets, and now as a large board book dubbed "A Lap Board Book" by the publisher. This one will be a bedtime favorite unless you mind your once-sleepy toddlers jumping up and down, shaking their index fingers gleefully, and chanting, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed." They'll count down from five to none, and squeal over the cheerful pastel and watercolor illustrations of the sassy monkeys and their long-suffering mama.
Eileen Christelow followed up this book with a whole series about the five misbehaving little monkeys. Look below for more books filled with mischievous simians, maybe starting with two beloved classics: Curious George by H. A. Rey, and Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina.
How do children pick up rhymes like "Five Little Monkeys"? Effortlessly. They trade them on the playground like cookies. Jump rope, bounce ball, and other children's rhymes are our earliest exposure to poetry and folklore. Many have been around for decades or, in the case of classic nursery rhymes, far longer. Kids recite, "In came the doctor, in came the nurse, in came the lady with the alligator purse." At age three, I learned to sing and act out: "Bend and stretch, reach for the sky; There goes Jupiter, and look at Mars fly." What rhymes and fingerplays do you recall from your childhood? Don't forget to pass them on.
THEMES: BEDTIME STORIES. BOARD BOOKS. COUNTING BOOKS. DOCTORS. MONKEYS. MOTHERS. STORIES IN RHYME.
A READKIDDOREAD CLASSIC
- This is a natural for younger story hours, and can also be used with beginning readers. Whether sublimely happy or ridiculously goofy, Christelow's expressive monkeys pack a lot of appeal.
- School Library Journal