| |
|
|
Publisher - Clarion Books
Ages 3-6
“This is pure silliness—just
the kind kids like. The monkeys are suitably active, and their
mess-making skills, as demonstrated in the watercolor art, are
impressive.”
—ALA Booklist
Other books about the monkeys...
|
| The Story: |
It's summer,
school is out, and the monkeys are BORED! "There is nothing to
do!" they tell Mama. "Oh yes there is," says Mama. "Grandma Bessie
is coming for lunch, and the house must be neat and clean." Well-meaning
as ever, the five little monkeys clean their room, scrub the bathroom,
beat the rugs and pick berries for dessert. But then . . . If you
know anything about these monkeys, you know that trouble can't
be far away!
|
| Where did you get the idea?: |
When I visit schools,
I often draw 'monkey stories' with the kids. In a school in Virginia,
some of the kids loved cars; so we brainstormed a story about the
monkeys washing Mama's car. It was a good idea! When I got home,
I started to work on my own version of the story. First I drew
a picture of the monkeys washing the car. Eventually, I had a whole
story - Five Little Monkeys With Nothing To Do. But guess
what? The car scene was gone! Sometimes one idea leads to another
idea which leads to another idea. Before you know it, the first
idea has disappeared. But, don't worry! I saved the drawing of
the monkeys washing the car and I wrote another story, Five
Little Monkeys Wash the Car, which will be available in the
spring, 2000.
|
| Tidbits: |
Dust!
In the book, look at the page where the monkeys are beating the rugs. Can you
guess how I made all that dust? I dumped the contents of my pencil sharpener
on the finished illustration. Then I blew it off. The pencil graphite that
remained on the paper is the dust. Then I sprayed the 'dust' with fixative
so it wouldn't rub off on everything else.
- The Illustrations:
The drawings are done with pen and ink.
- I painted the color with acrylic
gouache and water-soluble gouache.
|
| Other
Books About the Monkeys: |
|
| |
|
