You will find Julia Donaldson’s brilliant rhymes and Axel Scheffler’s wonderful illustrations along with repetition, clues, jungle animals and a great big hug. The butterfly, though well-intentioned, frequently confuses different animals for the monkey's mother due to its misunderstanding of the descriptions provided by the monkey. Another very lovely, entrancing and enchanting story from the ever reliable pen of Donaldson and the accomplished brush of Scheffler. You could also read the story before a trip or a holiday to discuss with a young child what they should do if they ever do become lost (not a comfortable idea to entertain but it is certainly an important subject to discuss if you feel your little one is old enough). However, Butterfly cannot seem to understand that Monkey and his mum look alike, so attempts to reunite Monkey with an elephant, a parrot and even a bat!

One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. Little monkey has lost his mum but a passing butterfly tells him that she will help him to find her. It could be very interactive as there’s repetition which the children could join in with, you could ask the children to guess the animal using the butterflies descriptions, ask how they think the monkey might be feeling at the start, middle and end as he goes on his adventure to find his mum, you could question why the butterflies babies don’t look like her and talk about the process of the how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

With its relatable characters and whimsical narrative, the book has become a staple in children's literature. Confusion unfolds as the butterfly uses only the most immediate piece of information when looking for the monkey's mum, for example 'She's big! Once more this misleads butterfly as she produces a snake, so Little Monkey has to tell him that his mum has more legs than that. We loved using the clues to guess who the butterfly would find based on the information it was given.

The story is wonderful to read and enjoy simply as it is, or if you want to use the book to inspire some conversation I have always found Burt is quite happy to talk about the friendly characters that Axel Scheffler brings to life in the illustrations. I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married. We love Julia Donaldson books in this house, they are such wonderfully imaginative stories for little ones!My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. Kirsty - Hijacked by Twins recently posted… Cheap Budget Meals - Tasty Homemade Recipes Within Budget! and, of course, it has a very happy ending with little monkey, in her arms, exclaiming delightfully, 'Mum! I really enjoy getting the children in the audience to help me act out the stories and sing the songs. I was worried it would be too long, but the rhymes kept the littler ones engaged, and the older ones liked the story.

Monkey Puzzle works really well in a primary-school drama session, with the children miming the various animals. I can't remember how many times I have read it to my Kindy classes over the years (even if I ended up giggling more than they did) and - with added theatrics - year six enjoyed it just as much. My daughter is 11 months old and we have been reading this book multiple, multiple times a day for weeks. Julia Donaldson, an acclaimed British author, is known for her knack for storytelling and her ability to craft enchanting tales that resonate with both children and adults. What a great combination Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler are and they continue their superb partnership with 'Monkey Puzzle' in which a little monkey loses his Mum.This personal touch reflects the book's emphasis on the connections between families and the universal emotions experienced by children and their caregivers. Monkey Puzzle has again pretty illustrations by Axel Scheffler that are engaging and fun to look at. The ever-helpful butterfly tries to reunited monkey with her but because Butterfly's youngsters do not look like her she tries all sorts of different animals before little monkey puts her right and tells her that they don't look like me and my Mum does.

Could you make up another page for the book, in which the monkey gives a clue to the butterfly, and the butterfly finds an animal who might be the monkey’s mum? He moved to England in 1982 to study illustration at the Bath Academy of Art, and then set up home in London. We made a felt board so that Burt could act out the story as we read it and then play with the characters and retell the story in his own words. Collaborating with illustrator Axel Scheffler, she has created numerous beloved children's books, including the immensely successful "The Gruffalo" series. Monkey says no,no,no that's not my mum,he says that his mum is furry, so butterfly leads him to a spider.

The butterfly's suggestions include a diverse array of creatures such as an elephant, a snake, a spider, a parrot, a frog, and a bat. Poor Butterfly keeps finding animals that fit the little monkey’s description but they aren’t quite right. This seems obvious to the little monkey but it isn’t to Butterfly because none of her babies looks like she does: her babies are caterpillars! Identyczny motyw poszukiwania mamy jak w "Trochę się zgubiłam" Chrisa Haughtona, przez "Zagubiona małpka" nie była dla Małej Czytelniczki specjalnie nowym odkryciem. His vibrant and expressive artwork adds depth to the story, making it an immersive experience for young readers.