TEN MONKEY JAMBOREE

Charming, identical, brown monkeys, who are flying around the page in colorful shorts, reflect action words as they combine, moving in and out of acrobatic and musical moments in sets that equal ten. Unfortunately, a hodgepodge of almost-rhyming sequences combines with an inconsistent rhythm to create a jarring stumbling block for anyone attempting to read the text as it intermittently picks up speed, but then is slowed by these awkward rhythms. With editing, the text would meld effectively or preschool story time and math leaders could use the smoother parts to inject a spirited interlude in their programming. Movement and musical ideas would set a fiery pace and toward the end, a tiger scares the monkeys up a tree. Their jamboree continues, but not until two unruly monkeys thumb their noses at the departing menace. Unless readers are prepared to play editor, this is not a first choice. (Picture book. 4-6)