EARTH DAY, BIRTHDAY!

Can "the silliest monkey ever seen" share a birthday...with Earth Day?

It's April 22, and everyone in the jungle—the big lion, elephant, crocodile and even the pith-helmeted snake—is celebrating Earth Day with a day full of planned ecological events. Who should swing into view but Monkey, declaring, "It's not Earth Day! It's my birthday!" Viewing him mostly as a nuisance, the others offer to include him in their projects. The flamingo is planting a row of tiny trees, the zebra is picking up litter, the hippo shops with cloth bags, the tiger is composting and the giraffe sorts bottles, cans, paper and glass for recycling. But the heedless Monkey, while lending a hand, keeps repeating his mantra: "It's not Earth Day! It's my birthday!" Even the lion's roar—"Give me a break!"—doesn't put a dent in Monkey's certainty. And he just may have a point. When he shows all the other animals the yummy birthday cake his mom made for him, everyone is immediately converted. Monkey blows out the candles, and all the animals yell, "Hooray! It's Monkey's birthday AND it's Earth Day!" Wright keeps the verse crisp and bouncy while including an impressive number of ecological activities and a nice variety of animals. Kim's bright pictures combine paper, photographs, and colored pencils.

Breezy, with a valuable message tucked inside.