MONKEY TRUCK

“When there’s trouble in the jungle, Monkey Truck knows what to do.” This furry, brown truck with an expressive monkey face and extra-long arms saves a chameleon from being squished by a clumsy elephant and a butterfly from a hungry Venus flytrap. He washes dirty warthogs, untangles vipers, gives crocodiles backrubs and even feeds baby birds. “A monkey with a mission—WOW, he sure is fast. / His overdrive engine burns banana gas.” When a tsunami threatens, he piles all the animals (including three hippos) in his bed and heads for high ground. “Who’s the little fella that the jungle calls king? A four-wheeled Banana-eating monkey machine.” The illustrator of My Life as a Chicken, by Ellen A. Kelley (2007), Slack produces a zippy jungle jaunt with enough action and rhythm for any preschooler in his first solo effort. The bright, blocky and, above all, goofy digitally painted illustrations will grab attention, and Monkey Truck’s hooting mug (and tooting bottom) will keep the giggles flowing. Hope for more from this outrageous imagination. (Picture book. 2-5)