Monkey with a Tool Belt

We love this book and sought out a hardcover to purchase knowing it's a "keep" for this house. The edition we received had pages missing and giant tears. I'm not able to salvage the copy and have to try again.

I just read this to my 4 year old boy at bed time tonight and we laughed ourselves silly! I won't spoil it for new readers, but there is one page that I couldn't read for 3 minutes because we were laughing so hard as soon as we saw the picture. He went to bed wishing he could dream about Chico Bon Bon and what happened in the book. We can't wait for more stories! Brilliant concept. Great execution.

My boys (3 & 5) love Chico Bon Bon and his tool belt. They want to read it every night - over & over - and we all laugh out loud every time. Love it! Possibly my favorite children's book ever.

Chico Bon Bon, a highly-skilled monkey who enjoys building and fixing things, wears one of the most well-equipped tool belts imaginable. His tool belt not only holds such standard items as a screwdriver, planer, monkey wrench, and hammer, but it also holds some rather unusual gadgets with functions we can only guess: a zoozle, snozzer, donkey wrench, banana hammer, and so much more. Chico Bon Bon uses them all to construct new projects and repair things for his friends and family. His talents are put to the ultimate test when he is captured by a nasty organ-grinder from the circus who needs a new monkey. How will Chico Bon Bon fix his way out of this predicament? This amusing book offers teachers and parents an opportunity to slip a short economics lesson into the mix, since Chico Bon Bon uses his tools (capital resources) to fix things (a service) for people in the community. Kids are bound to enjoy the cartoon-like illustrations of a clever monkey who means well, gets into trouble, and uses his trusty toolkit to find a way out.

MONKEY WITH A TOOLBELT was the first book I bought for my baby daughter. Granted she won't *get* it for a long time, but it's sure fun for me to read to her! It's so fun & cute & clever - I particularly love Chico's long list of silly (and not so silly) tools and the illustrations are fantastic. So much to look at and enjoy. I highly recommend this book for you & your little ones! Nice work, Chris!

Reasons To Read the Book "Monkey with a Tool Belt": #1: It is named "Monkey with a Tool Belt". #2: It features a monkey by the name of Chico Bon Bon. #3: And yes, it's brilliant, funny, well-illustrated, blah blah blah. But did you see the title? It's MONKEY WITH A TOOL BELT!! How cool is that? Basically, inside every book reviewer is a five-year-old child who screams with delight when she reads titles created by talented whizzes like Chris Monroe. Ms. Monroe is a Minnesotan with a cartoonist background and an ear for a funny phrase. With this, her second foray into the world of picture books, the result is delightful. Distinctly child-friendly with great art and a story worth reading, "Monkey with a Tool Belt" (I just can't say it often enough) is going to wind up being one of those books that kids remember and treasure for years. Chico Bon Bon. Your average everyday monkey with a tool belt. Outfitted with everything from claw hammers to clam hammers, Chico is the kind of guy you want around when something needs fixing or building. And even when he doesn't get something right the first time, it doesn't take long for him to correct his mistake. One day, Chico is trapped by a nefarious organ grinder intent on making the monkey his new dancing stooge. Fortunately, after the organ grinder takes Chico to his home, he indulges in operating a lot of his loud appliances at once. This is more than adequate to cover up the sound of Chico's tools as he takes a variety of steps towards escaping from his box. One rubber hammer later Chico is on the bus home (his fare having been contained in the belt as well). Safely tucked into bed, the monkey dreams of the things he'll build and invent tomorrow. There is nothing quite so comforting as a competent hero. Monroe has created a story that is as kid-friendly as it is partly because you never really worry too badly for Chico. Even when he's in dire straits you're comforted by the very presence of his tool belt. The text may or may not do well as a readaloud though. I mean, the words do well when read but there are lots of tiny bits of text and images that deserve close one-on-one readings. For example, when we see Chico building things for a bunch of different people (docks for ducks, clocks for clucks, etc.) each picture is accompanied by a tiny insert of the tools he's using. Ditto the huge map showing the route the organ grinder took to get to his circus. Then again, you might be able to skim these areas if you wanted to present this book to a class. I don't think it would hurt the story any. The art is great but the details really make it pop. Take Chico Bon Bon's tool belt for a starter. Of the multitude of tools found there, both real and imaginative, it's hard not to love Monroe's tiny details. The tool labeled "ouija" is indeed a ouija board's plaquette. The bungee hammer is floppity, the turkey wrench has feathers, and the banana hammer has a distinctly yellow cast. R