Reviews

"An amusingly literal portrayal of the wildness that so often overcomes children at the end of the day..." - review of 'Monkey Bedtime' from The Guardian

Illustrated by Pauline Gregory, written by Alex English and published by Faber was reviewed in The Guardian’s Children’s book reviews round-up - Picture Books, with journalist Imogen Carter writing:

“It’s not light skies keeping the boy awake in Alex English’s Monkey Bedtime (Faber, 5 May), but a host of hairy primates who have escaped from the zoo. At first it’s just one pygmy marmoset tapping at the window, but before long the tiny chap has let in dozens of his pals and chaos erupts in the bathroom: “The tamarin burped out his name in bubbles in the air. The marmoset jumped in the sink, squeezed toothpaste in his hair.”

With mum off dealing with the baby (while occasionally shouting to her son to get undressed, wash his face, GET READY!), the situation spirals out of control, depicted by Pauline Gregory’s lively drawings of monkeys wrecking the house (the shocked pet dog watching on is a nice touch). Soon the boy finds himself in tears which, fortunately, sparks a mass tidy-up by the guests who realise they’ve gone too far. An amusingly literal portrayal of the wildness that so often overcomes children at the end of the day, Monkey Bedtime demands to be read aloud.”

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