Longer than most of his books, this set of tales shows Shulevitz's struggling to find the right tone, perhaps because it was unfamiliar ground for him in a number of ways. For one, the protagonist is a monkey, and not a young lonely monkey, but a content, old monkey. Also, he is searching for adventure with peers (if a giraffe, for example, can be considered a monkey's peer.) Finally, it is Shulevitz's now familiar imaginative tropical world from the very beginning, leaving little room for improvement.

Useful as a take-home companion for the higher level readers after reading aloud Shulevitz' simpler books. ( )