By Phoebe Vreeland, The Children’s Book Review
Published: October 14, 2010
By Lisa Schroeder (Author), Lisa McCue (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-7
Hardcover: 24 pages
Publisher: Sterling (September 7, 2010)
Source: Publisher
Author Lisa Schroeder and illustrator Lisa McCue collaborate in this playful tale of a young chimpanzee’s solo adventure through the jungle. Schroeder‘s popular bed-time tale Baby Can’t Sleep is adored by parents for its lilting rhyme and humorous take on counting sheep. For this new book, she once again crafts a sweet rhyming text with plenty of action words to keep the story moving along punctuated by a chorus of “Where Could Mother Be?” All the while mama chimp is there guarding over her young one from a distance. Parent and child will enjoy looking for her hidden in the jungle’s lush foliage on each page. The short tale reaches the end as the sun is setting and mother and child are “reunited.” Mama tells her little one how big and brave he is and baby chimp, feeling safe in her embrace, admits he is glad she has found him. By nightfall, we leave Little Chimp snuggled in his mother’s arms safe—high up in the trees under a full moon. Little Chimp’s Big Day is an ideal book for the emergent toddler as mother begins to give him both the space and the watchful eye to safely explore the world.
Lisa McCue has illustrated a bounty of over 175 children’s books: Quiet Bunny and the re-illustrated Corduroy series among them. Schroeder is gifted at creating adorable fuzzy and fluffy animals young children delight at. Little Chimp has a most expressive face as he swings through the jungle and interacts with other animals. Schroeder has painted a beautiful jungle idyll blending exotics from all around. Brightly colored macaws, azure Morpho butterflies and fuchsia orchids accent the lush green of the jungle. Little Chimp’s sidekick, a tiny red and yellow caterpillar, is also fun to pick out on each page. Little Chimp’s Big Day is another beautifully produced high quality picture book from Sterling.
Add this book to your collection: Little Chimp’s Big Day
