My Tooth Is Lost! (Monkey & Cake #3)

PreS-Gr 2–In the style of Mo Willems’s “Elephant and Piggie,” Monkey and Cake arrive on the scene complete with colored word bubbles, humor, drama, and an unexpected ending. When cheerful Cake finds a depressed Monkey mourning the loss of his tooth, Cake reassures him with a story of the tooth fairy and a monetary reward. But Monkey is horrified and insists that he wants his tooth back so he can eat with it, which confuses Cake. All is cleared up when Tooth, whose name is Kevin, arrives and they head off to eat pie. The controlled text is humorous and effective, and the clever twist ending will have readers laughing. Monkey has Gerald-esque concern and drama in his responses, playing off calm, philosophical Cake. Each character’s word bubbles are a unique color, aiding readers. The dark pencil and acrylic cartoon-style art portrays the characters in full color, while the primarily white backgrounds contain the occasional tree or prop. Stubby-legged Cake is pink with confetti stripes, chocolate frosting, and a cherry. Gangly Monkey is brown and sports a red baseball cap, while Kevin wears star-shaped sunglasses. The characters all have simple, expressive faces, with large white eyes and dot pupils. With simple lines, Tallec captures movement, personality, and a variety of emotions. VERDICT While clearly reminiscent of Mo Willems's work, Daywalt and Tallec's offering captures that sweet spot of humor and accessibility that makes an effective beginning reader. Only the potentially offensive use of a monkey as a protagonist keeps it from being a solid recommendation. Reviewed by Amy Lilien-Harper, Wilton Library, CT

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Praise for Monkey & Cake

* "On the theory that it's never too early to start considering the deep questions... eventually, in easy-to-follow steps, [Cake] comes around to the only logical position: that whatever is or is not in the box is more a matter of belief than something provable." — Booklist, starred review

"EXUBERANT, EXPRESSIVE AND FULL OF PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY... 4- to 8-year-olds will practice not only simple sentences but also a thought experiment... in a humorous coda, readers discover what seems to be the impossible truth." —- The Wall Street Journal

"Daywalt (The Day the Crayons Quit) and Tallec (This Book Will Not Be Fun) have crafted a delightful, philosophical romp that will please and intrigue beginning readers.... Funny and thought-provoking. A definite purchase for beginning reader collections." —- School Library Journal

Praise for The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt:

* "Purely absurd, sidesplitting humor." — Booklist, starred review

* "The sort of story that makes children love to read." — School Library Journal, starred review

Praise for The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt:

Amazon's 2013 Best Picture Book of the Year

Winner of the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award

* "These memorable personalities will leave readers glancing apprehensively at their own crayon boxes." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Utterly original." — San Francisco Chronicle

Praise for This Book Will Not Be Fun, illustrated by Olivier Tallec:

* "Tallec's artwork... is impeccably turned out." — Publishers Weekly, starred review