Reviews

Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick, David Serlin

dalefan29's review against another edition

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1.0

While it is possible to appreciate the adorable drawings and for young readers to enjoy the repetitive structure, this book's events completely lack causality. As an introduction to the detective or mystery genre, it fails to show the hero actually solving any mysteries.

rdyourbookcase's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed Baby Monkey, Private Eye so much. I think it’s technically a picture book, but it looks like a chapter book. It was delightfully cute and I always enjoy picture book mysteries. Kids will enjoy it!

mskaty_lovelylibrarian's review against another edition

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5.0

The patterns of language and colors in this book are fantastic. They help early readers predict the stories and recognize words.

listen_learn's review against another edition

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5.0

This is genius! We need more books like this!

teganbeesebooks's review against another edition

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3.0

As usual Brian Selznick kills it with the illustrations. For me the story left somewhat to be desired. A fun easy reader, but I have others I would turn to first. Monarch 2020 nominee.

nssutton's review against another edition

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5.0

Picked this up from the library for myself and M immediately commandeered it for herself. I loved that this is the first “chapter” book we read together and that she got the rhythm and laughed at the pants. I loved the ending and the clever artwork. I love that she sees books as hers and has a solid sense of humor.

bgprincipessa's review against another edition

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5.0

Adorable and funny. Perfect for beginning readers, especially with its repetition. Don't skip the details in this one. There is a guide at the back to help you pick out all of the scenes depicted in Baby Monkey's office, providing a great opportunity for a further dive into a topic. And apparently I have the same snack and nap sensibilities as a baby monkey, no complaints here. Pants are hard for everyone.

beths0103's review against another edition

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4.0

A delightful new book from Brian Selznick that combines the visual beauty of a picture book with the ease and repetition of text of an early reader and the length of a chapter book. Not to mention an adorable gumshoe on the case of stolen jewels, pizza, clown noses, and spaceships.

sasha_in_a_box's review against another edition

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3.0

This is delightful and cute! And educational, but sneakily so.

It's a Baby! It's a Monkey! It'a Baby Monkey Private Eye! He solves crimes (maybe with his ESP??), eats snacks, and puts on pants. He has a routine and he never deviates - that's how he came to be a crack detective!

He's also an art connoisseur, as he regularly refreshes his decor with culturally relevant posters, busts, and oil paintings (with a bibliography at the end. I die)

Lovely work for early readers with his signature art style and humor!

librariandest's review against another edition

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5.0

Baby Monkey trying to put on his pants had my three-year-old busting a gut. She was cracking up so hard we had to stop so she could catch her breath. That's a five star book any day of the week.

This a hybrid between a traditional early reader (very few words per page, big font size, lots of repetition, illustrations are clues to the text) and a chapter book (around 200 pages, five chapters, has a more "I'm a big kid now" look to it). Even though it's a lot of pages, it's best read in one sitting because the joke builds to a crescendo and ends sweetly.

This book is near perfect. The only quibble I have is: why is the mom dressed in a 19th century bonnet and shawl? Baby monkey's pants are jeans and there's a SPACESHIP and an astronaut in one chapter so it's really puzzling to me that mom is dressed like Little Bo Peep. I know her face is meant to be hidden in the first picture of her, but there could have been other ways to accomplish that.