Buy Me a Monkey

Buy Me a Monkey by Cherelle Flemming, illustrated by Graeme Compton (Little Steps Publishing)

HB RRP $14.95

ISBN: 9781925117554

Reviewed by Anne Hamilton

Ellie Eckles is determined to have a monkey for her sixth birthday! She’s asked her mum a hundred times but the answer is always ‘no’. Ellie won’t give up—she’s devised a scheme with the help of an internet company specialising in free pet monkeys!

In preparation for the monkey’s arrival, she’s saved her lunch bananas and hidden them in a secret place. (Maybe the map to their location wasn’t a good idea but, as it turns out, the monkey wasn’t a real hot one either.)

Millie the monkey arrives in the post. Ellie manages to keep her a secret from Mum and relishes the thought of all the fun they’ll have together. But Ellie has to leave Millie alone while she’s at school. She returns to chaos and destruction. You guessed it—Millie has not been toilet-trained or house-trained…

The moral of this lively story about a cheeky monkey and a cheekier girl: don’t pester your mum for a chimp. There might just be good reasons to choose another pet.

The book is a brightly illustrated soft cover for pre-schoolers and early readers.