The Monkey and the Bee (The Monkey Goes Bananas) by C. P. Bloom

by C.P. Bloom

After the success of The Monkey Goes Bananas, the silly monkey is back for another adventure. This time, he finally has his banana, but he doesn’t want to share when a playful bumblebee wants a bite! The monkey tries to swat away the bee and enjoy his banana in peace, but in the process finds himself with a much bigger problem on his he’s awakened an angry lion! Will the monkey and the bee work together to escape the king of the jungle? Full of energy, surprise, and strong visual storytelling, The Monkey and the Bee will once again charm readers with its fast-paced humor and high jinks.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Humor, Childrens, Friendship, Food, Juvenile

Hardcover

First published April 14, 2015

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book with so few words can say so much. As Neo and I interpreted it, a monkey was trying to enjoy a banana when a bee came buzzing around. No matter what the monkey did, that bee would not be deterred. This banter goes on and the monkey ends up chasing the bee all over tarnation, only to encounter a lion that is not all that happy about the ruckus. Monkeys and lions do not make fast friends, turning this into quite the chase. By the end, the bee is happy to help his friend, the monkey, and they become fast friends. Neo did not like the lack of words, but was quite impressed that we could interpret the story for ourselves. This will mean anyone who picks up the book has their own tale to narrate. I am eager to see what others find within these pages.

[Eleanor Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the part where the tiger was chasing the monkey, but then the bee stinged it. It was really silly. At first, he wasn't sharing a banana. But at last, they shared it. If the bee hadn't've done that, there would be more chasing.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m planning on doing a bee theme for story time,ao I’m looking at books with bee in the title. This one came up, I put it on hold and read it right away. It’s definitely not a good one for my story time, but I love the early graphic vibe I got from it. The fact that aside from there is under 15 different words used in this book, but it told a super cute story just goes to show how much information a reader can get from the illustrations.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has about seven words in it, but is really fun to read. The illustrative style is similar to a comic or a graphic novel—so few words and so much of the story is told through the illustrations and mixing up the word order.

[Milton Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adventures of a monkey, a banana, and a bee. B

[DeNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

so much expression and emotion conveyed in just a few words and some fantastic illustrations.

[Susan Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever!

[Jillian Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guaranteed to make kids laugh! Loved this second installment of Monkey.

[Robin Raines-Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laugh out loud fun. Very few words with very expressive illustrations. The kids loved this one.

[Wayne Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

First there was The Monkey Goes Bananas (2014), a vividly illustrated, nearly wordless picture book which tells the story of a determined monkey’s attempt to grab a snack when he spies a banana tree across the shark infested waters from where he sits, resulting in an inventive romp with some hilarious consequences. The story continues in The Monkey and the Bee as the silly monkey finally has his bananas but doesn’t want to share them when a playful bumblebee seeks a bite. The monkey tries to swat the bee away and enjoy his bananas in peace,

However, what will the two of them do when their antics awaken an angry lion? Will they be able to work together to escape the king of the jungle? Will anyone ever get to eat a banana? There is not much text in this book, but it does exhibit a highly visual form of storytelling in which children will enjoy guessing what will happen next. Young readers and listeners will find it full of energy and surprise with its fast-paced humor and high jinks. The monkey’s facial expressions are deliciously funny. C. P. Bloom is actually the creative team of Carly Dempsey, Ed Bloom, and illustrator Peter Raymundo, who started his career as an animator for Walt Disney Studios and now works as a storyboard artist for independent films and commercials in Florida.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delight in so many ways, with the illustrations and simple text sharing the glory of a lively, fast-paced friendship story. The simple "naming" approach to text will allow little readers to chime in and quickly acquire visual vocabulary, making it a go-to title for emerging readers who will happily reread it again and again.
The expressive faces, heavy-black-outlibne and action strokes accent make the boldly colored images winners.
There is a touch of sibling rivalry in this story of developing friendship, a sort of "we can squabble with each other but if someone else attacks we'll stick together" mentality.
My only quibble is that the large, clear text is in all caps, and I'd prefer that as the story progressed some of the now-familiar words would have shifted to lower case or even changing font, allowing little ones to make the leap to know that letters can take on different forms and still be doing the same job.
(That's the life-long teacher in me speaking up, but it is an issue in choosing to use this book with early learning/ELL kids.)

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A monkey is not eager to share his banana with a bee hovering nearby. He shoos the bee away, but it's a persistent creature, and lands on the banana again. When he almost swallows the bee, the monkey becomes enraged and chases him. Intent on swatting that bee, he ends up bothering a lion who gives chase to him. Strangely enough, the bee turns out to be a very good friend to the monkey, saving him from the lion. The book's humor, small amount of text, and colorful illustrations will entice readers to read this one repeatedly. Who knew that a monkey and a bee could get along so well?

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious especially if you loved The Monkey Goes Bananas. The comic style and nearly wordless format is very similar to the prequel, but this one may even be funnier as the monkey finally gets his banana but he has to learn how to share.

This can be a very funny storytime book but has to be read with a lot of expression.

[Maggie KutsBorg · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's fine, I guess. It would take a spirited reading to bring out the humor. It's functionally wordless, since the text on each page doesn't create a story that isn't already being told explicitly by the pictures. And the illustration style seems lazy at best.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The monkey is back with the same style illustrations and extremely simple text that carry the story. Bold, black outlines emphasize the yellow of the bee, the dark brown of the monkey, and the light brown of the TIGER!!

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute picture book about a bee that keeps harassing a monkey. The monkey tries to get him and swats a lion instead. The lion chases the monkey until the bee saves the day. Kids will relate to how the small can outpower the big.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful, mostly wordless book in the same vein as Ed Vere's "Banana!" It would be very fun to pair with the Vere book, and/or to present as a puppet/prop story--although it would be a shame for the storytime audience to miss out on the bold and bright illustrations.

[Miss Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a picture book made up like a graphic novel using frames. I like it, and think I will use this as an interactive outreach book. I may try having the kids play THE MONKEY, THE BEE and the LION and have them tell the story. We'll see.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very few words are used to tell this story about a monkey running from a bee but what happens when a lion enters? Can the bee and the monkey be friends who help one another? I'm not a huge fan of few word books but I liked the crisp clear pictures.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4-year old enjoyed this more than I did - but he really seemed to like it and it was fun to discuss what was going on since there wasn't much text. It's fun to ask him what he think is happening in the pictures and the illustrations are fun!

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

The gimmick isn't new, so it's not as surprising as The Monkey Goes Bananas, but it's still a lot of fun and filled with dynamic illustrations.

[Alyx Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for storytime. Has children captivated
Age: Toddler, Preschool
ECRR: Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Phonological Awareness

[Selena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Proof that the picture are what really tell the story. Also shows how enemies can become friends.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable. A perfect example for students of how you can tell an entire story without being able to write/read words.

[Maggi Rohde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Use to teach reading with expression, punctuation.

[Corinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic reading. Much repetition. A fun way of telling a story in a simple way. The story was all in the illustrations. cute.

[Sherell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sequel to The Moneky Gors Bananas

[Elaine Conway · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two words per scene, simple, monkey, bee, lion
You'd really have to ham this up to play it out in storytime.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

One or two words a page with great illustrations. It is almost a cross between a regular picture book and a wordless picture book.

[Meghan Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the art work.