Mwnci Bach / Little Monkey

by Marta Altés, Elin Meek (Translator)

It's hard being a little monkey in a big troop, in an even bigger jungle—and this little monkey has had enough of always missing out! She's off to climb to the top of the tallest tree in the jungle and she's going to do it all on her own. Except that there's someone following close behind. Someone with claws and stripes and rather sharp teeth . . . Little Monkey is a beautiful, funny, and empowering picture book from renowned author/illustrator, Marta Altés. Little Monkey shows us that the world is a big, wild, and wonderful place where anything is possible.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Marta Altés is an award-winning author and illustrator. She studied graphic design in Barcelona and after working there as a graphic designer for almost five years, decided to pursue her interest for illustration that she had since she was a child. Marta moved to the UK to study for an MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, and graduated in 2011.

Since then she has seen her books translated into over 30 languages, she has taught as a part time lecturer in the MA where she studied, and has done lots of workshops with little artists around the world.

Marta lives in London with her partner, her baby daughter and Little Sam the dog. She always tries to have a positive and funny vision about life and to get a smile from who is looking at her drawings or reading her stories is what she likes the most about illustration.

Reviews

[Anna Wilczyńska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urzekające ilustracje, a i treść całkiem budująca dla małego człowieka. Bardzo prosty język, ładne wydanie, dołącza do grona ulubionych bibliotecznych znalezisk dla dziecka.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard being a very little monkey in a big troop, in an even bigger jungle and Monkey feels that she is always missing out. So she is determined to climb to the top of the tallest tree in the jungle and she will do it all on her own, just to prove that she is not so little.

The only problem is that a large animal with claws and stripes and rather sharp teeth is closely following her and she is blissfully unaware of this.

The journey to find the tree is not easy but Monkey does it without any serious problems and when she reaches the tree she manages to climb right to the top. Her friends are watching from a nearby lower tree and she thinks they are cheering her. But really they are trying to warn her of impending danger.

Nevertheless she negotiates her way back down the tree, even using, without realising it, the tail of the animal as a rope at one point. And then she makes her perilous way back home thinking how pleased, proud and brave she is in having made the journey and climbed the tree. Her friends greet her and add to her description of herself, 'And very lucky' - for they knew the danger that she was unknowingly in. After that it is hugs all round, and little Monkey realises that the smaller you are the bigger the hugs can be!

'little Monkey' is a lovely, amusing book that brings a smile to your face from author/illustrator, Marta Altés and it demonstrates that the world is a big, wild and wonderful place where anything is possible, be you big or small. And although little Monkey is small she is bold, fearless and curious and she proves that anything can be accomplished.

[Gloria Dauden · Rating 5 out of 5]

La portada me atrapó en la biblio por su colorido, alegría y textura.
Es una joyita. La historia no tiene giros tan sorprendentes como la del cocodrilo, pero fluye muy bien y ofrece el cierre necesario. Las ilustraciones son preciosas.
Estoy sacando libros de este estilo de la biblio para empaparme del estilo de cara a cosillas que voy a hacer en 2019 y este también ha sido una grata sorpresa. :)

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated book about a little monkey who feels left out because she is so much smaller than all the other monkeys. Positive message suggesting being different is not bad even if it seems to be to begin with.

[Joana Alves | Juca Mindscape · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um livro amoroso e muito divertido e que ajuda a que as crianças não se sintam tristes por serem pequeninas.

[Albana Bregu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a little monkey who feels he is missing out because he is still young and little but that decides to climb the tallest tree in the jungle without noticing that someone is lurking behind him. The book uses pictures that work together with the words in the text show monkey's feelings and actions.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely positive message from this book! It doesn’t matter if you are different compared to the rest of the people even if it feels like that at the start! Lovely pictures throughout and well written - KS1 would love it.

[Kaylee Harkness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute book with amazing illustrations. Great story about a small monkey that no one things can do anything due to her size! My kids related to this; everyone’s all telling them they are too tiny to do things!

[Jennifer B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely charming and wonderful! Love the illustrations, too!

[Adrian Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely little book beautifully illustrated about a monkey that feels left out for being different a useful for PSHE lessons.

[Rachel Hinds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book with bright illustrations. Theme: although you may be small, you can have big adventures - with just a little bravery.

[Con Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun adventure. Real cute monkey.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a little girl who delighted in climbing stuff she probably shouldn't, I would have LOVED this!

Gorgeous art from Altés as usual, with really vivid colours and lovely layouts.

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book teaches you to be kind and know that anything is possible.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Themes: monkeys
Ages: preK-1st grade
Pub year: 2016

[Fny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swedish edition.

[AL أل · Rating 4 out of 5]

És preciós!

[Rachel Wharmby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have all of Marta Altés' illustrated children's books, she's my favourite children's book author. Little Monkey is an endearing and funny story of a brave little monkey that goes off to discover the world and comes back appreciating what she has back home. The illustrations are gorgeous, made with watercolours and coloured pencils; a delight to the eyes. Lovely hand made letters and beautiful colour palette too! Highly recommendable.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is simply brilliant. The visual content is astounding in it's depth and detail and the tale warms the hearts of children and adults alike. I gave it to my niece and we have read it many times together, much to the delight of us both. Highly recommended reading for all :)

[Laine · Rating 4 out of 5]

first picture book of the year for me. super cute story. i wanted to keep looking at the fun illustrations. 4 stars.

[John Michael Martinez (Elio. Journal) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are truly lovely, featuring a color scheme and sketchy texture that remind me of Benji Davies' style. The book is filled with various illustrations that span across the pages, bringing the story to life.

The story follows the journey of a little monkey in a big jungle. This little monkey has grown tired of being left out and decides that it's time to take on a big challenge—climbing to the very top of the tallest tree, all on her own!

Though monkeys generally love the jungle, this little one faces a unique problem—she's just too little. Sometimes things are out of reach, out of sight, too deep, dangerous, or difficult. Fed up with these limitations, she makes a brave and very "big" decision: to climb the tallest tree.

The journey is not easy, but she perseveres, noticing along the way that even little things can do amazing things. With determination, she reaches the bottom of the tallest tree and begins her ascent, climbing higher and higher until she reaches the very top. From there, she can see everything, including her troop far below.

However, danger has been lurking. The little monkey doesn’t notice the tiger that has been following her since the beginning of her journey. While she thinks her troop is happy and excited for her success, in reality, they’re panicking because they see the giant figure of the tiger behind her. Realizing it’s time to go back, the little monkey barely notices the tiger as she cleverly uses its tail to swing down the tree and return safely to her troop. She proudly thinks, "I may be small, but I'm very brave," and her troop replies, "And very lucky!"

The lesson I've learned from this story is that you shouldn't limit your capabilities based on what others think. The smaller you are, the larger your adventures can be.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aunque las ilustraciones son encantadoras y la historia en principio tiene un mensaje importante, especialmente cuando la protagonista es femenina, por debajo también esconde un trasfondo de visión negativa a ser pequeña, tener miedo y ser cuidadosa que no termina de funcionar para mí.

[Carmel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great lesson. Liked it!

Being different is okay, kids. No need to worry about.

[Tom Bransby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork in this book is nothing short of a masterpiece, the level of detail in each page is simply stunning. The story itself is packed full of the charm and wit we've come to expect from Marta Altés, I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!