Maybe...

by Chris Haughton, Chris Haughton (Illustrator)

Overview

“Perfect for group sharing. . . . Haughton’s skilled use of color, composition, and page-turns heightens the drama.” —The Horn Book (starred review)

Three little monkeys and their big monkey are sitting high on a branch in the forest canopy. “OK, monkeys! I’m off,” says the big monkey. “Remember . . . Whatever you do, do NOT go down to the mango tree. There are tigers down there.” Mmm . . . mangoes! think the little monkeys. They LOVE mangoes. Hmm . . . Maybe . . . Maybe they could just look at the mangoes. That would be OK, right? With vivid colors, bold shapes, and his trademark visual humor, Chris Haughton, creator of Don’t Worry, Little Crab, crafts a deliciously suspenseful cautionary tale about pushing boundaries—and indulging your impish side (when nobody is looking).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536220247
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/02/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	265,638
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 10.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Chris Haughton is the creator of many acclaimed picture books, including Little Owl Lost; Oh No, George!; Shh! We Have a Plan; Goodnight Everyone; and Don’t Worry, Little Crab. He has taught many courses in design and illustration around the world, and in 2007 was named one of TIME magazine’s Design 100 for his work for Fair Trade and People Tree. Originally from Dublin, Chris Haughton now lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2021

K-Gr 2—Three mischievous blue monkeys are warned to stay away from the mango tree—that's where the tigers live. But their curiosity is piqued—they simply must go to the mango tree! Tigers chase the monkeys away, and they scamper back up their home tree to safety. The text is pleasingly repetitive and the illustrations provide humorous visuals to keep readers poring over the pages. "No tigers here!" the monkeys cheer, but sharp-eyed little ones will spot the striped felines lurking in the bushes. Haughton's artwork is even more bold here than in past titles. The characters have no outlines, but their colors are carefully chosen so that they stand out or blend into the environment as appropriate.The monkeys are composed of cool indigo, blue, and green tones; the tigers in shadow are purple to blend in with the magenta backdrop. When the fierce beasts emerge, the oranges and yellows clash brilliantly with the purple environment, creating a strong sense of drama during the climactic chase. An epigraph from Aristotle appears on the copyright page: "For the things we have to learn before we can do, we learn by doing." The story acts more as a celebration of curiosity than a warning about the dangers of misbehaving. In fact, when the monkeys are told about a nearby banana tree at the end of the book, they are eager for another adventure. VERDICT Worth a purchase wherever Haughton's books are popular.—Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA

School Library Journal

2021-07-27
Three young monkeys make mischief while their elder is away.

The story, set in a jungle and introduced with an Aristotelian epigraph about learning by doing, features three small monkeys and a larger one readers will assume is a parent or caregiver. As the large monkey leaves, the young ones are told to stay on the branch on which they sit: There are tigers down by the mango trees. But these mischief-makers break the rules anyway and eventually find themselves on the ground, enjoying the fruit. Four nail-biting spreads (“RUN!!!”) are devoted to their scramble to escape the tigers, one requiring a 90-degree turn as they race up a tree. The book’s suspense is built with careful pacing and the repetition of particular words (“down, down, down, / to the trees below”) and phrases: “Any tigers here? No! / Any tigers there? No! / No tigers anywhere!” The illustrations, rendered in Haughton’s signature vividly saturated palette, feature monkeys with huge eyes, dark purple fur, blue ears, and lime green noses as well as tigers who are animated with angular lines and massive teeth. Though the ever curious monkeys are frightened by the tigers, they are tempted in the end (“maybe…”) by the mention of bananas down below. The monkeys are anthropomorphized in that readers have access to their first-person inner thoughts. Human characteristics are otherwise not attributed to them, though readers wanting to move past monkey protagonists in their picture books may take a pass.

An impish adventure. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Perfect for group sharing. . . . Haughton’s skilled use of color, composition, and page-turns heightens the drama.
—The Horn Book (starred review)

The book’s suspense is built with careful pacing and the repetition of particular words. . . An impish adventure.
—Kirkus Reviews

This funny folkloric tale will cue audiences immediately. . . There’s electrical contrast in the collage-style digital art, with the blue monkeys popping against red, magenta, and orange backdrops that will easily make images visible at a distance in a lively storytime.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Haughton's artwork is even more bold here than in past titles. . . . Worth a purchase wherever Haughton's books are popular.
—School Library Journal

A fun story of seeing the line, then daring to cross it. . . . equal parts whimsy and cautionary, kids will gravitate towards these little monkeys and their daring adventures. With bright colors and bold shapes, kids and adults alike will thoroughly enjoy this title.
—School Library Connection

Small children ages 2-6 will see the menace that the monkeys do not, which ratchets up the tension as the reckless primates commence to feasting on sweet juicy mangoes. . . enough to teach even the naughtiest tykes a lesson. Well, maybe . . .
—The Wall Street Journal

[H]ilarious… The droll illustrations in brilliant colors depict the wide-eyed monkeys talking each other into going for the mangoes and just barely escaping the cartoonish tigers' big teeth. Small children in the target audience will appreciate the perfect (and very funny) ending.


—The Buffalo News

From the Publisher