As teachers, we want to fill our students' lives with rich literature. Sometimes I cringe when I see a student choose the "new, fun" book over a treasured favorite, but then I remember that student choice is so important in creating lifelong readers. Monkey with a Toolbelt by Chris Monroe isn't the richest picture book, but it is FUN. Kids love it, AND the main character is creative and a problem-solver, which is always a big plus!
My precious Godmother, Nancy, gave me this book a few years ago. The author, Chris Monroe, is an author, illustrator, and cartoonist in my hometown of Duluth, MN. Monroe has a creative, detail-filled book about Chico Bon-Bon, a monkey who has a toolbelt filled with dozens of tools. He uses those tools (some of which have incredibly funny names) to help his friends. He builds a tiny roller coaster for squirrels, and the clock he makes for the chickens (or the "clucks" in the story) shows two times: Meal Time and Snack Time. Chico is definitely community-oriented. He wants to do things for others!
One day, however, he arrives at his AMAZING tree house and sees something irresistible nearby: a banana split sundae. When he tries to taste it, he discovers it is plastic. It's a trap! A box traps him and the Organ Grinder from the circus loads Chico onto his bike. Apparently, the last monkey escaped with the help of some of the other circus animals. That monkey is shown surfing on the beach, living his best life. One thing that I love about this book is that it shows Chico using his creativity and his tools (because, of course, he had his toolbelt with him) to create a plan to escape. The illustrations show his 12-step plan, which is great for students because it shows how things do not just happen, you have to plan for the desired outcome. Chico's plans work! He is able to attract the Organ Grinder to the box, hit the Organ Grinder in the toe to distract him, then break out of the box, run out of the house, and catch a bus home.
When Chico arrives at home, he is relieved! There is one final surprise, though. Chico goes up to his bedroom, puts on his pajamas, and then puts his toolbelt BACK on to go to sleep. That's so uncomfortable! But Chico goes to sleep and dreams of all of the things he'll do to help his friends tomorrow.
Chico's story is not high art, but the illustrations paint the picture of a rich world and interesting characters. There are now multiple stories about Chico Bon-Bon As I was researching for this blog post, I discovered that a new, animated show based on the Monkey with a Toolbelt books premiering TOMORROW (May 8, 2020) on Netflix! Wow! Go Go, Chico Bon-Bon!