Monkey Puzzle

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We love this book too, such a great rhyming structure to it and as always the illustrations are lovely! Your felt animals are brilliant too!! This leads butterfly on a wild goose, or more appropriately to begin with, a wild elephant, chase. Little monkey has to tell him that it isn't his mum and he gives butterfly another clue - 'her tail coils round the trees'. Eventually the little monkey becomes exasperated with Butterfly. Why does she keep getting the wrong animals? Then, the penny drops. The little monkey never gives Butterfly the key information - the little monkey’s mum looks like he does! This seems obvious to the little monkey but it isn’t to Butterfly because none of her babies looks like she does: her babies are caterpillars! Look at the plants and flowers in the illustrations. Can you identify similar plants using reference books? All Rabbit wants is to have a nap. But who is being so noisy? Lift the flaps to find out who is keeping Rabbit awake in Acorn Wood.

Five years after the publication of multi award-winning The Gruffalo, author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler return with a much-awaited sequel. I used to have this book when my son was small. All Julia Donaldson’s books are fabulous. You can get so many learning activities from them too You could also read the story before a trip or a holiday to discuss with a young child what they should do if they ever do become lost (not a comfortable idea to entertain but it is certainly an important subject to discuss if you feel your little one is old enough).I LOVE Julia Donaldson and will read her books for fun and I’m 26! My toddler is only 20 months and isn’t even interested in the gruffalo yet! I love this book a week link up idea though and love to try new books with him all the time The clever aspect of this tale is the butterfly being unsure who they're looking for as their babies differ from them.

Lots of Julia Donaldson books feature animal characters - from whales to ladybirds, from monkeys to mice!

Crafts and activities for kids

My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes. Look at the different types of punctuation shown in the story. Could you use some of these in your own writing? The butterfly’s babies don’t look like him. Can you explain why this is? What does metamorphosis mean? The story was great fun to read, with lots of opportunity for children to interact with the story, such as declaring what each animal is. As always with this collection of titles from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler which includes the critically acclaimed 'The Gruffalo', the illustration is vibrant and brings to life the animal characters. The characters are all which the children can relate to; the monkey in search of its mother could be the children themselves, and the helpful adult butterfly can be likened to police, teachers or other adults who would help the child. Another very lovely, entrancing and enchanting story from the ever reliable pen of Donaldson and the accomplished brush of Scheffler.

I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married. This story is fantastic for children learning language. It is full of phrases that kids can join in with and it is rich in descriptive vocabulary. Kids learn body parts, adjectives and describing ability and actions, as well as jungle animal vocabulary. Read and Create is a personal blog, featuring children's literature and the play, crafts, outings and food inspired by stories.

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Monkey puzzle is the tale of a young monkey who searches for his mum with the help of a butterfly. Confusion unfolds as the butterfly uses only the most immediate piece of information when looking for the monkey's mum, for example 'She's big!' declares the monkey 'bigger than me' and using this information the butterfly takes the monkey to an elephant. Look at the creatures in the story and the illustrations. Could you write a report about one of them, describing where they live and what they are like? Axel Scheffler's distinctive illustrations bring the characters and settings of "Monkey Puzzle" to life. His vibrant and expressive artwork adds depth to the story, making it an immersive experience for young readers. Monkey Puzzle (also known as “Where’s my Mum?”) by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is a firm favourite with children in our classes. Monkey has lost his Mum. The butterfly is keen to help but it takes a while! They meet lots of other animals along the way.

This is one of the first books we bought for our son and it is a huge favourite! Love the felt animals you have made to go with it. The butterfly, though well-intentioned, frequently confuses different animals for the monkey's mother due to its misunderstanding of the descriptions provided by the monkey. The butterfly's suggestions include a diverse array of creatures such as an elephant, a snake, a spider, a parrot, a frog, and a bat. Despite the butterfly's best efforts, these misidentifications lead to humorous interactions and highlight the differences between various jungle inhabitants. The story begins with a little monkey, alone and lost in the jungle. This little monkey has lost his mum. We love Julia Donaldson books in this house, they are such wonderfully imaginative stories for little ones!Monkey Puzzle or Where’s My Mom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is full of delights for young children. You will find Julia Donaldson’s brilliant rhymes and Axel Scheffler’s wonderful illustrations along with repetition, clues, jungle animals and a great big hug. We have read it over and over again and never tire of it. If you don’t own a copy it is a great addition to your bookshelves at this time of year as Mother’s Day approaches and it is also a fantastic story to read in the Spring as an introduction to the lifecycle of a butterfly. This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Axel was born in Hamburg, Germany. At school he was good at art, but didn't think of a career in illustration until he won a cuddly purple cow in a drawing competition. He moved to England in 1982 to study illustration at the Bath Academy of Art, and then set up home in London. I really enjoyed reading this book and reading it to a class of children because they seem to enjoy it and engage with the story. I would say that the most appropriate age for this book would be around 3-6 years. However, I have read it to 1 and 2 year old children and they have engaged with the it. I think it just depends on the child and if they are happy to sit and listen to a story.