Monkey with a Tool Belt

Chris Monroe

Monkey with a Tool Belt

Inspiration for the Netflix series Chico Bon Bon!

Whether you need a beebersaw or a chisel, Chico Bon Bon’s your monkey. He can build or fix just about anything—from a dock for the ducks to a clock for the Clucks, even a small roller coaster for local chipmunks.

But will his tools and his sharp wit save him when an organ grinder sets his sights on making Chico a circus star?

Chris Monroe’s quirky hero and detailed illustrations will absorb readers in an entertaining adventure that shows there is an inventive way out of every problem—if you have the right tools.

Carolrhoda Books

Picture Book

Age 4+
32 pp
hc & pb | 254 x 280 mm
Publication: 2008


Author & Illustrator: Chris Monroe

All rights available, excl. Chinese (simpl. & compl.), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish

  • Look inside
  • Book trailer
  • Detailed illustations that invite little readers to search and find
  • A quirky hero in an entertaining adventure

Awards

  • Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices, Winner, 2008
  • ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award, Short-listed, 2008
  • Minnesota Book Award Finalist, Short-listed, 2008
  • National Parenting Publications Gold Award (NAPPA), Winner, 2008
  • New York Public Library Best Books for Kids, Winner, 2008
  • The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon, Winner, 2008
“Laid out in panels, some numbered, some boxed; laid out in loops; arranged as vignettes; or composed like a maze, the illustrations command a reader’s attention. Chico, looks sophisticated—he’s a grown-up cousin of Julius the sock monkey. . . not only gadget jockeys will enjoy this visually polished tale.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Monroe’s watercolor-and-ink illustrations enlarge Chico’s adventure. . . a real treat for observant readers.” —School Library Journal

“Despite his somewhat frou-frou name, Chico Bon Bon is the most tool-savvy monkey around. . . Wide-eyed and widow’s-peaked, Chico is a very likable little guy, vaguely spider-monkey-ish in appearance, and his attachment to his tool belt is clearly evident (he all but pats it lovingly as he tells it goodnight). Some of the tiny captions and illustrative details may be missed in a large group readaloud, but this would be an ideal readalone for fans of weird picture-book humor; just be sure to have the tool kit (or belt) ready and waiting for subsequent simian-tics.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

By the same author and illustrator