Baby Monkey, Private Eye

by Brian Selznick, David Serlin, Brian Selznick (Illustrator)

Overview

Who is Baby Monkey?

He is a baby.

He is a monkey.

He has a job.

He is Baby Monkey, Private Eye!

Lost jewels?

Missing pizza?

Stolen spaceship?

Baby Monkey can help...

if he can put on his pants!

Baby Monkey's adventures come to life in an exciting blend of picture book, beginning reader, and graphic novel. With pithy text and over 120 black and white drawings accented with red, it is ideal for sharing aloud and for emerging readers.

Hooray for Baby Monkey!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338180619
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/27/2018
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	77,697
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Brian Selznick is the Caldecott Medal-winning creator of the New York Times bestsellers The Invention of Hugo Cabret, adapted into Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning Hugo, Todd Haynes's Wonderstruck, and The Marvels. Among the celebrated picture books Selznick has illustrated are the Caldecott Honor Book The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley, and the Sibert Honor Book When Marian Sang by Pam Muñoz Ryan. His books appear in over 35 languages. He has also worked as a bookseller, a puppeteer, and a screenwriter. He divides his time between Brooklyn, New York and San Diego, California.

David Serlin is a writer, editor, and historian who teaches at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author or editor of numerous books and articles for adults. Baby Monkey, Private Eye is his first book for children. He divides his time between Brooklyn, New York and San Diego, California.

Hometown:

Brooklyn, New York, and San Diego, California

Date of Birth:

July 14, 1966

Place of Birth:

New Jersey

Education:

Rhode Island School of Design

Website:

http://theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/20/2017
A nearly 200-page chapter book for emerging readers? Using a pared-down vocabulary and luxuriant, chiaroscuro drawings, Selznick (The Marvels) and husband Serlin make it work—brilliantly. Four oddball robbery victims show up at Baby Monkey’s Sam Spade–worthy office, including a chef whose pizza has gone missing and a clown who has had his red nose stolen. Baby Monkey’s basic MO is always the same: look for clues, take notes, eat a snack, put on pants, and solve the crime (generally by looking right outside his office door). The tight, repeating structure gives Selznick plenty of opportunity to riff on the details: in each chapter, Baby Monkey has a different (and triumphant) wrestling match with his pants, and the furnishings of his office change to match the profession of each client (for those who can’t guess these Easter eggs, a key and index are included). “Hooray for Baby Monkey!” are the last words of this endearingly funny graphic novel/picture book/early reader—it’s a sentiment that readers of all ages will wholeheartedly affirm. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Baby Monkey, Private Eye:


• "Irresistible." -- Booklist, starred review


Awards and Praise for The Invention of Hugo Cabret:

2008 Caldecott Medal winner
National Book Award Finalist
#1 New York Times Bestseller
New York Times Best Illustrated Book
Los Angeles Times Favorite Children's Book of the Year
TIME Magazine's 100 Best Children's and Young Adult Books of All Time

“Evokes wonder . . . like a silent film on paper.” -- The New York Times

“A fast-paced treat.” -- People Magazine

“Distinctive.”-- The Wall Street Journal

“Cinematic.”-- Parenting Magazine

“Captivating.”-- Los Angeles Times Book Review

“If your kid loves the J.K. Rowling series, then [they are] bound to enjoyThe Invention of Hugo Cabret. . .”-- Good Housekeeping


• “A true masterpiece.”-- Publishers Weekly, starred review


• “Fade to black and cue the applause!”-- Kirkus, starred review


• “Complete genius.”-- Horn Book, starred review


• “Breathtaking . . . shatters conventions.”-- School Library Journal, starred review


• “An original and creative integration of art and text.”-- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

“Visually stunning . . . raises the bar.” -- San Antonio Express-News


Awards and Praise for Wonderstruck:

#1 New York Times Bestseller
New York Times Notable Children's Book
ALA Notable Children's Book
Parents' Choice Gold Winner
Publishers Weekly Best Book

“Engrossing, intelligent, beautifully engineered and expertly told in word and image.” -- The New York Times Book Review

“Moving and ingenious . . .” -- The Wall Street Journal

“Brian Selznick proves to be that rare creator capable of following one masterpiece--The Invention of Hugo Cabret--with another even more brilliantly executed.” -- Washington Post

“Another entrancing, exquisitely illustrated novel . . . Older kids and adults alike will be mesmerized by the interlocking stories. A verbal and visual marvel.” -- Family Circle


• “A gift for the eye, mind, and heart.” -- Booklist, starred review


• “Visually stunning, completely compelling.”-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review


• “Innovative . . . has the makings of a classic.” -- Publishers Weekly, starred review


• “A thing of wonder to behold . . . an emotional experience that neither the words nor the illustrations could achieve on their own.”-- School Library Journal,starred review


Praise for The Marvels:

New York Times Bestseller
New York Times Notable Children's Book
An Indie Bound #1 National Bestseller
Guardian Children's Book Prize Finalist
Publishers Weekly Best Book


• “Selznick continues his quest to shake up notions of illustrated novels, wordless storytelling, and the intersection of text and pictures in this newest volume . . . The novel as a whole is exactly the sort of theater that is so lovingly described within.” -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review


• “Caldecott Medalist Selznick has been creating acclaimed illustrated novels for years now, and his latest takes his groundbreaking narrative format to new heights . . . [this] warm, affecting family tale is bittersweet, astonishing, and truly marvelous.” -- Booklist, starred review


• “. . . epic theater celebrating mysteries of the heart and spirit.” -- Kirkus, starred review


• “[A] powerful story about creating lasting art and finding family in unexpected places.” -- Publishers Weekly, starred review


• “Memorable, momentous.” -- School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 01/01/2018
PreS-Gr 1—Selznick and Serlin take the easy reader format to new creative heights. Baby Monkey may be a baby (and a monkey) but he has a full-time job as a private eye. Baby Monkey solves five cases (one for each chapter) by looking carefully for visual clues. Full-page illustrations facing single, simple, and often repetitive sentences in an oversized typeface make this ideal for emerging readers. The sharp pacing and charming humor also make it an excellent read-aloud choice. Selznick's signature black-and-white drawings—his noir-like style here played up to full effect—invite readers to linger and look carefully. With each case, the framed paintings and various bric-a-brac decorating Baby Monkey's well-appointed office changes. Hidden clues and jokes abound, as in "The Case of the Missing Spaceship," wherein the opening two-page spread shows a framed poster of A Trip to the Moon (a hat tip to devoted Selznick fans), an image of Apollo 13, a portrait of Galileo Galilei, and a bust of John F. Kennedy. Will most of these references sail over the heads of the intended audience? Perhaps. But the story works just as well without them, and Selznick and Serlin take pains to make sure young readers have enough information to look them up if they are so inclined; the "Key to Baby Monkey's Office" in the back matter lists each visual reference by chapter/case. A running gag about Baby Monkey forgetting to wear—and struggling to put on—pants will have readers cracking up. In the very last case, the primate private eye jumps into the loving arms of his mom and takes a well-earned nap. VERDICT A delightful easy reader that is as funny as it is elegant. This will be enjoyed equally by youngsters and their grown-ups.—Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

★ 2017-11-22
In five chapters spanning almost 200 pages, Selznick—here working with husband Serlin—manages to do for the early reader what he accomplished with the picture book: reinvent it. The narrative unfolds in finely wrought, crosshatched compositions drawn in pencil and introducing the color red to reward readers as they hunt for stolen objects alongside the pint-sized simian detective. Though he's as successful as his hard-boiled, cinematic counterparts, Baby Monkey is still a youngster, so after each client arrives for consultation, he playfully peers through his magnifying glass, scribbles findings, nibbles snacks, and attempts to dress himself. This structure provides the repetition that, when paired with brief sentences, visual clues, a large typeface, and clear dialogue bubbles, serves the format extremely well. Impish expressions and oversized trousers will amuse the audience throughout each of the several-page wardrobe sequences. Preceding each knock on the door is an office "scene change" inviting viewers to analyze objects and predict the visitor's identity; for example, and in a nod to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the iconic image from Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon heralds an astronaut. An oversized bonnet and dress shroud the final guest in mystery until the loving denouement. Not to be missed are the sendups of a bibliography and index, and adult readers will enjoy the visual keys to the clues planted in Baby Monkey's office.Wrapped in the chiaroscuro of film noir, kids will forget they are learning to read, focusing instead on the comic bits, persistence, and vulnerability of an endearing hero. (Early reader. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews