by Owen Davey (Author)
With over 250 species inhabiting our planet, this book explores the many different types of monkeys from the smallest Pygmy Marmoset to the largest Mandrill, and provides all the facts you wanted to know and more.
Discover where monkeys come from, how they swing from tree to tree, and why they fight and play with each other. After reading this beautifully illustrated book, you'll soon be raving mad about monkeys!
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In this visually striking overview of monkeys, Davey pairs geometric graphics that recall poster art and African masks with information about the traits, evolution, habits, and diversity of these primates. He covers common monkey characteristics, such as their social nature, as well as those of particular monkeys--Ethiopian geladas sleep in cliff-side huddles to stay clear of predators, and crab-eating macaques "have developed an amphibious lifestyle." Other spreads examine monkeys' mischievous reputations ("Monkeys regularly steal from humans. Businesses and homes can be ransacked in a matter of minutes by these criminal critters"), their roles in human culture and religious beliefs, and the ways humans have affected monkey habitats. A semi-irreverent tone and stylish images (the human in a primate family tree rocks cuffed jeans and a high-and-tight hipster haircut) combine to create an arresting and informative guide to simian nature. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)
Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Gr 3-6 Davey's striking illustrations and bold graphic design are the highlights of this compendium of facts about monkeys. He devotes the most sustained attention to distinctions between Old World and New World monkeys, providing clear explanations of how the groups differ. However, not all the monkeys he includes later in the book receive those designations. Four types of monkeys are highlighted in one-to-two page long "Featured Creatures" sections. Many others receive brief entries, which stress such attributes as "longest tail" or "best facial hair." Davey provides overviews of monkeys' social life and use of tools, touches on their inclusion in myths, and emphasizes the threats of deforestation to monkey populations. He deftly draws on their varied and unusual physical features to produce eye-catching images that will attract browsers. However, the chart of primate groups is confusing, with ascending brackets that seem to indicate that one group developed from another. The so-called index is really a classified listing of monkeys by family and subfamily, and the text includes some grammatical slips. VERDICT As a supplemental title, this book may pique readers' curiosity about monkeys, but it does not provide a consistently unified introduction to the topic. Consider for collections where examples of fine contemporary graphic design are in demand.--Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University Library, Mankato
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.