Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Maniac Muffins

Starred review from August 8, 2016
Chico Bon Bon’s fourth picture book might be his funniest yet, as the very handy monkey tries to keep up with the disastrous culinary efforts of his elephant friend, Clark. As the book opens, the kitchen table has been leveled by one of Clark’s giant pancakes (“They’re very dense,” Clark explains, undeterred), and the blueberry muffins the elephant whips up blow the door off the oven before going on a rampage through town (“They were so bouncy!!!! They were so heavy!!”). Chico Bon Bon’s quick thinking saves the day—leftovers have seldom come in so handy—and Monroe’s manic cartooning will have kids laughing from start to finish. Ages 4–8.

October 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 2-Chico Bon Bon is back in this fourth installment, trying to correct Clark the elephant's kitchen disaster. He was preparing a breakfast to celebrate Uncle Bill's graduation from hotel-motel management school and destroyed the kitchen in the process. Using his wits and 27 tools on his tool-belt apron, Chico Bon Bon unclogs, welds, cleans, and cooks. Unfortunately, the determined elephant's egg surprise and overuse of baking powder lead to an explosion that shoots muffins all over the neighborhood. Chico's master plan with giant pancakes is revealed in panels as he creates a barrier to capture the muffins before they careen into the shops. He then rolls the crumbled muffins into the pancakes, much to the culinary delight of all citizens. Monroe shares three recipes at the end as the party concludes with savored but weird food. There is at least a chuckle on every page, and the monkey's engineering prowess is inspiring. VERDICT With a plethora of details and powerful humor, this title will be a popular segue into STEM sessions. Expect an explosive storytime.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2016
Runaway muffins attack the town! Can Chico Bon Bon, the titular monkey with the tool belt, get them back and help Clark with his pancake party?Chico's pal Clark is something of a disaster in the kitchen. His giant pancake is so heavy that it causes the kitchen table to collapse. Broken dishes and syrup are everywhere, but the elephant cook is unfazed. "They're very dense," he says calmly. Clark is prepping for a party to celebrate Uncle Bill's graduation from hotel management school, and Chico is eager to help, his tool belt full of cool kitchen gadgetry and cleaning gizmos. Clark is also working on a gooey lemon pudding and his "supersecret blueberry muffins." But his recipe is rather...explosive. It blows the door of the oven, and the muffins wreak havoc in the kitchen before bursting through the front door and terrorizing the town. Chico chases after them before coming up with an ingenious plan. It involves the pancakes, the lemon pudding, and, of course, the tools in his belt. Chico saves the town, then enjoys the party. Monroe's impish illustrations are busy with delightful touches--Chico's kitchen-specific tool belt, complete with "thermometer with bling" and "butter splapper" is particularly terrific--and her deadpan humor should please adults as well as kids. The silliness still feels fresh, even in Chico's fourth outing. (recipes) (Picture book. 5-8)

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