June 1, 2023
PreS-Gr 2-Jim Panzee, the chimpanzee, and his friends hear a distant, eerie knocking sound in the jungle as they set out for treats on Halloween night. The moonlit prowl is less inviting than their daytime jaunts, offering more tricks than treats as creeping, crawling creatures spy from the shadowy undergrowth. Jim denies his obvious fear of the unfamiliar sights and sounds with his repeated phrase, "I'm not scared." As they walk, the gang discovers that most of the unsettling noises they hear are actually their nocturnal friends scurrying around in the dark. However, as they press on, the distant knocking sound grows louder and more imminent. Suddenly, the knocking becomes screaming, "Aye! Aye! Aye! Aye!," and the friends are face-to-face with scraggly hair, bulging red eyes, and sharp fangs. Too frightening for Jim, he admits his fear and cries out, "I'm really, really scared!" This dialogue-driven romp through the nighttime jungle works in unison with expressive, cartoon-style pen and watercolor sketches to produce a spookier tone than the rest of the "Grumpy Monkey" series. This jungle escapade could momentarily remind readers of Jonathan Allen's I'm Not Scared!, but the memory will swiftly fade as the goosebumps creep in. The initial illustration of the red-eyed, screaming creature is particularly frightening, and coupled with some light fart humor between the friends, this book will likely be most entertaining for early elementary readers. VERDICT Libraries that purchase this Halloween edition in the "Grumpy Monkey" series will see it quickly flee the shelves.-Emily Brush
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