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Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business
- By Esphyr Slobodkina
- Genre: Folklore
Common Sense Media says
The absurd behavior keeps kids coming back.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that kids will love the preposterousness of the story. The artwork is accessible and the unusual setting adds to the interest level.
What's the story?
Monkey see, monkey do ... and the peddler too! He can't get the thieving, mimicking monkeys to give his caps back. He throws his own hat on the ground in frustration. Presto! The absurd behavior (monkeys' and peddler's) keeps readers wanting to return to this children's book classic.
Is it any good?
Esphyr Slobodkina's retelling of the old folktale gently motors the story forward while introducing fun repetitions: "First he had on his own checked cap, then a bunch of gray caps, then a bunch of brown caps, then a bunch of blue caps, and on the very top a bunch of red caps." Slobodkina's line drawings have the colors of earth and sky, plus a lively barn red. The scene is an Eastern European village, caught on a drowsy day with only the peddler about. The illustrations are so convincingly drawn that readers will feel they know the place.
The tale's rhythms, its sense of beginning and ending and beginning again, provide a wit that enchants readers. Children ages 4 to 8 read this story and offered their own version of the monkeys' "Tsz, tsz, tsz."
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the monkeys' silly behavior. Do kids ever act like monkeys?
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AGE
Great classic book for all ages!
Cute short story that is particulary good for ages 4 through 8 or so. Easy read and cute to role play in a classroom setting.
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My 2 1/2 year old loves it, but I hate to read it...very boring (to me) and repetitive.
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Kid, 12 years old
December 29, 2010
AGE
best
it is nice.
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i thought the book was really cute
i remember my mother reading it to me when i was a kid. i still have the book and i read it to my 1 year old already, not that he understands it but he loves me to read to him)
the copy i have is pretty ols and it has the audio cassette tape with it so if mom wouldn't read it over and over again i would just pop the tape in my tape player. the book is still in good shape and the tape still plays like new.
READ IT TO YOUR KIDS IT'S AWESOME!! I LOVED IT WHEN I WAS SMALL AND I STILL DO!!
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| Author: | Esphyr Slobodkina |
| Illustrator: | Esphyr Slobodkina |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Folklore |
| Publisher: | HarperTrophy |
| Publication date: | December 31, 1969 |
| Number of pages: | 48 |
| Paperback price: | $5.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
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