Friends and Neighbours

Best friends Monkey and Robot are back in this new collection of four short stories!

In Happy Built-Day, Monkey is organising a surprise party for Robot’s ‘built-day’—but Robot isn’t so sure he wants a big built-day party! Monkey makes lots of secret preparations, and then on Robot’s built-day the two friends have such a marvellous time that he forgets all about the surprise party…until he goes into his bedroom later that night and sees lots of balloons, and presents, and nobody else except Monkey. What a perfect built-day!

In Cookies & Mice, an exterminator comes to the door and asks Monkey if he would like his mice ‘taken care of’. Monkey thinks this is a great idea—until Robot explains that the exterminator really meant poison the mice! Then, when kind old Mrs Rupert comes over to take care of Monkey for the day, poor old Monkey is very frightened—he doesn’t want to be poisoned! Robot explains that ‘take care of’ can mean different things and Monkey, very relieved, enjoys an afternoon of baking with Mrs Rupert and his mice.

In Bird Watchers, Robot and Monkey are bird sitting Ms Harper’s parakeet, Hazel. Everything goes well, until Monkey misreads a sign on Hazel’s cage and lets her out, right before Ms Harper is coming to collect her! Monkey and Robot search high and low for Hazel, but she seems to have flown away. 

Sadly, Robot goes to explain what happened to Ms Harper—only for Hazel to land on Robot’s head!

Finally, in Monkey See, Monkey Don’t!, Robot and Monkey go to meet their neighbour’s new baby, Zhen. Monkey can’t understand why everyone cheers for Zhen when she claps and when she burps—Monkey can do all of those things too! Monkey decides to show off for Zhen, clapping his hands and his feet together, but Zhen gets a little too excited…and the milk she just finished feeding on goes everywhere! Monkey apologises for over exciting  the baby and the two friends head home, reflecting that there are still a lot of things that Monkey can do that Zhen can’t, like apologising when he makes a mistake!

This fun- light-hearted collection of short stories is perfect for reluctant readers, with quirky main characters and fun, eye-catching illustrations to match. Each story also has a subtle lesson to be learnt, teaching readers the importance of friendship.

friendship, kindness, helpfulness, birthdays, pets, babies

Not Applicable.