Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Little Monkey's Big Peeing Circus

Veldkamp, Tjibbe. 2006. LITTLE MONKEY'S BIG PEEING CIRCUS. Ill by Kees de Boer. Translated from the Dutch by Freke Vuijst. Harry N. Abrams, Inc: New York. ISBN: 0810939495.
FROM THE FRONT FLAP: Little Monkey opens a peeing circus so that he can make a big splash. Mimi wants to perform in it too, but can Mimi pee without a peepee? This whimsial and humorous story answers an age-old question.
School Library Journal 2006-11-01PreS. Little Monkey is so impressed with his peeing prowess that he opens a peeing circus. The bright cartoon pictures show him shooting a loooong yellow stream into a toilet mounted on wheels from a variety of angles, while an audience of appreciative animals cheers him on. Envious Mimi wants to join the circus, but when she pulls down her underpants, she seems to be missing the necessary equipment. Surprise! Mimi can shoot off a yellow stream as well as he can. (''Without a peepee!'' cheered all the animals. 'That is very clever!'') So they both perform together for their adoring fans. Presumably, this book is supposed to be a humorous take on 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours,' but it misses its target badly. Toddlers who are obsessed with what lies inside their diapers may find it amusing, but it certainly will not teach them good toilet habits. Unless you really want to encourage boys (and girls) to jump around performing various urinating stunts, this title is an unnecessary purchase.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT. Unpg. CAHNERS PUBLISHING, c2006.
Yes, folks, this is part of my job. Needless to say, we did not add this book to our collection. I did laugh a lot today though.