Monkey Puzzle

Product Information

I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him). Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers.

Little monkey has lost his mum but a passing butterfly tells him that she will help him to find her. The only clue that Little Monkey can give butterfly is 'She's big! Bigger than me.' This leads butterfly on a wild goose, or more appropriately to begin with, a wild elephant, chase. Little monkey has to tell him that it isn't his mum and he gives butterfly another clue - 'her tail coils round the trees'. Monkey Puzzle (in the United States of America, Where's My Mom?), written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, is an illustrated children's story book, published in 2000 by Alison Green Books. Donaldson dedicated the book to her cousin's children, Tom, Billy, Emma and Katie. Look at the plants and flowers in the illustrations. Can you identify similar plants using reference books?Look at the patterns and textures on the animals in the story. Investigate what camouflage means and how this helps animals. Look at the creatures in the story and the illustrations. Could you write a report about one of them, describing where they live and what they are like? Once more this misleads butterfly as she produces a snake, so Little Monkey has to tell him that his mum has more legs than that. Once more this is confusing to butterfly who produces a spider. 'No, no, no! ... 'she'd rather eat fruit than swallow a fly, And she lives in the treetops way up high' is Little Monkey's next clue.

I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married. The butterfly’s babies don’t look like him. Can you explain why this is? What does metamorphosis mean? As the monkey and the butterfly continue their exploration, they eventually stumble upon the monkey's father. He affectionately calls the monkey, urging her to return home. Just as they are about to head home, the butterfly catches sight of the monkey's true mother. Reuniting with her mother fills the young monkey's heart with joy, ending her journey of discovery and separation. After a parrot is produced, Little Monkey tells butterfly that his mum 'leaps about'. Once more butterfly gets it wrong and produces a frog. 'Brown fur' is Little Monkey's next clue but the creature hanging upside down in a tree isn't his mum; 'she's not nearly so small' explains little monkey. My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

Eventually the little monkey becomes exasperated with Butterfly. Why does she keep getting the wrong animals? Then, the penny drops. The little monkey never gives Butterfly the key information - the little monkey’s mum looks like he does! This seems obvious to the little monkey but it isn’t to Butterfly because none of her babies looks like she does: her babies are caterpillars! Choose an animal and write a detailed description of it to help the butterfly find it straight away. The story begins with a little monkey, alone and lost in the jungle. This little monkey has lost his mum. The tale concludes on a heartwarming note, with the monkey and her mother embracing each other. The butterfly, having played a crucial role in their reunion, also shares in their happiness. This reinforces the importance of friendship, teamwork, and the enduring connection between loved ones. You could also read the story before a trip or a holiday to discuss with a young child what they should do if they ever do become lost (not a comfortable idea to entertain but it is certainly an important subject to discuss if you feel your little one is old enough).