Monkey and Elephant are really good friends but one day when Elephant is headed over to Monkey's house with a special surprise gift, he gets his feelings hurt when he sees everyone inside Monkey's house having a surprise party without him. We all know how it feels to be left out and instead of telling Monkey how he feels, Elephant decides to get revenge. A battle ensues and eventually everyone on the island is feeling a bit unsafe. The inhabitants get together and devise a plan to get Elephant and Monkey to work things out. There is a hint of Elephant and Piggie a la Mo Willems in this story and the colors are bright and bold. Much of the dialogue is done with word bubbles so the story flows with a bit of a comic book flair. Energetic, colorful and filled with an important message about the importance of talking through a misunderstanding especially when your feelings and friendships are at stake. Ages 5-8

****************************************************************

Cupcakes cause problems between best friends, and no one is safe from the revenge! Elephant’s and Monkey’s neighbors launch Operation Sink of Swim to make the friends patch up the argument. When the friends are forced to start talking, they realize it was all a misunderstanding. Apologies and hugs bring things back to normal... almost. Children should be able to relate to the hurt feelings and how to make up with a friend.

Recommended by Beth Yankey, Librarian