Little monkey

Marta Altés
Macmillan
Age 0-3

Little Monkey loved being in the jungle, there was so much to see. But she kept missing out because she was too little to see or reach as well as her bigger brothers and sisters. She decided to go on an adventure to climb the tallest tree in the jungle.

This is a delightful picturebook with an appealing story about the frustrations of being little and lots to spot in the lively illustrations including the tiger stalking Little Monkey and failing to catch her.

Watch the story read aloud by Marta Altés, the book’s creator

Watch the story read aloud

Share the story

Read Aloud
Read the story aloud to your child, making sure they can see the illustrations clearly. Don’t forget to finish with a big hug just like Little Monkey in the story.

Re read
When you read the story again allow time to look closely at the illustrations, find little monkey and talk about what is happening to her.  

Join in
Your child could join in as you read – for example by being the other monkeys saying, ‘You can’t climb up there!’ or ‘Look out!’ It would also be fun to read Little Monkey’s declaration together:
‘I will climb to the top of the tallest tree, the jungle is NOT too big for me, you’ll see!’

Talk about the book
What does little monkey see in the jungle?
Can you spot the tiger watching her?
Talk about how Little Monkey feels when she can’t see what her friends see look back at some of the illustrations to see her expression.

Things to make and do

Play the story
Go on an imaginary journey like Little Monkey pretending to go over a river and through the jungle.

Play one, two, three, jump!
When you are out and about play ‘One, two, three jump!’ jumping over real – or imaginary obstacles.

Spot amazing things like Little Monkey
Look out for amazing things when you are in the garden, park or woods for example looking for insects or spider webs and talk about them.

Make a jungle picture
Give children a large piece of paper and some crayons or paints to make a colourful jungle picture with amazing animals, plants and trees.

Make a monkey puppet
Make a monkey glove puppet using an old mitten and use it to tell the story together. You could stick on felt shapes for eyes, ears and mouth.

Find out More

Find about the author Marta Altes

Picture books include
Five More Minutes
Avery
The King Cat
I am an Artist

Read an interview with Marta on the Booktrust website Marta Altes, author of Little Monkey: ‘Picture books are magic because the real story is made up in your mind’ | BookTrust

Sing a song or a rhyme about monkeys together

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed – BBC Teach

Five little monkeys swinging from a tree – BBC Teach