When little monkey can’t find his mother, butterfly offers to help in the search. Little monkey says that his mother is big, so butterfly leads him to . . . an elephant. No, that’s not right! Little monkey says his mom is furry, so butterfly leads him to . . . a bat. That’s not right either. From then on, little monkey and butterfly meet many jungle animals, but they don’t find Mom until little monkey comes up with just the right description.
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We are huge fans of Julia Donaldson’s books, having been introduced by friends in the UK. And honestly, we can’t understand why the US publisher insists on changing Julia Donaldson’s titles and text to “American-ize” it. The British versions are far more lyrical and rhythmic. Is “Where’s My Mom?” truly a better title than “Monkey Puzzle?” Does the publisher really think we need to translate “Monkey Puzzle” because we won’t understand it on this side of the pond?
Room on the Broom, The Gruffalo, Monkey Puzzle and Tiddler (“The Fish Who Cried Wolf” – really? That’s a better title??) all have changes to the US text that make them a bit less appealing if you’ve read the British texts. We love to give these as gifts but prefer to give the British versions.