Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
As she did in 2015's More Caps for Sale, Sayer continues to build out the story of Pezzo the peddler and the monkeys that both frustrate and help him. This quietly funny if somewhat drawn out tale, based on Slobodkina's notes and employing her artwork, finds the peddler seeking advice from his friend Essie (herself a tribute to Slobodkina) on how to handle the monkeys. "Sometimes what we don't want is exactly what we need," Essie tells the peddler. And she's right: when Pezzo is called away to visit a sick friend, the monkeys, who have been attentively watching him make caps, step in to create more wares for him to sell the next day. A closing spread fills in valuable context about some of the tertiary characters that appear in the story, which can be traced to other books from Slobodkina's bibliography. Ages 4-8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-In this companion piece to the beloved Caps for Sale, the mischievous monkeys return to teach the peddler an important lesson about the value of mindfulness. This time the monkeys use their knack for mimicry to help, rather than hinder, the peddler's work. Irritated by the monkeys' habit of following him around, the peddler turns to his friend Essie-a character modeled after Slobodkina herself-who suggests that they may prove to be his friends. True to Essie's word, one day the peddler doesn't have time to make caps, and the monkeys spend all night copying his movements to prepare the caps themselves. The striking, abstract, folk-style images of the monkeys, the caps, the peddler, and even the white tree will be familiar to fans of Caps for Sale. Rhythmic text, repetitive phrases, and predictive questions will engage young readers, and older fans of Slobodkina's work will enjoy the back matter, which offers a history of the book's creation and its connection to the classic tale. VERDICT This title does not have quite the streamlined plot and wit of its predecessor, but enough of the genius of Caps for Sale shines through to make it a treat for children and adults who want to reunite with the peddler and his naughty monkeys for a new adventure. Purchase where the classic is popular.-Anna Stover, Poughkeepsie Day School, NY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Esphyr Slobodkina's original story, Caps for Sale, is a deservedly enduring classic. This story, by a longtime friend of Slobodkina, lacks the folkloric simplicity of the well-known tale; Sayer rambles her way to a pedantic moral. This art is a pale imitation of the genuine article, though endnotes hazily explain that Sayer incorporates original Slobodkina characters and drawings. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A book for sale!The late Slobodkina's friend and mentee, Sayer, brings back Caps for Sale's monkeys and peddler in a new story about the characters' fractious but ultimately positive relationship. Endnotes explain that Sayer used characters and other illustrative elements from Slobodkina's body of work to create new pictures, with text inspired by ideas they'd discussed over the years. In this story, the peddler is distressed because the monkeys have occupied a tree outside his house. Exasperated, he goes to his friend Essie's house for advice, and the monkeys (of course) follow him. Essie is a painter based on Slobodkina herself, and she's depicted with one of the artist's most famous fine-art paintings on her easel. She counsels patience with the monkeys. That night, the peddler visits an ill friend instead of working. His concern that he won't have caps to sell the next day is resolved by the monkeys, whose "mindful" observation from their tree has taught them how to make new caps to sell. Readers hoping for more of the elemental charm and fizzy mischief of Caps for Sale will be disappointed. The text is earnest and overlong, many illustrations are too busy, and furthermore it's unclear exactly how Sayer manipulated Slobodkina's original art. Several compositions are decidedly awkward, as is the visual pacing. A disappointing trip down Memory Lane. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
