Review by New York Times Review
ASYMMETRY, by Lisa Halliday. (Simon & Schuster, $26.) This stunning debut comprises two novella-like sections, one about a young editor's affair with an older author and the other about an Iraqi-American economist detained at Heathrow. The result is transgressive, shrewd and politically engaged. HOW TO STOP TIME, by Matt Haig. (Viking, $26.) Tom Hazard, the protagonist of Haig's new novel, is old - old "in the way that a tree, or a quahog clam, or a Renaissance painting is old," he tells us. He has a condition that causes him to age more slowly than others, but on the cusp of his 440 th birthday he appears to be suffering a midlife crisis. THE UKRAINIAN NIGHT: An Intimate History of Revolution, by Marci Shore. (Yale, $26.) Shore draws evocative portraits of the Ukrainian demonstrators who braved beatings and even death in 2013 to protest the government of President Viktor Yanukovych. Still, the revolution they sparked remains unfinished. THE TRIUMPH OF CHRISTIANITY: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World, by Bart D. Ehrman. (Simon & Schuster, $28.) A best-selling scholar of the Bible explores how a small group of despised believers made their faith the dominant religion of the Roman Empire, thereby overthrowing an entire culture. DIRECTORATE S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, by Steve Coll. (Penguin, $35.) Coil's is a dispiriting tale of a 16-year war that has cost a trillion dollars and more than 2,400 American lives to little end. "The United States and its allies went barreling into Afghanistan," Coll writes, "because they felt that they had no alternative." DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA, by Walter Mosley. (Mulholland/ Little, Brown, $27.) A new private eye, an ex-cop named Joe King Oliver, makes his debut in this atmospheric crime novel, set in New York and featuring, as always with Mosley, an array of distinctive characters. PECULIAR GROUND, by Lucy Hughes-Hallett. (Harper/ HarperCollins, $28.99.) Agreat house in the English countryside, seen in both the 1600s and the mid-20th century, is the venue for a historical novel that uses walls, both actual and metaphorical, as its presiding metaphor. THE MAZE AT WINDERMERE, by Gregory Blake Smith. (Viking, $27.) Set in Newport, R.I., this novel intersects five stories from different eras, from the 17th century to the present day. Among the more notable characters is the young Henry James. BABY MONKEY, PRIVATE EYE, by Brian Selznickand David Serlin. Illustrated by Brian Selznick. (Scholastic, $16.99, ages 4 to 8.) Selznick's lavish pencil drawings enhance this early reader book about a detective who happens to be an adorable monkey. The full reviews of these and other recent books are on the web: nytimes.com/books
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [July 29, 2018]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* In an office that looks like it came straight out of a noir film, Baby Monkey solves a series of perplexing mysteries. First, an opera singer is missing her necklace. Then, a chef's pizza's been stolen, a clown's nose goes missing, and an astronaut can't find her spaceship. In every case, Baby Monkey eagerly offers to help, has a snack, takes some notes, puts on his pants, and captures the culprit. There's not a lot of detective work (he spends more time struggling with pants), but the details in Selznick's signature fine-lined, crosshatched pencil artwork reveal plenty of clues. When the astronaut stops by, for instance, Baby Monkey is reading Famous Space Crimes, and a still of Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon is on the wall. Though 192 pages might seem like a lot for a picture book, Selznick and Serlin pull off the feat rather brilliantly. Actions are stretched out over multiple pages (one struggle with pants takes nine pages), which makes the chapters fly by, and while they can be read individually, those who read them in order will notice clever changes as the cases progress. An inventive format and tongue-in-cheek sense of humor make this sweet and silly book almost irresistible.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A nearly 200-page chapter book for emerging readers? Using a pared-down vocabulary and luxuriant, chiaroscuro drawings, Selznick (The Marvels) and husband Serlin make it work-brilliantly. Four oddball robbery victims show up at Baby Monkey's Sam Spade-worthy office, including a chef whose pizza has gone missing and a clown who has had his red nose stolen. Baby Monkey's basic MO is always the same: look for clues, take notes, eat a snack, put on pants, and solve the crime (generally by looking right outside his office door). The tight, repeating structure gives Selznick plenty of opportunity to riff on the details: in each chapter, Baby Monkey has a different (and triumphant) wrestling match with his pants, and the furnishings of his office change to match the profession of each client (for those who can't guess these Easter eggs, a key and index are included). "Hooray for Baby Monkey!" are the last words of this endearingly funny graphic novel/picture book/early reader-it's a sentiment that readers of all ages will wholeheartedly affirm. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Selznick and Serlin take the easy reader format to new creative heights. Baby Monkey may be a baby (and a monkey) but he has a full-time job as a private eye. Baby Monkey solves five cases (one for each chapter) by looking carefully for visual clues. Full-page illustrations facing single, simple, and often repetitive sentences in an oversized typeface make this ideal for emerging readers. The sharp pacing and charming humor also make it an excellent read-aloud choice. Selznick's signature black-and-white drawings-his noir-like style here played up to full effect-invite readers to linger and look carefully. With each case, the framed paintings and various bric-a-brac decorating Baby Monkey's well-appointed office changes. Hidden clues and jokes abound, as in "The Case of the Missing Spaceship," wherein the opening two-page spread shows a framed poster of A Trip to the Moon (a hat tip to devoted Selznick fans), an image of Apollo 13, a portrait of Galileo Galilei, and a bust of John F. Kennedy. Will most of these references sail over the heads of the intended audience? Perhaps. But the story works just as well without them, and Selznick and Serlin take pains to make sure young readers have enough information to look them up if they are so inclined; the "Key to Baby Monkey's Office" in the back matter lists each visual reference by chapter/case. A running gag about Baby Monkey forgetting to wear-and struggling to put on-pants will have readers cracking up. In the very last case, the primate private eye jumps into the loving arms of his mom and takes a well-earned nap. VERDICT A delightful easy reader that is as funny as it is elegant. This will be enjoyed equally by youngsters and their grown-ups.-Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal © Copyright 2018. 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
Selznick, who won the 2008 Caldecott Medal for his 534-page picture book/novel hybrid The Invention of Hugo Cabret (rev. 3/07), here presents with coauthor and husband Serlin an almost-two-hundred-pageeasy reader/film-noir homage. In five chapters, diminutive gumshoe Baby Monkey solves a series of cases (Chapter One: The Case of the Missing Jewels! Chapter Two: The Case of the Missing Pizza!). Each follows a predictable pattern, with occasional small variation: Baby Monkey is waiting in his office (think The Maltese Falcon); a client arrives; Baby ?Monkey looks for clues and takes notes; he has a snackthen puts on his pants, the last a complicated procedure. After some perfectly timed page-turns showing the getting-dressed process, Now Baby Monkey is ready! He leaves his office, solves the case, and captures the culprit: Hooray for Baby Monkey! New readers will delight in the details in both the brief text and the shadowy, noirish black-and-white illustrations with pops of red. Baby Monkey looks like a cute little monkey, albeit with anthropomorphized facial expressions; and the spot-on slapstick pacing of the putting-on-pants sequences will have viewers giggling for days. The decorations and books in Baby Monkeys office change thematically (and sophisticatedly) with each casesee the appended key (e.g., Baby from Madame Roulin and Her Baby, 1888 painting by Vincent van Gogh [1853-1890]). Also appended with an index (Anderson, Marian: 23, 47) and a totally-made-up-but-plausible-sounding bibliography of Baby Monkeys books (Zanzibar, Jeanine. Healthy Snacks for Growing Primates. Madison, WI: Harlow Books, 1994). elissa Gershowitz (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
In five chapters spanning almost 200 pages, Selznickhere working with husband Serlinmanages to do for the early reader what he accomplished with the picture book: reinvent it. The narrative unfolds in finely wrought, crosshatched compositions drawn in pencil and introducing the color red to reward readers as they hunt for stolen objects alongside the pint-sized simian detective. Though he's as successful as his hard-boiled, cinematic counterparts, Baby Monkey is still a youngster, so after each client arrives for consultation, he playfully peers through his magnifying glass, scribbles findings, nibbles snacks, and attempts to dress himself. This structure provides the repetition that, when paired with brief sentences, visual clues, a large typeface, and clear dialogue bubbles, serves the format extremely well. Impish expressions and oversized trousers will amuse the audience throughout each of the several-page wardrobe sequences. Preceding each knock on the door is an office "scene change" inviting viewers to analyze objects and predict the visitor's identity; for example, and in a nod to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the iconic image from Georges Mlis' A Trip to the Moon heralds an astronaut. An oversized bonnet and dress shroud the final guest in mystery until the loving denouement. Not to be missed are the sendups of a bibliography and index, and adult readers will enjoy the visual keys to the clues planted in Baby Monkey's office.Wrapped in the chiaroscuro of film noir, kids will forget they are learning to read, focusing instead on the comic bits, persistence, and vulnerability of an endearing hero. (Early reader. 4-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
