“This book is a charming true story about a young boy and his monkey puppet. It is appealing, heartfelt, and has many educational elements to allow the reader to engage in teachable moments with their children, grandchildren, and students. I absolutely love the illustration contributions made by the author’s six grandchildren and the recent picture of the main characters. Also useful is the author’s background story of how the book came to be with its focus on children and adults becoming authors and illustrators and her emphasis on researching diverse perspectives. As a teacher and mom, I highly recommend this book to be read in the classroom and at home. With its repetitive, easy-to-read language, engaging and relatable storyline, and important themes, I am confident it will become abookshelf favorite for so many children.”

 

“This book is absolutely heartwarming—the power of a stuffed animal! The illustrations are priceless and even more meaningful since the author's grandchildren drew the pictures. What a sweet book for all!”
—Sharon Freedman, Educational Tutor, Retired Teacher/Occasional Teacher, TDSB & York Region District School Board (YRDSB)

 

"Another Monkey?" is a standout resource for young readers and a valuable asset for primary educators, parents, and grandparents. This delightful book explores essential themes such as friendship, problem solving, and teamwork, and fosters discussions on diversity, equity, and inclusion, critical topics that shape students' attitudes and behaviors. The rhythmic and repetitive text supports emergent readers, making the reading experience interactive and beneficial for early literacy development. The vibrant illustrations created by the author’s grandchildren not only captivate but also inspire young readers to see themselves as potential illustrators. By emphasizing the sharing of stories across generations, the
book enriches children's learning experiences and instills a respect for family history and its valuable lessons. This connection between literacy, life lessons, and family ties makes this book a powerful tool for both education and personal growth.”

 

“This engaging children's book supports and promotes early reading and literacy (reading, writing, and sharing) as well as visual arts (drawing, illustrations, creativity). I appreciate the original artwork created by the author’s grandchildren. I love that each one signed their monkey illustration on the page where their monkey is first introduced. This can become a talking point for readers—recognizing the importance of artists’ work, just as authors are recognized for their writing. This cumulative pattern book demonstrates sound pedagogy (emphasizing the repetition of words and phrases, manners, new vocabulary, counting, colors, community locations/stores, and more), while the story honors friendships, love, and family, both present and those in our hearts. The “AFTERWORD” adds to the book’s richness and usefulness. This book is a feel-good, fun, interactive reading experience, presented as a sample of what adults and children can do together. It brings to life the value of encouraging children and adults of all ages to become authors and illustrators.”

 

“This is a story to engage you and children close to you as a parent, grandparent, family, teacher or caring person. You follow 4-year-old Michael, Monkeyin, and their adventures as Michael acquires more and more monkeys. The illustrations created by the author's grandchildren draw you in as Michael's bookshelf becomes crowded. It’s a book to be shared just as Michael did with his monkeys. The story and illustrations lend themselves to conversational questions both thick and thin: What leads us to collect and treasure a possession as Michael still does with Monkeyin? It is a delightful read as told by a skilled educator, mother, and grandmother.”

—Dr. Beverley Freedman, Former Superintendent of Program for the Durham District School Board, Co-author of Collaborative School Reviews, How to Shape Schools from the Inside, Educational Services Consulting www.beverleyfreedman.com

 

“I loved this book! It's fun, sincere, colourful, and presents complex values in a simple meaningful way. It reaches out to include so many concepts and values. It would be a terrific 'read to' for the school I was working with when on a mission trip to Jamaica—thus it certainly is cross-cultural! The numbering and repetition would appeal to younger children—I could almost hear myself singing along to the various verses! So many teachable moments here! I would love to get a copy and use it in my church with the young ones in Children's Ministry. It aligns nicely with the "Fruit of the Spirit"—"Love, Joy, Kindness, Gentleness, Goodness." The illustrations done by the author's grandchildren make it extra special! This book would be a great read for all ages—and works to encourage teachers to publish works of their students!  Congratulations!”

 

“I adored reading this charming story “Another Monkey?” and can't wait to share it with my grandchildren! As a retired kindergarten and Special Education teacher, I want to share this with my grandkids and all my friends! The illustrations are so special by the author's grandkids and the story itself has limitless applications in the classroom or in family discussions. All the qualities we want to instill in our children are in this magical story. It speaks of kindness and sharing and friendship between people and if you probe a little deeper you will uncover many tips on how we should treat each other in our lives. Congrats to Dr. Susan Schwartz for sharing her son's story and helping us all remember the important lessons of life.”

 

“I just read the book, “Another Monkey” and I absolutely loved it. It actually brought tears to my eyes. The author mentioned all the special people in her life! How beautiful is that? This book will be fun to read to a class. Most kids can relate to having a special stuffed animal. I loved the repetition, the idea of gratitude when receiving a gift, and demonstrating sharing and kindness to one’s friends. A kindergarten teacher can easily use it for counting, teaching colours, and the 5 senses. Just wonderful!
—Judy Micner, Retired Teacher, Occasional Teacher, TDSB

 

“This very personal story makes so much sense for beginning readers and young children, and also for second language learners. I love the style of the six little monkeys—the repetition, the language building from the previous pages, the teaching of colors and community locations, and more. Including art by the six grandchildren is so unique and will appeal to all children to help them see themselves as artists and illustrators. Highly recommend and am looking forward to buying three copies!”

 

“We really appreciated Dr. Susan Schwartz presenting her children’s book and doing the 8-page book art and writing follow-up activity with our 32 campers at Camp Lifeline, a Project of Chai Lifeline Canada. It was such an amazing workshop! It’s so important for our campers to feel empowered and validated! Thank you very very much for coming!”

 

“By the end of the read-aloud, my students were able to confidently chant along and read so many of the words. They participated well in the discussions and asked insightful questions. We were intrigued with the fact that it was a true story, and the author’s grandkids had drawn the illustrations. We all enjoyed the follow-up activity making paper craft monkeys and pop-out books. I was also thrilled by her presentations and follow-up activities at Camp ViBE with different ages of campers. I highly recommend her as an engaging guest speaker and very much appreciated the opportunity to be involved in this enriching experience!”