Pedro and the Monkey

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Souci, Robert D. San. PEDRO AND THE MONKEY. Ill. by Michael Hays. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996.

PLOT SUMMARY
In this story, a young man’s heart overtakes him when he catches a monkey that has been stealing from him. For his kindness and letting the monkey go, the monkey sets on a goal of getting the richest man in town’s daughter to marry the young man. Through twists and turns the monkey pulls the whole thing off and the young man marries the rich girl.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
PEDRO AND THE MONKEY is a Filipino version of “Puss in Boots”. The starts off as folktales often do with the statement “long ago”. Good way to start off seeing as how the story has been passed down from generation to generation so it had to be a long time ago. After that statement, the author jumps right into the story. Immediately the monkey comes into the picture. The story is organized in a way that is repetitive yet keeps you wondering. For instance, the monkey always has Pedro give up something that he shouldn’t and it always turns out to be the right thing to do however, nearing the end you start to wonder if he is doing the right thing by listening to the monkey. One part of the story that made me think this was when the monkey asked Pedro for his last centavos (a monetary unit). When Pedro does what he is asked, the reader hopes that he did the right thing and will be rewarded in the end, which he does.

Pedro, the main character in the story is a typical traditional character. He is a good hearted person with innocence and selflessness. The character of the monkey is a bit harder to understand. He seems to be good, but sometimes during the story I was left wondering whether he was really good or if he was just good at being bad. To my surprise the monkey was actually good.

The story was a typical story until it came to the part with Burincantada, the giant. I did not see that coming, although the presence of mythical creatures often appears in folktales.

The illustrations in the story were done with acrylics on linen. The technique adds textural appeal to the pages of the story. The actual pictures of Pedro, the monkey, and the giant bring them to life. The illustrations added interest to the story. This would be a great “read aloud” story.

My first impression after reading this book was confusion. I am not used to being surprised by the ending of books. The book was a bit different because the ending turned out happily, the way it is suppose to turn out however the path to get their was deceitful. Technically no one got hurt as a result of the deceitfulness but I still feel that it may not be a great moral or example to set for children. Maybe next time the monkey could help Pedro actually EARN the money rather than fooling people into thinking he has it.



REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Happy endings all around. Hays' acrylic-on-linen pictures have a painterly quality that, along with the book's beautiful design, adds to San Souci's sober and straightforward retelling. BOOKLIST

The narrative is vivid, expressive, and fun to read aloud, especially when the monkey spins his stories. Hays's acrylic on linen illustrations amplify the story, and the fabric texture adds dimension to the paintings. The artist employs cool pastels and pale golds that are as refreshing as a cold drink on a hot day, and his use of light enhances the paintings, which are as expressive as the text they illustrate. A successful and appealing collaboration. SLJ


CONNECTIONS
Great material use for a lesson in different cultures. There are several words in the book that were new to me so that would be a great way to have the students look up new words from a different culture.

This would be a great book to use as a lesson in predictive texts. For instance, read half of the story and then have the students write down what they think will happen next based on the context of the story.