Books like That's Not My Monkey...

This book is a suspenseful page turner. It had me hooked from the opening title page, featuring the adorable monkey with too-soft ears. Each page features a different monkey, which is dismissed as "not my monkey" by the narrator. I was drawn into the mystery of whether the unnamed protagonist would ever find the desired monkey, in the midst of all these sinister imposters. Fortunately, the hero of the story is discerning enough to check the various feet, tails, and tongues of the not-my monkeys, discovering each to be too smooth, or rough, or fuzzy to be credible. And, as the book is in fact designed for babies, it does have a [spoiler alert!] happy ending, when the correct monkey (with the appropriately fluffy tummy) is located at last. There are a number of questions which I feel the plot leaves unresolved, such as why all these monkeys are running amok in the first place. Can you even own a monkey, or are we, as readers, subtly endorsing an ethically questionable black market monkey trade? Why is there a small mouse in each picture? Is the tiny mouse the speaker who is engaging in this quest to find the lost monkey? And how did the main character get separated from the monkey in the first place? All these questions are asked, but never answered. In fairness, however, the book is targeted at the baby touchy-feely reader demographic, who may not have an issue with these omissions, or be willing to overlook them in order to fully inhabit the magical world of smooth-footed and fluffy-stomached primates that the author has created.I feel that this book, while demonstrably for babies, is really a moral tale for our time. It charts the universal journey in search of that which is real, and encourages its young readers to actively distinguish tangible differences between that which is offered and that which is really desired or needed. It is teaches the virtues of loyalty and perseverance, as you do not just give up and settle for the third or fourth not-my-monkey that comes along.Also, babies really like to drool and chew on books, moreso than read them, and this book seems very sturdy and hard wearing. I did not, myself, opt to chew on or drool on this copy as it is a gift, but I feel confident that babies would be find it satisfying. I mean, babies will put pretty much anything in their mouths, and this book is fun and cute with lots of bright colors. It is also big and blocky, so you do not need to worry about a baby eating the entire book, or trying to eat the entire book and then choking, as the book itself is much too large for that to be a possibility.It is also laudable for its gender neutral appeal. Monkeys are presented as being equally accessible for all babies, whether boys or girls, so there is no fear of accidentally pushing the standards of the heteropatriarchy on the just recently born. I remember reading "Pat the Bunny" when I was little, and this monkey book really shows how far touchy-feely books have come.