Taking turns by Lisa Kerr
Cheeky Monkey manners. The Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN
9781760402662
(Ages: 2-5) Recommended. This is another in the Cheeky Monkey
manners series (Please, Thank you, Sorry,
Excuse me, Listening) and one of many in the Cheeky
Monkey series. The small board book format is suited to
preschool and early childhood and is a fun way to springboard
discussions about manners - what they are, and when to use them. In
this title, Cheeky Monkey hasn't learned how to take turns yet. When
he has his friends over to play and they ask to have a turn of his
bubble toy, it is lucky his mother is there to step in. She gives
him a special timer for knowing when to swap over. Later on, she
helps again, giving Cheeky Monkey a painted pebble to help the
friends take turns talking and listening. The colourful
illustrations are large without great detail; Cheeky Monkey is the
main element on each page with a secondary focus on the other
animals and their facial expressions. There are, however, many
additional small animals (frogs, birds, mice, butterflies, etc.)
which will enable younger children to retain focus, give them things
to search for and foster discussions about the illustrations.
This book is great because it doesn't just talk about the importance
of taking turns; it shows how much fun the animals all have have
when they take turns, gives simple strategies that children can use
for taking turns and encourages children to think about what it is
like for the other animals when they don't get a turn. Social skills
books such as these can often be overly didactic, but this one is
understanding of children and of how hard it is to take turns. It
lets the child know that it is okay to have trouble taking turns
sometimes, but gives strategies for improving. The text manages
successfully to tell an engaging story, get a message across and
remain concise. With only five double-page spreads this book will
keep young readers interested until the very end. Overall, it is a
fun, simple way to introduce the idea of taking turns and learn some
strategies for doing so.
Nicole Smith-Forrest