Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-seek

Five Little Monkeys

by Eileen Christelow

Mama's out dancing, and Lulu, the babysitter, is in charge. The Five Little Monkeys are supposed to go to bed, but they convince Lulu there's time for just one game of hide-and-seek first . . . and then another, and another . . . until they discover the ultimate hiding place. Lulu is frantic; where can those monkeys be?
Vibrant, expressive illustrations in Eileen Christelow's signature style accompany a catchy rhymed text that's great for reading aloud. The refrain invites children to join in; as Lulu counts to 10, 24, and finally 104, young listeners will count along with her. And what little monkey can resist the idea of mischief at bedtime?

Genres: Picture Books, Counting, Childrens, Animals, Number, Mathematics, Storytime

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Eileen Christelow is an acclaimed American author and illustrator of children’s books, best known for her beloved Five Little Monkeys series. Beginning with Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, a playful retelling of the classic nursery rhyme, the series has captivated generations of young readers with its humor and rhythmic storytelling. Over the course of her career, Christelow has published more than 30 books, encompassing both fiction and nonfiction, and many inspired by her surroundings in Vermont, her family life, and even her dog, Emma.
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1943, Christelow spent her formative years in Connecticut and briefly in Japan, where she attended the American School in Tokyo. She studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, a discipline that would influence her later work in design and illustration. After working for several years as a freelance photographer, she turned her focus to writing and illustrating picture books while raising her daughter in California. Her earliest works, Henry and the Red Stripes and Mr. Murphy’s Marvelous Invention, were published by Clarion Books in the early 1980s.
Christelow’s books often celebrate storytelling, curiosity, and mischief, appealing to children and educators alike. Titles like What Do Authors Do?, What Do Illustrators Do?, and Vote! provide engaging nonfiction content for young readers, while others such as Letters From a Desperate Dog and The Great Pig Escape draw on humorous real-life scenarios. Her works have received numerous accolades and several Five Little Monkeys titles have been translated into Spanish and Chinese.
She continues to live and work in East Dummerston, Vermont, in a home designed by her husband, where she draws inspiration from the natural beauty of the state. Christelow remains a cherished voice in children’s literature, with a lasting legacy of entertaining and educating young readers.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mama's going out on a date -- and in my mind it's one of the firefighters she met at the end of Don't Wake Up Mama!: Another Five Little Monkeys Story -- so her five little monkeys are having a babysitter, Lulu. A night of hide-and-seek fun leads to a cute conclusion. I like the rhymes and the counting opportunities -- though the numbers escalate quickly!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful offering in the FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS series. There is a cute surprise at the end where the babysitter (Lulu) does not know where they hid but Mama does. Even I, as the reader, was getting nervous about where they went, haha. Cute!

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a huge hit in storytime today. All the children loved practicing their counting and had to find the hidden monkeys. 8/15/12

Ran out of story time topics so came up with a hide-and-seek/I spy theme. This was a huge hit with toddlers at my PJ Story Time even though an older kid announced way early and repeatedly that they were in their beds. (A parent wanted to check it out that night, but I talked him into other 5 Little Monkey books, so I could use it again for story time and a mother grabbed it there. 1/30/13

Went over okay at my monkey lap time as the first book.

[Lacy | literary_lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book featuring the five little monkeys. My daughter absolutely loves the “jumping on the bed” song, and after reading the trick-or-treat book, I knew I had to read more of these books to her.

This book is cute, and has those silly monkeys up to more tricks with their babysitter, Lulu. This book is funny and incorporates counting. It’s also, a cute seek-and-find book on the pages the monkeys are hiding.

This book was perfect for my almost three-year old. My infant even smiled and enjoyed it, but I think that’s because of the voices and faces I was making.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a traditional literature book, as it is a Five Little Monkeys book with a spin on it. I think most kids love these books! Five Little Monkeys was a favorite of mine as a child, too!

Using this book can be a great opportunity for a cross-disciplinary lesson - incorporating math into reading. I think this is also a perfect book to help teach counting to 100 in Kindergarten.

I rate this book 4 stars because you can use it for both math and reading lessons and take the lesson in any direction you wish.

[Kelly Wickham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going on an adventure with the Five Little Monkeys is always fun. They are mischievous and cute and in this book they teach us about counting while playing hide-and-seek. Lulu, the babysitter, comes over so Mama monkey can have a night out and the she spends the night searching for the 5 little monkeys as they continuously hide from her. Their last hiding place is their beds and Lulu gets them to sleep by counting sheep.

[Madison LibraryBookFamily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lulu the babysitter agrees to play hide and seek with the monkeys. Each time she finds them, they plead for more time to hide once again. Bright illustrations are perfect for spying hidden monkeys. Rhyming words make reading quite fun. My children loved the opportunity to practice their counting.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story using the Five Little Monkeys. I think my brothers oldest will get a kick out of it, primarily because she is the oldest of six young kids, which makes her Lulu. She will be able to relate to having the kids trying to stay out of bed!

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, cute, and a delight to read. Those five little monkeys take their babysitter, Lulu, on a fun game of hide-and-seek. I haven't met a young child yet that doesn't enjoy hide-and-seek and I'm sure most will love this story.

[Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny story of Five little monkeys not wanting to go to bed. I like that this one rhymes. Makes the story fun to read and the illustrations are still fun.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have been reading this every night for 2 weeks. Liked it at first...

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Five Little Monkeys book. That's about it. They play hide-and-seek with the babysitter.

[Awjtf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the five little monkeys!

[Kati · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a preschool teacher. Kids enjoyed it 🐵🐵🐵🐵🐵

[Jc · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a surprise ending in this story.

[Milton Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monkeys play hide and seek. B

[Cathy | A Case Full of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book to practice counting, and my kids had fun finding the hiding monkeys.

[Jace Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun rhyming story and very clever ending :)

[Lee Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this aloud... so... many... times. 2/5 stars.

[Briana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A student I work with loves to read and act out this book! It is such a fun book!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my second favorite of the five little monkey books.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoe loved this one

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read to my daughter and I think she actually liked it. Was one of my favorites as a kid

[Ruby Caldwell]

Lp0

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun story with an ironic ending.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mischief in this series can be frustrating and obnoxious, but at least this one was pretty tame and they ended up going to bed.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

With G.

[Ilyen Marban · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adaptation of ten monkeys jumping on the bed, in this story the monkeys play hide and go sick and end up going missing.

[Michelle Doerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five Little Monkeys play hide-and-seek is a very cute and silly story. I gave this book four stars because I like the style of writing and the children enjoy this story each time I read it like its the first. I characterize this as a poetry book because it has constant rhyme and repetition. It also has personification because the monkeys have human-like abilities. This is a story for nursery and primary readers. The mama monkey went out dancing and the monkey-sitter, Lulu, is left in charge of 5 rowdy monkeys. They convince her to play hide-and-seek multiple times. The last time she cant find them and mama came home! Where could they be? This book can be used to instruct young ones about counting or just for fun. Every time I read the story the children can't help but point out the monkey hiding spots. One the back cover I see multiple other stories by Christeolw about the five little monkeys. I'm excited to read them all!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has many opportunities for storytime reader participation and lots of repetitions. The little monkeys are silly, and I think that kids can identify with not wanting to go to bed, and playing a game “one more time.” It is a great twist to the story that the monkeys outwit the babysitter, and are also behaving themselves at the same time. The author could have done something where the monkeys are sassy, but instead had them hide in their beds, where they were supposed to be. It makes for an excellent read aloud. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and appealing.

I really enjoyed this book when I found it on the shelf at the library. It’s part of a Five Little Monkeys series, and based on this one, I would absolutely go back to find other stories about the silly monkeys.