The illustrations as well as the title of the book drew me to this publication. Apart from Archie the ship-wrecked monkey being an ingenious designer and builder, he is also a selfless hero who values his friendships with Clarice the ibis and Beatrice the lonely tiger. The main conflict in this book involves the rescue of his new-found friend Beatrice from Captain Pequod and his band of supposedly fierce but in reality hapless advocates. The sentiments of the importance of having good neighbours is a strong one. The last double page spread is priceless. I really loved this book...and hope my grandson Archie will too. The main characters are pictured below:
