Cuddle Monkey

Cuddle Monkey lives for cuddles. There are two appointed times for cuddling in his day—right when he wakes up and right before bedtime. He even waits an entire 17 seconds before asking to cuddle again, but his parents are always too busy to give him any more cuddles. Cuddle Monkey takes matters into his own hands and tries to satisfy his love for physical affection by cuddling a myriad of different items and people throughout his day, only to be left wanting as the cuddles aren’t reciprocated. Some of his choices are sweet, like his favorite book and stuffed animals, while more comical choices include a bunch of bananas and his bus driver. With little character development and the disappointing aspect that his parents can’t take time to give him any quick cuddles throughout their day, this mediocre read doesn’t meet the expectations set by the darling yet relevant endpapers, the comical first few pages, and the beautifully executed illustrations. Fun details like Cuddle Monkey’s long, made-for-cuddling arms and his impressive collection of stuffed animal friends are overshadowed by the unbelievability in Cuddle Monkey successfully being able to put his baby brother to bed and the lack of resolution and cuddles as the story progresses.