This is a story about a monkey named Mike, who started drumming as a tiny little tyke. He played with his fingers; he played with his feet--a funky little monkey with a beat, beat, beat.
Bing, bong, bing, his rhythms would sing, but poor Monkey Mike heard only one thing...
He heard it from his parents; he heard it from his sis; he heard it from the neighbors, and it sounded like this:
BE QUIET, MIKE!
At first I wasn't sure about this one. It was never a case of liking or not liking; no, it was a do I like this?, do I really like this? or do I love it? Leslie Patricelli is one of my favorite authors for young readers. I've loved--often loved, loved, loved--many of her simpler books like Higher, Higher; Tubby; Potty; Yummy Yucky; Quiet Loud; No No Yes Yes; Baby Happy Baby Sad; The Birthday Box, etc. Be Quiet, Mike definitely has more words than any of those books I just mentioned!
But the more I read Be Quiet, Mike! the more I liked it. And I think it is because of the rhythm of it. It's a simple story of a loud little monkey who has to find the right way to express himself. He finds it through music--a drum set--as you might have guessed. Anyway, there is something musical about Be Quiet, Mike. I'm not saying that it is as musical, as magical, as say Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins (one of my favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite books of all times), but it works. There is something fun about reading this one.
Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10
© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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