The “Five Little Monkeys” series by Eileen Christelow is a beloved collection of children’s picture books based on the classic nursery rhyme “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.”
🌟 Overview
The Five Little Monkeys books follow a mischievous group of five young monkeys and their caring—but often exasperated—Mama Monkey. Each story features playful antics, simple repetitive text, and cheerful illustrations that teach lessons about safety, responsibility, and problem-solving in a humorous way.
📚 Main Books in the Series & Summaries
- Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (1989)
The original story! The five monkeys can’t resist jumping on the bed after bedtime—until each one falls off and bumps their head. Mama calls the doctor, who says, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
- Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake (1992)
- The monkeys try to surprise Mama with a birthday cake, but chaos erupts in the kitchen—smoke alarms, fire trucks, and all!
- Five Little Monkeys Wash the Car (2000)
- To help Mama sell their old car, the monkeys wash it, paint it, and accidentally drive it off on an unexpected adventure.
- Five Little Monkeys With Nothing to Do (1996)
- The monkeys are bored until Mama gives them chores to prepare for Grandma’s visit—leading to hilarious over-cleaning and messes.
- Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping (2006)
- At the store, Mama tries to keep track of all her monkeys—but they keep wandering off. It’s a funny lesson in staying together.
- Five Little Monkeys Reading in Bed (2011)
- The monkeys sneak books into bed, promising “just one more story,” until Mama has to lay down the rules about bedtime reading.
- Five Little Monkeys Trick-or-Treat (2013)
- The monkeys dress up for Halloween and go trick-or-treating—but their costume switch-up causes funny confusion.
- Of course! Here are clear, simple summaries for each of those Five Little Monkeys books by Eileen Christelow:
- 🛁 Five Little Monkeys Jump in the Bath (2014)
- After a fun—but very muddy—day of play, the five little monkeys are filthy! Mama tells them they must take a bath before dinner. The monkeys splash, play, and make a mess in the bathroom, but when Mama finally checks on them, the tub is empty and the monkeys are clean… because they’ve jumped into the mud again! It’s a funny story about playtime, cleanliness, and the chaos of bath night.
- 📖 Five Little Monkeys Reading in Bed (2011)
- It’s bedtime, but the five little monkeys don’t want to sleep—they want to keep reading “just one more story.” Mama keeps coming in to tell them to turn off the light, but the monkeys can’t resist their books. Eventually, Mama gives in and reads to them herself, falling asleep too! A warm, funny story that celebrates the love of reading and bedtime routines.
- 🙈 Five Little Monkeys Play Hide and Seek (2004)
- Mama goes out for the evening and leaves Lulu the babysitter in charge. The monkeys promise to behave, but as soon as they start playing hide-and-seek, things get wild! The monkeys hide all over the house, giving Lulu quite a fright when she can’t find them. In the end, everyone is safe and Mama returns to find the monkeys tucked in—though Lulu looks ready for a nap herself! It’s a playful story about mischief and bedtime fun.
💡 Themes
- Mischief and learning from mistakes
- Rhyme, rhythm, and counting (great for early literacy)
BOOKS ARE IN GOOD TO VERY GOOD CONDITION. SOME OF THE BOOKS HAVE SOME WEAR TO EDGES. INSIDE PAGES ARE CLEAN AND UNMARKED. TIGHT BINDINGS.
PLEASE SEE PHOTOS.