Slobodkina, Esphyr. Caps for Sale; a Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys & Their Monkey Business;. New York: W. R. Scott, 1947. Print.
Summary
A hat peddler takes an unusual approach to hawking his wares: he wears his caps stacked one on top of the other as he walks up and down the street. After one fruitless morning, he goes for a walk in the country and takes a nap under a big tree. When he wakes up, all but his own cap are gone; they have been taken by some mischievous monkeys. It takes a bit of "monkey see, monkey do" on the peddler's part to get his pilfered merchandise back.
My Impressions
I was only slightly familiar with the book before I read, but I can see now why it's a classic. It's got all the makings of a children's favorite: lots of repetition both in the narrative and illustrations and lots of adorable animals, monkeys in this case. It's definitely a book that gets more enjoyable with every reading.
What Other Reviewers Said
Subtitled A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business, this absurd and very simple story has become a classic, selling hundreds of thousands of copies since its first publication in 1940. A peddler walks around selling caps from a tall, tottering pile on his head. Unable to sell a single cap one morning, he walks out into the countryside, sits down under a tree, checks that all the caps are in place, and falls asleep. When he wakes up, the caps are gone--and the tree is full of cap-wearing monkeys. His attempts to get the caps back generate the kind of repetitive rhythm that 3- and 4-year-olds will adore. (Preschool and older) --Richard Farr --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. (1)
Good natured nonsense tale in text and pictures. The text is almost unnecessary as text and pictures tell the story of the peddler who fell asleep and had his whole stock in trade of colored caps stolen by the monkeys. And of how mere chance made him do the one thing that persuaded the monkeys to throw away the caps. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. (2)
Suggested Activities
Play a variation on "Simon Says" which I call "Monkey Business": have the children stand up and copy your actions just like the monkeys copy the peddler. Be silly and be sure to give some of the kids a chance to lead! You can also watch the Reading Rainbow episode "A Three Hat Day" (available on VHS.) The book highlighted is a sweet story of a man named R. R. Pottle the Third who really loves hats (and likes to stack them almost as much as the peddler.) Host LeVar Burton introduces viewers the many roles hats can play in the jobs of different people, such as jockeys, hockey goalies, and (miniature) railroad conductors. Caps for Sale gets a brief plug near the end.
Play a variation on "Simon Says" which I call "Monkey Business": have the children stand up and copy your actions just like the monkeys copy the peddler. Be silly and be sure to give some of the kids a chance to lead! You can also watch the Reading Rainbow episode "A Three Hat Day" (available on VHS.) The book highlighted is a sweet story of a man named R. R. Pottle the Third who really loves hats (and likes to stack them almost as much as the peddler.) Host LeVar Burton introduces viewers the many roles hats can play in the jobs of different people, such as jockeys, hockey goalies, and (miniature) railroad conductors. Caps for Sale gets a brief plug near the end.
Other Citations
(1) Farr, Richard. "Amazon.com: Caps for Sale Big Book (Reading Rainbow Book) (9780064433136): Esphyr Slobodkina: Books." Rev. of Caps for Sale. Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 05 Sept. 2010. <http://tinyurl.com/27b3xal>.
(2) "Amazon.com: Caps for Sale Big Book (Reading Rainbow Book) (9780064433136): Esphyr Slobodkina: Books." Rev. of Caps for Sale. Kirkus Reviews. Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. <http://tinyurl.com/27b3xal>.
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