The first night I went to work at the shelter, the attendant said, “You know they will not rest.” I stood in the doorway of the dormitory crowded with children. In the dark, the nightmares would come, but rest would not. Empowering Mexico’s vulnerable street children is no easy task when the dangers they face are real and many. But there is incredible strength in an unfinished story, especially if that story has a small hero who can overcome great odds. Night after night, Tales of the Monkey King, begun at dark and never finished until the next day, were precisely what the children needed. The brave little monkey, who fought against unspeakable odds but was never conquered, had come from far away to become their hero. Through him, many found the strength and courage they needed to face their living nightmares and cheat the King of Death. Stunning paintings by Brian Deines underscore the message and speak to the hero in everyone.
Related: Folklore and Fairy Tales, Mexico, Primary (ages 6-9)
- ISBN: 9780887766848
- Authors: Deines, Brian; Santamaria, Benjamin
- Illustrator: Deines, Brian
- Published: 2005, Tundra Books
- Themes: Courage, Homelessness and poverty, Night, nightmare, Poverty
- Descriptors: Folklore and Fairy Tales, Mexico, Primary (ages 6-9)
- No. of pages: 32
Before I read this book to my fourth graders I was sure to explain the authors purpose. We had been talking about this in guided reading and wanted to apply it to a text outside of the basal or leveled readers. This text naturally lent itself to an exploration of many different reading strategies. My students couldn’t help but to make predictions, build background knowledge, make infererences and ask questions. To be honest I had no clue what reaction this would bring but I was pleased with the interest and participation that was received.
Benjamin Santamara retelling of Tales of the Monkey King is uniquely done. He is working with Mexican street children and believes the story of courage and determination will take their nightmares away. The Monkey King wanted to live forever but he had to conquer great obstacles, including defeating the King of Death, to achieve his goal.
I read this to my third graders but before I did I made sure they understood why the author felt the Mexican street children would benefit from this Chinese Legend. The illustrations were beautifully done by Brian Deines which kept my students intrigued as I read the tale to them. This a great story about courage and bravery.