Category: Children Publisher: Webbed Footprint Publications
ISBN-10: 1470928272
Type: Fiction
Pages: 97
Copyright: Aug 14, 2011
ISBN-13: 9781470928278
Volume 2 of the "Home, and About" trilogy. The one about the hopelessly lost monkey.
Monkey Business is an adventure story about Big Monkey lost between Africa and Scotland.Big Monkey has an encounter with a vicious bee and seeks refuge in a telephone box. Unable to dial home, he joins a group of pigs on a farm. When danger of a slaughter house looms, Big Monkey saves the day - and his own skin, and crosses the boarder Scotland.There he meets the love of his life and they almost live happily ever after. The story is suitable for children 8+
Excerpt
Chapter 13: Mouth wide opened
When Big Monkey opened his eyes, all was still and quiet again. The sun was shining. The leaves in the hedge rested peacefully. Monkey stretched and yawned a big, wide, square yawn. The yawn was so huge that it made Big Monkey’s jaw click. After that click, the jaw got stuck in the yawning position, so there sat Monkey with his mouth gaping wide open.
A buzzing sound appeared amongst the leaves. It buzzed merrily and busily, coming closer and closer towards Big Monkey until it sat on his nose. Big Monkey’s eyes crossed over his nose and spied out a bee. It was an ordinary, if somewhat hairy bee. It began to loiter about Big Monkey’s nose, making it tickly. If it had not been for Monkey’s mouth being locked in the yawning position, he would have politely requested the bee to buzz off, but as it were, he was unable to speak. So he sneezed.
Catapulted off his nose, the bee buzzed away angrily, regrouped on top of the hedge and then charged at Big Monkey full speed, with its sting pointed at him like a lance. Monkey froze and gaped wide-mouthed at the fast approaching beast as it flew right into his mouth. Its sting lodged into the back of Monkey’s throat which made Monkey yelp in pain and shut his mouth. The bee was trapped.
It started thrusting and buzzing inside Monkey. It made such a racket that soon all the other bees collecting pollen in the hedge flew closer and listened. They formed a hairy black cloud above Monkey’s head and were glaring at him with menace. Monkey ran.
The cloud of bees flew after him.
Monkey ran faster than he had ever run before.
The bees buzzed right behind him.
At the last minute, Monkey saw the telephone box – the same telephone box he had explored the previous day. Monkey flung the door open and shut it instantly behind him – the cloud of bees hit the glass and reeled back on impact. Monkey was saved.
He collapsed in a pile of sweaty and trembling misery. He could still feel the bee stuck inside his throat just as he was stuck inside this telephone box. Outside, the bees were pushing against the glass door. It was only a matter of seconds before they broke through it.
Big Monkey searched the box, desperate to find a weapon with which to fend off the bloodthirsty bee gang. Presently, his eyes were caught by the big sign: EMERGENCY CALLS FREE. Next to it, were three identical numbers highlighted in red. Big Monkey wasn’t quite sure what those numbers were, but they looked like upside-down sixes.
999
Big Monkey pressed those three numbers. A pleasant and friendly voice spoke to him in a very comforting manner, “Press 1 for the Police, press 2 for an ambulance, press 3 for the fire brigade.”
Scratching his head, Big Monkey considered his options: he needed the Police to arrest the Bloodthirsty Bee Gang as it was clearly breaking the law by trying to beat him up. He also needed an ambulance as he was seriously wounded by the Bee Stuck in his Throat. Finally, he needed the fire brigade – just in case.
Big Monkey could not press 1 and 2 and 3, all at the same time, so he pressed 4. This time, the Pleasant and Friendly Voice didn’t sound too pleased. In fact, it sounded rather grumpy, “I do not understand your selection. Press 1 for the Police, press 2 for an ambulance, press 3...”
At that very moment, the Bloodthirsty Bee Gang carried out the final assault on the telephone box and broke through the door. Glass shattered and Monkey was showered with sharp shards.
“MUUUUMY!” he cried, and as he did, his mouth opened wide and the Bee Stuck in his Throat escaped.
It buzzed up into the air, hovered for a second above Monkey’s head and waved its fist at him – then it flew away in a huff, and with it, went the entire Bloodthirsty Bee Gang in an orderly formation.
Big Monkey gaped after them with his mouth still wide open, thanking his lucky star as he realised he had nearly swallowed a bee queen.
Winner of two 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards in the Ebooks Category:
Best Illustrations: 2nd Place
Picture Books Ages 6 and Older: Honorable Mention
Can a bee-eating German Shepherd stop his bad habits to earn his heavenly rewards? Find out
