I dislike giving books a One rating. I know the author and illustrator have put a lot of time and effort into the book. However, sometimes you just 
cannot find the spark that makes that book your book. The below books are two that just did not “spark” for me.
Adults will most likely get sick of the repetition quickly enough of Bonnie & Ben Rhyme Again. Even though this is Mem Fox, I do not see the “element” I have come to associate with them. The rhymes are just old nursery rhymes that we know to death. The main character comes off as odd and creepy even. The art of Judy Horacek does nothing to help the story and overall it is weak. However, if you are looking for another nursery rhyme book, this should do the trick as there is basically no story that goes along with them.
Cuddle Monkey is about a monkey who wants cuddles but finds that it can be hard to cuddle. But finally, he partakes in a special cuddle. Blake Liliane Hellman’s book does not have a lot going on with a story. Yet, it might be an interesting book for the child who is a cuddle monkey. Chad Otis’s illustrations keep this simplistic theme going. Basic colors, details and the actual monkey and family resemble monkeys, but do not use as a “realistic” representation. There are some interesting moments (the illustration of baby Owen and Cuddle Monkey is realistic) yet, not extraordinary.
If you are interested in these, I would find a library and see if they have copies, then you can deem if you need to give this book a forever home in yours.
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