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Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
Be careful who you trust. Mel, the king of the monkeys, believes he can be and do anything he wants without fear. But he has his enemies. Only his trusting nature doesn’t allow him to be cautious. So when Mr. Alligator approaches Mel, on the premise of helping Mel get across the great Ganges River for sweeter fruits, Mel trusts him. Little does he realize, until it is almost too late, that Mr. Alligator’s plan is to take Mel’s heart to Mrs. Alligator for her dinner. Ah! But once Mel figures out his error, he has a very clever plan. You see, he really is much smarter than Mr. Alligator.
Ngozi Edema’s picture book story, Mel The Monkey And The Alligator, is a good allegory for young readers as it teaches them to be cautious of strangers. Sweet promises from someone you don’t know might be more dangerous than you realize. That’s what Mel the king of the monkeys learned. The plot develops with care, allowing the young reader to follow Mel’s journey with Mr. Alligator, almost to his doom. The two main characters, Mel and Mr. Alligator, are well presented as the protagonist and the antagonist, and the young reader will clearly be able to identify which character is good and which one is evil. The illustrations are beautiful and help carry this story along. This is a wonderful tale for young readers with a valuable lesson to share. As Mel learns his lesson, so too will young readers.
