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
Caps for Sale FROM OUR EDITORS A cap peddler wakes from a nap to find all his caps are gone-a bunch of naughty monkeys have taken them up a tree. Angrily shaking his finger at the monkeys, the peddler demands his caps back, but the monkeys only shake their fingers and say "Tsz, tsz, tsz." No matter what the peddler does, the monkeys only imitate him. Finally, the peddler is so enraged he throws his cap on the ground-and all the monkeys follw suit! ANNOTATION A band of mischievous monkeys steals every one of a peddler's caps while he takes a nap under a tree.
FROM THE PUBLISHER The peddler wakes up bright and early, ready to begin his day and sell some caps. But everyone in town is missing. Where could they be? Then he realizes they must be at the county fair, and he rushes off to sell his caps to the crowd. Instead of selling, though, he finds himself caught in the middle of a circus on parade. And before he knows it, he and his caps are one of the star acts! Esphyr Slobodkina's classic artwork and timeless story are as endearing as ever in this new, refreshed edition. Come to the circus, one and all -- but don't forget those caps are for sale! SYNOPSIS Caps for Sale is a timeless classic, in print for over fifty years, and beloved by generations of readers. This easy-to-read story about a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys is filled with warmth, humor, and simplicity. Children will delight in following the peddler's efforts to outwit the monkeys in this new, enlarged, and redesigned edition, and will ask to read it again and again.
FROM THE CRITICS New York Times From an old folk tale [the author] has fashioned this bright picture book, infusing it with a humor which seems to have sprung from her own hearty enjoyment of the troubles of a peddler with a band of monkeys.
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