Monkey and Elephant and a Secret Birthday Surprise

Shh! It’s Monkey’s birthday—but that’s a secret. Can Elephant keep the big news under his party hat for one whole day?

Monkey and Elephant are very good friends—such good friends that Monkey lets Elephant in on a secret. The secret is that it is Monkey’s birthday, and Monkey does not like birthdays. But Elephant also has a secret: he has trouble keeping secrets. And keeping such a happy secret is especially hard. When Elephant learns that Clever Rat has made some party hats and is inviting friends over to see them, Elephant wants to turn their gathering into a party for Monkey. But how will he do it without giving away Monkey’s secret?

Carole Lexa Schaefer is the author of many acclaimed picture books for children, including Down in the Woods at Sleepytime, illustrated by Vanessa Cabban, and Big Little Monkey, illustrated by Pierre Pratt. She is also the author of the first three books about Monkey and Elephant. Carole Lexa Schaefer lives on Camano Island, in Washington State.

Galia Bernstein was born and raised in Israel and is the illustrator of many books for children, including Rockin’ Babies by Jenn Berman and Cynthia Weil, The Groovy Letter Book by Melissa and Dolores Neumann, and the first three books about Monkey and Elephant. She lives in Brooklyn.