Synopses & Reviews
Review
The New York Times
“Murilla Gorilla” is, above all, a pleasure to read and look at. Like the cheeky rascal who stole the muffins, readers will be hungry for more.
Publisher's Weekly
Murilla Gorilla joins a proud tradition of sleuths whose cases are solved as much by dumb luck as by skill. Over five chapters, Murilla tries to figure out who ate the banana muffins that Ms. Chimpanzee had been planning to sell at the Mango Market. Readers will quickly get the sense that Murilla isnt a conventional detective. In the first chapter, she goes back to sleep after getting Ms. Chimpanzees phone call, and it takes her some time to track down her backpack and badge (“It was in the bathtub!”). Lloyd (Ellas Umbrellas) works lots of deadpan humor into her trim sentences. “Do you like bananas?” Murilla asks Ms. Chimpanzee, getting an idea. “Murilla! I am not the muffin thief!” shouts the increasingly frustrated baker. While this is a charming debut for Murilla, its also a strong one for Lee—her sherbet palette and friendly characterizations are an ideal fit for the books blend of mystery and comedy. When Murilla dons a banana tree costume and tries to stay awake long enough to catch the perpetrator, shes nothing short of a vision. Ages 5-8. (May)
Booklist
There is mischief afoot at the Mango Market, and Murilla Gorilla is on the case. In this first entry in a new series of early reader mysteries, Murilla is hired by Mrs. Chimpanzee to solve the case of her missing banana muffins. Readers wont need to borrow Murillas magnifying glass to follow along with the clues, which establish a motive and possible suspect early on. Murillas meandering detection allows readers to meet several supporting characters who represent the variety of exotic animals living in the jungle. And though Murilla may wander, the text does not; the chapters are succinct and the vocabulary focused, keeping new readers on track and interested. The illustrations are awash with soft pastels, creating a backdrop as warm as the sun over the African rain forest. Often sleepy, slightly disorganized, but never in a rush, Murilla Gorilla has her own methods, which mystify and frustrate her client but get the job done.
— Kara Dean
School Library Journal
K-Gr 2 When banana muffins disappear from Ms. Chimpanzee's stall at the Mango Market, Murilla Gorilla is on the case. A trail of crumbs leads her to footprints, which she follows around the market. Mandrill, Hippo, and Tree Frog make impressions in the sand, but they are nothing like the tracks she is following. After taking a break at Leopard's Lemonade Stand, the detective visits Anteater's Crunchy Cookies and Okapi's Hammocks. As neither animal eats bananas, she resorts to a banana-tree disguise that attracts Little Chimp. His footprints match those of the muffin thief. While the satisfied detective sleeps beneath a tree, Ms. Chimpanzee and Little Chimp bake a new batch of muffins. The watercolor artwork features a peach, lime, and turquoise palette, capturing the languid, slow-paced world of the African rain forest. Murilla takes her time examining clues, talking to suspects, and trapping the culprit with a getup from her bottomless backpack. This charming, easy-to-read chapter book will delight emerging readers. - Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN
Read it, Daddy blog:
This book really feels fresh, exciting and it's hilariously funny and we won't shut up about it until you've checked it out. Murilla Gorilla is utterly fab!
Review
School Library Journal - PreS-Gr 3-Jungle detective Murilla Gorilla is back in this charming new story. When she heads to the Mango Market to fill her empty fridge, Murilla is immediately sent to Okapi's hammock stall to investigate a mysterious hole in one of his hammocks. Using items from her detective backpack (a notebook, magnifying glass, and fish disguise), Murilla discovers the culprit (no spoilers here). She is so tired from the work that she nearly goes home without any groceries, but her grumbling tummy reminds her of her original task. This story has short chapters with appropriate vocabulary and plenty of low-key humor. Lee's illustrations weave in and out of the text but also take up entire pages. As in the other books in this series, the images continue to be the perfect accompaniment to the text, with their soft colors, easily readable expressions, and humorous touches. This lively easy mystery will engage independent readers and those being read to.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH
Review
Horn Book: The titular primate in Jennifer Lloyd's Murilla Gorilla and the Hammock Problem lives in the rainforest of an unnamed African country. Okapi (an indigenous central African mammal) hires Murilla to figure out who put a hole in the hammock she's selling. This accessible book is easy to read without looking babyish, and the mystery is easy to solve without being too obvious. Jacqui Lee draws with muted tones, highlighting Murilla's pink cheeks and prehensile feet and Okapi's gray-striped legs and arms. (Simply Read, 6-8 years)
Synopsis
In this third mystery of the Murilla Gorilla Detective series, Okapi discovers that one of his hammocks has a hole in it. What could have happened? It is up to Murilla to find out, following a set of strange-looking prints leading away from the hammock.
About the Author
Jennifer Lloyd is the author of Ella’s Umbrellas, One Winter Night and Looking for Loons. When she is not at her writing desk, she works as a kindergarten teacher in Blainville, Quebec. Her students provide her with a wealth of ideas, as do her own two children. Jennifer loves teaching beginning writing to her students, many learning in a second language. She also gives workshops in classrooms around the Laurentians and Montreal. Jennifer lives in Blainville, Quebec.
Jacqui Lee graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Design, and currently lives and works in Vancouver, BC. This is her first book.