Monkey and Elephant and a Secret Birthday Surprise    by Carole Lexa Schaefer & Galia Bernstein Order:  USA  Can Candlewick, 2015 (2015) Hardcover, Softcover     Reviewed by Bob Walch As a young reader advances, he or she turns to extended stories that feature short chapters and more detailed plots. This humorous book about the difficulty in sharing a secret focuses on friends Monkey and Elephant. At the story's outset Monkey tells his friend that it is his birthday but he doesn't want a party or any fuss made about it. Elephant knows he has a hard time keeping a secret but he is determined to try. When Clever Rat enters the tale in Chapter Two and it becomes clear that Rat is an expert hat maker, especially of party hats, the challenge of keeping the secret of Monkey's birthday becomes very difficult for elephant. Then Rat invites everyone over to his house to see his latest party hat collection. Before you know it, an 'It's-not-my-birthday' party is taking place and then Monkey's cousins show up. Is the secret out of the bag now? Perhaps! Colorful illustrations along with a text featuring lots of dialogue make this funny, chapter book one that should delight the more accomplished reader. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews