Caps for Sale

Caps for Sale
Esphyr Slobodkina
William R. Scott, 1940

I know this one is SUPER obvious, but it is one of the great GREATS and bears the amazing and unforgettable subtitle ~ A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business. (Plus, Caps for Sale is going to be the Great Monday Give book next week, but let's just keep that between us.)

In print for over 60 years, children's books really don't get better than this. Definitely in the top ten all time best. If you don't have it in your collection, buy it IMMEDIATELY here, here or here.

Once there was a peddler who sold caps.
But he was not like an ordinary peddler
carrying his wares on his back.
He carried them on top of his head.

Monkeys.... evil. Peddler... funny.

"You monkeys, you," he said,
shaking a finger at them,
"you give me back my caps."

So there are these monkeys see, and they steal this guy's caps see. And the peddler must use his extraordinary smarts to out-kid the kidders. Bonkers of hilarity. I can't imagine that as the Siberian-born author was creating this book she could have foreseen it lingering as long as it has. I mean really, check out these monkeys. Envisioning these plush toys back then would have been like the Wright brothers dreaming of a 747. Such a legacy!

Also by:
Pezzo the Peddler and the Circus Elephant
The Wonderful Feast
Little Dog Lost, Little Dog Found