Author Interview: Chris Monroe, Author/Illustrator of the Monkey with a Tool Belt series

Today on The Lerner Podcast, we interview Chris Monroe, author/illustrator of the Monkey with a Tool Belt picture book series, which also inspired the Netflix original animated series Chico Bon Bon.

Whether you need a beebersaw or a chisel, Chico Bon Bon's your monkey. He can build or fix just about anything—from a dock for the ducks to a clock for the Clucks, even a small roller coaster for local chipmunks. Chris Monroe's quirky hero and detailed illustrations will absorb readers in a series of entertaining adventures that shows there is an inventive way out of every problem—if you have the right tools.

"Monroe's manic cartooning will have kids laughing from start to finish."— Publishers Weekly starred review for Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Maniac Muffins

Listen in as Chris describes how she creates Chico's adventures, where she draws inspiration, and what she's reading now.

You can find Chris on the web and follow her official fan club on Facebook. The Netflix series launches May 8, 2020, and the trailer is now live on YouTube.

A transcript of this episode is available here. 


Music credits:
"Farm" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/