The Clever Monkey: A Folktale

This trickster monkey from Africa will teach readers the importance of sharing and trustworthiness. 

The Clever Monkey is a classic folktale from West Africa told by Rob Cleveland. One day two greedy jungle cats discover a large piece of cheese. They want to share the piece of cheese but cannot decide how they can divide it fairly. A very clever little monkey loves cheese as well and when he sees the two cats arguing over the cheese, he uses this opportunity to trick the jungle cats into allowing him to eat practically all of the cheese. Unfortunately for the two cats, they never realize that they were completely tricked by a very clever monkey. 

This story comes from Africa. Variants of it ban be found among Brer Rabbit tales, with Brer Rabbit in the role of the monkey and Brer Fox in the role of the lion. There is a similar story in Native American folklore entitled, "How Rabbit Fooled Wolf." Rob Cleveland is storyteller-in-residence at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia and is the author of several Story Cove books. 

Rob Cleveland Bio: 

Rob Cleveland is an award winning author, professional storyteller, workshop leader, accomplished film and stage actor, as well as a popular comedian. Rob has authored seven Story Cove picture books. He is also a popular keynote speaker for state and regional reading conferences where he shares his perspective on the unique role that folktales play in our lives and the critical contribution that the oral tradition can make in helping young children develop their core reading skills. In addition, Rob is storyteller-in-residence at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta. His talent for crafting memorable stories landed him at Emory University Law School where he leads workshops for law students about how to tell an engaging story. Recently, he adapted, directed and appeared in a series of slave stories from The Adventures of High John the Conqueror for the National Black Arts Festival. Although Rob travels across the country, he lives with his family in Atlanta, Georgia.

Baird Hoffmire Bio: 

Baird Hoffmire is an animator, illustrator, graphic designer and exhibiting artist. He resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his beautiful wife, Jane and his equally lovely daughters, Sadie and Harper. With a BFA in Illustration from Western Carolina University and a BFA in Media Arts and Animation from the Art Institute of Atlanta, Baird has been working as a professional artist for over ten years. His illustrations in Story Cove picture books and animated stories have been enjoyed by tens of thousands of children around the world. Besides painting, illustrating books and spending time with his family, Baird loves to play basketball.