A Tale of a Peddler Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business

This classic never fails to be a great read. My 7 and 5 year old grandsons were entranced--at the concept of a man walking around selling hats that he carried on his head, the story line and the ending. We're waiting until their new baby sister is old enough to hear it too.

I loved this story when I was a child and have read it to my own children so many times we all have it memorized. I remembered it from the Captain Kangaroo show and almost cried with joy when I found it in a book store. My girls love to act out the story while I read it to them.

A classic....yesterday, today and tomorrow as well! Great prediction opportunities and tons of giggles! I've read this story to 5 yr olds for over 30 years, and it's been received every time just as warmly as the one before it.

Great old classic- but know that this is an enormous book, and they send it in even more enormous box! I didn't tice the size on the description, so be sure to check that you are getting the correct one.

I remember reading this book as a kid and am looking forward to sharing with my daughter as she learns to read. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and colorful, my daugther loves to look at the pictures. The story is fun and entertaining for the kids and is good for teaching counting.

My son just loves this book!! This is a very entertaining story and I highly recommend this to any parent. I had to purchase our own copy because we checked it out from the library so many times! A book both adults and children will like!

Caps for Sale-not very well known book to present generation of parents and children. Whenever I give it as a gift, parents tell me their children always love it and ask for it to be read to them.
Special fun if you have caps or hats for child to use while you read the book to them.

A wonderful classic gift for a child, parent or grandparent. I read this to my children when they were very young and it became a favorite. I still have our original copy and purchased this as a gift for a friend who will be reading to her grandchildren when they visit.

Caps For Sale is a hard find. I purchased the book because of the translation into Spanish. The individual that did this placed the cut and paste translation on the book pages. THis did not look attractive for the hard find book.

Don't let the 1940 copyright fool you. This is not only a great story for children, it is also one that the parents and/or grandparents will never tire of reading. It is now being read to the third generation in my family and is a true classic in children's literature. No home library should be without it. This book also makes a great gift for any child over the age of three and is not hard to read for young readers as well.

This is very old but neat story for children.I read this book when I was a child and I am in my sixties.This printing is well bound and has thick durable pages that are well coated to stand up to the abuse children give books at times.The vendor is a very nice gal and I would do business with her again anytime.-FS

This book has been around for some time. I remembered how much my children enjoyed it, so I bought it for another child. He loved it and especially enjoyed the defiance of the clever monkeys. Cute book for 3-5 year olds and could be a good read-aloud story for pre schoolers!

I bought this for my grandson (who is 5 months old, but the book will wait for him). It is a simple little story of a hat seller plagued by monkeys who steal his hats. The line drawings will be great for finding details in the pictures and the story will be easy for him to remember. Untested so far, but I think he will like it.

Teachers, I was not sent a Big Book. The seller promptly refunded my money and let me keep the book. Although I didn't get what I had anticipated, I would not hesitate to give this seller another chance.

Great story! This is a classic.

I have a question about this book. When my sister got it for her grand kids, the caps moved and so did the man during the reading. Mine doesn't seem to move. Is there a reason why and how can I get it to move. It would be a lot more fun for the kids if I can figure this out. Thanks for your help. The reason for the 2 stars is because it isn't how I wanted it to be. If I can get it to be animated it would have 5 stars.

I ordered the bilingual version and received a version only in English. I ended up ordering a second book only in Spanish in order to have the translation I planned to receive when I ordered this book.

This a family favorite. The appeal to young children is in the repetition and the humor of imagining a frustrated peddler trying to reason with a group of mimicing monkeys. All ends well for the peddler and he gets his hats back.

I got this for the kindle because I wanted to read a memorable story I read as a child. Then I see that the publisher has changed and edited it since I last read it. I'm not hard to please but I really hate it when people mess with things.

I caution all customers about buying from merchant "quality7". I was ordering a large number of good-quality used and new hardbound books as a library for prospective teachers, and I was particularly careful to keep documentation about the claims with regard to any used books. This merchant posted the book as a "Hardcover" edition in "Very Good" condition. [You can see that the "Hardcover" status is still shown with the title above!] When it arrived, it was a small paperback in very poor condition. The covers and all the pages were worn around the edges, and the back cover had a fold across it, along with the last several pages (having the same fold). I contacted the seller to ask for a way to return the book at their expense since they had misrepresented the item, but they refused. I even had to contact the store with a complaint to get the price of the book returned, but the seller still refused postage for the return. I did return the book at my own expense, but I would never use merchant "quality7" again.

I have ordered a lot of books through the store, and will continue to do so, but I have never before run into a problem of such blatant misrepresentation of the item coupled with refusal to take full responsibility upon complaint. Beware!

Don't buy it. The board book is missing the first part of the story; it starts after setting the story up. This is too bad, because board books are so wonderful for little ones whose language and interest in stories is ahead of their dexterity. I'm disappointed.

Another reviewer said that the newer versions are not quite the same as the original versions (1947,1949, and 1968 I think). I can't vouch for that, but if you're buying this book because you remember enjoying it yourself and now want to share it with your children or grandchildren, you might want to search for vintage editions.

An afterthought: the store was wonderful about refunding my money for this item.

The back of this book promises "the classic tale of a peddler, some monkeys and their monkey business."

And I love the classic tale, and so do my kids, for its sweet innocent text, its rhythmic repetitions and the unique character and palette of its illustrations. All of which are preserved here except... as I discovered when I sat down to read this to a group of kids at circle time... the delightful text. Oh, and some of the pictures.

I would definitely not call it the SAME BOOK since the text is different, and I think it's mighty sneaky of the publisher (HarperFestival) to hint that you're getting "the classic tale" when what you're getting is some editorial department's cut-n-slash decisions about what makes the book tick.

What I like about this book is the repetition of the order of the hats, which kids enjoy as well, but one full repeat is missing, and another has been pared down slightly. Some of the text has been skipped - the entire second page - and elsewhere, it's paraphrased for brevity.

Perhaps if you've never read the original, you'll enjoy this book. For me, used to the rhythms and humour of the original, this board book version is woefully lacking.

Luckily, our version is from the library, so all I have to do is give it back - no returns processing necessary. I hope others will learn from my mistake before it ends up costing them the $9/$12 (in Canada), plus shipping, that they'd have to pay to get this book home. And the disappointment of knowing it's not the "classic tale" at all.

I was reminded of this book from my own childhood recently, and I immediately knew I had to reread it. Sometimes, when you do pick up a childhood favorite, it doesn’t hold up to what you remember. Fortunately, with Caps for Sale, that wasn’t an issue at all.

The story is fairly simple and follows a cap salesman. This man walks around the village all day selling the caps he keeps stacked on his head. On this particular day, he isn’t have any luck selling caps, so he walks into the country and finds a tree to lean up again to rest. When he awakes, he’s refreshed, but all but one cap is missing. They’ve been taken by monkeys who were in the tree while he napped. How can he get them back?

I had remembered the book was fairly simple, and I found when I reread it that I was correct. Yet that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This is a picture book after all, and the storyline is easy enough for kids to follow. I remember as a kid, I easily understood why the monkeys gave back the caps at the end, and I found the story fun and funny. I still enjoyed it just as much as an adult.

The book is written and illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina. The book was originally published in the 1940’s, and that explains some of the details in the illustrations, especially the man’s wardrobe. Yet there is an elegance to them that is timeless. Kids will still love them.

While this isn’t typically classified as an easy reader, I think it would work for those ready for a slightly more challenging book. Words like monkey and peddler are about the hardest words you’ll find here.

So if you have fond memories of Caps for Sale, don’t hesitate to introduce it to your kids. The timeless fun is still there waiting for a new generation to discover.

This book is one of my favorites from 1st grade, and it definitely still has the same charm. "Caps for Sale" tells the story of an unfortunate Cap salesman who has his inventory stolen by a band of monkeys. The art style is charmingly vintage, like something out of a convenience store from the '30s. The story doesn't really have a solid moral, which is kind of the point; It instead focuses on rhythmic sentences that are loads of fun to read out loud. Its simple twist at the end is enough to get a laugh out of any kid and maintains the upbeat vibe of the book. I'd recommend "Caps for Sale" to anyone who wants a simple and comical book to read their kids before bedtime.

My daughter asked for Caps for Sale all the time when she was three. It was one of the first books she started to "read" to us. The repetition, rhythmic language, and descriptive illustrations make this an easy and fun book for toddlers to memorize. The story is about a peddler who sells caps that he carries on top of his head. "First he had on his own checked cap, then a brunch of gray caps, then a bunch of brown caps, then a bunch of blue caps, and on the very top a bunch of red caps." One day no one is buying any of his caps so he takes a long walk out of town before settling down for a nap in front a big tree. He leans back slowly so as not to disturb the caps on his head. When he wakes up, he reaches for his caps and discovers that he only has his own checked cap on his head. He looks around the tree for his caps but doesn't find them. Then he looks up into the tree. "On every branch sat a monkey. On every monkey was a gray, or a brown, or a blue, or a red cap!" The peddler shakes his finger at the monkeys and tells them to give him back his caps. The monkeys just shake their fingers back at him and say, "Tsz, tsz, tsz." The peddler gets angry and shakes both of his hands at the monkeys and demands again that they give back his caps. The monkeys just hiss and shake both their hands back at him. As the peddler gets angrier and angrier, he stamps his feet but the monkeys only hiss and imitate his actions. Finally the peddler is so angry that he pulls off his own cap, throws it on the ground, and begins to walk away. Suddenly the monkeys pull off their caps and throw them down onto the ground. The peddler gathers them all up, puts them back on his head and walks back to town, calling "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!"

I have to say this is one of my childhood favorite stories, one that I read over and over again. I just loved the monkey's mimicking the man. Anyway, in-a-nut-shell, this story is about a man who sells caps for a living. All 16 of the caps he sells, he piles on his head then walks the town streets yelling, "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!"

One day he tires and and decides to take a nap, so he sits up against a tree. He doesn't lay down because he doesn't want to remove the caps that are on his head. However, when he wakes up he finds that there is only one cap on his head so he searches for the caps and figures out that monkeys that were in the tree that he was resting on, had stole his caps.

The man does everything to try to get the monkeys to give him back his caps. He asked for them back, but the monkey's just made noises back to him. The man shook his hands at them and demanded that they give him back his caps, but the monkeys just shook thier hands back at him. The man, very angry now, stomped his feet, but the monkeys only stomped their feet too. Then in frustration, the man took off his only hat and threw it to the ground, and the monkey's did the same thing, they took off thier caps and threw them to the ground. The man picks up the caps, puts them back on his head, and walks through the town streets yelling, "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!"

Note that there is more to the story, but this is the basic idea.

I read a lot as a child, yet people have given me classics that I'm experiencing with my children for the first time. Caps for Sale is one of those books.

It starts off simply enough, the cap peddler is peddling his caps which he has stacked up on top of his head. Not only does this look uncomfortable and require perfect posture and balance, but every time we read it we have to stop on the first page so we can count his caps. Seventeen. There are seventeen.

Since no one is buying his caps, the peddler goes for a walk in the country and when he tires, he sits down under a tree. When he wakes he discovers that sixteen of the caps are missing and that they've been taken by monkeys! What follows is some very fun monkey business as the peddler tries all he can to get his caps back.

The illustrations of the town and countryside are sweet and the monkeys are definitely drawn with a sense of humor.

Caps for Sale is a fun little book that my children have really enjoyed.

Have you ever read a book that just made absolutely no since, whatsoever? Well if you haven't then you should definitely read "Caps for Sale," because I read it too my children and it left all of us scratching our heads in wonder.

In this 'children's book' we find a peddler who sales caps, but instead of carrying them in a bag- he wears all of them upon his head. Different colored hats all piled on top of one another, he walks carefully as so not to drop one. The two sentences before you is basically the gist of the story.

I grew up having this book read to me every night. It was certainly a favorite that even decades later, I still remember quite clearly. It is a wonderful story that comes with such loving memories spent with my parents.

In a conversation with my best friend about her bedtime ritual with her two and a half year old son, I asked if he had Caps For Sale. To my surprise, she claimed she never even heard of it. I knew that needed to change. I was a bit worried that my nephew would be too young for this but as my best friend so beautifully stated, "you're never too young for a good story!" This book has made children happen for decades and I am so glad that my nephew now has it love just as I did!

Book Review by:
Nuha Islam
Nabiha Islam

CAPS FOR SALE

by Esphyr Slobodkina

The silly story of CAPS FOR SALE takes place in a small town, a long time ago.
A peddler was trying to sell his caps--his gray caps; his brown caps; his blue caps; and his red caps. He carried all of his caps on his head, but sadly, no one was buying his colored caps. Since no one was buying his caps, he had no money for lunch. So he decided to go for a walk in the country.

He walked for a long time, until he got to a big tree. He decided that this would be a nice place to rest. So, with all of the caps on his head, he fell asleep. When he woke up, his caps were gone! All of his caps, except his own checked cap. Where did his caps go?? He looked everywhere, but did not find them. Finally, he looked up into the tree. What do you think he saw? On every branch he saw a monkey, and on every monkey, he saw a cap--a gray cap; a brown cap; a blue cap; and a red cap. There were all of his caps! Oh, what to do??

The peddler shouted, shook his hands, and stamped his feet. However, the monkeys just copied him, and shouted, shook their hands, and stamped their feet, saying, "Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Finally, the peddler was so angry, he took off his cap and threw it on the ground. The monkeys all took their caps off of their heads and threw them on the ground. To the peddler's surprise, he got all of his caps back. So he put them back on his head, and walked back into town, saying, "Caps! Caps for sale. Fifty cents a cap."

We just loved the book! It was silly, happy, and fun, but it did have a sad part for the poor peddler. No one would buy his caps, and he had no money for lunch. That is when the "Monkey Business" began.

Our favorite part was when the monkeys copied everything the peddler did. Finally, when they copied him as he threw his cap on the ground, they threw down all of their caps. We were so glad that that he was able to get his caps back, and to get back to business. "Caps! Caps for sale. Fifty cents a cap!"

We would recommend this book very much, because it is a fun read about "Monkey Business."

We bought this book for our twin daughters when they were ~6 months old or so. I'd read and loved the original version years ago, and for the purposes of this review I will not compare the two. We own the boardbook, and that is what I will refer to here.

We have found that this book succeeds in several significant ways:

1. It is repetitive. I think this is what makes Blues Clues and Dora so successful; the constant repetition drives home the story and allowed our daughters to both become comfortable with the syncopation and anticipate what was next based on verbal cues (at ~10 months or so).

2. The pictures are wonderful. I suppose one could call them a bit 'dated' based on the color scheme, but they have charm, are clear, and directly indicate what is happening on each page.

3. The story has easy, and meaningful, movement tie-ins. This point hit home for us when one daughter would pull the book out, open to the middle (the full picture with all the monkeys wearing hats), shake her fingers and says "tss, tss, tss". Inevitably, her sister hears and joins in! Even when much younger than now (they are a year old), they would smile and laugh when we came to the parts with "you monkeys you, you give me back my caps!". Now, they are excited to do the motions themselves.

This book is a simple story that has the powerful ability to draw an infant in. This book is one of the books that motions we've taught them come up when they are playing and just happen to notice the book (others being Hello Bugs and Barnyard Dance). In the business book parlance, this book is 'sticky'!

My girls recently inherited Caps For Sale so I decided to read it to them during one of our dinners this past week. Caps For Sale was written over 70 years ago and is based on a folktale. Although this book is a popular read-aloud book that has sold more than two million copies, I was not familiar with it. The illustrations and story are very simple, but I found the book surprisingly amusing. As the title indicates, there are caps for sale. A salesman has 17 caps on his head and walks up and down streets yelling, "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!" One morning the peculiar salesman walks out to the sticks and finds a great big tree to rest under. When the man wakes up from his nap, he realizes that 16 of his caps were stolen by 16 cap-stealing monkeys. The story does not end there, but I thought I would not spoil the rest of the story in case you are not familiar with it. I found myself a little intrigued as to what would happen next as I read the story. I just started to regularly read stories to my girls, but I do not normally find myself so curious when reading a book to them. Both of my girls really like the repetitive lines spoken by both the salesman and monkeys. We give Caps For Sale six thumbs up!

This is a fabulous book and make both my 3.5 year old and 1.5 year old laugh. The illustrations are very old-fashioned and it drives me crazy that some of the colors of the caps do not clearly match the text description in the book. Your family may also object to some of the displays of frustration described in the book (shouting, shaking fists, pointing fingers, stomping, throwing things). Despite all of this, it truly is a classic that connects with people of all ages. I laugh every time I read it and the kids think the monkeys are hilarious. This book is a family favorite.

Years ago, a unique peddler stood out from other salespeople because he carried all his goods on top of his head. He neatly stacked a bunch of gray, brown, blue, and red caps in a single pile and carefully balanced them on his head as he walked through town, calling "Caps! Caps for Sale! Fifty cents a cap!" But alas, on this particular day, no one purchases a cap. With no money to buy lunch, the peddler opts for a walk and a nap in the countryside instead. His troubles multiply when he wakes up to the sight of a group of playful monkeys in the treetop, each wearing one of his caps for sale. How will he get the caps back?

This classic story, reissued in a new hardcover edition, does not grow old with its humor, ingenuity, and charm. Underlying the story is an important set of economics concepts related to buyers and sellers in the goods market. If the demand for caps had been a little stronger, the peddler may have been able to avoid this whole predicament, but therein lies the book's merriment. Caps for Sale gets top marks for delivering a story with substantive content that children will enjoy and remember.

Caps for Sale is an excellent easy-to-read book which allows students to learn about repetition, patterns, and colors, perfect for early readers. One that teachers will enjoy using in their classrooms with their students whether in preschool or in elementary school. This book will help children to problem solve and come up with resolutions. Parents and their children will enjoy this sweet story at bedtime, or just when they have some quiet time. Children will be laughing at the antics of the monkeys.

A friend gifted us with a paperback version of the book. I read it that night to our two sons, ages 3-1/2 years and 18 months. I really enjoyed reading it out loud (the structure of the story makes it very easy to read, and some of the language is truly charming). I picked it again the next night (we read two books a night, rarely the same one two nights in a row). I couldn't resist and the boys didn't complain. And after that, my sons have been picking it, night after night. It's been about a week now. They, voluntarily, sit in my lap, the both of them, to hear this story. (And BTW, we probably have over 200 children's book on our shelves at home, including many classics and highly-rated ones.)

The only other books I can think of that the request frequently are Little Blue Truck and We're Going on a Bear Hunt. (Also fun to read.)

The book "Caps For Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys, and Their Monkey Buisness" was written and illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina. The book is about a man who is a pedder and he sells caps. He carrys a whole bunch of caps around on his head. He wears his own cap, followed by a bunch of gray caps, then a bunch of black caps, and finally some red caps. One morning he was walking around town, but no one wanted to buy any caps. He decided to go to the park and take a nap since he couldn't sell any caps. He leaned up against the tree and began to sleep. When he woke up he reached to make sure his caps were there, but they were gone. He looked all around but did not see any of the caps. Finally he looked up and saw a tree full of monkeys, each wearing one of his caps. He yelled at the monkeys and stomped on the ground, but all they did was imitate him. Finally he took off the one cap that was left on his head and threw it on the ground because he was so mad. The monkeys imitated him once again and threw their hats down from the tree. He gathered his caps and went back to town again. I think this was a very good book, especially for younger children.

I have the paperback edition, not the board book. I recently picked this up at a library book sale b/c it looked interesting and as soon as I sat down to read it to my kids, I remembered it from when I was little. My kids are 2 and 5 and both like this. It's a quick one for both ages to memorize all or parts of it and they finish the sentences. They enjoy acting out the monkeys as I read. It's a nice one for bedtime b/c it's a fun but calming story. (And not too dreadfully long - I'm looking at you, Little Golden Books!) And I don't know why, but I just love the illustrations. Probably mostly b/c I remember the book from years ago.

I have enjoyed this book for many years with many children. It is a delightfully, funny story that my audiences wanted to hear again and again. What more could you require? I love this book and I love how children react to it. When you keep getting requests for the same book, you know that you are beginning to 'hook' children on the love of reading and that has been a goal in my life. The little man is funny. The monkeys are even funnier. This is just a very good book for all people.

'CAPS FOR SALE' is one of my childhood favorites and I will read it over and over to children for years to come.

The cheeky on keys keep pulling one over on the Caps peddler but he outsmart them in the cleverest of ways.

Told and illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina.
Please read this classic from 1940 and published by Harper Collins to every child you know. Publihsed by Harper Collins.

When I was a child in the early '60s, Captain Kangaroo (remember him?) would read different books on his TV program. That was my introduction to Caps For Sale. I thought I'd come across the NEXT GREAT BOOK, not knowing that it was already over twenty years old when I'd heard it. Back then, I'd always marvelled at how the monkeys stole every cap EXCEPT the peddler's own checkered one. Now my little four year old genius asks the same question, except it's more in the line of: "Mom, didn't the monkeys like the checked cap?" Or, "Mom, how did they have enough monkeys for all the caps except the checked one?" I am amazed at the concepts this story can bring about. Counting (the caps in each group), sorting (the caps by color), how 'simple' the monkeys were ("Mom, didn't they know that the caps would fall?"). And here I thought it was just the NEXT GREAT BOOK (at least, in my six year old mind). Having my kids gave me the perfect 'excuse' to have this book as an adult ;-)

3 yr old boy loves this story. Timeless fun! Introduces historical concepts, peddler and walking distances v. driving as well as being set in a country town atmosphere. The monkeys return the hats demonstrating it was all in good fun and just playing a practical joke. Son doesn't think to ask why the monkeys are in a country that seems to have western style buildings or what time period in which it is set. It is simply a fun story and details are all in fun too! We have play acted this story by piling hats on our heads and taking a nap by the bunk beds only to have our own mankey steal them while we were "asleep". He loves being the silly monkeys and chattering back to us! Also, good posture and co-ordination practice for him to walk with a stack of hats. Overall, lots of fun for toddlers and young preschoolers!

cute story- with some older words younger children may not have been exposed to- provides a text which is different from most they have seen as well and lends itself to a game activity we've used during large group experiences.

For my Children's Literature class we have been looking at books that are beneficial for children who are preschool aged - 8th graders. Even since I was a kid, I have loved this book. I have found it to be an overall great read. In this story, there is a cap salesman. Everyday he places each of his caps on his head and walks around shouting "Caps for Sale." One day he get's tired and decides to sit by a tree and take a nap. When he wakes up, His caps are gone. Find out who has taken the Caps and how the salesman will eventually get his caps back.

This is a great story for children to learn how to solve problems. They can work with the salesman to try and figure out how they might get the caps back if they were in the same situation. This is also a good story to help children see how items used to be sold. People didn't always just go to a store to buy things. Sometimes there was a traveling salesman to help sell nice items. I believe this to be a definite buy!

An ingenious plot that I remember from my childhood. Now I am enjoying it again with my children. I was always fascinated by how he balanced those hats. The illustrations are quite simple but intriguing. Just looking at Pezzo with all those hats piled one on top of another is more interesting than many of the high tech special effects I have seen in today's movies. Sometimes the simple way is the best.
Pezzo's situation looks bleak as the monkeys that stole his caps are scattered high in the tree. His act of frustration actually serves to get his stolen caps back from the playful monkeys. It shows a child that no matter how impossible a situation is, if you think you can find a solution.
If you can find it, I also recommend Pezzo the Peddler. In that one he goes to a circus carnival and his hats fall off and the circus performers mistakenly take them. This book has a lot more text but also a more intricate plot.

A folktale fastforwarded to 1940. In this fine lighthearted little yarn, author Esphyr Slobodkina reinvigorates the folk tradition with a marvelous story. In it, a peddler looses his hats to a tree of 16 chattering monkeys and must find a way to get them back. There is no overwhelming complexity in the text of this tale, but sixty-some years after its original publication there is still great charm in its words. Accompanying the staid story is a series of brightly colored illustrations. The peddler seen here is not your classic workaday schmoe in dirty clothes and a five-o-clock shadow. He is prim and pristine. With a moustache like Hercule Poirot's, a smart black suit, and a pair of cheerful red spats he is a picture of competence and sterility. Which makes his eventual foot-stomping, fist-shaking temper tantrum at the mischievous monkeys all the more amusing. I was particularly taken with the monkeys response to the peddler's demands. All they say is, "Tsz, tsz, tsz". Who knew we shared this phrase with our simian kin? Slobodkina has created a precise little tale. Though she never says it, sixteen caps sit atop the peddler's head (his preferred method of peddling his wares, doncha know) and sixteen monkey pinch them. The combination of bright colors, funny monkeys, and the dapper little peddler man make this a real treasure of 1940s children's literature.

I am always reading stories for my 3 1/2 year old son (my parents never read to me, so I don't want him to have the same misfortunes). Especially bedtime, when it's time to have 5 books. Usually, my son will stay with a few of the same ones for a week, then change it up. I've had this book for over a month and it gets read every night. Sometimes I have to read it twice. I really like the artwork, and the fact that there's not too many words per page (for those little ones that get bored quickly), and the story is entertaining. I never heard of the book before I bought it, I was just browsing, but it is a great find and obviously a classic. You can't go wrong if you child is even mildly amused by having stories read to him/her. Enjoy it!

Caps for Sale is a classic. It is humorous and charming and just fun to read. Its use of repetition helps seal the plot into a child's head while also intriguing them. It's clever storytelling, and will be sure to get a laugh out of its audience.

I ran across this book at our local thrift store along with several others one day. Come bedtime, I pulled it out to read to our 5 and 6-year old children. Initially they were not interested and begged me to read something they were more familiar with, but I liked the old-timey look of the book and told them I thought they would like it. They were quickly fascinated with the humor of the story and enjoyed the pictures. I was laughing right along with them! Such a simple yet amusing story, wonderfully put together! They now request this book all on their own with no prodding from me! Great buy!

I've sometimes wondered what makes a book a classic. One thing that stands out is whether a book resonates with my kiddos. The books they ask for night after night, the books they want to act out, these are the classics. Caps For Sale is the new favorite in our house. My four year old asks for me to read it each night at bedtime, then loves to take turns being the peddler and the monkeys. It's a simple story but encourages further questions from my little ones, and spurs on imaginative play. Definitely recommend.

This book was about a peddler who was trying to sell caps throughout his town. But as he went through the town no one was buying any of his caps to anyone in town . So he decided to go to the country and attempt to sell caps there. When he got to the town he was very tired so he sat under a tree and took a nap but when he woke up they were gone. Then he looked up into the tree and saw that a bunch of monkeys had taken his caps. And the peddler got very mad and started to yell at the monkeys. The lesson this book teaches is that you shouldn't get really mad if you lost something and cant find it. The age level for this book is probably around ages 4-7 years old. I thought that this was a very good book and that it teaches a very good lesson about not getting mad if you lose something.

In searching reviews to find great books, I struggled to remember if I liked this one as a kid! I remembered the cover, but not the story! When it came, I was delighted to find that I loved the story, and my son has a NEW favorite book! He grins ear to ear as soon as the peddler wakes up from his nap and discovers only one hat left on his head. My 20 month old doesn't sit still from that point on in the story. He crouches so as to make monkey gestures and sounds. He wags his finger and says "tsk tsk tsk" just like the monkeys! He stomps his feet and waves his arms just like the monkeys! The monkeys are so mischievous, and I think my son relates! LOL! All in all, the little copycat monkeys throw their hats down to the peddler when he gets angry enough at their taunting to throw his hat down on the ground! It is very cute. There isn't variety in the illustrations as the same vintage colors are used on every page, but the story is so strong that I have to give this one 5 stars! Enjoy! I still do!

This makes the top ten list out of all the great picture books we read to our kids when they were young. I never tired of reading it. So simple, symmetric, even musical. The story? How does the peddler get the monkeys to give back all the caps they've stolen from him and carried up into the tree? Okay, I'm the publisher of One Monkey Books, so call me biased. But try this one on your three or five or year old, and really get into singing, "Caps for sale! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!" It's been around for ages already, and this book will still be there when your kids are having kids. Nutty to Meet You! Dr. Peanut Book #1

I checked this book out for my children on recommendation on the Reading Rainbow site. It is a good book, however many pages are repetitive and so is kind of boring for a listener. For a beginning reader it's a perfect book! Many words are repeated over and over within the book. Little ones will get a chuckle out of the monkeys that take the caps in the middle of the story. and the antics they do for the man to get his caps back

My four month old loves this book. Well, since he can't read, he loves it when Mommy and Daddy act out the story. I have great memories associated with this book; going to the library when I was younger, getting to pick only one or two books, and usually this was one of them (unless it was one being returned!) It's never easy to get my husband very 'into' reading books to our son, but this one is a cinch -- with all the stamping and shaking of fists, he can easily demonstrate and then have our son imitate with a little help. For a father who got frustrated because his son couldn't wrestle and play baseball five minutes after birth, this was a godsend. And little Alekz thinks Daddy is hilarious. From my generation to his, this is a wonderful book!

This was one of my favorite books as a kid, and my daughter remembers it being her favorite as well. We still have the old, tattered one I read to her many years ago. I ordered this one, which is considerably larger, for my granddaughter in hopes that she would carry on the tradition. She is 2 1/2 and LOVED it. I think we read it to her 50 times over the first weekend we had it. I now walk in the room and hear it 'reading' it aloud, to herself. Very pleased!

This is the only children's storybook that holds my 2 year-old daughter's attention from beginning to end! We read this over and over AND over and it never seems to get old (to her anyway). She loves shaking her fist and stamping her feet while copying the peddler and the monkeys.
I am not crazy about the illustrations and my older children always have to point out that the hat colors are "all wrong", but, who cares ;)
If you're looking for more books in this age range, Olivia BY Ian Falconer, (not the new series by misc. authors!) is another one that they might like. It is completely different, but still great for mischievous two year-olds and a runner up to this favorite.

Caps For Sale is a great book for the ages of 5 to 7 years old.
The book is about a man who goes around the town selling caps. One day nobody would buy the caps so he decided to go try to sell caps some where else. When he decides to take a nap some animals take his hats. Eventually he notices they are missing and does all he cant to get them back which starts to get quite humorous.
This is a great book You learn sometimes things happen behind your back and you don't even know it.

I remember this book from my childhood and my child loves it too. Cute little story about a peddler who sells hats, he falls asleep under a tree, monkeys take his hats and he has to figure out how to get them back. Cute illustrations and repeated phrases make this a good book for a young child, happy to have added it to our library!

We leave this in the car for our road trips on the weekends. My son loves it! The narrator sings a bit much for us at the beginning and we weren't ready for that, but he's gotten use to it now. But he loves the sounds the monkeys make when they're pointing their fingers back at the man, and then he loves it when the monkeys throw the caps down. Very sweet book and great that it's on CD! We've ordered one for my nephew as well for his long trips to and from daycare.

My students and I enjoyed this humorous book about a peddler, some monkeys and monkey business. The story is kind of old world and charming. The illustrations are fun, and of course, the monkeys amuse. You may want to get the school and library version. It's a classic story which has charmed many children through the years.

This book is well loved by my son and myself.
I love books that have simple pictures that add to the text rather than distract. I like the simple story line. I particularly like that this book can be used as a stepping stone to other activities (acting like a monkey, balancing hats on your head etc.)
The repetitive nature and sing songy words are wonderful for prereading skills. My son loves to act like a monkey stealing my hat as we read this book.
A true classic.

This is a wonderful learning book for the little ones. Through this book they can learn counting, colors and because of the repetitiveness, beginning reading. The story is simple. The illustrations are colorful. How the man gets his hats back is comical.

I read this book aloud to 3-5 year olds. It is one of those books the kids love to join in on, once the monkeys show up. You can really animate this book by giving it personality with your voice. After a few reads, the kids are reading it to you. They learn the story almost immeadiately. It can make anyone a captivating storyteller. The big book addition of this is perfect for circletime. Teaches colors, as well.

Stumbled upon this book while reading book titles from a list of recommended books to read on Education.com. My kids, 10, 4 and 2 all loved this book. The four year old probably liked it the most, but it is a book that we read over and over again and tell others about because we like it so much. A cute and simple story. Great for teaching kids to anticipate what will happen in stories and also for creating an opportunity to discuss how to deal with anger appropriately.

I hate to admit it, but I can remember this story being read to me by my mother shortly after it was first published. I loved it as a child and love it now. The story, at first glance is simple, well told and an absolute delight. The illustrations are "old world," and the type I grew up on. Even though the story has been around for years and years, it is certainly no worse for the wear. What delighted me as a child seems to delight the kids of today. I read this one to my various classes and the kids all seem to love it. Actually, there is not much to not like about this one. Recommend it highly.

This book is pure joy. I loved it when I was younger. Young children can easily memorize it and begin to distinguish words on the page. It's now become my younger sister's favorite book to read. We both know it by heart. This is a must-have in any children's book collection. I highly recommend it. Another great book for older kids (over 9) is Why Some Cats are Rascals, Book 2

This adorable story is simple enough to read to infants under the age of one. By the time they are two, children can easily memorize it and begin to distinguish words on the page.
It is particularly delightful for young children, who can identify both with the peddler's nap and his anger at the monkeys in a tree, who have stolen his caps.
Altogether, the story is pure joy. Your copy is sure to wear out before your children reach the age of five, as ours did. Alyssa A. Lappen

This is a classic for a reason. Who among us doesn't remember being a child and copying the monkeys who copied the peddler? It has everything children love - mischief, logical consequences, a happy ending, and naps. Well, maybe kids don't love naps.

Of course, I've always wondered where the monkeys came in. It never has seemed the sort of countryside you get those.

The hat peddler's story doesn't look too good at the beginning but the monkey's and their actions brighten up the day! The peddler and the monkey's communicate by sign language and actions, although the peddler doesn't realize it at first! This was one of my very favorite books as a child and now that I'm a children's librarian it is still one of my favorite books to read aloud!
`ali

I found this book in a toy store about 7 years ago. I was so surprised to see it because it had been about 25 years since I had seen it. I remember the cover of this book and the story itself so vividly from when I was in Kindergarten. This is a great and simple story. My youngest child makes me read this to her everyday. I can hear her in her room when she wakes up from a nap and she is repeating the whole story to herself. It is great to listen to the Tsz! Tsz! Tsz! coming from her room. This is a wonderful story for kids that love to copy!

My grown up children loved this, as does my two-year-old. Wonderful, simple story. But beware. Suddenly my toddler was yelling, "Give me back my ___" whenever he wanted anything (whether his or not). Finally dawned on us where he got it . . . the peddler's rant. Adorable, but we decided to tuck it away until he's old enough to know what's appropriate to imitate! We didn't want people who heard him to get the impression we actually talk like that around here.