The Strange and Exciting Adventures of Jeremiah Hush as Told for the Benefit of All Persons of Good Sense and Recorded to the Best of His Limited Abil

A probocsis monkey named Jeremiah Hush is getting on in years and worries that all chances for adventure in his life are past. He tries to find excitement at the Shake 'n' Roll Dancin' Hole, without success. Excitement finds Jeremiah when he starts looking for his umbrella. He discovers a network of tunnels and paths connecting his home to those of others. The umbrella may be gone forever, but the monkey business along the way leads him to new neighbors who become good friends and stand by Jeremiah when he enters a pie-eating contest. Despite its seeming aspirations to esotericism, this story never really goes beyond something resembling an inside joke. The quaint design of the book fits the tale's mood; finely wrought black-and-white illustrations are atmospheric, with images sculpted out of light and shadow. (7-10)