Adhering to the philosophy "monkey see, monkey do" lands monkey Mo in the spotlight in this cheerful picture book. Young Bertie and his pet, Mo, are thrilled to receive an invitation to lunch aboard the Blue Star, the luxury liner captained by Bertie's grandfather. Told to behave "like a gentleman," Mo mimics a foppish male passenger and achieves less than admirable results. But when the gentleman falls overboard, Mo's penchant for follow-the-leader allows him to save the man's life. Goode's (Tiger Trouble!) entertaining if slight story evokes an elegant, long-ago era. She makes a bit of an artistic departure here, adding plentiful ink hatchwork to her vibrant watercolor compositions. Not only does this element intensify the period setting, but the resulting texture enhances architectural elements of the ship and makes the nattily attired characters pop off the pages. Unfortunately, when the technique is used on the faces of African-American figures, the ink lines become distracting and disconcerting. Ages 3-up. (Apr.)
