Rating: 
Summary: Tsz tsz tsz.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Tsz tsz tsz.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Story for the Kids
Review: A timeless tale written in 1940 still attracts young children's attention. This is a very humorous, easy to understand book to read aloud. The story is accompanied with brightly colored pictures that actually tell the story. After reading it through children can re-tell the story by just looking at the pictures.
It is a story that children will pass on to their friends.
Rating: 
Summary: A corporate lesson
Review: A very simple case study of an entrepreneur who hoped to make the Fortune 500 by vending colored headgear.
Although carefully balancing his inventory, he was still caught napping by unscrupulous bandits, and had to resort to trickery to get his investment returned.
This elementary lesson teaches the young student several things:
1. You can't sell caps at 50 cents without drawing attention to yourself.
2. Don't ever fall asleep on the job.
3. Don't monkey around in your business dealings.
4. Losing your temper can be a good thing, once it gets the desired results.
5. Returned goods can still be sold for full price if properly displayed.
A useful learning tool for the budding CEO in your family.
Amanda Richards, December 4, 2004
Edited to expand: Children can have additional fun with this book counting the hats and identifying the colors. They can also count the monkeys, and have fun acting the role of the peddlar trying to get back the caps. My son liked to pretend he was a monkey!
Rating:
Summary: Pezzo the Cap Peddler is Excellent!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Deserves Its Classic Status
Review: Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina is a marvelous children's book. It's hard to find one better today. The pictures, though simple, are great. Their brilliant colors and the size of objects in proportion to each other (like the beginning picture where the peddler is taller than the houses) make each picture fascinating for both adults and children. The story is also well written. It is original and very funny. The words are also very rhythmic which makes this book even more fascinating for children and helps the story to flow. Caps for Sale is a true classic. It has already been around for over sixty years, and another sixty should be an easy reach for this delightful book.
Rating:
Summary: Give me back my caps!
Review: Caps for Sale is a family favorite. My husband does a wonderful job at making the monkey noises. It's a fun story to act out.
Rating:
Summary: Caps For Sale
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: One of My All-time Favorites!
Review: Caps for Sale is a great book that has been one of my favorites ever since I was a little child! I am eleven now and it is still one of my favorites! This book is about a peddler who is having some trouble selling his caps so he has a lot of them on his head. He sits down to rest one day (still with all the hats on his head)and a bunch of monkeys come out of the tree he is resting against. Each of the monkeys is wearing one of his caps when he wakes up. The best part of the book is seeing how he tries to get his caps back! This book is great for those who are learning how to read or to read to your toddler because of the repetition, the humor, and the great pictures!
Rating:
Summary: You need this one if you teach K or 1st Grade!
Review: Caps For Sale is a wonderful tale that students love to read. It is an ideal book for shared reading and offers opportunities for students to learn about the structure of a good story. Slobodkina's story of a peddler trying to sell his wares in a small town has a clear beginning, middle, and end. You need this one if you would like children to learn how to make predictions, recognize patterns, sequence events, and notice setting elements. This book is a "must have" classic in any K and 1st grade classroom.
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