A monkey realises that his tastes are very different from his relatives, the apes, so he wanders off to find a new way of life. He discovers he can walk upright, gives himself a (very) close shave, and takes up residence in a cave. He is lonely on his own but he amuses himself inventing things like words and wheels and by putting up a shelf, until a companion lady ape comes by. This hilarious take on the evolution theory told in the usual effortlessly energetic combination of verse and pictures we have come to expect from this classic picture book partnership!