ALA Booklist (Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2011)

Although life seems good on Monkey Island, with the sun shining, the fruit sweet and juicy, and the monkey tribe is having a ball, slick-talking Oswego Pete declares to Chief Monkey Uh-Huh Freddie that if he were chief, everyone would have the "Easy Life." Three other monkeys, convinced by Oswego, pack their gear and set off, along with Uh-Huh. After narrowly escaping being eaten by a lion and a shark and then put to servile work by the "hip-hop hippos," the five decide to return to their former life and retain Uh-Huh Freddie as their leader. The lengthy text, featuring a trace of African American dialect, and the rascally cartoon illustrations work together to imbue the characters with ample doses of personality as they traipse around their island. The facial expressions and body language of each of the figures clearly match the lively dialogue in Myers' hip text. Pair with Myers' How Mr. Monkey Saw the Whole World (1996), another original fable.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Oswego Pete, a stringy-looking monkey, sweet-talks his four monkey friends into setting off on a quest for the ""Easy Life""; even stolid Uh-Huh Freddie, the chief monkey, gets suckered into the trip. But after a lion eats half of Oswego Pete's tail, a shark chomps off another quarter, and a group of Hip-Hop Hippos keep the monkeys as servants (""...it is not the life for no self-respecting monkey,"" Uh-Huh Freddie complains. ""I got some big-time monkey dreams I need to get back to""), the whole gang realizes that the ""Easy Life"" may require some initiative after all. Myers (Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion) offers deft characterizations and quick retorts (""How come you ain't got no lips?"" Oswego Pete asks the shark. ""'Cause I don't want nothing between me and my lunch!""), and Harper's (Woolbur) animals grin and flirt engagingly. It's tough to side with responsible Uh-Huh Freddie when all the attention is focused on hapless Oswego Pete, but in a book far less serious than his norm, Myers demonstrates a profound talent for kid-pleasing humor%E2%80%94it's a story-time natural. Ages 4%E2%80%938. (Feb.)

School Library Journal (Tue Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2011)

Gr 2-4 The monkeys on Monkey Island think they have it pretty good until Oswego Pete says he's looking to lead an "Easy Life." All he wants to do is lay back and relax. Uh-Huh Freddie, their leader, can see where this is going but when all the other monkeys agree with Oswego Pete, they set off to find another part of the island to find the Easy Life. On their way they come upon a lion who decides they would make a great dinner and after tousling with him, Oswego Pete ends up losing some of his tail. The lion won't give it back because he worked hard for it. And so it goes as they encounter a shark and some hip-hop hippos. By the end, the monkeys realize that working hard is not such a bad thing and they abandon their quest for a cushy life. This Aesop-like tale is written in African-American dialect, and Myers's turns of phrase are as funny as can be. It will make a great read-aloud. In case children miss the lesson, Uh-Huh Freddie sums it all up at the end of the story. The illustrations are cartoony and as silly as the monkeys in their colorful attire. Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Though things were good on Monkey Island, Oswego Pete lures everyone toward finding "the Easy Life, where a monkey don't have to work hard for nothing." They set out, only to encounter tail-eating sharks and boring "Hip-Hop Hippos." While the story's allegory is strong, disjointed delivery and an odd ending mar the message. Illustrations of personality-rich primates enliven the tale.