Monkeys and Apes by LeeAnn Dominick: A Tactile Board Book for Young Animal Fans

Texture gives this animal board book an inviting way to bring young readers closer to its subjects. In Monkeys and Apes, LeeAnn Dominick introduces different kinds of monkeys and apes through animal images and a textured piece on every page, inviting children to look and feel as they read. The reviewer especially enjoyed the bonobo and the chance to compare each animal as a baby and as a fully grown adult.

Touch, look, compare

The tactile details are the book’s defining feature. Each page includes a textured area meant to suggest how the animal’s fur or nose might feel. That turns reading into an activity for the hands as well as the eyes: a child can examine the picture, touch the surface, and return to the image with a new detail in mind. The review doesn’t identify the textures used for individual animals, so the appeal here is the invitation to explore rather than a claim about precise natural textures.

For a young child, that simple invitation can make a shared reading session more participatory. An adult might pause on a page and ask what the child notices in the picture, or how the textured patch feels. The book’s format gives that kind of looking and touching room to happen one page at a time. Families who enjoy reading aloud with a child who likes to reach for the page may find that hands-on quality especially appealing.

The baby-to-adult images add a second reason to slow down. Rather than presenting each animal as a single picture, the pages let readers compare a younger animal with its grown-up counterpart. That makes change visible: children can look for differences in appearance and talk through what they see. The reviewer found that some animals looked quite different as adults, singling out the orangutan as a memorable example.

A reviewer’s favorites

The reviewer’s favorite animal was the bonobo. That personal response gives the review a clear point of entry, while the orangutan comparison highlights how the paired images can prompt surprise. The book appears well suited to young readers who like animal pictures, touch-and-feel details, and opportunities to compare. Its board-book format also makes it a natural option for adults choosing an early animal book to share with children.

Those features offer several ways into the same pages. A child might focus on the texture first, then start matching the baby and adult images. Another reader may already have a favorite animal and enjoy spotting it in the book. The review gives no account of the text on the pages or the number of animals included, so it’s best to think of these as possible ways to engage with the book’s described features, rather than promises about additional activities or information.

For book buyers, the combination of tactile pieces and paired life-stage images is the clearest guide to the reading experience. Children who enjoy comparing pictures may find plenty to discuss, while those drawn to touch-and-feel books have a reason to explore each spread with their hands. Adults can use the images to start a conversation about how an animal’s appearance changes as it grows, keeping the exchange focused on what the child can see.

Book details

Monkeys and Apes is a board book by LeeAnn Dominick, published by Taffy Tales. Its release date is March 3, 2026. The review lists its source as the publisher and gives it a five-star rating. The reviewer also thanks Taffy Tales for providing a copy of the book.

This is a concise review of a book whose appeal rests on clear, tactile features: different monkeys and apes, a textured piece on every page, and images of the animals as babies and adults. The reviewer’s enthusiasm for the bonobo and surprise at the grown orangutan offer a glimpse of the comparisons that stood out. For families looking for a hands-on introduction to animal pictures, those details give Monkeys and Apes a straightforward place on the reading list.