Monkey mayhem is big fun at Ela Library

A pair of monkeys named Simon and Binky entertained children Monday at the Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich during the "Monkey See Monkey Do" program.

More than 40 young children, parents and caregivers watched as puppeteers Sarah Emaline Melton and Sam J. Jones from Madcap Puppets told stories from around the world following the antics of two mischievous monkeys who have escaped from the zoo.

"This show has been around for 15 years. It is really education-based because it teaches them some Spanish words and teaches them about two different cultures," Melton said. "Kids giggle a lot. They really get excited with the monkeys."

Three children, Ke'zia Pika, Nicole Saletta and Keira Cerratti, posed as an elephant while the puppeteers told "The Tale of the Elephant Queen," a story originating from Africa.

"I liked it when the little girl turned into the big elephant queen. I also liked when the zookeeper with the meerkat told him to be strong and he roared like a lion," Pika, 9, of Lake Zurich said after playing an elephant ear in the show. "The show was fun and you kind of learned about animals."

In another story, "The Rare Mexican Singing Toad," children learned Spanish words for various animals, objects and phrases.