This book comes with an activity guide, a Monkey puppet and an online resource. The ‘Monkey's Guide’ evolved due to the author, Helen Sadler, having an 18-month-old daughter who faced major surgery. As a family, they felt extremely anxious and so they made a homemade storybook – the theme of ‘Monkey's Guide’ was born. There are many other titles in the guide for various procedures or hospital visits.

I would say the book is more of a magazine, entitled Monkey's Family Visits the Dentist with 18 colourful pages showing real life photographs on every page. It is a very realistic journey with Monkey and his sister Josephine and Dad (who are not monkeys) who travel to a dental practice for a check-up with a dentist. A variety of photographs capture the various stages involved in an appointment with the dentist. The combination of products given with this pack, including colouring pencils and stickers, make learning fun and interactive, alleviating any fears. The online resource is particularly helpful if any further information is needed.

This dental aid looks like it is targeted at young children around the age of 5-7, although a specific age range is not given. Families can read this or complete the activity guide together, which has lots of hidden dental facts throughout, along with stickers and a ‘Terrific Teeth Cleaning Chart’. The real-life photographs of decayed teeth and the diet advice are particularly good. The Monkey puppet that comes with the pack would, I imagine, provoke fun in what could be a potentially daunting procedure for a child. The Monkey puppet could also be transported with the child to any hospital or dental visit and if there is a range of books in this series, the monkey could be interchanged among them.

As with any book, there are potential negatives. The photographs including the dentist show his dental mask to be untied. This would not meet infection control standards that are emphasised to the dental profession. As far as the child lying on the dental chair, the position shown could be seen as incorrect; paediatric standards ensure the child's hands are kept around the area of the stomach or by a child's side to ensure safety to the dentist and child.

However, the overall impression for this interactive guide has been very well thought out, combining interaction and education. The variety of apparatus aids the child in having fun and associating a visit to the dentist in a non-threatening manner. I would recommend this to families with young children or multiple children who visit the dentist.