The theme of improbable things is underscored by Edwards' juxtapositions of the banal with the absurd; dressings are slipshod but luxurious. The high level of detail in Edwards' pictures strengthens the incongruities of his creatures' eccentric world. Take the two kilted brothers MacRhino, wrestling in a loch with a Scottish castle in the background. Reginald, a bulldog, is the very picture of indolence, languishing on a stuffed chair with his scarlet varnished nails. Edwards' use of Edwardian era furnishings and textiles creates an almost tactile world--surely the same one as in Alphabeasts--and his richly garbed animals often live in cluttered rooms, adorned with floral patterns, tassels, and beads. As with his first book, Edwards incorporates amusing details in his watercolour/gouache/pencil illustrations, like a hidden 'wolf in sheep's clothing' and gold wedding bands on giraffes' horns. Retro touches, from old-fashioned playing cards and cartoons to model airplanes, enforces the link between Edwards' two books.
The creatures in Monkey Business become characters of broad comedy. From ungainly bulls to wayward baby chicks, they tend to teeter on the brink of disaster. Thus, if the meditative Alphabeasts was a dream, then Monkey Business, though stylistically similar, is its slapstick brother. The last picture (also the front cover) has an artist monkey named Wally "draw[ing] things to a close." In a self-referential twist, one can see from Wally's robe, the knick-knacks on his desk, and so on, that this is the artist at work, amid animals, objects, and motifs taken from all of the scenes in the book. It is difficult to not marvel at Edwards' wit, and his attention to detail that awes and surprises with every re-reading.
A few of the motifs, objects, and animals that appear with Wally:
- Wally paints a banana, which appears in "...there might be some monkey business going on."
- Penrose triangle appears in at least other pictures.
- Playing card pattern on a cushion behind Wally; playing cards appear in two other pictures (the same one is in "Byron had a lot on his mind..."
- Various animals include a cricket (Gavin) on Wally's right and a chameleon (Camellia...Camellia the chameleon, get it?) on Wally's left.
- The green beaded trim on Wally's robe is the same trim on Darnell's sweater in "wolf in sheep's clothing."
- Candy cane is Forbes' "real sweet tooth."
- Tartan is the same as that of the Brothers MacRhino.
- Wally uses a typewriter; the book's typeset looks like typewritten font.
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