Caps for Sale written and illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina, 1940.

A peddler who sells caps likes to carry his wares on top of his own head, stacked in order of color.  One day, when he has trouble selling his caps, he decides to take a nap under a tree.  When he wakes up, he is astonished to see that all of his caps are gone!

He looks around frantically for his caps and realizes that the tree is full of monkeys, all wearing his caps!  At first, he doesn’t know what to do about it.  He tries shouting at the monkeys, shaking his fists, and stamping his feet, but it doesn’t help.  The monkeys just imitate everything he does.

Finally, in frustration, he throws his own cap to the ground, and the monkeys do that same thing, giving him back his caps.  The peddler is able to reclaim all of his caps, and he goes on his way.

This book is considered a children’s classic!  The story is simple, but the repetition of the peddler’s attempts to get his caps back and the “monkey see, monkey do” imitation are fun for kids.

The book is currently available online through Internet Archive.