Olivia y los monos is an easy low-level Spanish novella for true beginners. It is almost entirely in the present tense with a smattering of past tense and no subjunctive. With about 285 unique words (not including obvious cognates) and plenty of repetition, it tells a 2,700-word story. A full glossary for each of the seven chapters is included.
Ecuadorian Verónica Moscoso, the author of this novella, visited Misahuallí to make a documentary. There she met the famous monkeys. This book is based on events that she witnessed and filmed and on stories that the town’s people told her.
Summary
Olivia is a very curious 16-year-old girl who likes to travel and who loves animals. She travels with her parents to Misahuallí, a town in the Amazon region of Ecuador. She is fascinated with the group of monkeys that live in the town. The monkeys approach and interact with tourists and the town’s people. She spends a week in Misahuallí with her parents. In Olivia y los monos one after another amusing situation occurs with the monkeys. Olivia narrates the story.