Summary
Maya, a toque macaque, lives near the bottom of her troop's strict social ladder among ancient ruins in Sri Lanka -- until a move to the city gives her family a chance to climb. The film is a clear window into animal social groups: ranking, cooperation, and how a mother protects her young. Tina Fey's narration keeps it lively for the middle grades.
Viewer safety
Two troop members die -- one to a predator and one in a fight between groups -- and Maya is bullied by higher-ranked monkeys; preview before showing.
Our rating is a quick teacher-to-teacher guide — preview before showing.
Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
"Monkey Kingdom" follows Maya and her troop of macaques and their social order.
- How is Maya's troop organized? Where does she start out in the group?
- What are some ways living in a group helps the monkeys survive?
- How does the troop's move to the city change Maya's family's chances?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: troop, social order, rank, cooperate, survive.
Try it: Write one sentence with evidence from the film that shows how being in a group helped the monkeys survive.