Carol Young has a nickname for her granddaughters. She calls them her "Monkey Moos," and Young lights up when she talks about Isabella, 6, and Gabriella, 4.

When the girls visit their grandparents in Whitehall, they enjoy heading to the Young library, filled with books for children and adults.

And now they can read a book dedicated to them and their escapades.

"Monkey Moos: The Adventures of Mea and Ima, The Zoo" is a labor of love for Carol.

It took well over a year and a lot of research to put the story of two monkeys together and produce a paperback book.

Targeted for ages 2 to 7, the book tells the story of Mea and Ima, monkeys who take off for the zoo to find out more about themselves.

Carol's husband, Michael, a retired carpenter, chimes in with pronunciation help, "It's me a monkey and I'm a monkey."

Through a series of rhymes, Mea and Ima enjoy meeting a variety of animals.

"Near the end were the elephants with very large ears. We knew everything we said they would be able to hear."

Finally they reach the monkeys.

"We wanted to see more so we walked down a path, and there we saw monkeys that made us laugh!"

Carol hopes the book will bring a smile to the faces of children and encourage them to want to read more.

Gabriella and Isabella think the book is fabulous, said Jennifer Young, Carol's daughter-in-law. "They stuck by Nana through every step of the process, back to when those words were written on a tablet of paper."

Jennifer and Jesse Young, parents of the "Monkey Moos," live in the Parkland School District. Jennifer teaches special education at the high school.

Although the books are a bond between Jennifer, Isabella and Carol, they share another special bond. They all celebrate their birthdays on July 7.

Carol, who keeps a notepad by her bedside, has always enjoyed rhyming. She said her son, Jesse, is proud she followed through in bringing the book to fruition.

"It was a long process," she said. "Finding an illustrator and a publisher took a lot of research."

Young expressed her delight in finding Cotty Kilbanks.

Cartoon-like illustrations by the Easton-artist, Carol "Cotty" Kilbanks, drew children into the story and the antics of the characters.

Kilbanks began her animation career working on shows such as "The Berenstain Bears" and "Strawberry Shortcake."

The colorful illustrations in Monkey Moos are fun for children and reminiscent of the Berenstains' lively bears.

"She brought my books to life," said Young.

Kilbanks also illustrated a children's book, "Ozzy the Octopus," that aims to teach children about the power of yoga and meditation.

Additional books in the Monkey Moo series are planned, said Young, who works as an office coordinator in the Lehigh Valley Hospital Network.

Most likely, the monkeys will head off to a fire house, get ready for their first day at school, and possibly be introduced to a brother.

Self-published through the CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform," Monkey Moos" is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.