Gorillas

ANNOTATION

Describes the physical characteristics and behavior of various kinds of gorillas.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Seymour Simon has written over 200 award-winning science books about animals, anatomy, astronomy, earth science, and vehicles!

Learn about man's closest genetic relatives! Did you know that...

Just like humans, gorillas can shriek, chuckle, hiccup, and even belch.

Families of gorillas can have as few as two members or as many as thirty-five.

Unlike in the movies, gorillas aren't mean or dangerous-they're actually quite shy.

Gorillas weigh four to five pounds when they're born; fully grown, they can weigh more than four hundred pounds.

FROM THE CRITICS

Horn Book

While the stunning, highly expressive photographs dominate in space and impact, Simon's concise and child-friendly writing means that a fairly full picture of gorilla behavior. . .is amply conveyed... —November-December 2000)

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-A clear, concise picture of these endangered creatures and their lifestyle. Simon includes information on the three gorilla species and their physical differences, their habitats, diet, daily habits, various behaviors, and decreasing populations. The extremely handsome, oversized color photos enhance the readable text and complement it perfectly. Sadly missing is a map so that children can see how restricted the gorilla's range has become. However, this attractive, informative book certainly deserves a place in all collections, even those already holding Paul Burgel's well-written Gorillas (Carolrhoda, 1993).-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

"The more you find out about gorillas, the more interesting and less fearsome they become" is this prolific author's theme; he makes his case by matching appealing, shot-in-the-wild photographs to a fluently informative report on the gorilla's physical make-up and typical behavior. They are not so different from us, he contends, pointing to their DNA, fingerprints, and other features, describing their daily routines in the wild, how young are raised, what gorilla sounds and gestures signify, how they respond to perceived threats, and so on. His approach is wonderfully accessible, giving his young readers connections they can recognize: "Fully grown males may weigh more than four hundred pounds, about the weight of ten second-grade children." While it's an idyllic existence—"A gorilla belch means that it is feeding contentedly or sleeping nicely. One gorilla belches, and soon all the gorillas are belching in a slow, relaxing chorus"—it is also threatened, he notes at the end. Building his case carefully and thoughtfully, Simon (They Walk the Earth, p. 485, etc.) leads the reader to understand how nearly human these gentle creatures are, thereby increasing the sense of obligation to save them by saving their forests. The photographs, most of which are closeups, capture how expressive gorilla faces can be. Who could resist their charm? Like Ted and Betsy Lewin's Gorilla Walk (1999), a sure way to turn gorilla-phobes into gorilla-philes. (Nonfiction. 8-11)