Gorillas: Up Close
by Christine Nippert-Eng; Photographs by John Dominski & Miguel Martinez
Henry Holt and Company (April 19, 2016)
Nonfiction * Animals * Apes
Audience: Ages 8 to 13
Indiebound | Worldcat
Description of the book:
Have you ever wondered how experts train a gorilla? Or what design features make a great gorilla habitat? Did you know that some gorillas can solve problems on giant touch-screen computers?
Filled with facts and photos, Gorillas Up Close takes us into the world of gorillas. Explore the differences between gorillas in zoos and in the wild with the gorilla family troop in Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. Readers will delight in the similarities gorillas share with humans while finding out more about these incredible animals.
Thoughts on the book:
At 176 pages this is clearly not a typical picture book, but to be fair, GORILLAS UP CLOSE has pages and pages of photographs of gorillas. Along with all of those fabulous photographs, Nippert-Eng has provided readers with accessible facts, information, and stories of gorillas. I found the choice of sharing about gorilla development, and behavior in the context of actual gorillas was effective in helping to better understand about the life and relationships and behaviors within a gorilla troop. Readers also learn about how zoo gorillas can differ some from gorillas in the wild.
Though one book cannot provide readers with all the facts about a given subject, GORILLAS UP CLOSE does a good job with this. Young readers upon finishing the book will have a strong understanding of gorillas. For those wanting to know even more about gorillas, this book is an excellent starting place. Additional resources, websites, and information follow at the end of the book.
Readers can check out the Lincoln Park Zoo for more information about some of the gorillas referenced in the book and to follow their blog posts on gorillas. This is definitely a book to add to a classroom or school library. Look for a copy of GORILLAS UP CLOSE at your local independent bookstore or public library.
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