Eyewitness: Gorilla

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

Add this title to your collection of about seventy "Eyewitness Books." The format of each book is essentially the same. The introduction, in this case to primates, is followed bu a look at the most primitive of the primates before moving on to the anthropoids, which includes monkeys, apes, and humans. Facts are also presented about their family life and communication, including the board talking and sign language that all four species of great ape can learn. The photographs are excellent, crisp and clear on bright white pages. The plight of primates today concludes the book. There is an index and table of contents.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8These titles boast the same fabulous layout, interesting photographs, and fascinating facts that have made the series so popular. They also have many of the same drawbacks, such as poor depiction of relative size in the photos and topics that are too broad to be covered in one volume. Africa is populated by so many groups that they can't all be addressed in depth here. The book's organization results in a lack of continuity as it moves through discussions of social life and customs with minimal references to place and group names. This problem is compounded by the fact that much of the information is given in broad generalities. Only one small map of the continent is provided, and readers may find it dizzying going back and forth to figure out where they are. Similar problems occur in Gorilla, which is really about primates. This volume does a better job of presenting its topic, however, by focusing on one group or type of primate at a time. Determining the relative size of these mammals is not possible on many of the pages, although in some instances weight and height figures are given. While these books won't be useful for reports, they are fun to browse through.Melissa Gross, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA