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Overview
Mountain gorillas are playful, curious, and protective of their families. They are also one of the most endangered species in the world. For years, mountain gorillas have faced the threat of death by poachers. Funds raised by “gorilla tourism”—bringing people into the forest to see gorillas—have helped protect them. This tourism is vital, but contact between gorillas and people brought a new threat to the gorillas: human disease. The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project is a group of scientists working to save the mountain gorilla population in Rwanda and Uganda. The gorilla doctors study the effects of human exposure, provide emergency care, and act as foster parents to an orphaned gorilla.
Synopsis
Mountain gorillas are playful, curious, and protective of their families. They are also one of the most endangered species in the world. For years, mountain gorillas have faced the threat of death by poachers. Funds raised by “gorilla tourism”—bringing people into the forest to see gorillas—have helped protect them. This tourism is vital, but contact between gorillas and people brought a new threat to the gorillas: human disease. The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project is a group of scientists working to save the mountain gorilla population in Rwanda and Uganda. The gorilla doctors study the effects of human exposure, provide emergency care, and act as foster parents to an orphaned gorilla.
Pamela S. Turner has a master’s degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley, and a special interest in microbiology and epidemiology. Her articles for children and adults have appeared in numerous scientific publications. Ms. Turner lives with her family in California.
Jennifer Terry - Children's Literature
Through the interesting text and beautiful photographs, Turner delivers a story of science, nature, and the conservation of life, as she follows the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP). MGVP is a group working to save the gorilla populations of Rwanda and Uganda. As mountain gorillas come into increasing contact with humans because of tourism and shrinking forests, they have become exposed to human illnesses. The book describes how researchers observe gorillas in their natural habitat, study the effects of human diseases, and provide emergency care. Throughout the book are stories of individual gorillas, including a wonderful story about the fostering of a baby gorilla named "Fearless." This amazing story is filled with interesting facts and history about Mountain Gorillas. The pictures in this book are amazing and at the same time very touching. The pictures really make the book come to life. While the book offers a rich body of information about these endangered primates, the book's vocabulary will certainly challenge most middle grade readers. 2005, Houghton Mifflin Company, $ 17.00. Ages 9 to 12.
Editorials
Children's Literature
Through the interesting text and beautiful photographs, Turner delivers a story of science, nature, and the conservation of life, as she follows the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP). MGVP is a group working to save the gorilla populations of Rwanda and Uganda. As mountain gorillas come into increasing contact with humans because of tourism and shrinking forests, they have become exposed to human illnesses. The book describes how researchers observe gorillas in their natural habitat, study the effects of human diseases, and provide emergency care. Throughout the book are stories of individual gorillas, including a wonderful story about the fostering of a baby gorilla named "Fearless." This amazing story is filled with interesting facts and history about Mountain Gorillas. The pictures in this book are amazing and at the same time very touching. The pictures really make the book come to life. While the book offers a rich body of information about these endangered primates, the book's vocabulary will certainly challenge most middle grade readers. 2005, Houghton Mifflin Company, $ 17.00. Ages 9 to 12.—Jennifer Terry
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-Turner introduces the work of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) as a group of scientists attempts to save endangered animals in Rwanda and Uganda. The readable text records their efforts to treat the great apes in the field as they encounter poachers, meet with loss of habitat, and face their newest threat: human diseases that can cross species lines. The author follows the team as its members go about their demanding work, foster an orphaned baby gorilla, and visit local schools and villages to explain the creatures' endangered status, and to promote positive reactions to their needs. The whole is accompanied by striking, full-color photographs and includes a list of other resources, a postscript, and an index.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.From the Publisher
"Spectacular and appealing photos of gorillas, scientists and the Rwanda Preserve. . . . An outstanding science nature title." Kirkus Reviews, StarredThe readable text records their efforts to treat the great apes in the field as they encounter poachers, meet with loss of habitat, and face their newest threat: human diseases that can cross species lines. . . . The whole is accompanied by striking, full-color photographs and includes a list of other resources, a postscript, and an index." School Library Journal, Starred
"Excellent photographs prominently feature the scientists at work (predominantly women and people of color in scientific roles) as well as the photogenic gorillas."—Horn Book, starred Horn Book, Starred
"[An] enjoyable and often enlightening read. Turner has a light touch that never undercuts the fundamental seriousness of her subject, and she quietly makes the local people, who have to deal with the gorillas marauding through their farms but also benefit from gorilla tourism, important figures in the account along with the scientists." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Veterinarians in east central Africa who “make house calls—or rather, forest calls” to mountain gorillas are the focus of this entry in the excellent Scientists in the Field series." Booklist, ALA