Gorillas

Children's Literature - Jamaica Johnson Conner

"Me, Tarzan. You, Jane." This primitive greeting, uttered by the hero of Edgar Rice Burroughs' adventure novel Tarzan, evokes the cliche image of an abandoned boy adopted by a family of apes in the wild. Though the fictional account and expression may be overused, when a primate actually rescues a child, audiences take notice. Goldish's piece recounts two such instances of heroics exhibited by a gorilla. In one instance, a gorilla named Binti-Jua rescues a three-year-old boy, and in the other a five-year-old boy is rescued by a gorilla named Jambo. Goldish also tells of other feats which display a gorilla's intelligent—sign language, painting, interaction/communication with other animals and humans, and using tools. The full color photographs and meaningful visuals complement the information. Part of the "Smart Animals" series, this book offers a glossary which defines words bolded within the text, a bibliography, a suggested reading list, an index, a table of contents, and a chart of facts about the animal. Children reading at the fourth and fifth grade levels will love the stories of bravery and intellect exhibited by these fascinating creatures.