In a follow-up to the counting book One Gorilla (1990), Morozumi's latest gorilla escapade is a child's fantasy come true. When the zoo closes down, the young boy in the story gains a primate pal when his zookeeper dad brings the gorilla home. A better companion couldn't be found; this gorilla takes his human buddy for treetop adventures, pushes him on his bike, and has excellent table manners. Eventually, the zookeeper arranges for the gorilla to return to his real home in Africa. For a while, the little boy pines, until he receives a picture of his pal, happily situated in greener jungle pastures, now a part of a gorilla family. Morozumi's illustrations are lush as ever, and the book is oversized, allowing for lots of details for kids to discover, e.g., the price of bananas or the gorilla's favorite picture book (no surpriseit's Morozumi's previous book). At their best, these illustrations are just big and real enough for kids to easily imagine having a gorilla as a best friend. (Picture book. 3-5)
