Bright, brown eyes peer out of a furry face that takes up the entire cover, beckoning readers. Within, adult and baby gorillas can be seen laughing, dashing, clinging, swinging, yawning and gnawing. As he has done in previous titles (Busy Chickens, 2008, Busy Birdies, 2009, both with photographs by Steven Holt), Schindel effortlessly introduces delicious vocabulary in his terse, four-word rhyming couplets. And, as before, the text is paired with breathtaking photographs, here from Rouse. Intimate close-ups of winsome baby faces and blurred, movement-filled action photos combine with more standard longshots of our primate cousins. Playfully active text (clowning smiles, and frowning droops) and vivid color-block backgrounds help to keep the necessarily limited palette (gorilla gray and jungle green) sparkling. Another standout. (Board book. 3 mos.-2)
