Will provoke “content grunts” in nature lovers.
Readers learn about gorillas in general and also how staff at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo managed two rare coups: getting a mother gorilla to bond with her rejected baby and incorporating baby Yola into the zoo’s existing gorilla family.
The layout, charts, and colorful photographs are enticing. A bright table of contents establishes six chapters, which hint of the story to come, starting at “Firstborn” and ending with “A Family at Last.” Nadiri, the 19-year-old gorilla who gives birth to Yola, was herself raised by humans in a sterile nursery, so it is no surprise to staff when Nadiri gives birth and walks away. Judy, Harmony, and other staff members have come to understand in the interim that “mothering is a learned behavior.” The text gives many examples of the ways that these dedicated people work to teach Nadiri mothering skills, including providing dolls to hug during pregnancy and tempting her with sweet treats to get her closer to her baby. Readers become familiar not only with Yola and Nadiri, but also with family members Akenji—an extroverted female—and Leo, a shy silverback male. Although slim and full of pictures, the book demands fairly able readers. There is a great deal of text—albeit with simple syntax—and many detailed explanations, not only of the changes in Nadiri’s family, but of several related topics.
Will provoke “content grunts” in nature lovers. (endnotes, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-4240-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A parrot costumed as detective leads readers through this collection of examples of animals “spying and prying” to find a mate, food or home or to avoid being eaten, of course, and animals tricking other eavesdroppers. While the conceit may be far-fetched, this is an appealing presentation of intriguing animal facts. Chapter by chapter, the text describes animals paying attention to each other and to other species. The examples are wide-ranging. Baboons, European robins and cichlids all look for a chance to horn in on a reproductive pair and get a chance to reproduce themselves. Predator fireflies watch for other firefly signal lights to pounce. Go-away-birds let dik-diks know when a predator is near. Siamese fighting fish watch others fight to challenge the loser; for female canaries, the loser is the best mate. And so on. A lively design includes photographs of the species, with notes attached. Each chapter has a slightly different colored background and is followed by an example of a further unusual behavior. Suggested additional reading, an exemplary bibliography and index complete the package. (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55451-217-1
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
Thousands of years ago, the Komodo dragon may have inspired dragon legends in China and beyond. In more recent times, researchers from all over the world have traveled to the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia to study the Komodo dragon. This lively if somewhat haphazardly organized account focuses on the efforts of contemporary researchers, presents some of their cooler findings (female dragons can reproduce through parthenogenesis; their saliva is laced with deadly bacteria) and profiles a few captive specimens. Mostly color photographs from a variety of sources adorn almost every page, and captions add to the information. Learning about the Komodo dragon is not for the faint of heart, and the photos show the wild beasts in all their gory glory. The extensive backmatter includes brief facts about Indonesia, more information on the Komodo dragon life cycle and its use of smell and conservation information. A portion of the sales will be donated to the Komodo Survival Program. (bibliography, further reading, glossary, websites, index, author’s note) (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59078-757-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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