TANO AND BINTI

A somewhat fictionalized but essentially realistic narrative describing how, in 1975, two chimpanzees born at the London Zoo were returned to Africa and adapted to life in the wild. Helping Tano and Binti to learn the skills they needed to survive was ``Amber,'' an older chimp that befriended them, showed them how to forage and find a place to sleep, and eventually—after leaving them for a long period and returning with her new baby and a mate—took them into her band. Andy DaVolls illustrates his wife's straightforward, interestingly detailed narrative with large closeups of Tano and Binti exploring their new home and playing, cooperating, and bonding with the wild chimps; his vibrant chimps almost leap from the page. Both of the DaVolls are careful to depict the apes as animals; yet the sophisticated social and learning behavior they exhibit and the wonderfully empathetic quality that radiates from these beautifully observed illustrations strongly suggest that their needs and feelings merit human concern. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 4-8)