From the Publisher
Growing Up Gorilla by Clare Hodgson Meeker is heartwarming true story chronicles what happened after a mother gorilla gave birth for the first time and then walked away from her newborn baby at Seattle's Woodland Park. . . Profusely illustrated throughout with full color photography, and also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "Growing Up Gorilla" is especially and unreservedly recommended for children ages 8-12 and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to family, school, and community library Pets/Wildlife picture book collections.
School Library Journal
08/09/2019
Gr 3–6-This winning nonfiction title offers a descriptive account of how a team of humans from Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo helped develop a bond between a mother gorilla and her baby. Generally, young gorillas learn best from watching and imitating members of their own species, but Nadiri the gorilla's mother rejected her following a difficult birth. When Nadiri gave birth to her baby Yola and failed to immediately bond with her, staffers stepped in to temporarily care for the little one and diligently shape Nadiri's bonding and mothering behaviors. Hodgson Meeker deftly conveys the humans' concerns for these animals. Slow progress eventually led to success as Nadiri accepted and bonded with Yola. Full-color photographs of Nadiri, Yola, and their male gorilla protector Leo augment the text. Purple photo borders and captions printed on red backgrounds brighten the pages. The six short chapters include supplementary material set apart in boxes with info on surrogate animal parents, mothering, dens, gorilla smells, and more. Readers will also find a brief comparison of gorillas and humans, information on protecting gorillas around the world, a glossary, and list of resources. VERDICT This handsomely packaged and sturdily bound volume provides an intriguing look at how a team of humans nurtured and saved a gorilla family.-Lynn Vanca, Freelance Librarian, Akron, OH
Kirkus Reviews
2019-05-12
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)
