Little Larry Goes to School

by Mary Rand Hess, Gerry Ellis

Overview

A young, orphaned chimpanzee must start at a new school, where he will learn how to climb and build his confidence. Stunning photographs from award-winning photographer Gerry Ellis are sure to captivate young readers and raise awareness about chimps and the threats they face.

Little Larry is an orphaned chimpanzee who doesn't know much about being a chimp. He has to go to his first day at the forest school to learn what chimp life is all about. Nestled in a primate sanctuary in Cameroon, Little Larry and his group of chimp friends go to the school each day to learn how to play, communicate, and climb like they would if they were chimps in the wild. The only trouble is, Little Larry doesn't want to learn how to climb. He's perfectly happy on the ground. Will the sanctuary keepers and other chimpanzees be able to teach Little Larry how to climb so he can graduate from forest school?

This sweet story, with its beautiful photographs, explores the challenges of going to school, learning, and gaining confidence in yourself. This is a perfect read-aloud tale for children reluctant to try new things, preparing to enter kindergarten, or starting preschool for the very first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426333163
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/26/2019
Series:	Baby Animal Tales
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	670L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

GERRY ELLIS is a wildlife filmmaker, photographer, and writer, whose work has appeared in National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, New York Times, Ranger Rick, and more. His work is now featured in the YouTube channel Apes Like Us, which he also hosts. Ellis is the author of more than a dozen children's books. Documenting nature for more than 30 years inspired him to found GLOBIO, a nonprofit that inspires children to protect all life on Earth.

Bio:

MARY RAND HESS is a poet, mixed-media artist, screenwriter, and New York Times bestselling author of Solo, Swing, and Animal Ark: Celebrating Our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures, all coauthored with Kwame Alexander. She currently lives in California with her husband, sons, and two quirky dogs, where she is hard at work on a few books and screenplays.

Editorial Reviews

Readers will be touched by poignant close-up images that capture Little Larry’s personality, environment, and relationship with the other chimpanzees… This dynamic design combines multicolor pages with expressive photography that will inform readers about chimpanzees living in sanctuaries and the role of human caregivers… this heartwarming, child-friendly true story distinguishes itself from the rest.”— School Library Journal

"This dynamic design combines multicolor pages with expressive photography that will inform readers about chimpanzees living in sanctuaries and the role of human caregivers. The book contains a map indicating the location of the sanctuary and facts about chimps’ facial expressions and sounds. VERDICT: Though there are numerous titles on chimps for this age group, this heartwarming, child-friendly true story distinguishes itself from the rest." — School Library Journal


.

From the Publisher

02/01/2019

K-Gr 2—In the forest school of an African sanctuary for chimpanzees lives Little Larry, a young orphan. Just like human children, Little Larry has to pick up many skills to develop into a healthy and well-adapted adult. At school, Little Larry is learning to socialize and bond with his peers, to groom himself, to stay safe, to find food, and, most important, to climb trees. Though climbing trees seems so natural to apes, it's a challenge for Little Larry. Readers will be touched by poignant close-up images that capture Little Larry's personality, environment, and relationship with the other chimpanzees. The narrative, which chronicles Little Larry's life from his birth to his graduation from forest school, is rendered in a comfortably large white font that moves around full-page tertiary color backgrounds. This dynamic design combines multicolor pages with expressive photography that will inform readers about chimpanzees living in sanctuaries and the role of human caregivers. The book contains a map indicating the location of the sanctuary and facts about chimps' facial expressions and sounds. VERDICT Though there are numerous titles on chimps for this age group, this heartwarming, child-friendly true story distinguishes itself from the rest.—Kathia Ibacache, Simi Valley Public Library, CA

School Library Journal