What Is Baby Gorilla Doing?

by Christena Nippert-Eng, John Dominski (Illustrator), Miguel Martinez (Illustrator)

Overview

Baby gorilla plays, looks, sits, smells, tastes, climbs, claps, smiles, and sleeps—just like the young readers of this book. Beautiful photographs capture an adorable baby gorilla in action. A gentle bedtime ending rounds out this action-word concept book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250172884
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	06/13/2017
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	22
File size:	29 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	2 - 6 Years

About the Author

Christena Nippert-Eng, John Dominski, and Miguel Martinez produce charming, informative, and beautifully photographed nonfiction books for children. Nippert-Eng is a sociologist and university professor. Dominski is the principal natural photographer and Martinez is the principal studio and post-production photographer for What Is Baby Gorilla Doing?

Editorial Reviews

06/19/2017
The team behind 2016’s Gorillas Up Close aims at a younger audience as they follow a baby gorilla through a bevy of activities. Each page reads like a one-word answer to the question posed by the title: photographs show the gorilla “looking” into a small basin in one scene, “sitting” in it in another, as well as “scratching” itself, “reaching” for some bamboo, and eventually “sleeping” in a hammock. Simplified white and pastel backgrounds keep the focus on the highlighted actions, which are recapped in a closing spread. It’s a cleanly designed introduction to a gorilla’s daily life, full of activities that will be familiar to the book’s young readers, too. Ages 2–6. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"A good concept, minimal text, and excellent photos make this book a standout for babies and toddlers." —Booklist on What Is Baby Gorilla Doing?

"This winning board book capitalizes on children's natural fascination with the animal kingdom to teach kids the names of 18 of their favorite activities. Beautifully photographed infant gorillas play, look, lift, sit, taste, clap, eat, and sleep, among other actions, all set against changing monochromatic backgrounds." —Kirkus Reviews on What Is Baby Gorilla Doing?

"It’s a cleanly designed introduction to a gorilla’s daily life, full of activities that will be familiar to the book’s young readers, too." —Publishers Weekly on What Is Baby Gorilla Doing?

"the gorillas in this book are adorable! . . . Ending with sleeping, here’s hoping my own little “monkey” will crawl into bed at the end of this board book." —Ingram on What Is Baby Gorilla Doing?

"A fascinating, eye-opening introduction to gorillas, particularly those living in captivity." —Booklist, starred review, on Gorillas Up Close

"In this visually arresting work, Nippert-Eng bridges the gap between gorillas and humans. . . Subject matter includes the expected (habitat, diet, and care for this endangered species) to the delightfully unanticipated (how to identify a gorilla and tips for watching and photographing). . . . engaging animal nonfiction for upper elementary and middle school collections. Highly recommended." —School Library Journal on Gorillas Up Close

"The photos really steal the show . . . a series of portraits—including "formal" head shots—capture not just individual facial features (as diverse as any group of humans) and an amazing range of expressions, but also a powerful, dignified presence in each of about two dozen primates." —Kirkus Reviews on Gorillas Up Close

From the Publisher

2017-05-24
Babies, it seems, like to do a lot of the same things…even when one is a baby gorilla. This winning board book capitalizes on children's natural fascination with the animal kingdom to teach kids the names of 18 of their favorite activities. Beautifully photographed infant gorillas play, look, lift, sit, taste, clap, eat, and sleep, among other actions, all set against changing monochromatic backgrounds. A single gerund describes the action in each photograph. The layout has a clean, simple elegance. Regardless of one's feelings about the origin of our species, it's hard not to anthropomorphize these expressive little apes as they explore movement and sensory input. Children should have, for the most part, no difficulty relating the actions on each page to things they do in their own lives. Most deeds depicted are unambiguous, although, in the case of "looking," it's difficult to know if the ape is engaged by sight or by touch with the bowl in the photo. Similarly, in the photo illustrating "eating," the gorilla is selecting a morsel of popcorn from a few scattered on the floor, not near the ape's mouth. Kids may take the picture's proffered explanation on faith, but it would have been simpler, perhaps, to show a young gorilla biting into a banana. Quibbles aside, photos of cute animals doing cute things are an obvious slam-dunk. (Board book. 6 mos.-3)

Kirkus Reviews