Nancy,
Heart of the Beast reviews for you!
Take care,
-Susan


The Heart of the Beast : Eight Great Gorilla Stories
    Pimm, Nancy Roe.
Booklist Review
This collection of true stories about famous gorillas reveals that these animals are caring, compassionate, intelligent, and sensitive creatures worthy of respect and understanding. Among the gorillas profiled are Binti Jua, a young female gorilla who exhibited nurturing concern for a young boy who fell into her zoo enclosure, and Snowflake, an albino gorilla who taught a group of younger gorillas how to behave in various circumstances. Perhaps the most famous gorilla profiled is Koko, whose extraordinary ability to communicate through sign language became a well-known story. Readers will find this fascinating collection of accounts informative, surprising, and frequently poignant. Interspersed among the stories is information about gorilla taxonomy, mental and physical development, and diet. Black-and-white photographs of the gorillas in each story are included. Appendixes include a bibliography, time line, and suggestions for further reading. Sullivan, Ed.
 
 
The Heart Of The Beast
Nancy Roe Pimm
Darby Creek Publishing
7858 Industrial Parkway, Plain City, OH 43064
1581960549, $18.95 www.darbycreekpublishing.com 1-800-328-4929
 
"The Heart Of The Beast: Eight Great Gorilla Stories" by animal enthusiast Nancy Roe Pimm (who once worked as a docent at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Columbus, Ohio, giving tours of the zoo and eventually serving as an animal handler at local school assemblies) has compiled eight true stories featuring well-known gorillas that reveal the ability of these powerful animals to be caring, communicating, protecting, and grieving. Mostly docile animals that like to spend their days caring for and playing with their young, foraging for plants, and even 'singing', children will learn about the history, behaviors and nature of these largest members of the ape family. Replete with facts and anecdotes, expertly illustrated with color photography, "The Heart Of The Beast" is a fun and informative addition recommended for inclusion into family, elementary school, and community library Pets & Wildlife collections.—Midwest Book Review
 
Ria Newhouse (VOYA, June 2007 (Vol. 30, No. 2))
    At the end of Pimm's heartfelt look into the world of gorillas, she writes, "due to their strength, size, large jaws, and sharp teeth, gorillas have unfortunately long been misunderstood as ferocious, unfeeling beasts." It would have been far more helpful to begin with this information in a book that explores the lives of eight great gorillas who really are not beasts at all. From Hanabi-Ko "Koko," who learned to sign more than two hundred words by the time she was five years old, to Copito de Nieve "Snowflake," the "world's one and only known albino gorilla," this book is filled with the tales of gorillas who raise kittens, dine and drink from champagne glasses, and take on the role of single fatherhood. Librarians might have a difficult time selling this title to teens, but once it is in their hands, they will likely voraciously devour the plethora of fascinating facts presented in this tale. The pictures of these creatures who have been captured from Africa and beyond and the sometimes haunting recounting of their time in captivity is well done. Pimm delivers on a tough subject. By the time one is finished reading about Binti Jua, a "good gorilla mom" who nurtured, rocked, and held a "three-year-old human child who had fallen into her enclosure," the reader will have a special place in his or her heart for each of the beasts described. Expect to talk to budding zoologists when this book hits the shelves. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2007, Darby Creek Publishing, 112p.; Index. Photos. Biblio. Further Reading. Chronology., $18.95. Ages 11 to 15.