Going Ape! Eduardo Bustos. Illustrated by Lucho Rodriguez. Toronto, ON: Tundra Books, 2012. 24 pp., hardcover, $11.95. ISBN 978-1-77049-282-0. Subject Heading: Monkeys-Juvenile literature. Apes-Juvenile literature. Kindergarten-grade 1 / Ages 5-6. Review by Michelle Barry. ** /4

excerpt:

Allen’s Swamp Monkey:

This elegant gray monkey is no bigger than a small dog.

Because he lives in a swamp, his webbed feet are very useful.

Going Ape! is an introductory look at a few members of the ape family. It presents a beautiful graphic representation of each ape followed by a brief description of the animal in question. The content provides children a little detail of what makes each animal different. The book ends with a broad explanation of the habits of the ape family.

     Some of the words used in this book (i.e. elegant) are a little too advanced for the age group that the pictures appeal to. The narrative is quite dry and factual and does not provide description for each ape described for an adequate introductory book. The synopsis at the end of the book is too broad and too generalized.

     The graphics used for each ape are artistically accurate. The details are extraordinary simple but beautiful in the detail for each of the apes represented. The orangutan, chimpanzee and gorilla all look like they walked from the zoos straight to these pages.

     Overall, Going Ape! will appeal much more to boys than girls due to the style of the illustrations and the subject matter. The graphic style is beautiful, and adults may appreciate it more so than the children. The title of the book is a little misleading. A few of the animals in the book are actually not a part of the ape family but of the monkey family. There is not enough content to keep a 6 to 8-year-old’s interest, and there is not enough “story” to hold a younger child’s attention.

Recommended with reservations.

Michelle Barry is a freelance writer and Internet researcher who lives in Bradford, ON. She is a proud mother of a delightful two year old daughter.

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