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Summary
Summary
When a whole class goes gorilla, they learn the importance of balancing passion and creativity with cooperation in this charmer of a picture book from the New York Times bestselling duo, Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley.
The day Priscilla gets a book about gorillas, she instantly becomes obsessed. She dances like them, eats like them, and wears her gorilla costume 24-7! There are so many things to love about gorillas, but what Priscilla loves best is how they seem to always get their way.
So when Mr. Todd tells all his students to dress up like their favorite animal, Priscilla's choice is obvious. But dancing around and beating her chest when it's not her turn sends Priscilla straight to the Thinking Corner. She is of course outraged--nobody tells a gorilla what to do!--and as her attitude spreads, soon the thinking corner is full of her classmates. Is Priscilla really channeling her inner gorilla, or is she just a troublemaker in ape's clothing?
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-With the single-minded focus of a kindergartner with a new obsession, Priscilla eats, sleeps, and breathes gorillas. After receiving a most wondrous book called All About Gorillas, the girl informs her mother that she likes gorillas because "They always get their way." Her beleaguered teacher, Mr. Todd, does his best to deal with the onslaught of continuous gorilla art, interpretive dance moves, jungle calls, and perpetual costumes. Ultimately, his enthusiastic charge is invited to the "Thinking Corner." Priscilla informs her parents that the only thinking she does there is about how she doesn't like the "Thinking Corner." When her friends at school catch her wild animal bug and begin insisting on dressing up as their own favorite animals, Mr. Todd takes matters into his own hands and proposes a field trip to the zoo. Priscilla comes face-to-face with her hero, and everyone breaks into spontaneous gorilla dancing, including the suddenly uninhibited Mr. Todd. Emberley's delightfully wacky illustrations capture Bottner's colorful narrative. This author/illustrator duo do a dynamite job of portraying what all early education teachers should have the freedom and funding to do-follow and build on the interests of their students. VERDICT An exceptional pairing of language and art. Its humor and fresh message give it wide appeal, and its positive depiction of a male teacher makes it a standout selection among stories about kindergarten classrooms.-Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a funny, empathic, and refreshingly unsentimental take on childhood, the team behind Miss Brooks Loves Books (And I Don't) and other titles introduces Priscilla, a gorilla-obsessed first grader. Priscilla's passion goes far beyond a mastery of fun facts: gorillas "always get their way," she tells her mother, and this perceived ability to call the shots speaks deeply to Priscilla's independent spirit and skepticism of authority-especially when that authority is her put-upon teacher, Mr. Todd. But Priscilla's silverback act soon starts taking its toll on the classroom-so many peers emulate her that everyone ends up doing time in the euphemistically named Thinking Corner-and something has to give. Emberley's watercolors, which channel the mischievous intelligence of Sendak, are wonderful at conveying personality through body language: a single drawing of Mr. Todd putting on his coat while announcing a field trip instantly communicates that this is a teacher with a solution to the Priscilla problem. And Priscilla, with her outsize confidence and (eventual) willingness to see a different perspective, is the perfect heroine for our times. Ages 4-7. Agent: Rick Richter, Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
After receiving a book about gorillas for her birthday, six-year-old Priscilla becomes obsessed with them. "'Why do you love gorillas so much?' her mother asked. 'They always get their way,' said Priscilla. 'Hmmm,' said her mother. 'You already get your way a lot.'" In truth, when it comes to getting her way Priscilla has to concede quite often to her teacher, Mr. Todd, or else she finds herself "invited" to the dreaded Thinking Corner. Alternating between school and home, the story provides an engaging look at the dynamics Priscilla negotiates among adults and classmates each day as she struggles between independence and cooperation. The story's unassuming narration highlights the characters' funny quips and conversations, while the pencil and watercolor illustrations make the characters' emotions and personalities clear. Before long, Priscilla has embraced the role of troublemaker at school, and a significant number of other students have joined her in the Thinking Corner, where very little productive thinking happens. At home, her father points out that gorillas cooperate rather than cause trouble. After a night of actual thinking, Priscilla offers the beginnings of an apology to Mr. Todd: "My All About Gorillas book says even gorillas don't always get their way." Mr. Todd seems to have done some thinking, too, and arranges a class trip to the Ape House, where he provides space for some independence--as long as everyone cooperates. julie roach (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Since age six, Priscilla has been fascinated by gorillas (she particularly likes that gorillas always get their way). Priscilla's enthusiasm at inappropriate times results in her being invited to the class Thinking Corner. Things come to a head when Priscilla refuses to remove her gorilla outfit for the class picture, and soon her other classmates join her at the Thinking Corner in solidarity. Priscilla's father points out that gorillas are known for helping one another and cooperating, and Priscilla, fortified by this new knowledge, is able to get back in the good graces of her teacher. All ends well with a class trip to the ape house at the zoo and a spontaneous gorilla dance. Emberley's lively illustrations not only masterfully capture the activity and drama inherent in Bottner's text, but also expand the personalities of the supporting characters, making them fully three-dimensional. There is no villain here, just a clash of wills, showing that, like gorillas, we can all get along if we try.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2017 Booklist