Go-Go Gorillas - Hardcover

Durango, Julia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 141693779X ISBN 13: 9781416937791

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010

Synopsis

From bicycles to jalopies, Go-Go Gorillas has all the vehicles you need for one wild ride! Aunt Minerva in her rollerblades, Cousin Clementine in her hot air balloon, and little ol’ Granny in her plane all help lead the way as a total of ten gorillas use crafty forms of transportation and answer King Big Daddy’s call to come and hear the news: A baby gorilla is born! With an irresistible refrain and rollicking, read-aloud rhymes, this vividly illustrated adventure is an instant vehicle for fun!

About this title

About the Author

Julia Durango resides in Ottawa, Illinois, where she wrote a weekly book review column for children. She is the mother of two sons and is the author of Dream Hop, illustrated by Jared Lee,  as well as Pest Fest, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus. Her work also includes Go-Go Gorillas, a sequel to Cha-Cha Chimps, both illustrated by Eleanor Taylor and Dream Away, illustrated by Robert Goldstrom. Her first novel The Walls of Cartagena was a Junior Library Guild Selection. Her most recent novel is entitled Sea of the Dead. She is a contributor the Three Silly Chicks blog and lives in Ottawa, Illinois.

Eleanor Taylor is the internationally beloved illustrator of numerous picture books, including Chicken in the Kitchen by Tony Johnston. Ellie and her husband live in London, England, with a son who isn't quite old enough to run around chattering like a monkey -- but maybe this book will change that.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 1—King Big Daddy dispatches his mouse messenger to gather his family for a big announcement at the Great Gorilla Villa. The 10 relatives hurry over, each using a different method of transportation, from a rowboat to a pogo stick to a plane. "Niece Isabel was second:/'There's no need for you to worry./If I row there in my rowboat,/I can make it in a hurry!'" Their travels are punctuated by the relentless refrain: "Go-go gorillas! Gotta go, gorillas, go!" Taylor's busy, colorful watercolors track the chaos and the joy as the family welcomes a new baby. Though the story itself is slight, the rhyme and repetition make it a bouncy read-aloud for transportation units.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD
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As they did in Cha-Cha Chimps (2006), Durango and Taylor present a bouncy book that will keep little ones counting. In the Great Gorilla Villa, King Big Daddy has news. So he sends a messenger to gather up the other gorillas, and they come in buses and in jalopies, on pogo sticks and in hot-air balloons. The watercolor art, with pictures big enough for groups, has the same sprightly spirit as the text. Forgoing the usual “one . . . two . . . ,” this goes with first, second, and so on, giving kids a new way to express numbers. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 141693779X
• ISBN 13: 9781416937791
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Taylor Eleanor
• Number of pages: 32