Wildlife Conservation Society. I can read

just facts about gorillas, no story line, very dry reading ( )

Amazing Gorillas is a non fiction book with lots of facts about gorillas. Not only are there lots of pictures, but they talk about how gorillas relate to people. I recommend this book for elementary and early middle school students. ( )

It was a simple non-fiction text that analyzed gorillas, such as where they lived, their social lives, terms for different roles in their groups, and comparisons to other primates.

Summary:
The story was about gorillas and their families. Two or three mothers are usually in the gorilla family and one or two young males that eventually turn into older males that are often the father or grandfather of the babies in the group. Gorillas and people share many characteristics like a thumb and four fingers in each hand. Gorillas and people are called primates because of our instincts to nurture our young. The book also talks about young gorillas and the many hours they spend climbing and jumping from trees. Young gorillas learn to make grunts for certain actions like humans do. Gorillas eat leaves and fruits to maintain their diet and sustain their bodies.Just like humans, they groom themselves by picking off the ticks from one another. As they grow they leave their groups and form new ones and can live up to forty years. Unfortunately, many of the forests where they live are being chopped down and scientist are learning what gorillas need and how we can help them survive.
Personal Reaction:
I really enjoy reading informational books because I like learning about different subjects. Gorillas are very wise and this book made me realize how close we are in relation to one another. The females nurture their young just like humans which is incredible. This book gave me an insight about how gorillas interact with one another. The fact that many of the forests where they live are being destroyed causes me to be alarmed. I hope that proper data has been accumulated to provide care for the gorillas who lose their home. Great book!
Classroom Extension Ideas:
1.Unit plan on gorillas.
2. Create a chart and use it to compare and contrast humans and gorillas.
3. Word wall from the book (primates)