Book cover accessed from: goodreads.com
Grimes, Nikki. 2007. WHEN GORILLA GOES WALKING. Ill. By Shane Evans. New York: Orchard Books. ISBN -13: 978-0-439-31770-2 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-439-31770-3
Summary:
Rhyming poems take us through his humorous adventures of Gorilla, the cat. He answers the phone, eats soul food, learns rules, and even comforts his young owner when his best friend moves.
Critical analysis:
Grimes’ arrangement of lines, verses, and rhythm fits words and meanings of the poems. In SICK DAY, Gorilla becomes a nurse...”I lay down sick this afternoon. Gorilla knew and came./She felt my forehead with her paw./She listened to my heart./Cecilia stopped by…found me curled up …beside my feline nurse.” The varied forms from rhyming to haiku --“Gorilla gazes/into a puddle. Does she/know she’s beautiful?”--are an appealing part of the poetry found in this book. The variety in forms does not feel forced nor does it sacrifice word meaning. Each letter and word is carefully chosen, whether the poem rhymes or not, for its individual and collective effect. There are surprising word choices made that vary in style and mood. The arrangement is vivid and meaningful tying together Cecilia’s and Gorilla’s lives and connecting them emotionally as they comfort each other …”Gorilla raised a paw and pets me./Gorilla drank my tears../ I rub her belly to quiet her fear...” The use of sensory words and the brightly colored illustrations are surprising and unexpected; both seem to grow from the creative and unique use of language. The emotional impact that the poems make us feel will be enjoyed by cat lovers everywhere. Through varied poems the poet helps us feel what she might have felt in capturing the moment of each one and the emotion throughout is natural and not forced. The organization, design, balance of poems, and colorful illustrations, make WHEN GORILLA GOES WALKING, appealing to anyone who loves to read, but especially cat lovers. The book jacket includes short background information on both the author and the illustrator.
Review excerpt(s):
Publishers Weekly, 05/28/2007
A girl’s keen and loving observations of her audacious, “rain-cloud gray” cat—the Gorilla of the title—are the inspiration for this wonderful suite of poems by Grimes (Dark Sons ). The book also serves as a kind of primer on poetry, proving that the medium is infinite in its versatility; Grimes offers up everything from multi-stanza paeans (both rhyming and not) to a sort of haiku (“Gorilla gazes/ into a puddle. Does she/ know she’s beautiful?”). Her word choices are always lively and evoke an appropriately feline combination of affection and entitlement (“I scratch Gorilla’s belly when/ she commandeers my lap”). Of course, it helps to have such a rich subject—Gorilla loves to fight with ivy, cuddle on a sick bed, interrupt homework, eat soul food and pine for a tom cat. Evans’s (Here We Go Round ) poster-like paintings are the perfect accompaniment—the illustrator beautifully captures the many moods of both the supremely confident Gorilla and her adoring mistress. A winner for youngsters, cat fans and poetry lovers of all ages. Ages 4-8. (May) Publishers Weekly, A Reed Business Information Publication[2]
School Library Journal, 05/01/2007
PreS-Gr 4 –Enormous, lively illustrations are paired with an equally bouncy text in this winning picture book. In a series of delightful poems, a girl introduces her cat, Gorilla, and describes her pet’s many interests, talents, and behaviors. “A fierce meow,/a tiger’s claws–/Gorilla ain’t/no Santa Paws….She has no tail./She’s rain-cloud gray./I love that cool cat/more each day.” While the feline is decidedly the star of this show, Cecilia also shares tidbits about her own life, such as getting into trouble for making a mess and feeling sad when her best friend moves away. The rich and rewarding relationship enjoyed by cat and human comes through loud and clear. From a breathless entry about the animal chasing a fly, to an elegant haiku (“Gorilla gazes/into a puddle. Does she/know she’s beautiful?”), the poems vary in style and mood. Grimes’s use of language and point of view are consistently refreshing and childlike. The bold cartoon artwork endearingly portrays the African-American narrator and her smoke-colored pet as they play together, comfort one another, and experience life’s ups and downs. This book is an excellent choice for cat lovers, budding poetry enthusiasts, and just about any reader who enjoys a fun-filled romp with words.–Andrea Tarr, Corona Public Library, CA School Library Journal, A Reed Business Information Publication[2]
Kirkus Reviews, 04/15/2007
A young girl named Cecilia describes her affection and relationship with her cat, Gorilla, in short snappy poems. There are 19 in all, each one titled to set the scene for Gorilla's many roles: feline nurse, wry boxer, phone-pouncer, paint-tracker, pin-the-tail target, bedmate, soul-food gourmand, tear-licker (when Cecilia's best friend moves away), fly-chaser, guard cat—and ending with Cecilia proudly announcing, "I'm Gorilla's human. Don't ever forget!" Broadly shaped images in Alkyd paints, set against white backgrounds, spill over the pages and rely on their size rather than detailed bodies to define the drama of everyday events. Gorilla is gray and green-eyed, and Cecilia is brown-skinned with dreadlocks. Cat lovers will identify with all the feline traits and tricks, and the cat-girl sentiments are precisely on target. A great cover—a close-up of green-eyed, gray Gorilla's head with tongue licking her chops—is sure to entice cat lovers everywhere. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright 2007, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved[2]
BookList, 04/15/2007
In interlinked poems, Cecilia, a young African American girl, introduces her "cool cat,"---a fierce, tailless, gray shorthair named Gorilla. Written in a variety of forms, from rhyming couplets to haiku, the poems celebrate Gorilla's idiosyncrasies and "everycat" habits. Grimes' skillfully chosen sounds and rhythms echo the distinctly feline behavior, from erratic, zooming action--"skate 'cross the floor. / Sail by the window, / leap through the door"--to soothing, purring comforts: "Gorilla raised a paw / and pet me." In spare, expressive lines and bold colors, Evans' dynamic paintings capture the messy intimacy of the cat and human bond. Also evident is the sense that Gorilla isn't just a pet; she's also a mirror. Like many children, Cecilia sees her own best and worst qualities in her bossy, beautiful cat, who is, she says, "like stubborn me." A fill-the-page portrait of dreadlocked, brown Cecelia, arm and arm with a blue-eyed, white best friend opens this playful, insightful poetry collection (classified as fiction) with an image of open-hearted friendship. -- Gillian Engberg. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.[2]
Connections:[4]
Through this link you can listen to Nikki Grimes read an excerpt of WHEN GORILLA GOES WALKING http://www.nikkigrimes.com/books/bkgrlla.html
*students can write poems about their pets
*students can illustrate their pets and research their pet(s)
Awards: [5]
Bank Street Best Books for Children
Starred review in Booklist
Starred review in Publishers Weekly
2009 California Readers Collection
Starred review in Booklist
Starred review in Publishers Weekly
2009 California Readers Collection
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