Gorilla

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Hannah and the gorilla see the primates at the zoo. Can you find out about primates? What different types of primate are there? How are they similar / different? Hannah was frightened. “Don’t be frightened,Hannah,” said the gorilla, “I won’t hurt you. I justwondered if you’d like to go to the zoo.”The gorilla had such a nice smile that Hannahwasn’t afraid. “I’d love to,” she said. The story is about Willy the gorilla, who is a bit of a wimp. He decides to 'beef up' as he is fed up of being called a wimp, so he does this. Can he change though? Look at the map on Hannah’s wall. What place is shown in it? What information can you find out about that place?

On the night before her birthday, Hannah was ‘tingling with excitement’. Can you think of other ways to describe how she was feeling? But the next day he was always too busy. “Notnow. Maybe at the weekend,” he would say.But at the weekend he was always too tired. Theynever did anything together. However on the eve of her birthday something peculiar happens… She awakens to discover a gigantic gorilla at the end of her bed! Thus, beginning a magical adventure, the pair embark on trips to the zoo and cinema. The text itself features relatively complex sentance structures so is ideal to read to a very young child or great to use to develope the reading skills of a more accomplished reader.

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The next morning Hannah excitedly jumps out of bed, sprinting, to tell dad her news of her amazing journey. He approaches her “happy birthday love, do you want to go to the zoo?” The reader can instantly feel Hannah’s joy, she is glowing with happiness; her one wish has come true. The best part with revisiting these is seeing the deeper meanings that you might have missed as a kid... Look at the patterns in the picture of Hannah’s kitchen. Can you see any examples of tessellation / symmetry / right angles?

Look at the use of speech within the text. Could you rewrite the story as a play? Could you perform the play to others? If "Gorilla" (1983) was the book which made Browne's name as the artist to draw gorilla's, " Willy the Wimp " introduced us to his alter ego - "a chimpanzee living in a world of gorillas" according to Browne. Not a difficult relationship for children to identify with - the classic gorilla barging Willy off the pavement, the bully, the bodybuilder.

Hannah would like nothing more than to spend time with her father; except he’s always working, “not now, I’m busy, maybe tomorrow” is the usual response. The disappointment, isolation and sadness Hannah feels immediately echoes with the reader. One of the great aspect of being a parent is looking through the kids section and getting all nostalgic for so many books from my childhood. Come on then, Hannah,” said the gorilla,and he gently lifted her up. Then they wereoff, swinging through the trees towards thezoo. After days of being alone, eagerly waiting for the attention from her very busy father, Hannah's toy gorilla becomes real and takes her on an adventure to the zoo, the cinema, a restaurant and the evening ends with a dance on the lawn. To Hannah's surprise, her birthday wish comes true as her father is waiting to take her to the zoo the next morning! Hannah loved gorillas. She loved reading about them, looking at films about them, and drawing them. Unfortunately, her hard-working and rather distant father never seemed to have the time to take her to the zoo to see them live. He was always busy working in the evenings, or too tired at the weekend. Then, on the night before her birthday, Hannah dreams that the toy gorilla her father has given her comes to life and takes her on a magical night-time trip to the zoo, the movies, and a restaurant. It's a wonderful experience, but no more wonderful than her father's offer, the next day, to go to the zoo together...