Tano & Binti: Two Chimpanzees Return to the Wild
Categories: Books, Children's Books, Literature & Fiction



Grade level: 1 - 2
Dimensions: 10 x 0.5 x 12 inches
Reading age: 6 - 8 years
ISBN-13: 978-0395687017
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0395687012
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication date: January 1, 1994
subtitle: Hardcover – January 1, 1994
author: Linda Davolls Andy Davolls
review: Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly This debut picture book is based on a true story: in 1975, two chimpanzees raised at the London Zoo were introduced to a natural habitat in a protected area at the Gambian Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project. Chimp siblings Tano and Binti are first seen peering out of a slatted wooden crate at their new home in the African forest. The curious and playful newcomers, "who will need to learn many new skills to survive," are saved by Amber, a senior chimp who teaches them a welcome wagon's worth of forest ways. Soon they can build tree nests, fish termites from their mounds, drink at the stream, hammer open nuts and fruit pods with stones. After tutoring the chimps, Amber disappears--only to return a year later with a baby and a mate. Andy Davolls's realistic pastels, in dusty, natural tints, afford an eye-level view of the chimps. The documentary-like effect gets an added boost from the format, featuring full-bleed illustrations on oversized pages. Ages 5-8. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 3-Chimpanzees Tano and Binti were raised in the London Zoo and are being shipped to "the African forest" to be released. Amber, an adult female, befriends them and helps them feel comfortable in their new unfamiliar surroundings. She teaches them many things they need to know to survive, such as how to build a nest, and how to hunt and use tools such as sticks and rocks to gain access to certain food sources like termites and seeds. By the time their tutor leaves them, they are able to thrive on their own. Eventually Amber reappears, accompanied by a baby and a mate, and the three of them welcome the young chimps into their band. This picture book is based on the true story of two chimps born in the zoo in 1975 and returned to Gambia with the assistance of The Gambian Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project. Although the text is logically organized, the style is occasionally dry and at times suffers from an anthropomorphic, all-knowing viewpoint that strains credibility. However, the large, dramatic pastel illustrations on textured paper are well executed, and are sure to hold the attention of young people, especially when shared in a group. The book's storylike presentation of a perennially fascinating subject guarantees interest. Ellen Fader, Oregon State Library, Salem Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Ages 4-8. Based on a real incident, this tells of two young chimpanzees born in the London Zoo and returned to the wild in Central Africa with the help of an older chimp in the forest. The young brother and sister are bewildered when they first arrive in their new home, but the adult chimp nurtures them and shows them how to find food and build a nest, and when she leaves them, they can survive without her. The account of the animals' behavior is precise and physical; we feel their fear, their curiosity, and their affection. The pastel illustrations show the chimps close-up: dark brown, hairy, and huge against the forest, their powerful bodies nearly filling the double-page spreads of the large picture book. Their faces and gestures are also gentle, as in the exquisitely tender scene in which the three chimps are grooming one another in friendship, cuddling together. There are no humans anywhere, though a note says that this happened in 1975 with the help of a zoologist and semiwild chimps living in a protected area. A lot is dramatized about wildlife conservation in this eloquent story. Hazel Rochman From Kirkus Reviews A somewhat fictionalized but essentially realistic narrative describing how, in 1975, two chimpanzees born at the London Zoo were returned to Africa and adapted to life in the wild. Helping Tano and Binti to learn the skills they needed to survive was ``Amber,'' an older chimp that befriended them, showed them how to forage and find a place to sleep, and eventually--after leaving them for a long period and returning with her new baby and a mate--took them into her band. Andy DaVolls illustrates his wife's straightforward, interestingly detailed narrative with large closeups of Tano and Binti exploring their new home and playing, cooperating, and bonding with the wild chimps; his vibrant chimps almost leap from the page. Both of the DaVolls are careful to depict the apes as animals; yet the sophisticated social and learning behavior they exhibit and the wonderfully empathetic quality that radiates from these beautifully observed illustrations strongly suggest that their needs and feelings merit human concern. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Read more