Gorilla (Eyewitness Books)
Grade 5-8?These titles boast the same fabulous layout, interesting photographs, and fascinating facts that have made the series so popular. They also have many of the same drawbacks, such as poor depiction of relative size in the photos and topics that are too broad to be covered in one volume. Africa is populated by so many groups that they can't all be addressed in depth here. The book's organization results in a lack of continuity as it moves through discussions of social life and customs with minimal references to place and group names. This problem is compounded by the fact that much of the information is given in broad generalities. Only one small map of the continent is provided, and readers may find it dizzying going back and forth to figure out where they are. Similar problems occur in Gorilla, which is really about primates. This volume does a better job of presenting its topic, however, by focusing on one group or type of primate at a time. Determining the relative size of these mammals is not possible on many of the pages, although in some instances weight and height figures are given. While these books won't be useful for reports, they are fun to browse through.?Melissa Gross, Beverly Hills Public Library, CACopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.