Evangeline Mudd and the Golden-Haired Apes of the Ikkinasti Jungle
Grade 2-4--Evangeline Mudd's primatologist parents are so obsessed with the golden-haired apes of Ikkinasti Jungle that they even raise their daughter based on the child-rearing practices of these animals. When the Mudds are sent, last minute, on a scientific expedition to Ikkinasti, they leave Evangeline with her father's "second cousin, twice removed" and his wife for safety's sake. Unfortunately, these relatives show total disinterest toward their charge as Evangeline becomes even more dedicated to preservation of all life and nature on Earth. After her parents disappear, the intrepid eight-year-old contacts Dr. Aphrodite Pikkaflee, world expert on golden-haired apes, and together they figure out that the doctor's greedy, anti-nature brother is behind the mystery. They travel to Ikkinasti where, with the help of reformed human headhunter Dadoo, they find and rescue the Mudds, stop the wicked plot to destroy the rain forest, and receive some slightly magical help from thousands of butterflies. There are some lovely, imaginative touches in this entertainingly improbable tale. Everything is sorted out neatly, but not facilely, in the end--people do have periods of sadness, there are still those who refuse to care about wildlife or nature. Wesson's pencil illustrations, reminiscent of Quentin Crisp's work, add greatly to the generally whimsical air. Ecological themes, humor, intriguing characters, and touches of absurdity should appeal to young readers with burgeoning social consciences.--B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.