The Boy and the Gorilla

March 1, 2021
A gorilla approaches a young boy after the death of the boy's mother ("Your mother's garden is beautiful. May I help?") and stays with him as the boy begins to process what happened and work through his grief. Sometimes the gorilla answers direct questions ("Where did Mom go?" "No one knows for sure"); at other moments, it simply provides affirmation ("Sometimes I want to be alone." "That's all right. Everyone needs quiet time"). Gorgeous collage illustrations, splotchy and watery almost as if tear-stained, follow the boy and gorilla from garden to beach to playground to classroom to treetop as the conversation continues, always (after the first introduction) initiated by the boy. As time passes and with the gorilla's help and gentle encouragement, the boy approaches his father -- who has been present in the background, but silent and separate -- and as the two begin to talk about their mutual grief and to comfort each other, the gorilla departs. Kramer's text is understated and powerful, and Derby's art, whether depicting a glorious seascape or a mundane school-bus interior, is invested with emotion. The gorilla -- enormous in comparison to its surroundings, standing out on each spread in deep colors of purple, blue, and gray -- is both a reassuring presence and a symbol of the immensity of the boy's grief. [See the similarly themed Bear Island, reviewed on page 53.] Martha V. Parravano

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from September 1, 2020
In the wake of Mom's death, a gorilla helps a child process grief and open up to Dad so they may heal and find hope again together. As shadows grow long at the funeral and attendees cross a gray-green field, a gorilla looks on. During the reception, the ape's heavy mass quietly fills the living room where the child sits. But once outside, in Mom's garden, the child talks with the gorilla. The unnamed child asks about death and dying, and where Mom went, and if she'll ever come back. The gorilla's honest yet reassuring responses offer the child relief in the quest to understand. Feelings of hurt, confusion, isolation, and even resentment are acknowledged, but the gorilla's gentle presence and wise responses help to recenter the soul. Through dialogue, the child begins to understand how Mom's love continues to live on. When the child bravely reaches out to Dad, the two begin to find comfort and solace in their love for Mom and each other. The artwork, full of expressive brush strokes and washes of color, offers a poeticism that perfectly matches the text. The gorilla's large purple shape serves as a visual metaphor for the emotional weight of the child's sadness. Derby's flowing application of paint conjures a sea of emotions, and the paintings appear as if viewed through a wall of tears. Well-placed pops of bright color are both striking and uplifting. As father and child (both present White) hug, talk, and walk hand in hand under a sweeping sky, the gorilla fades into the distance. Luminous. (Picture book. 4-8)

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January 1, 2021
A gorilla approaches a young boy after the death of the boy's mother ("Your mother's garden is beautiful. May I help?") and stays with him as the boy begins to process what happened and work through his grief. Sometimes the gorilla answers direct questions ("Where did Mom go?" "No one knows for sure"); at other moments, it simply provides affirmation ("Sometimes I want to be alone." "That's all right. Everyone needs quiet time"). Gorgeous collage illustrations, splotchy and watery almost as if tear-stained, follow the boy and gorilla from garden to beach to playground to classroom to treetop as the conversation continues, always (after the first introduction) initiated by the boy. As time passes and with the gorilla's help and gentle encouragement, the boy approaches his father -- who has been present in the background, but silent and separate -- and as the two begin to talk about their mutual grief and to comfort each other, the gorilla departs. Kramer's text is understated and powerful, and Derby's art, whether depicting a glorious seascape or a mundane school-bus interior, is invested with emotion. The gorilla -- enormous in comparison to its surroundings, standing out on each spread in deep colors of purple, blue, and gray -- is both a reassuring presence and a symbol of the immensity of the boy's grief. �See the similarly themed Bear Island, reviewed on page 53.]

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from September 14, 2020
Following a mother’s death, a gorilla lumbers slowly into the family’s house, then the garden, as grown-ups wearing somber colors disperse. “Your mother’s garden is beautiful,” the gorilla says to her young son, who is working there. “May I help?” The gorilla stays close, answering questions and shoring up the mourning child emotionally. “I wish Mom was here to read to me,” the boy says. The gorilla hunches over a book: “It’s a good story. Your father might like this book, too.” As the boy climbs a tree, hoping his mother will be at the top, the gorilla murmurs, “I’m right behind you.” Derby (Outside In) paints loose washes of quiet colors, with the gorilla’s solemn features and commanding presence drawing attention throughout. Kramer (The Green Umbrella) successfully walks a delicate line between foregrounding the boy’s sadness (“When will I feel better?”) and the gorilla’s miraculous presence. Somehow, the gorilla’s words sound less treacly than a human grown-up’s might (“Each bite is like a memory,” the gorilla says when the boy makes his mother’s favorite cookies), and they offer meaningful support and comfort to the boy until he’s ready to reach out elsewhere. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Stephen Fraser, Jennifer De Chiara Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary.