Priscilla Gorilla by Barbabara Bottner (review)

There is nothing Priscilla loves more than gorillas, and she’s not shy about it. She particularly enjoys that gorillas “always get their way,” whereas Priscilla’s attempts to do the same have only earned her visits to her class’s Thinking Corner. When Priscilla refuses to take off her gorilla costume for the class photo, she sets into action a chain of mutiny that leads to a crowd of animal-dressed kids in the Thinking Corner. Her parents point out that gorillas have “lasted all these millions of years because they cooperate,” and Priscilla grudgingly repents—and then gets to show off all of her gorilla joy in a fabulous trip to the zoo’s ape house. Priscilla is a classic picture-book handful à la Michael Kaplan’s Betty Bunny and Kevin Henkes’ Lilly; the book is affectionately witty about both her, um, strong character and her charisma, with a dialogue-intensive text that humorously contrasts Priscilla’s expansive utterances with briefer adult interjections. Emberley’s pencil and watercolor art is particularly charming here, with a touch of Bob Graham in Priscilla’s warm and rumpled home life and joyfully individual classmates (and long-suffering teacher). Whether listeners see Priscilla as a kindred spirit or merely wish to follow in her wake, they’ll appreciate her commitment and yearn for an animal-costume day all their own. Hint, hint.