Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #596419 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 72 pages

Review
News-Star (Monroe, LA), Aug. 26, 2007
“Excellent color photographs … recommended reading.”

About the Author
Kelly J. Stewart is a research associate with the Department of Anthropology at the University of California at Davis. She studied wild mountain gorillas and served as research assistant to Dian Fossey at the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda and later ran the center, where she and her husband carried out projects on gorilla social behavior, ecology, and conservation. Dr. Stewart edits the annual "Gorilla Conservation Newsletter" and has published numerous articles in scientific journals and popular publications about her work on gorillas. In addition, she has written book reviews for the "New York Times" and the "Washington Post." She recently co-edited the book, "Mountain Gorillas: Three Decades of Research at Karisoke" (Cambridge University Press).

Customer Reviews

Good pics
For the price, this was a good deal. I wanted pictures of Gorillas to use as references for painting, and this book served the purpose.

Makes you feel close to gorillas
Beautiful, intimate, photographs of gorillas in the wild are accompanied by a text so vivid that you feel like you are right there with Stewart, watching wild gorillas as they lead their lives. You can almost smell them burb. The text is so accurate and up-to-date, that it is much more than a children's book. All ages will enjoy this book, although it is just right for reading to children.

Super Introduction to Gorillas with Outstanding Photographs
Gorillas is a superb introduction to the subject for those who want to know more about the natural history, behavior and conservation issues concerning gorillas. The book greatly benefits from an easy-to-understand and scientifically accurate text from Dr. Kelly Stewart, who is a well-known authority in the field, and as beautiful and stimulating a series of photographs as you can imagine.

The book opens with a humorous play on the old joke about where the 800 pound gorilla sits. Dr. Stewart describes her actual experience with a charging 350 pound male gorilla, and how it all turned out well. Males usually threaten more than they harm. In this way, they are more like humans than chimpanzees are. Dr. Kelly gently dispels a lot of old beliefs about how dangerous gorillas are. In the process, she makes a fine case for why we should help secure their endangered environments and support thoughtful eco-tourism to help make that possible. Anyone who sees the generously provided photographs will want to participate in one of the jungle and mountain treks that are available in Africa. For those who want to learn more, there's a brief list of recommended books.

As I finished reading this delightful book, I came away wondering why humans are so quick to attack and destroy anything or anyone who is different from them. Perhaps we can help save ourselves when we help save gorillas.