A Mom for Umande

K-Gr 2—In this picture book based on a true story, Umande, a baby gorilla, is cared for by Colorado zookeepers when his mother ignores him. They encourage the other gorillas to accept him, and after their efforts fail, they teach him gorilla behavior. When Umande is eight months old, he is transported to a zoo in Ohio to become adopted by an experienced mother gorilla. Hartung uses soft figures and colors to ensure that readers fall for the lovable gorilla, and his facial expressions, cuddling, and toe-sucking will endear him to readers. Faulconer's well-researched account is efficient in details, like the gorilla games. Endnotes explain more of the story. Sensitive children may be troubled by Umande's initial isolation and the unintentional mistreatment he experiences from the other gorillas, but the author's style warms from journalistic to poetic as the hero's life improves.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA