Gorilla

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The book could be used as a class story because of the numerous talking points i.e. discussing Hannah’s emotions (there is a wide range throughout the text), whether animals should be kept in the zoo (Hannah says she feels “sad” when visiting the zoo) and the depiction of a single parent family (Hannah’s mum is absent from the story). The story could also help inspire creative writing; children could develop their own adventure/dream stories with their favourite animal. Or alternatively children could write a letter to Hannah’s Dad (or vice versa) explaining how she feels during the first part of the book, this activity may be better suited to older pupils. For more on postmodern picture books see David Beagley’s lecture on iTunes U, or my notes on that, here.

On the night before her birthday, Hannah was ‘tingling with excitement’. Can you think of other ways to describe how she was feeling? Hannah was frightened. “Don’t be frightened,Hannah,” said the gorilla, “I won’t hurt you. I justwondered if you’d like to go to the zoo.”The gorilla had such a nice smile that Hannahwasn’t afraid. “I’d love to,” she said. You’d better go in now, Hannah,” said the gorilla.“See you tomorrow.”“Really?” asked Hannah.The gorilla nodded and smiled. Hannah's father is always too busy to spend time with her. One night, her toy gorilla comes to life and takes her on a long-awaited trip to the zoo. The next day, Hannah's toy is restored and her father has a surprise for her.Hannah loved gorillas. She read books aboutgorillas, she watched gorillas on television, andshe drew pictures of gorillas. But she had neverseen a real gorilla. Hannah would like nothing more than to spend time with her father; except he’s always working, “not now, I’m busy, maybe tomorrow” is the usual response. The disappointment, isolation and sadness Hannah feels immediately echoes with the reader. The best part with revisiting these is seeing the deeper meanings that you might have missed as a kid... In 1976 I produced Through the Magic Mirror,a strange kind of book in which I painted many of the pictures before I wrote the story. I followed this with A Walk in the Park,a story I was to revisit 20 years later with Voices in the Park.

urn:oclc:834148184 Scandate 20110829041657 Scanner scribe1.shenzhen.archive.org Scanningcenter shenzhen Worldcat (source edition) Look at the patterns in the picture of Hannah’s kitchen. Can you see any examples of tessellation / symmetry / right angles? Hannah, a young girl, absolutely adores gorillas. The posters in her room; the bedside lamp, the box of cereal, are all adorned with her favourite animal. She spends her time reading, drawing or watching programmes about them. She has yet to see one in the flesh. Description: Hannah spends all of her time reading gorilla books, watching gorilla TV shows, and drawing gorilla pictures. She has gorillas on her bedside lamp When they arrived at the zoo it was closed, andthere was a high wall all around. “Never mind,”said the gorilla, “up and over!”Look at the use of speech within the text. Could you rewrite the story as a play? Could you perform the play to others?

In 2001-2002 I took a job as writer and illustrator at Tate Britain working with children using art as a stimulus to inspire visual literacy and creative writing activities. It was during this time that I conceived and produced The Shape Game. A less well-executed story may have started with something like, “Tomorrow it was Hannah’s birthday…” It is particularly masterful that Anthony Browne withholds this information until the conclusion. Why? Because the brightness associated with birthdays lightens the ending. Since the first part of the book is melancholic, a birthday tone would not fit well. Gorilla' is a short story about Hannah, a young girl who is obsessed with all things gorilla. The story implies that Hannah is from a single-parent family (although this is not mentioned explicitly) and whose father is always busy because of how hard he works. I don't want to spoil the story for you (because even as an adult, it's still a wonderful narrative), but Browne explores Hannah's fellings of loneliness, rejection and disappointment in the first part of the text. The second part of the text consists of a wonderful fantasy- classic childhood adventure material. The final part of the book is a happy ending of love and contentment. They both crept downstairs, and Hannah put onher coat. The gorilla punt on her father’s hat andcoat. “A perfect fit,” he whispered. However on the eve of her birthday something peculiar happens… She awakens to discover a gigantic gorilla at the end of her bed! Thus, beginning a magical adventure, the pair embark on trips to the zoo and cinema.Although very sad at the beginning I found this story to be refreshingly honest and deeply gratifying. Exploring feelings such as loneliness, anxiety, excitement and contentment, through simple effective text and beautifully persuasive illustrations, Browne creates a real sense of what it is like to be a child. Famous works of art can be found in the illustrations, but the people have been replaced by gorillas. Can you identify the original pictures? Who painted them? In the middle of the night, Hannah woke upand saw a very small parcel at the foot of thebed. It was a gorilla, but it was just a toy. The toy magically grows into a real life gorilla and adopts the father figure role by taking Hannah to all the places she'd hoped to visit.