Eclectica.com
Wednesday, October 1 2008October/November 2008
Fall Books for the Little Ones. Review by Colleen Mondor.
With Looking for Miza the authors who collectively brought the stories of Owen and Mzee and Knut the polar bear to the world now turn their attentions (along with Dr. Paula Kahumbu of Kenya) to the story of a lost mountain gorilla. Miza is part of a troop of gorillas who live in Virunga National Park in the Congo. Along with her family she is studied and monitored by the rangers in the park. It is because of this close relationship that Miza's disappearance, along with her mother, is discovered early on. The work of the rangers to find her and her sudden reappearance at the hands of her father Kibirizi, the silverback who leads the family, is carefully recorded by the authors as a way to show what life is like for humans and gorillas in the park. Accompanied by the glorious photographs of Peter Greste, who lives in Kenya, Looking for Miza is more of a thrilling wildlife title than most. Readers truly do not know what happened to the little gorilla and her mother, or if Kibirizi and the rangers will be able to find her in time. Even after her return there are still worries, however, as Miza must adapt to a new life with new caretakers and the rangers must carefully decide the best thing to do for her.
I am a big fan of nature titles that engage young readers and make them wonder about other places in the world. Looking for Miza accomplishes a lot by introducing a thoroughly loveable star in Miza (you can not resist her from the moment you see the cover) and then immediately immersing readers in the worries that the rangers have for her survival. Kibirizi is a stunning leader—the photos of him are most impressive but his search and recover of his baby is even more so—and as readers learn that he went looking for Miz,a they will likely make a leap of understanding about gorilla intelligence. Kibirizi noticed Miza and her mother were gone, and he then disappeared into the jungle until he returned with Miza. This is not the action of a stupid animal, nor is the response by other members of the troop. Seeing all of them in action will do a great deal to raise gorilla awareness, and the passages about the rangers will also increase reader concern for the humans who struggle so hard against poachers to keep Miza and her troop safe. This is another excellent title from a set of authors who clearly know how to engage early elementary readers on far reaching wildlife topics.