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102nd out of 508 books
—
487 voters
Little Beauty
"No one renders primates with more faithful detail or surrealhumanity than Browne." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Once there was a very special gorilla who had almost everything he needed. There was only one thing he didn't have: a friend. With no other gorillas at the zoo, the keepers try something new. Will the gigantic ape strike a bond with another sort of creature...more
Once there was a very special gorilla who had almost everything he needed. There was only one thing he didn't have: a friend. With no other gorillas at the zoo, the keepers try something new. Will the gigantic ape strike a bond with another sort of creature...more
Published
(first published January 1st 2008)
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I first read this book in Spanish, which I do not speak (Cosita Linda). So I got to make up a story of my own based on the pictures. It ended up with Kitty taking a bullet. It was AMAZING!
When I read the English version, it only slightly differed from my own except for the ending in which everyone lives...
The reviews talk about the illustration, but the story is really just ok.
When I read the English version, it only slightly differed from my own except for the ending in which everyone lives...
The reviews talk about the illustration, but the story is really just ok.
Koko love heart pictures. Koko sad bad writing.
A very special gorilla seems to have everything he needs, apart from a friend. When his zoo-keepers give him a kitten to befriend the pair become inseparable. However, when the gorilla gets angry and breaks the TV the zoo- keepers are not impressed. It seems as if this might be the end of their friendship, until the quick-thinking kitten steps in and they live happily ever after.
The story line itself can be a starting point for discussion about loneliness, friendship, and kindness, potentially s...more
The story line itself can be a starting point for discussion about loneliness, friendship, and kindness, potentially s...more
Aug 12, 2012
Rakisha
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Rakisha by:
Jamie
Shelves:
toddler-preschool-readlouds,
k-2-read-alouds
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Gorilla has everything he needs, but he is lonely. So, he asks his keepers for a friend, using sign language. They give him a kitten, Little Beauty, and tell him "Don't eat her."
The gorilla loves the kitten. He gives her milk, and honey (she just looks at the honey) and they are very happy. The illustrations will have you smiling as gorilla and Little Beauty swing through the pages (sometimes literally) having fun and enjoying each other's company. I love the mismatched size of the friends, and...more
The gorilla loves the kitten. He gives her milk, and honey (she just looks at the honey) and they are very happy. The illustrations will have you smiling as gorilla and Little Beauty swing through the pages (sometimes literally) having fun and enjoying each other's company. I love the mismatched size of the friends, and...more
This simply told story is sophisticated in so many ways. The main character, a gorilla, uses sign language to communicate. He is sad because he does not have a friend. The zoo keepers take care of this by giving him a small little cat named Beauty. From this point, we are shown what true friendship means. The reader experiences humour, excitement and even a touch of sadness before book ends. A child can relate to the friends watching television together and laugh when they each go to the bathroo...more
This is the story of a gorilla who is lonely and needs a friend. The gorilla has the unique ability to sign (a learned task from the zookeepers). One day, the gorilla signs that he "is lonely and needs a friend." The friend ends up being a little kitten.
The story progresses in wonderfully illustrated artwork that offers extremely effective emotional character depiction. At the climax, the gorilla and kitty are watching a movie (symbolic of King Kong) and the gorilla becomes angry. He (or she) en...more
I stumbled upon this book while I was straightening shelves and putting the books in proper order - and what a find it was! My storytime audience loved the wonderful illustrations - the large gorilla "who can ask for anything" sitting in an easy chair holding a remote in one hand and a hamburger in the other - and the tiny kitten, Beauty. They loved the humor, and the happiness that a tiny kitten brings to this gorilla. The kitten and gorilla do "everything together" and there is a bit of "potty...more
Inspired by a true story of a gorilla who knows sign language, this fictional picturebook is about the friendship of two unlikely characters- a gorilla and a kitten who is faced with the possibility of separation until Beauty the kitten surprises them all.
From a writer's critical view, this story falls short on plot with lots of "telling." However, this story is an example in which the endearing characters, as depicted by the illustrations, and the emotional pull outweigh formulaic writing.
Anth...more
From a writer's critical view, this story falls short on plot with lots of "telling." However, this story is an example in which the endearing characters, as depicted by the illustrations, and the emotional pull outweigh formulaic writing.
Anth...more
My niece and nephew enjoyed Little Beauty. I expected that my niece would like it, but oh my gosh, my nephew *loved* it! That caught me completely by surprise! I thought this book would be too "sweet" for his taste, but he just really enjoyed seeing the friendship between this gorilla and kitten. He had the biggest grin on his face at the end of this book, and he exclaimed, "Let's read it again!" You could have knocked me over with a feather.
I really liked this little book, but I'm old enough t...more
I really liked this little book, but I'm old enough t...more
After stumbling on Gorilla by Anthony Browne and being totally shocked by what I found I went in search of more of his work to see if my opinion of our new childrens laureate would change. Are all his childrens book dark scary and disturbing ?
Well this book was a pleasant surprise. A lonely Gorilla gets a kitten for company and friendship and after breaking the tv in a temper the kitten takes the blame so they can stay together. A take on King Kong with illustrations that blew me away and provi...more
Well this book was a pleasant surprise. A lonely Gorilla gets a kitten for company and friendship and after breaking the tv in a temper the kitten takes the blame so they can stay together. A take on King Kong with illustrations that blew me away and provi...more
As I read this book I was thinking it was referring to a gorilla I have heard about learning to sign for communication. I thought was a cool concept to take a real event and turn into a childrens story. I thought it had a really weird twist with no consequences and did not like the endings. I also felt that the illustrations were inconsistent and on various pages looked like another illustrator threw their images in. I guess since I knew of this actual gorilla I was hoping for a more accurate ac...more
If you like cute cats, and gorillas, you will love this book. Drawn from the true story of Koko the gorilla, and her kitten All Ball Koko's Kitten, Anthony Browne puts his own twist on this tale of a gorilla who wants a friend.
In this version, the gorilla has all the comforts of home, including an easy chair and a television. What he doesn't have is a friend. Since he is able to communicate with sign language, he can ask for one, and in comes Little Beauty, a cute tabby kitten, and a lovely frie...more
In this version, the gorilla has all the comforts of home, including an easy chair and a television. What he doesn't have is a friend. Since he is able to communicate with sign language, he can ask for one, and in comes Little Beauty, a cute tabby kitten, and a lovely frie...more
Little Beauty by Anthony Browne - Anthony Browne amazes me more with each book I read by him... this one was about a special gorilla that asked for a friend and received a cute little kitten. The power of the illustrations with changes from colored illustrations with words to wordless touching pages black and white to color drew me through the pages. The precious little kitten who quietly grew as a character through the book really had a special ending as well. Quite enjoyed this read!
outstanding fantastic illustrations as can be expected from Mr Browne, including some refreshingly loose images mixed with the exquisite detail. Loved the Gorilla characterisations. The story revolves around a solid idea and bubbles along gently with minimal simplicity, but for me ends in a fairly matter-of-fact way that leaves the reader somewhat disappointed. The lack of full page illustration on the last two pages accentuates this.
Nevertheless worth every penny for the illustrations.
Nevertheless worth every penny for the illustrations.
Admittedly, I am not a fan of Anthony Browne. Of all of his books, though, I like this one best. The story of a lonely gorilla who signs (similar to Koko and the kitten) getting a kitten as a friend is one children will find appealing. The faces of the gorilla and other characters are very expressive. I think children will be tickled by the twist at the end.
Mar 07, 2012
Jose Luis
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
infantiles-y-puericultura
Bellamente ilustrado, con una historia muy bonita. El único inconveniente es que uno de los personajes recurre a una mentira para resolver un conflicto. El texto termina abruptamente, así que deja en manos de los padres explicar porqué ésta mentira es buena en relación con el beneficio obtenido. Explicación que es un poco compleja con niños tan pequeños.
This story is about the unlikely pair of friends. A gorilla and a kitten. They do everything together. But one day the gorilla gets upset and destroys a television. And the zookeepers threaten to take away his kitten. But the kitten takes up for the big gorilla and says he did it. Do they believe the kitten or the gorilla. This story teaches about friendship.
I read some criticism of this book because the kitten takes the blame for something that gorilla does, but the kitten did so because she didn't want to be seperated from the gorilla...she wasn't fooling anyone, and the gorilla wasn't blaming the kitten or suggesting the kitten take the blame. It's just a sweet story about inter-species friendship.
My students LOVE this book -- much more than I would have anticipated. I pulled it into the classroom because the gorilla uses sign (though some of his signs are not ASL), but the children continued to ask for the book over and over again -- to talk about friendship, anger, sign language, and so on. A great (and somewhat accidental) find!
I will absolutely be using this book in future storytimes (I'm planning to pair it with "Me...Jane" this weekend for "family fun" storytime). I found it meaningful and heartbreakingly beautiful. I think I'll bring in "real" images of Koko and his kitty and I am really looking forward to sharing a beautiful book of friendship.
Dec 19, 2011
Zaynab Modaykhan
added it
This book is about a gorilla in a zoo that does Sign Language. He is a sad gorilla because there are no other gorillas in the zoo and he has no friends. Th keeper gave the gorilla a little friend called Beauty, who was a little kitten. The gorilla loved Beauty, he fed her and they were very happy. They did everything together. One day, gorilla and the kitten were watching a movie together about a gorilla who climbs the Empire State Building. Gorilla became angry and broke the TV. The keepers wer...more
The goofy, besotted gorilla expressions, the contrast of the huge gorilla and the teensy kitten and their joy in each other, and finally the twist at the end (kitty understands what to do to save their companionship), made this an "ahhh" read that made me smile. Can't imagine anyone that wouldn't.
THis is a story about a gorilla (who can sign) and his friend the kitten. This is story is an exageration of a true story about Koko the gorilla and her pet kitten. I would use this book to help students to read more fluently and add this book to the guided reading lessons.
Browne, Anthony. Little Beauty. Somerville, Mass: Candlewick Press, 2008. Print. 29 p.
A gorilla, though he has everything he needs and wants, is lonely and sad. Using sign language, the gorilla tells zookeepers he wants a friend, and finds one in Beauty, the kitten.
A gorilla, though he has everything he needs and wants, is lonely and sad. Using sign language, the gorilla tells zookeepers he wants a friend, and finds one in Beauty, the kitten.
Es otra joya de Anthony Brown. Cuenta con la capacidad para transmitir el sentimiento de amistad-hermandad en este cuento.
Qué bonito es tener la oportunidad de escoger como padres lo que tus hijos hagan, lean y vean para aprender, son como tu propia escultura. AJB
Qué bonito es tener la oportunidad de escoger como padres lo que tus hijos hagan, lean y vean para aprender, son como tu propia escultura. AJB
Its based on a true story, which is incredible...so they should have stuck to it and made it non-fiction. I found the ending confusing and why the gorilla has to be locked up rather than in the wild? This one made me so sad and frustrated. Booo!
Really cool pictures. My 2.5 year old daughter did not request this book often. The point of the book, that a gorilla could have a kitten for a best friend but also get really angry and break stuff, might be better for an older preschooler.
The story was okay but the inconsistency of the gorilla’s coloring, especially the pencil sketch spread in the middle were more distracting than enhancing for group that sat for itit. They did find the roses intriguing though.
This story was inspired by Koko, the gorilla who learned American Sign Language and befriended a little cat. I really liked the illustrations in this book, but the scene with the television smashing was a little strange.
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Anthony Browne, a Hans Christian Andersen Medalist, is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including SILLY BILLY and LITTLE BEAUTY. He lives in Kent, England.
More about Anthony Browne...
Anthony Browne, a Hans Christian Andersen Medalist, is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including SILLY BILLY and LITTLE BEAUTY. He lives in Kent, England.
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Jan 21, 2009 05:27pm