Colo's Story: The Life of One Grand Gorilla

by Nancy Roe Pimm, Jack Hanna (Foreword)

When Colo was born unexpectedly on the cold concrete floor of the zoo on December 22, 1956, the book, How to Raise a Baby Gorilla didn t exist. How do you raise a baby gorilla? the keepers at the Columbus Zoo wondered. They raised Colo the only way they knew as if she were a human baby. She wore diapers, drank from bottles, and had an entire wardrobe of baby clothes. Follow Colo s amazing journey from a cuddly baby, to a feisty toddler, to a mother of three, to the matriarch of one very large gorilla family--and now the oldest living gorilla in the world. Colo has done more than live her own amazing life; she s helped teach generations of zookeepers and veterinarians learn what s best for all gorillas in captivity. Readers will see lots of photos of Colo, from her baby years to the present. Family tree, recommended reading, and bibliography.

Genres: Animals, Picture Books

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Nancy Roe Pimm had volunteered as a docent for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in the 1980s. After taking an animal handling class, the zoo entrusted her with a vanful of critters to take to local school assemblies. Her favorite passengers were Minnie and Max, the opossums. Another docent duty was to lead zoo tours. While giving the tours, Nancy discovered her fascination with gorillas, especially Colo and her family. In 2007, Nancys book, The Heart of the BeastEight Great Gorilla Stories was published, and in 2011, Colos StoryThe Life of One Grand Gorilla.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Nancy now resides in Plain City, Ohio, along with her husband, Ed, who has retired from a career in racecar driving. Nancy has drawn from her experience as a pit crew member for her husbands race team to write her two other non-fiction titles, The Indy 500- The Inside Track and The Daytona 500-The Thrill and Thunder of the Great American Race. All four of Nancys books are Junior Library Guild Selections. She is currently working on her first YA novel.
Nancy and Ed have three wonderful daughters: Allison, Lindsay, and Carli, a son-in-law Rusty and a two very adorable grandsons, Tommy and Sammy. Nancy still loves to visit schools, but instead of sharing zoo animals, she shares her love of reading and writing. Nancy wrote her first book at age ten, and she brings it to the schools to encourage the students to believe in their dreams. You can reach Nancy through her web site at www.nancyroepimm.com

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Reviews

[Emily Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My great grandmother was the woman who won the contest to name colo when she was born! Colo was literally part of my family and my cousins, sister and I all have matching tattoos to commemorate her. This book is a good read and I found it very fascinating!

[Karen Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the early 1950's, the Columbus zoo in Ohio received three young gorillas. At that moment, they had the most gorillas of any zoo in the US, and there were only 60 of the animals in the country. Little was known about how to care for them, but the zookeepers did their best with the new rare creatures. A few years later, the keepers knew their female gorilla was pregnant, and on December 22, 1956, baby Colo was discovered on the cold concrete floor near her mother, who had no idea what to do with this baby. The keepers took her, revived her, and kept her warm and fed, all the while documenting every possible detail of little Colo's life in order to learn about baby gorillas. The news of the first gorilla baby in captivity spread fast -- the mayor handed out cigars labeled "It's a Girl!" and magazines and television shows called for interviews and pictures. This wonderful nonfiction book is partly the story of Colo's life at the zoo, and partly the story of how care and housing for gorillas has changed to reflect what researchers and zookepers have learned about the animals. Easy to read without "talking down" to the reader, this has high quality pictures and an incredible amount of information in its 78 pages, as well as an introduction by Jack Hanna, director of the Columbus Zoo and well-known wildlife conservationist. Great for anyone who loves animals!

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Colo was born unexpectedly on the cold concrete floor of the zoo on December 22, 1956, the book, How to Raise a Baby Gorilla didn't exist. "How do you raise a baby gorilla?" the keepers at the Columbus Zoo wondered. They raised Colo the only way they knew as if she were a human baby. She wore diapers, drank from bottles, and had an entire wardrobe of baby clothes. Follow Colo's amazing journey from a cuddly baby, to a feisty toddler, to a mother of three, to the matriarch of one very large gorilla family and now the oldest living gorilla in the world. Colo has done more than live her own amazing life; she's helped teach generations of zookeepers and veterinarians learn what's best for all gorillas in captivity. Readers will see lots of photos of Colo, from her baby years to the present. Family tree, recommended reading, and bibliography
I loved this book. Now I want to visit the zoo where Colo lives.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colo was the first gorilla successfully born in this country at the Columbus Zoo. She went on to head a dynasty of gorillas there that catapulted the zoo into the top ranks among zoos. An incredible amount of info was learned by observing her and her descendants. Lovely, well written book with an interesting family tree showing Colo's descendents and where they live. Colo is still alive, at least at the time the book was published. She is definitely slowing down and showing the maladies of old age.

[Annthelibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating children’s book about a baby gorilla born at the Columbus Zoo in December of 1956. Colo’s birth was totally unexpected, and the zookeepers had no idea at that time how to raise a baby gorilla or even keep her alive. Against all odds she survived and became a celebrity. She wore diapers and baby clothes. From a baby to a feisty toddler, Colo has become the matriarch of the Columbus Zoo gorilla family. In December, 2012, Colo had a birthday party celebrating her 56th birthday!

[Cezanne Brunner]

This book is a good example of an informational book about gorillas. It tells the story of a gorilla named Colo and documents the life of a gorilla who lives in captivity.