The gorilla did it

by Barbara Shook Hazen, Ray Cruz

A gorilla not only wakes a little boy up, but it messes up his room and makes his mother angry.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

31 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Shhh! Go away. I can't play. I'm sleeping. Okay. But you've got to be quiet, or Mommy'll be mad.

Premise/plot: A little boy gets into trouble, but it's NOT his fault. The gorilla did it. Really. Or did he?!

Who made this mess?
The gorilla did it.
What gorilla?
The gorilla on my bike....
He didn't mean to.
It was an accident.
Just look! There's food all over the floor and grape juice under the radiator, and all your clean clothes are a sight! Don't tell me a gorilla did all this while you were sound asleep.
I wasn't asleep. He wouldn't let me.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, LOVED this book as a kid. I consider it one of my prized possessions. And I always feel better when I know where it is. The illustrations date this one a bit. I think books from this era can be spotted practically a mile away. But I love it just as much as ever. Even if I do want to give the characters a makeover. The illustrations are in black and white except for the gorilla which is printed in blue.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 2 yr-old son is immediately a fan of any book featuring a gorilla. This morning he pointed out the "mess" under his highchair, and as I was sweeping up the remains of last night's cupcake, he told me that "the gorilla did it."

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever we read this book I always tell Katherine, "the gorilla reminds me of cousin Eugene. He always means so well, but..."

[Huda Fel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess I didnot understand it, was he a real gorilla?

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read with granddaughter-- had to explain that the boy did not actually have a gorilla in the room, that the gorilla was an imaginary friend.

[Little Champs]

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