"If I had to choose my best book, I would still choose 'Gorilla'. This book made me understand the purpose of picture books for the first time."
Anthony Browne, the picture book magician closest to children's inner worlds, presents a classic work.
It tells the story of a lonely girl, a friendly gorilla, and the magical night they share...
Touching on fundamental emotions and universal themes with unique and distinctive visual language.
☆ Commemorative edition cover, first released and treasured in Taiwan.
☆ New translation by reading advocate Teacher Lin Chen-mei.
Little girl Hannah loves gorillas. She has read many books about gorillas, seen many gorillas on TV, and drawn many gorillas, but she has never seen a real gorilla.
Dad doesn't have time to take her to the zoo to see a gorilla; he's too busy for anything.
Hannah longs for her father's affection, but her real-life dad seems cold and serious. When they eat breakfast together, Dad reads the newspaper, and there's no communication between them.
On the eve of Hannah's birthday, she wishes for a gorilla from her dad. In the middle of the night, Hannah wakes up but only sees a small toy gorilla. She is so disappointed that she throws the toy gorilla into a corner and goes back to sleep... Unexpectedly, something amazing happens next! The toy gorilla turns into a real gorilla and offers to take Hannah to the zoo... Hannah embarks on an unprecedented journey, and her life changes as a result!
Anthony Browne delicately portrays the child's inner loneliness and fear, as well as the longing for a father's companionship and sense of security. By projecting the image of a "gorilla" onto the father, he depicts a touching story of a father who is engrossed in work, not good at expressing himself, but demonstrates his paternal love through his actions. The gorilla that takes the little girl on a journey through an imaginative world is not only the little girl's best playmate but also accompanies countless readers through a wonderful childhood!
Anthony Browne once said, "I like to add small details to my illustrations. Readers might miss these details on the first read, but when they revisit the book, they'll discover new things. This makes a book worth rereading." Readers who appreciate art and film should not miss exploring the "surreal transformations" of paintings like "Mona Lisa," "Whistler's Mother," and the film "Superman" within the book...
Awards and Honors
【This book has won】
★ Kate Greenaway Medal
★ Kurt Maschler Award
★ The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year
★ Boston Globe Horn Book Award
★ Netherlands Silver Pencil Award
Magical Recommendations
Song Pei (Image Reading Promoter)
Chou Wan-hsiang (Administrator of "Read and Play Together")
Wu Wen-chun (Writer)
Ke Chien-hua (Children's Book Critic)
Chuang Shih-ying (Columnist for "Picture Book Masters" in Openbook Reading Magazine)
Chou Chun-sheng (Visual Artist)
Liu Feng-hsin (Associate Professor, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, National Chung Hsing University)
Liu Ching-yen (Children's Book Author and Children's Program Host)
Liu Chun-kao (Associate Professor, Department of Language Education, National Taichung University of Education)
(Listed by stroke count of surname)
Short Recommendations
Song Pei (Image Reading Promoter)
Anthony Browne always manages to transform a child's inner world into images that blend realism and imagination, challenging readers to explore and interpret the loneliness, longing, unease, fear, and joy conveyed in the pictures, resonating with them and allowing emotions to be released as the story unfolds.
Chou Wan-hsiang (Administrator of "Read and Play Together")
"Gorilla" is a classic work by Anthony Browne and a must-read for picture book enthusiasts and researchers. The secrets hidden within the book offer new discoveries with each reading. Children's literature papers have discussed this book from various perspectives, including child psychology, semiotics, intertextuality in images, and color composition, all demonstrating the depth and layers of this picture book.
Chuang Shih-ying (Columnist for "Picture Book Masters" in Openbook Reading Magazine)
"Gorilla" is a classic contemporary picture book and a pivotal work in Anthony Browne's career, as it was with this book that he first truly understood that the text and images in a picture book have both independent and interactive relationships. This story, which moves between reality and imagination, quietly tells of loneliness and the longing for love. Its richly symbolic text and image narrative bring dreams and hope, inspiring readers with empathy and reflective emotions.
Liu Feng-hsin (Associate Professor, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, National Chung Hsing University)
Hannah and her dad depend on each other. The daughter longs for her father's attention, but Dad, for some reason, is always busy. Until the gorilla appears — first, a plush gorilla in her arms, which Hannah has no interest in, then a real gorilla suddenly appears!… "Gorilla" touches on the relationship between animals, plush animals, and children, and even more so, on family affection. The gaze is the key highlight of the entire book; don't miss it!
Liu Ching-yen (Children's Book Author and Children's Program Host)
I will always remember the intense concentration on my children's faces when I first read this book with them, as they searched for various gorilla symbols in the illustrations. One little girl even wistfully said after I finished the story: I really wish my dad would turn into a gorilla too!
This is the most captivating and astonishing aspect of "Gorilla": it transforms a lonely little girl's ordinary daily life into an extraordinary journey full of imagination and fun, deeply satisfying every child's inner desires.
Liu Chun-kao (Associate Professor, Department of Language Education, National Taichung University of Education)
The girl sitting on the gorilla's shoulder, stepping on the gorilla's foot — this was a memory from my own childhood, and reading this book fills my heart with that love and warmth. Anthony Browne's protagonists always harbor a wealth of emotions, subtle yet saturated, easily touching the heart.
"For a long time, it has been one of the best picture books for children aged three and over." ──Parents
"Sad, joyful, full of wonder." ──The Good Book Guide
"A highly creative and powerful picture book... full of poignant and sharply humorous visual language." ──Books for Keeps
