Friday, December 05, 2008

Looking for Miza : The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued One of Their Own


Author: Told by Julianna Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff and Dr Paula Kahumbu, with photographs by Peter Greste

Publication Date: 2008

Category: Children's non-fiction, Animals

Who'll want to read it? Everybody, especially animal lovers

Point of no return: Front cover

Classic line: "The vast park, which spills over into Rwanda, is home to about 380 mountain gorillas, just over half of the planet's remaining gorilla population." (first page).

What's it all about? This book comes from the same team who brought us Owen and Mzee. It tells the story of Miza, a baby gorilla who disappeared with her mother under mysterious circumstances. It highlights the treacherous existence of the few remaining gorillas in Congo and Rwanda. In the story we meet the dedicated park rangers Innocent Mburanumwe and Diddy Mwanaki who search for Miza. Impressive as they are, it is Kabirizi, the fearless silverback leader, who takes control of his family by ensuring their safety while he searches for Miza. Looking for Miza is a beautiful story of a family pulling together to save little Miza: "When Miza was left alone, she cried. Right away, Tumaini or Mivumbi would pick her up." The book is full of fantastic photographs of Kabirizi's family before and after Miza's disapearance, making it suitable to share with children of all ages.

Publisher: Scholastic Press, New York

Read about the five baby gorillas found in Virunga this week. It looks like they are new members of Kabirizi's family.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I would like to find out about miza's mom!
Grate book!!!!