Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and
Birute Galdikas, by Jim Ottaviani (First
Second, 2013, 139 pages, $20)
Who is Who/Whom?
Do you get Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey mixed
up? Can’t tell a chimp from a gorilla from an orangutan?
Well, fear no more! This comic book (graphic
novel) for adults is so entrancing you will never again forget Jane or Dian or
even Birute Galdikas. Jane is the Trailblazer; Dian was the Conservator; and
Birute, the Ambassador.
A Graphic Novel for Nerdy Girls and Everyone Else!
Primates is a hardcover, fairly long
comic book for adults that is also for kids, especially nerdy ethology-loving
kids or kids who want to be veterinarians, especially girls, since Jane and
Dian and Birute were all girls, once upon a time. And especially for kids who
have a stuffed chimp or gorilla or orang.
With color drawings reminiscent of Gary Trudeau
of Doonesbury fame, Maris Wicks depicts Goodall younger than Fossey (as she was),
shorter and with blond hair. Fossey’s strong personality, on the abrasive side,
is made perfectly clear - though the cause of her death is not mentioned. We
remember Sigourney Weaver’s portrayal of Fossey in the movie "Gorillas in the
Mist," however.
Louis Leakey, the archaeologist, selected all
three young women at separate times for different animals and countries, and
found funding for them to live in far-away places observing an exotic species –
something every young girl dreams of, as well as obtaining her PhD like our three
intrepid scientists.
Primates is a fun, educational book
with adorable front and back cover illustrations, especially for all those
readers who don’t want to grow up.
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