Big Gorilla: A Book of Opposites

Big Gorilla: A Book of Opposites

Anthony Browne

Walker Books, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $A26.99

9781529509588

Even though he has more than 50 books to his credit, when one thinks about award-winning creator Anthony Browne’s works, most often it is his connection to primates that feature in so many, particularly the stories about Willy the chimp, that come to mind most readily.  Even his website depicts one as a signature image. As he himself says,  “I am fascinated by them and the contrast they represent – their huge strength and gentleness. They’re thought of as being very fierce creatures and they’re not.” Perhaps it was that very contrast that inspired this book about words and their antonyms.

So it is really no surprise that in this latest addition, designed to teach very young readers about opposites, that he has chosen to use primates to illustrate the words. From gorillas to chimpanzees, white-faced capuchins to orangutans,  each capturing the unique facial features and expressions, little ones can develop their vocabulary in the most charming way.  

With the question on one page – and the same wording is used repeatedly so the reader will learn to ask it for themselves, and the answer on the next, there is plenty of time to predict the answer before it is revealed so there is a sense of empowerment as they make their way through it, as well as the sheer enjoyment of being engaged with such a text.