Book review by Aarene Storms: Primates: the fearless science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas

Primates: the fearless science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas

by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks

Recruited by the great anthropologist Louis Leakey, three women are responsible for some of the greatest advances in primate science.

Jane Goodall spent many years studying chimpanzees, and is still occupied with teaching children (and adults) the importance of habitat conservation.

Dian Fossey lived alone on the mountains studying wild gorillas. Her efforts to eradicate poaching may have caused her death... nobody is really sure.

And Birute Galdikas, after more than four decades of studying wild orangutans, is still considered the world's authority on their lives.

A biography or memoir of any of these women might take a week or more to read, but this graphic novel-formatted text was a quick, pleasant diversion from a busy day.

Grab a banana and a friend (hmmm, maybe two bananas?) and read this!


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org