SuitabookGorilla
Anthony Browne
- Reading
- Read the pictures slowly and invite the child to notice the contrast between the busy father, Hannah’s imagination and the zoo scenes. Revisit the ending to explore what may happen next.
- Themes
- Longing for parental attention: Hannah’s father is too busy to attend to her; the longer-term effect of the final invitation is unclear. The story clearly presents the emotional gap and a fantasy substitute, while ending with the father inviting Hannah to the zoo. It does not establish how lasting the change will be.
- Imagination and reality: A stuffed gorilla comes alive and grows; the precise status of the resulting adventure is unclear. Imagination is central to Hannah’s experience and the book’s surreal visual style, but the boundary between dream and waking reality is not fully explained.
- Animals and captivity: The zoo scenes include gorillas, an orangutan and a chimpanzee looking through bars. The caged animals provide an image of confinement, but the book’s wider position on zoos is unclear.
- Worth knowing
- The story includes a child leaving home at night with a stranger-like gorilla and entering a zoo unlawfully. The father’s earlier inattention may merit gentle discussion.