Peter is thrilled when his uncle Nigel invites him on an expedition in search of a rare African gorilla, but making it through the jungle involves lots of challenges. Nigel leads the way, surmounting each obstacle, from a dense thicket to a deep river, with cheerful encouragement (“All it takes is a bit of gumption”), but Egielski’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations show a parallel, slapstick story. As Nigel charges ahead, Peter is swept along by a succession of wild animals, from a boa constrictor that carries him through the trees to an elephant that lifts him over the tall grass. The story’s nostalgic tone results in some outdated stereotypes and missed opportunities: Why send pith-helmeted Nigel and Peter off to generic Africa instead of a specific country? And the joke that Nigel, a professional animal-spotter, is oblivious to creatures a hair’s distance away may wear thin by the story’s end. Still, Egielski plays up the comedy with clever, small details, and Broach’s repetitive text, with its occasionally challenging vocabulary, is well-suited for dramatic read-alouds. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Gillian Engberg
Review
Peter’s Uncle Nigel, explorer by trade, knows how to show his nephew a good time. When next he sets off to Africa to find the Zimbobo Mountain Gorilla, young Peter is right by his side. There are lots of dangers lurking in the wild, however, and whenever Peter calls upon his uncle for help he’s met with a jolly, “Nonsense, my boy! All it takes is a bit of gumption.” Peter soon finds his way, swinging on pythons, leaping on crocs and even catching a ride on the back of the gorilla itself, while his oblivious uncle charges onward. Broach fills this spunky story with delicious language, including words like “zonked” and “dung.” Egielski is in fine form, his boldly outlined watercolors fairly luminous and bursting with life. Readers who keep their eyes open wider than Uncle Nigel will also discover a host of delicate details hidden within the images. Altogether a hearty delight for any young adventurer with a drop or two of gumption. (Picture book. 4-8) --
KIRKUS, March 15, 2010When Peter's favorite Uncle Nigel takes him on an expedition to Africa, their first goal is to see a “Zimbobo Mountain Gorilla.” As Peter struggles during their five-mile hike, good-natured Uncle Nigel insists that he can do it, telling him, “All it takes is a bit of gumption.” The book's humor is provided by Egielski's (
The Fabulous Feud of Gilbert and Sullivan) expert watercolors that show Uncle Nigel's upbeat obliviousness while Peter gets a helping hand from some wild animals in nearly wordless four-panel scenes (a snake, elephant, and one of the rare gorillas help him negotiate the terrain, and later Peter rescues his uncle from an alligator). Throughout, Uncle Nigel is totally unaware of the danger. Broach (
When Dinosaurs Came with Everything) plays with the familiar British explorer stereotype (Uncle Nigel gets plenty of lines like “Jolly good, Peter!” and “I say! Elephant dung!”), and Egielski's twig-bordered paintings have a Teddy Roosevelt adventurousness that will keep readers giggling at how hapless some grownups—and how resourceful some children—can be. Ages 4–8. March 8, 2010
- Publishers Weekly
