Little Beauty [Hardcover]

Anthony Browne (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

With his hyper-realistic artwork full of striking detail, the award-winning Anthony Browne tells a story of an unlikely friendship.

Once there was a very special gorilla who had almost everything he needed. There was only one thing he didn’t have: a friend. With no other gorillas at the zoo, the keepers try something new. Will the gigantic ape strike a bond with another sort of creature, one as tiny and innocent as a kitten? Sparked by the story of a real gorilla who learned to sign, LITTLE BEAUTY is a celebration of a most surprising friendship.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3—This reworking of the classic tale of a beast transformed by unconditional love depicts the protagonist as a lumbering gorilla and Beauty as a petite cat. A red rose on the title page hints at what's to come. But wait! Alert readers will recognize this relationship, these very poses: here are Hanabi-Ko and All Ball from the real-life story of the sensitive, signing gorilla described by Francine Patterson in Koko's Kitten (Scholastic, 1985). Browne melds fact and fiction into a story that reads simply, but offers layers. Luscious, creamy pages provide contrast for the large, well-spaced font and the dark, furry figure that often bleeds off the page. Watercolor and pencil renderings capture the animal in moments of profound loneliness and extreme anger; he reacts to King Kong by smashing the TV in a page red with rage. Zookeepers fear for Beauty's safety, but her surprising intervention saves the day. Children will chuckle as they view the pair doing everything together, from using the bathroom to swinging from the lamp, like the mythical figure flying too close to the sun. (Bruegel's Fall of Icarus hangs in the background.) Browne's exquisite interpretation of a real-life gorilla is a welcome progression.—Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* As in Willy and Hugh (1991) and many other animal fantasies, Browne once again tells a picture-book story with exquisitely detailed art that blends magic and realism. Full-page pictures in pencil and watercolor show a gorilla seated in a floral armchair watching TV with his mug of tea and a hamburger. The ape’s human keepers have taught him sign language, and when he signs that he is lonely, they give him a small white kitten. He names her Beauty, and the two bond in bliss. He holds her in the palm of his hand and feeds her milk and honey. The cover shows Beauty perched on the gorilla’s head, and one delightful spread shows him on the toilet, her using the litter box (“They did everything together.”). Then, in a fury after seeing a King Kong movie on TV, the gorilla smashes the set. The keepers come to take Beauty away after the outburst, but when Beauty signs that she broke the TV, everyone laughs at her improbable claim, the mood lightens, and the friends live happily ever after. With the beautiful close-up views of each hair on the gorilla’s furry body, his gentle eyes and soft hands, and then the sudden uncontrollable anger that all kids fear—in themselves and others—this is the stuff of “Beauty and the Beast,” as terrifying as it is tender. Preschool-Grade 3. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (September 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763639591
• ISBN-13: 978-0763639594
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 0.4 x 12.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #810,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A LESSON IN FRIENDSHIP FOR YOUNGSTERS, October 12, 2008

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Little Beauty (Hardcover)

Few can resist the art of Anthony Browne. His name on the cover guarantees sales to a multitude of parents, grandparents and doting aunts and uncles. His art is often times larger than life as is his skill in blending watercolors with stories that not only appeal to children but also often reflect feelings familiar to them.

Little Beauty is the charming story of a very unlikely friendship between a gorilla and a very small kitten named Beauty. The gorilla was extraordinary because he had been taught to use a sign language, thus he was able to tell his keepers what he wanted. He seemed to be quite comfortable with accouterment that other gorillas might only dream about. Nonetheless, he was very sad.

His keepers were puzzled until one day he signed to them, "I want a friend." They wondered what could be done as there were no other gorillas at the zoo. So, they gave him Beauty saying, "Don't Eat Her." Well, the gorilla loved Beauty, and this is the story of their friendship , as well as an excellent opportunity for youngsters to be reminded of the meaning of loyalty, protection, and love.

- Gail Cooke

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Really???, May 5, 2011

By 

Tara McGarrigle (Garner, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Beauty (Hardcover)

I read this book to my 5 yr old little girl. We were surprised at how short the story was, and so I tried to explain the lesson of the book to her. I thought at first it was a cute little story about friendship until I realized that there was absolutely no way in hell that I was going to teach my little girl to make excuses to cover for a friend's strongly violent act. I might have looked at the story a little differently if the characters were on more of an even playing field. Since there are too many out-of-control wackos out in the world, I think it would be to my daughter's detriment if I taught her to look the other way or to take the blame when someone commits an unpredictable violent act simply to preserve a friendship. The author should have included a page after the gorilla bashed the TV that showed the kitty running into the closet to hide. Wouldn't that have been a more normal reaction? What would you do if one of your big burly friends bashed in your TV because he was angry? Is this book really telling you to stay in a relationship that could possibly turn abusive? I know I might be going over the top here, but I don't want to send my daughter any kind of message now that can be misconstrued later to mean that she should stay with any future boyfriend if he exhibits violent behavior. I might be in the minority here, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Let's not give any reason why a sequel needed to be written called "Has Anyone Seen Little Beauty?" or "Little Beauty Really Fell on a Doorknob". Seriously, what if Little Beauty truly believed it was her fault that the TV got bashed in? Now that I just thought of that perspective, I'm really not liking this book. With that kind of thinking, it's not to far to take the leap and say that "she asked for it".

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet (and funny) story of friendship, October 30, 2008

By 

Mumztheword (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Beauty (Hardcover)

My 5-year-old and 4-year-old love this book -- it's laugh out loud funny every time we read it (I won't give it away here, but bathroom humor is always good for a laugh). The pictures are beautiful. I would highly recommend this book -- I'm thinking of reading it to my son's Kindergarten class when I'm the visiting reader.