Looking For Miza: The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued on of Their Own [Hardcover]

Juliana Hatkoff (Author), Isabella Hatkoff (Author), Craig Hatkoff (Author), Dr. Paula Kahumbu (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Miza is a baby gorilla. This is her story.

In a magical place called the Congo, in the beautiful forests and jungles of Virunga National Park, lives a young female mountain gorilla named Miza. She was just like any other baby gorilla, riding on her mother's back, playing, taking naps. Then, one day, when Miza and her mother were out searching for food, Miza's mother disappeared, leaving her baby alone and frightened. Miza's father, a fierce silverback named Kabirizi and the leader of Virunga's largest family of mountain gorillas, set out to find Miza. The Congolese rangers, who dedicate their lives to protecting the gorillas, were

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3—In June 2007, two rangers in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo discovered that a young mountain gorilla and her mother had disappeared. Although human efforts to locate the pair proved unsuccessful, Miza's father, Kabirizi, a huge silverback that heads the family, found her and brought her back home. Miza's mother never returned. The authors provide general information about the gorillas' lives and the numerous threats to their survival. Engaging full-color photos will hold browsers' attention and may stimulate interest in these animals. However, because the details of Miza's disappearance and rescue are unknown, the authors can only speculate about pieces of the story, weakening the overall presentation. Impressive photos plus more information can be found in Seymour Simon's Gorillas (HarperCollins, 2000). For older readers, Pamela S. Turner's Gorilla Doctors (Houghton, 2005) would be a first choice.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
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From Booklist

Like Owen & Mzee (2006), this photo-essay tells the story of a wild animal that loses its mother. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Virunga National Park, two rangers receive the disturbing news that Miza, a baby mountain gorilla, and her mother have disappeared. When they reach Miza’s family, her father, Kabirizi, has already left to look for the missing. He returns with Miza. Fearful and very hungry, she slowly recovers and survives. Readers will quickly respond to the vulnerable little gorilla’s story, told in large color photos as well as text. In this volume, unlike many others on endangered African wildlife, the people trying to help the gorillas are African rather than European or American, and the most heroic figure is an animal, Kabirizi, who looks after his family capably without human intervention. Back matter includes information on threats to mountain gorillas (only 700 remain) and on organizations that are working to preserve the species and their habitat. Grades 2-5. --Carolyn Phelan

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545085403
• ISBN-13: 978-0545085403
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 10.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #861,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthustiastic chest thumps!, September 9, 2008

By 

N. Chilton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Looking For Miza: The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued on of Their Own (Hardcover)

Moving, inspiring, informative, beautifully illustrated, and very, very important. This is a true story about one family of mountain gorillas, living in the Virunga National Forest (currently occupied by rebel army forces) and their attempts to return a lost orphan to their fold. "Miza" will engage your mind and steal your heart. You cannot ignore the plight of these magnificent creatures whose lives hang in such delicate balance, threatened by deforestation, poaching, and infection and war. Their innocence, so similar to our own, is poignantly and simply stated: "When gorillas feel safe, they play."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bittersweet Tale, July 6, 2011

By 

Spudman (Pasadena, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Looking For Miza: The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued on of Their Own (Hardcover)

Looking for Miza is uplifting but tempered by the plight of the gorillas and the disappearance of Miza's mother. It's a nice story and certainly a source of information about the gorilla and African geography and geopolitics. Though the book is very readable with simple sentence structure and vocabulary, the last few supplemental pages about the political upheaval in the Congo is written with a more complex style and elevated language.

Some youngsters may be put off by the necessary voids in Miza's tale and the unanswered questions.

This is a good book to share and discuss with one's child.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very touching, December 20, 2008

By 

G. Bartilucci "amazingrace" (Plainview, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Looking For Miza: The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued on of Their Own (Hardcover)

This story will certainly make you think if there really is a definite "line" separating us from our primate cousins. The more I read, the more I believe WE are like the apes and not vice versa.