Note: I received a finished hardcover from the publisher at ALA Midwinter 2017. ( )

Funny; visual humor, too ( )

"You should always carry a banana with you," the narrator of this humorous picture-book informs us, maintaining that "you never know when there might be a gorilla around." Masters of disguise, gorillas are apparently everywhere, often wearing masks - as surgeons, astronauts, ninjas - and hiding in plain sight. In the end, that banana might come in very handy... especially if you yourself are a gorilla in disguise.

An entertaining tale from start to finish, with a satirical sense of humor that is immediately apparent - the title itself called to mind primatologist Dian Fossey's famous work, Gorillas In the Mist - this is the second picture-book from New Zealand author/artists Richard Fairgray and Terry Jones that I have read, following upon their That's Not the Monster We Ordered. I enjoyed the text (it's less of a story than a meditation on the gorillas potentially around us), and found the artwork appealing. The ending, in which the narrator himself is revealed as a gorilla, finished the book off nicely. Recommended to young gorilla lovers, as well as to anyone looking for children's stories with a somewhat offbeat sens of humor. ( )

use with "No Fits Nilsen" and "Me Jane" or go with the disguises theme. ( )