The key to the book’s impact lies in the dignity of a portrait sitting that Browne confers on creatures more commonly seen behind glass walls. Every face has a discernible personality. Even the lemurs are distinct individuals, with variations in snouts, eyes, and ears.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The text is spare: “1 gorilla”; “2 orangutans”; “3 chimpanzees”; and so forth, concluding after “10 lemurs” with depictions of the author and an array of humans. The portraits, however, are extraordinary: Browne’s exquisite precision, with delicate hatching of fur and careful stippled delination of facial lines, becomes jubilant with color and personality.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
In this seemingly simple counting book from one to ten (plus a final coda), generous white space and classic type treatment balance expertly with large head-and-shoulders portraits of primates…Browne’s watercolor technique is just about perfect, combining realism and exaggeration, mass and focus.
—The Horn Book (starred review)
Browne really cranks up the color intensity in this gorgeous, large-trim portrait gallery of primates.
—Kirkus Reviews
This is an arresting visual experience.
—School Library Journal
A great spark for both science discussions and fun.
—Booklist
It is difficult – possibly impossible – to remember a recent counting book that has clambered up out of the slough of "useful" into the rarefied strata of "stunning" and "memorable." Hats off to Anthony Browne for creating ONE GORILLA…This picture books invites the very youngest to gaze into the luminous eyes of their primate cousins and see a spirit as intense, as intricate and as important as their own.
—Washington Post
Browne’s gorgeous paintings bring real vibrancy to the animals’ facial expressions and dramatically colored fur.
—Entertainment Weekly
[D]on’t be surprised if your children bring this one back to you again and again and again.
—San Francisco Book Review
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