Primates

Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birutė Galdikas

Written by Jim Ottaviani; Illustrated by Maris Wicks

Okay, I admit...I judged this book by its cover.  The colors and lines really jumped out at me.  I also admit, I only knew about Jane Goodall before reading this graphic novel.

Primates chronicles three female scientists who were all recruited by anthropologist Louis Leakey (whom I'd also never heard of- ah well).  Evenly paneled story-boards take us through this fantastic journey of primatological study.  We start with Jane Goodall, and her study of chimpanzees. We then join Dian Fossey in her fight for the safety of mountain gorillas.  Eventually, Birutė Galdikas swoops in and rehabilitates orphaned orangutans.  I laughed more than once, as each had humorous/strange/unbelievable interactions and experiences with the primates and new environments.

As I said before, I had only heard of Jane Goodall before reading this.  I was so very impressed with each woman's story, and her contributions to this area of study.

The artwork is bright, very eye-catching.  I don't want to say it is simple, but the panels are not overcrowded.  The narration is informal- a mix of exposition and dialogue.   It feels voyeuristic (in a non-creepy sense)- like you're a fly on the wall, experiencing all these little moments with Jane, Dian and Birutė.  

All-in-all, an enjoyable triple biography.  I would recommend this to anyone interested in anthropology, strong, smart women, and travel.  I could even see some boys interested, due to some very funny (though probably not at the time), embarrassing situations.

Thank you for the chance to review, :01 First Second!