School Library Journal (Wed May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Gr 7 Up-This engaging graphic novel (part story, part group biography) introduces readers to three unique women whose different personalities and lives intersected because of their love of primates. They would never have met without the guidance of Louis Leakey, an anthropologist who believed that women were better at studying animals in their native environment because they were more patient and perceptive than men. Over a period of several years, he recruited and inspired these women to study chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, and orangutans. The book jumps back and forth among the different narrators, so that each of the women and even Leakey are sharing their views about their work and about one another. In the afterword, Ottaviani explains how he and Wicks wanted to create a story rather than a textbook, and so they combined the facts with some imaginative fictionalizing. While this might not be the best resource for homework assignments, it is an enjoyable and informative read. The illustrations are lively and cartoonish, using a natural palette of browns and greens to tell the story. Overall, the graphic-novel format makes what could be a dry subject more appealing for young people. The story of how each of these women loved primates and lived among them to study their behavior is compelling, and might inspire a whole new generation of scientists to follow in their footsteps. Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

ALA Booklist (Wed May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Ottaviani's latest, after Feynman (2011), manages to compress the fascinating stories of three groundbreaking scientists ne Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas to a slim volume without skimping on their rich characters and joyful discoveries. Thanks to Wicks' colorful, lively, Hergé-like art, each scientist (and primate) has a distinct personality, but it's the depictions of the animals erging from lush, leafy backgrounds or lolling in trees at steal the show. A chimp mugs to the viewer with a boastful, precocious grin, for instance, after Goodall observes it using a tool to forage for food. For all the playful mugging and gratifying discoveries, though, Ottaviani doesn't shy away from the struggles of living and working in the bush. Presented as dedicated, iconoclastic, and profoundly in awe of the creatures around them, Goodall, Fossey, and Galdikas are inspiring figures, and Ottaviani does a first-rate job of dangling enough tantalizing tidbits to pique readers' interest in the topic. The actual science is a bit light, but an author's note strongly encourages further reading and includes resources.

Horn Book

A graphic format admirably propels this lightly fictionalized group biography of "Leakey's Angels": Jane Goodall (chimps in Tanzania), Dian Fossey (gorillas in Rwanda), and Biruti Galdikas (orangutans in Borneo). In a neat division of labor, the scientists themselves narrate the story while speech balloons and the small, tidy comic illustrations take readers to each moment. The tone is lively but respectful. Reading list. Bib.