Orphaned at a young age, when his parents were killed by human hunters, Buddy the gorilla was still a baby, and a sick one at that, when he was adopted by New York socialite Gertrude Lintz. Soon becoming a part of her happy family, which included animals both domestic and wild, he lived an unusual life. Raised like a human, he became a curiosity in 1930s New York City, where he was seen promenading in his suit. But as Buddy grew he became more difficult to handle, and certain incidents involving water, which reminded him of the traumatic death of his parents, led to destructive behavior. Gertie knew she had to do something to make a better and happier home for Buddy - but what...?

Author/illustrator William Joyce, creator of many award-winning picture-books and children's novels, turns to the real-life story of Gertie Lintz and her gorillas in Buddy, a beginning chapter-book that hovers between picture-book and novel form. This is a highly fictionalized account, one which imagines Buddy's beginnings, and takes a number of liberties with the real story. Apparently the figure of Buddy, in this story, was named Massa in real life, and was, until his death at the Philadelphia Zoo in 1984, the longest-lived gorilla in existence. Confusingly, Lintz also raised a real-life gorilla named Buddy, although he was not the gorilla that went to Philadelphia. Leaving these issues aside, this was an engrossing story, one sure to raise questions in young readers about the ethics of how we treat wild animals. It is clear, at least in the story, that Gertie loves Buddy, and that she is wise enough to know that she cannot keep him as a pet or surrogate son. Did she learn this lesson in real life, given that she raised so many wild animals in this way? Probably not. The story here is emotionally resonant, and the artwork (as is to be expected from Joyce) beautiful. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about gorillas. ( )