This book is a good beginning overview about gorillas, beginning with a description of why they seem scary and then explaining why they aren't actually scary. It describes how they live, what they eat, and how they defend themselves from predators. We also learn about a few scientists who have studied wild gorillas and found that they are very intelligent, such as Penny Patterson with Koko. The end tells just a smidgen about the environmental problems threatening wild gorillas. ( )