Ding Dong Gorilla!

In this traditional-style story of an animal coming into the house and creating mayhem, we meet a little boy explaining to his mother just why the house is wrecked and the pizza they ordered has been eaten. Is it the gorilla, or is it the little boy who has strewn toys everywhere, drawn on the wall, played dressing up with mum’s clothes and then left them on the floor, picked the flowers in the garden, broken a vase, a window and a chair with a football, and, finally, tried to make a cake without putting the blender lid on – before eating the pizza and leaving! This is a wildly funny story, as we see the huge, furry, black gorilla creating havoc while the little boy looks on, sometimes enjoying the scene, and sometimes realising he is going to be blamed for it. Should he be? Well, certainly some of the things the gorilla does seem to be beyond the ability of a little boy, and the pizza delivery boy’s reaction when the gorilla opens the door would seem to indicate not, but you never know. The pictures with strong crayon lines and colour tell us lots of extra detail, while the text is full of deprecating humour as the little boy tries to convince his mum that the whole episode was not his fault. This is a fun addition to the animal-creating-carnage genre, but I have a feeling that mum is not going to believe her little boy.