Lulu and the Others: A True Story―A Charming Picture Book about a Bonobo Monkey for Kids (Ages 4-8) by A.G. Ford, Eliot Schrefer
ISBN: 0063205378
Genres: Animals, Emotions & Feelings, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction, Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

We are introduced to Lulu, a bonobo who lives very similarly to her human family members. Lulu can look at comic books, play with her “sister,” get food out of the refrigerator, and use the bathroom just like her family. But after some time, Lulu seems sad and uninterested in life. The parents realize it’s time for Lulu to meet the apes on the island where she came from.

Based on a true story of bonobo rehabilitation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the apes are raised in safe places until they’re ready to go to the island Lola ya Bonobo (Paradise for Bonobos). When the apes are reintroduced back into the wild, there is always a unique transitioning period to where the bonobos learn who they actually are. Lulu’s story is one of those stories and shows readers how bonobo rehabilitation can be done.

A sweet and educational story about our close relatives, the bonobos.

Recommended for ages 2-6.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath