Good Morning, Gorillas

by Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 3-5; Genre - Historical Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL M; AR pts: 1.0

Jack and Annie go to an African rain forest and meet a family of gorillas.  They learn that sign language is the special language they need to find to learn magic.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

1. What was the kind of magic Jack and Annie found on their adventure to England?  theater magic  p. 5
2. What were they supposed to look for?  special language  p. 6
3. Where did Morgan send Jack and Annie to find their next secret rhyme?  African rain forest  p. 7

Chapter 2

1. What was the rain forest covered in when Jack and Annie arrived?  fog  p. 9
2. Why do they call it a cloud forest?  forest is misty like in a cloud  p. 10
3. What animal was Jack scared of seeing? leopard  p. 14

Chapter 3

1. What did Annie name the small gorilla?  Bu-bu   p. 18
2. What did Annie do with the monkey?  play, mimicked   p. 21
3. What happened when Annie tried to swing to another tree like the gorilla?  crashed to the ground   p. 22

Chapter 4

1. What did the mist turn to?  rain   p. 24
2. When it started to rain, what did Jack go back and get?    umbrella, flashlight    p. 24
3. Was Jack able to find Annie?   no  p. 26

Chapter 5

1. Who found Jack in the morning?  Bu-bu  p. 28
2. What did Jack learn about gorillas from his research guide?  gentle and shy animals, live together, eat plants   p. 30
3. How did the silverback gorilla react when he saw Jack?  hooted and hollered, bashing, growled   p. 34

Chapter 6

1. How did Jack get past the silverback gorilla safely?  acted like a gorilla  p. 37
2. How did Bu-bu react when she saw Jack?  screeched with joy  p. 38
3. When Jack got to Annie, who was looking at them?  all of the gorillas  p. 39

Chapter 7

1. Did Annie know she was sleeping by the gorillas?   no   p. 40
2. How did Big Guy react whenever Jack pulled out his notebook?  growled  p. 44
3. What did Ho-ho's mom and Bu-bu's mom feed Jack?  berries and water  p. 46

Chapter 8

1. What did Bu-bu's mother want to pick off of Jack and Annie?  bugs  p. 50
2. What is the special language Jack and Annie needed to find?  sign language  p. 52
3. What was in the tree snarling at Annie and Little Guy?  black leopard  p. 57
4. How did Jack protect them from the leopard?  acted like a gorilla  p. 58

Chapter 9

1. How did Big Guy show Jack he was proud of him for chasing away the leopard?  patted him on the head  p. 61
2. What did Big Guy sign with his hand to Jack as he and Annie were leaving?  I love you  p. 64
3. How did the gorillas and Jack and Annie feel when they had to say good-bye?  sad  p. 65

Chapter 10

1. What did Ho-ho give Jack that he was going to save for Morgan?  stick  p. 70