Good Morning, Gorillas Read online

  The baby had crawled to a tree. He was looking up at a branch.

  A huge, sleek cat with black fur was sitting on the branch. His pale green eyes stared down at the baby gorilla. He looked hungry.

  “A black leopard,” breathed Jack.

  The leopard leaped lightly down from his perch. He faced Little Guy. The baby looked scared.

  “No!” cried Annie.

  She ran over to the baby gorilla and scooped him into her arms.

  The leopard let out a snarl. He lowered his head and started slowly toward Annie and the baby.

  Jack panicked. He didn’t know what to do at first. Then he remembered Big Guy’s act. Jack took a deep breath. When he let it out, he made a loud hooting sound.

  He tore out from the brush. Hooting like a silverback, he ran between Annie and the leopard.

  Jack grabbed a tree limb and shook it. He ripped leaves from branches.

  He cupped his hands. He beat his chest.

  “WRAAGH!” he roared. “WRAAGH!”

  Then Jack leaned over and charged back and forth past the leopard.

  Finally, he threw himself on his belly. He began bashing the ground with his palms. He bashed and bashed and bashed.

  “Jack!” Annie called. “Jack!”

  Jack looked up.

  “He’s gone,” Annie said in a quiet voice. “The leopard’s gone. He left a while ago.”

  “Oh,” said Jack.

  He sat up.

  He pushed his glasses into place. He looked around. Then he smiled.

  Jack couldn’t stop smiling. He had scared off a leopard!

  Bu-bu and Ho-ho stared at Jack with awe. Annie looked at him with awe, too.

  “When did you learn to do that?” she asked.

  Before Jack could answer, he heard a rustling in the brush. Then Big Guy stepped out from the shrubs.

  The giant gorilla walked silently over to Annie. He took Little Guy from her and put the baby on his back. Then he touched Annie’s cheek gently.

  Annie grinned at him.

  Bu-bu and Ho-ho ran to Big Guy and clung to his legs.

  The giant gorilla barked at the small ones, directing them to come with him.

  As he walked past Jack, Big Guy stopped.

  Huh-huh-huh, he said in a low voice. He reached out toward Jack.

  Jack ducked.

  But the silverback patted him on the head. Then he and the small gorillas moved out of sight.

  Jack felt as if the top of his head were glowing.

  “Wow,” he whispered. “Did you see what he just did?”

  “Yeah,” said Annie. “He must have watched the show you put on. He was proud of you.”

  “Well, he was proud of you, too,” Jack said modestly.

  Annie nodded, smiling. “I guess it’s time to leave now,” she said.

  “Leave?” said Jack.

  “We have to say good-bye now,” said Annie.

  “Good-bye?” said Jack. He didn’t want to say good-bye to the gorillas. He loved them. They were totally great.

  “Yeah,” Annie said softly. “Come on.”

  She led the way back through the shrubs, around the trees, to the clearing.

  They found all the gorillas awake. Some were stretching and yawning. Others were munching on grass or leaves.

  The baby was back in his mother’s arms. Bu-bu and Ho-ho were chattering away to their moms.

  They’re probably telling them what I did, Jack thought.

  He and Annie walked over to Big Guy and stood in front of him. The other gorillas gathered around.

  “We have to go now,” Annie said to all of them.

  “We have to say good-bye,” said Jack.

  “Thanks for letting us be a part of your family,” said Annie.

  She and Jack held up their hands and waved. The gorillas looked sad. They murmured soft sounds.

  Big Guy lifted his hand in the air as if he were about to wave. But instead, the silverback raised his thumb, his index finger, and his little finger.

  I love you, the giant gorilla signed.

  Jack couldn’t believe his eyes.

  Annie signed back, I love you.

  Jack signed, too.

  The silverback stared at them for a long moment with a gentle, shy look. Then he turned away and gave a short bark to his family.

  All the gorillas lined up behind him. The baby’s mother held her baby close. Ho-ho rode piggyback on his mom. Bu-bu held her mom’s hand.

  The silverback started away from the clearing. The others followed.

  Bu-bu was the only one who looked back. She screeched and waved at Jack and Annie. Then she walked away, out of sight.

  Jack couldn’t talk. His heart was too full. He took a few steps in the direction of the gorillas.

  “Hey—” Annie said softly. “You’re going the wrong way.”

  Jack looked back at her.

  “The tree house is over there,” she said. She pointed in the opposite direction—at the tree house peeking out from the fog.

  Jack sighed. Then he turned and started to follow her out of the clearing.

  “Oh, don’t forget this,” said Annie.

  She leaned over and picked up Jack’s backpack from the grass. She handed it to him.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  They kept walking.

  “And don’t forget this,” said Annie. She picked up Jack’s jacket from under a tree. She handed it to him.

  “Thanks,” said Jack. He tied his jacket around his waist. They kept walking.

  “And don’t forget these,” said Annie. She pointed to the flashlight and umbrella. They lay on the grass under the wide, mossy limbs of a fat tree.

  Annie picked them up and carried them herself.

  It started to drizzle again just as she and Jack got to the rope ladder. They climbed up into the tree house.

  When they got inside, they looked out the window. Jack hoped to catch one last glimpse of the gorilla family.

  But there was nothing to see. A white mist covered the cloud forest.

  Annie picked up the Pennsylvania book. She pointed to a picture of Frog Creek woods.

  “I wish we could go home,” she said.

  Suddenly, a joyous screech rang out. The happy, wild sound shot through the white mist, through the cool rain, straight into Jack’s heart.

  He opened his mouth to answer the call of the gorillas. But it was too late. The wind began to blow.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  Tap-tap-tap.

  Jack opened his eyes.

  The Frog Creek woods were still dark and rainy.

  “We’re home,” Annie said.

  Jack sighed.

  “I miss them already,” he said.

  “Me too,” said Annie. “Did you take a lot of notes on their habits and behavior?”

  Jack shrugged.

  “I listed a few things about them,” he said. “But sometimes lists don’t tell you much. You have to love gorillas to really know them.”

  “Yeah. That’s right,” said Annie.

  Jack opened his backpack. He pulled out their research book and put it in the corner.

  Then he pulled out the twig that Ho-ho had given him. He smiled as he showed it to Annie.

  “I promised Ho-ho I’d eat this later,” he said. “But I think we should save it for Morgan instead.”

  “Good idea,” said Annie. “It’ll prove to her that we found a special magic.”

  “Yeah, gorilla magic,” said Jack.

  “The magic of all animals,” said Annie.

  “Yeah,” said Jack.

  He placed the twig next to the scrolls they’d brought back from old England.

  “Let’s go,” said Annie. She started down.

  Jack pulled on his backpack. He put the flashlight in his pack. Then he grabbed the umbrella and followed Annie.
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br />   They started through the Frog Creek woods. It was still cool and dark and rainy.

  Jack didn’t mind, though. He didn’t put on his jacket. He didn’t take out the flashlight. He didn’t put up the umbrella.

  Jack felt as if he weren’t completely human yet. There was still a bit of gorilla left in him.

  “Ho, ho, ho,” he said in a low voice.

  “Bu, bu,” Annie said back.

  “Huh, huh, huh,” they said together.

  MORE FACTS FOR

  JACK AND ANNIE AND YOU!

  Gorillas are the biggest members of the group of animals we call primates. Other primates include chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons, baboons, monkeys, and humans.

  All gorillas live in Africa. There are three groups of gorillas—western lowland gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas, and mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are the largest gorillas. They have longer hair and longer jaws and teeth than lowland gorillas.

  Mountain gorillas live in the volcanic mountains of Virunga in east-central Africa. The word virunga means “a lonely mountain that reaches to the clouds.”

  Gorillas are mainly herbivores, or plant-eaters. They keep on the move, so they will not deplete a feeding area. A silverback gorilla can eat up to 50 pounds of forest vegetation in only one day.

  ENDANGERED SPECIES

  All gorillas are on the endangered species list. But the ones most threatened are the mountain gorillas. Fewer than 650 still live in the wild. None live in captivity. A woman named Dian Fossey lived for almost 20 years with the mountain gorillas. During her life, she fought very hard for their protection.

  GORILLAS AND AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

  Since 1971, a lowland gorilla named Koko has been part of a gorilla language project in California. Gorillas will never be able to talk like people because their vocal cords cannot make the necessary range of sounds. But a woman named Penny Patterson taught Koko the gorilla how to use American Sign Language. American Sign Language is a special language using hand gestures. It is primarily used by people who are unable to hear. Koko has learned to make more than 1,000 signs. And she understands about 2,000 English words. She proves that gorillas have extraordinary intelligence, as well as many thoughts and feelings similar to those of humans.

  Here’s a special preview of

  Magic Tree House #27

  Thanksgiving on Thursday

  Available now!

  Excerpt copyright © 2002 by

  Published by Random House Children’s Books,

  a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  “Come on,” said Annie. She stood in the doorway to Jack’s bedroom. “Let’s check the woods.”

  “But it’s Thursday,” said Jack. “We’re going to Grandmother’s soon.”

  “I know,” said Annie. “But I have a feeling the tree house might be back. I think Morgan might have sent us a new rhyme.”

  Jack trusted Annie’s feelings.

  “Okay, but we’ll have to be quick,” he said. He threw his notebook and pencil into his backpack. He followed her downstairs.

  “Be back soon!” Jack called to their parents.

  “Very soon!” their dad said.

  “Don’t forget—it’s Thursday,” said their mom. “We’re leaving for Grandmother’s at nine!”

  “I know!” said Jack.

  “We’ll be back in ten minutes!” said Annie.

  They hurried out of their house. They ran across their yard and up their street and into the Frog Creek woods.

  Jack and Annie ran through light and shadow, until they stopped under the tallest oak.

  “Yay!” said Annie.

  “You were right!” said Jack.

  High in the tree was the magic tree house.

  Jack grabbed the rope ladder and started up. Annie was right behind him.

  They climbed into the tree house. Sunlight slanted in through the window.

  “Good, our gifts from our last trips are still here,” said Annie.

  She pointed to the scrolls from Shakespeare’s theater and the twig from the gorillas.

  “Proof we found the magic of the theater and the magic of animals,” said Jack.

  “Look,” said Annie. She pointed to a book lying in a dark corner. A piece of paper was sticking out of it.

  Jack pulled out the paper.

  “It’s from Morgan,” he said.

  He read:

  Dear Jack and Annie,

  Good luck on your third journey to find a special magic. This rhyme will guide you:

  To find a special magic,

  When work and toil are done,

  Gather all together,

  Turn three worlds into one.

  Thank you,

  Morgan

  “So who do we gather with?” wondered Jack.

  Annie held up the book. The painting on the cover showed a basket of corn on a wooden table. The title said A Feast to Remember.

  “We gather at a feast,” she said. She pointed to the cover. “I wish we could go there.”

  “Hold on,” said Jack. “What kind of feast? Where and when?”

  But the wind had started to blow.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

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  #1: DINOSAURS BEFORE DARK

  #2: THE KNIGHT AT DAWN

  #3: MUMMIES IN THE MORNING

  #4: PIRATES PAST NOON

  #5: NIGHT OF THE NINJAS

  #6: AFTERNOON ON THE AMAZON

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  #9: DOLPHINS AT DAYBREAK

  #10: GHOST TOWN AT SUNDOWN

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  #26: GOOD MORNING, GORILLAS

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  #28: HIGH TIDE IN HAWAII

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  #30: HAUNTED CASTLE ON HALLOWS EVE

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  #34: SEASON OF THE SANDSTORMS

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  #38: MONDAY WITH A MAD GENIUS

  #39: DARK DAY IN THE DEEP SEA

  #40: EVE OF THE EMPEROR PENGUIN

  #41: MOONLIGHT ON THE MAGIC FLUTE

  #42: A GOOD NIGHT FOR GHOSTS

  #43: LEPRECHAUN IN LATE WINTER

  #44: A GHOST TALE FOR CHRISTMAS TIME

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URS

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