University of Dayton Magazine Blog
Document Type
Blog
Publication Date
3-12-2018
Abstract
Although Patrick Wensink has written five books for adults, Go Go Gorillas: A Romping Bedtime Tale (HarperCollins, 2017) is the writer’s first children’s book. Wensink took inspiration from family trips to the zoo with his wife and then 2-year-old child. As his son kept asking why the gorillas were always sleeping, Wensink would make up stories about what made them so sleepy during the day. Eventually, the idea of apes who stayed up dancing all night took shape. During talks with his editor, he said, “Several times we said things like, ‘Would a gorilla really dance the watusi? What kind of records would a baby ape play if he were deejaying?’ These are silly conversations but also show how seriously we thought about children’s literature.” Wensink is currently putting the final touches on the sequel, Go Go Bananas, which is set to be published in 2018.
eCommons Citation
Balakrishnan, Gita, "ReadSeeHear This: Go Go Gorillas" (2018). University of Dayton Magazine Blog. 53.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dayton_mag_blog/53
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