Koko's Kitten

by Francine Patterson, Ronald H. Cohn (Photographer)

Koko the gorilla uses sign language to talk to her handlers. When she asks for a pet, her handlers search high and low for the perfect companion.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Picture Books, Childrens, Cats, Science, Biography

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Francine "Penny" Patterson is an American animal psychologist. She is best known for teaching a modified form of American Sign Language, which she calls "Gorilla Sign Language", or GSL, to a gorilla named Koko beginning in 1972.

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I originally rated this book five stars because it moved me to tears. Then I saw a couple of documentaries about Koko. It turns out that Dr. Francine "Penny" Patterson is an incompetent psychopath who doesn't know the first thing about primatology. She says things like, "I don't care what the critics say. I'm not 'humanizing' Koko, I'm peopleizing her." She also slaps a very young Koko in the face when she "misbehaves" (ie, acts like a gorilla and plays rough with Michael, another gorilla). Even the way she teaches her sign language is insane. You can't sign "water" while saying the word "water" and expect a gorilla to understand what that means. You need to model water for them in some way, show them water, give them water to drink, etc.

Also, Dr. Penny claims that since Koko's fingers can't make the same signs as people's, Koko doesn't do ASL, she does "GSL" (Gorilla sign language). What this actually means is Dr. Penny has total control of what Koko is saying, since she interprets it all herself. When Koko signs "pink," Dr. Penny claims that is the gorilla way of expressing shame. When Michael signs "black," then signs "red," Dr. Penny explains that he is telling of how black men (Africans) killed his family.

I have no doubt that Koko, Michael, and Ndume (the gorillas Dr. Penny "studied") are sensitive, intelligent creatures. However, the idea that they can communicate using sign language in a perfectly human, one-for-one speech relationship is insane. But Dr. Penny doesn't seem to realize that, or seem to realize that there might be any differences between gorillas and humans. Which is perhaps not surprising, since she has a degree in developmental psychology, not primatology. She treats Koko like the daughter she never had, and in the creepiest ways. For instance, she raises Koko and Michael to eventually be lovers and mate. When she learns (or intuits) that two gorillas raised together regard each other as brother and sister, and mating is not going to happen, she gets Koko involved with video dating and has Koko sign, based only on looking at male gorilla images on a TV, whether or not she likes the guy. Really? Don't gorillas react to ... I don't know ... scent, or personal interaction? Well, apparently they do, because Koko's potential mate Ndume and she haven't been hitting it off either. Oh, and why did she start video dating? Because when Dr. Penny was in her early 40s, Koko "signed to her that she wanted a baby." Really, Dr. Penny? Really?

[Daniel Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woke up to the news that Koko—the gorilla who could communicate through sign language—died yesterday at the age of 46. Like most kids from my generation, I was introduced to Koko through Reading Rainbow. In that episode, LeVar Burton explained that Koko was sad when her kitten died and that it’s normal to experience grief after the death of a friend.

I loved the book, Koko’s Kitten, and I often read it to my younger brothers. Thank you, LeVar, for introducing an entire generation to this gentle creature and for teaching us a lesson we’ll need today, now that our friend Koko is gone.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

One night several months ago I was drinking wine and listening to Betty White's book If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) on audio. In that book Betty talks about how one of the most wonderful events in her life was meeting Koko the gorilla, and about work she'd done with The Gorilla Foundation. I was so moved by her story, and between the wine and my bleeding heart I could do nothing else but immediately go to The Gorilla Foundation's website and sign up to make a small monthly donation.

Anyway, I had nearly forgotten about that, but today this book arrived in the mail as a gift from The Gorilla Foundation. And oh my heart! So many feels! This is a short book with many pictures and the story of Koko and her kitten, Ball, who she loved like a baby. Ball was very sadly killed in a car crash, and Koko grieved, and then finally she was gifted a new kitten. A Manx, as she showed a preference for a kitten without a tail. This book has all the things--Gorillas! Kittens! Feelings! I was again touched by Koko's depth of feeling and communication, and I very much envy Betty White and anyone else who had the privilege of meeting Koko.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koko is a gorilla; her kitten was “All Ball.” This is a true story, written for children. Who couldn’t love it?

Back in the 1970s Koko was born and soon thereafter was taught sign language. Yes, she really could speak with her keepers in this way. So, when they asked her what she wanted, she told them, “Cat.” They got her a tiny gray, tailless kitten.

The story of KOKO’s KITTEN by Francine Patterson tells of Koko’s early life and how she came to learn sign language. Then we learn about her request for a cat and her anger when her keepers gave her a pretend cat covered in velvet. Then we read about her gentleness and motherliness when she was given her real kitten. Koko chose the kitten, and Koko named him “All Ball.”

Throughout this children’s book are photographs, not just illustrations, by Ronald H. Cohn. This is what made me want to read the book. I loved it.

Koko is still alive, 40 years old, at the San Francisco Zoo. I wish I knew her story when I lived in southern California in the 1980s through 2005. I would have made the 3-hour drive to San Francisco just to see her. Maybe I’ll still get there before she dies. In the meantime, I can read the book for adults, THE EDUCATION OF KOKO.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koko's Kitten is a must read for every human who eats, votes, or shops. This book inspired my respect for the rights, dignity, and intelligence of animals, and led to heated arguments with my teacher in 6th grade and my friends in college. Koko's ability to express her unique thoughts and feelings - and her friend Michael's ability to remember and describe the death of his mother - contradict widespread assumptions about the differences between animals and humans.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a true story about a gorilla that a zoo had worked with with sign language and knowing her personality. They gave her a kitten to care for and she did take care of her feeling all the emotions a human does with deep friendships.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Koko's full name is Hanabi-Ko, which is Japanese for Fireworks Child.

Premise/plot: Koko's Kitten is a nonfiction picture book for elementary-aged readers. Though the book is called "Koko's Kitten," the picture book biography (of a gorilla) tells much more than just that one little snippet of her life. It tells of how Koko was/is the subject of a special project, how she started learning sign language, the special bonds she's formed with the humans in her life, etc. The climax of this one, is, of course, how she came to have a kitten of her own.

My thoughts: I remember learning about Koko in the 1980s. And I had fond but vague memories of Koko's Kitten. I remembered she had a kitten. A kitten named All Ball. I remembered that the kitten died and she wanted a new kitten. It turns out I remembered only *some* of this one. I still like it. But it is more wordy than I remembered.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of me loves this sweet story, accompanied by photographs, of a signing gorilla interacting with its pet kittens. But I am also left a little unsettled by how unnatural this is. A few minutes of internet research on Koko's trainer leaves me more disturbed. I would like to do more research to sort out my feelings on Koko's life and this book.

[Chris Blocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was about eight years old. Its tenderness touched me, changing my perception of the power of a book forever.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting story. I love reading it everytime I pick it up. My students find it very interesting.

[Megan (ReadingRover) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book like a million years ago and I absolutely love it! It was one of my favorites and will always be. How can anyone resist the bond between Koko and her kitten. I even saw Koko on as a kid and was obsessed. Just seeming this book brings back such memories!

[Becky Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was growing up, I was fascinated by Colo, the Columbus' Zoo's first baby gorilla. I think I love Koko, too.

[Nichole Forest · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Category/Genre: Non-fiction
2. Copyright Date: 1985 by The Gorilla Foundation
3. Age Level of Interest: 3+
4. Reading Level: Upper 3rd/4th Grade
5. Brief description: Koko is a gorilla raised in captivity at the San Francisco Zoo, and she has learned sign language. When asked what she wants for her birthday, Koko signs a cat. She gets a kitten for her birthday, and then sometime later, the kitten get hit by a car and Koko is very sad. She eventually is given another kitten and is happy again.
6. Identify 2 characteristics:
1. Non-fiction prepares students to handle real-life reading. This story of Koko is both happy and sad when Koko loses her kitten. Students who have lost a pet will identify that Koko and realize you can be happy again even if something dies.
2. Non-fiction addresses students' questions and interests: This story will interest them because it is real, and the pictures in the book are real. I'm sure it will spark questions about how can a gorilla learn sign language, be friends with a kitten, and may even develop their interest in learning more about training gorillas, working in a zoo, or being an animal photographer.
7. How well does book reach its intended audience? Book reaches its intended audience as well as an adult audience because of its connections to both the domestic/wild animal world, compassion and loss of a pet. Many of the readers will have experienced a pet loss, I'm sure.

8. Awards/Reviews/Citations:

Common Sense Media, 2003
Science, 1985
Publishers Weekly, 6/1/87

[Alex Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koko is a gorilla that has the ability to communicate through sign language. Being able to communicate with humans through sign language, Koko is able to express what he likes and does not like. One year for Christmas Koko expresses he wants a cat as his Christmas present. Eventually Koko gets a Kitten that she names Ball and takes care of as if she is her own child. Koko and ball create a very strong and loving relationship with one another, until a tragic day in which Ball is taken away from Koko in a car accident. Koko expressed her sadness with her trainers and would often cry about how she missed Ball. This kind of emotion wen ton until they got Koko a new kitten that she could love just as much as she loved Ball.

What really stood out to me about this book was that it was such a unique story that was completely true considering it is non-fiction. The book did a very good job at telling Koko’s story in chronological order and using a very personal kind of voice for this personal of a story. The book also does a really good job at documenting Koko’s story and her close relationship with the kittens that she interacted with through pictures. Patterson did a fantastic job at putting the reader in the presence of Koko and all the emotions she was feeling before, during, and after having Ball the kitten.

Patterson, F., & Cohn, R. (1985). Koko's kitten. New York: Scholastic

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an informative and entertaining book about a gorilla who has learned American Sign Language and communicated with her caretakers that she wanted a pet cat. The story is a bit long, but we really enjoyed learning about this amazing animal and her ability to learn and communicate with humans. The fact that Koko was so kind and gentle with the kittens (and even gave them names) really shows us how little we really know about other species.

The photographs appear to be somewhat dated, but the book was first published in 1985 and the edition we read was published in 1999. We visited Koko's website (www.koko.org) after reading the book and we were thrilled to watch videos of Koko and Penny together. Overall, we were charmed by this little story (and a bit sad, too) and we really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Ericka · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st-4th grade

Patterson wrote a book that all children will love. She tells the story of Gorilla that became good friends with a kitten. This story is filled with pages of real pictures taken by Ronald Cohn of the Gorilla, Koko, and her kitten friend. There is about one picture a page and most of them have titles explaining what is happening in the picture. The reading is easy for 1st-3rd graders because it is about 30 pages of large font reading. There is about 15-25 sentences per page and it is easy reading. This story can be connected to children because they can relate to it with their own love of animals of any kind.

Science/Language Arts

Students can bring in picture of their pets or favorite animal and write a story about the animal.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave five stars, because it is a really good book. Because it's about a gorrila who was tought sign language and so I thought that was just cool. On koko's birthday I came to see him and I said koko what do you want for your birthday koko sign, "Cat". Karren went and called up a friend of hers and she came over so Karren gave koko all kinds of kittens but she picked brown tabby tailless one instead. realation ship whith the with kitten? Sas good they bonded and really liked eachother so then one day somthing happend to the kitten so then later on they put him with all kind of gorrila's and he really liked it. I thought that was just that was just so cool that they always got along so well and that they really trust them so much.

[jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just bought this book for my step-son, but I can't deny my selfish motivation to re-read it myself. Even as an adult I am awestruck by Koko's story, that is so relatable.

I remember this story being so validating to me as a child who whole-heartedly believed in the equality of all living things (at least the mammals, or cute ones) and the ability of other animals to experience emotions. As an adult the book is not only scientifically fascinating and wonderous, but also a reminder of how a child can teach an adult about a world they often take for granted.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a true story about Koko, a gorilla who learned to sign and can communicate love, anger, sorrow and joy. Her trainer reads picture books to her and her two favorites are “Puss In Boots” and “The Three Little Kittens.” This leads to Koko asking for a cat for her birthday. She eventually receives her kitten which she names All Ball (it doesn’t have a tail). This story about Koko and All Ball, accompanied by photographs, is not only heart-warming, it demonstrates the gorilla’s intelligence and its ability to communicate. I loved it!

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first book about Koko to my now grown daughter, and I loved it although it didn't become one of her favorites. Now I hear that one of my grandchildren is into all things primate, so i immediately thought of Koko the Gorilla. This newer book, about Koko and her love for her kitten was one I had never read before today. Simple straightforward story of a caring team of humans who live and work with Koko, a now grown Gorilla full of the desire to care for another creature, and able to communicate that with a vocabulary that now exceeds 1000 words in sign language.

[Barbara Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember hearing about Koko's cat when I was a kid. This is the story of that cat, and the details about Koko choosing him. The book even has the "Reading Rainbow" logo on it.

I am amazed at Koko's, for want of a better word, humanity. She is not of course, she is "Fine animal gorilla." And she should never aspire to humanity, we have too many faults.

But being able to understand another species to this extent leads us - human and gorilla both - one step closer to true compassion. I am inspired to check out the website http://www.koko.org/index.php later.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't log or review kids' picture books on here, but I'm making an exception for this one. Last weekend I read Koko's Kitten out loud to my younger kids - it's a nonfiction account of a woman who communicates with a gorilla through sign language and carefully gives the gorilla a kitten for a pet. It's educational for both kids and adults, and I found it moving and I'm not even much of an animal person.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koko has a choice of kittens! She has one named Lipstick and one named AllBall. Lipstick is very red. She's really cute too. Koko's choices are: no tail, short tail, or long tail. She draws a picture of AllBall. It doesn't really look like anything but was really cute.

Koko keeps AllBall on her back. And Lipstick sometimes, too. Penny reads Koko a book about kittens so she knows what kittens are. She is so cute!

[Shannon Tisone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be prepared because this one is a tearjerker. I think that the storyline behind this book is great since it is a true story. Individuals of all ages will enjoy this book. It is very sad when the first cat dies, but it'll help show students sympathy. It'll also be very interesting for my students to see how well two completely different animals react to eachother. All around I think this is a great book and it made me want to learn even more about Koko.

[Joan Lieberman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am drawn to cross-species relationships. This one was a reminder that motherhood and love of a child are almost universal experiences across the species spectrum.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I THINK this is the first book I remember reading when I was a kid , I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee this book and I love KOKO

[Dustin.Darrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was cut.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute! I am also fascinated by teaching gorillas sign language.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koko is a female gorilla that was raised with humans and has learned a great deal of sign language. When working with the humans she interacts with, Koko expressed the desire to have a cat. The humans relented over time and started bringing a tailless cat that Koko named “All Ball.” Koko was very affectionate in a gentle way with the cat. Unfortunately, the cat was hit by a car and killed.
After that, Koku expressed a desire to have another cat companion and after some trial and error another tailless kitten was found and became Koko’s second feline companion. At the time this book was written, the two wildly different mammals were friends and affectionate companions.
Heavily illustrated, this is a great book for children, who generally have a natural affinity for animal stories. The images are large, making it an excellent book for reading to a large group of children. There is also a happy ending that will warm your heart.

[Cathy Sheetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is an older text and people in photos are in 1970s clothes, it is a truly remarkable tale of how a gorilla who signed with his caregiver and asked for a cat for Christmas. He is introduced to a kitten and clearly loves and cares for the kitten, but the kitten is hit by a car and dies. It takes a while until a replacement kitten is found. Just fascinating glimpse into a gorilla's mind, emotions and connections.

Could be part of a text set on animals for 4th grade. I would include it in a classroom library for 2nd through 6th grade.