The Boy Who Went Ape
Richard and son, Benjamin, collaborated on this wacky romp of a story.
Sometimes boys and chimpanzees act very much alike--especially on school field trips! Come along and join the fun when a visit to the zoo sets off a day of hilarious antics. Who is the boy, and who is the ape?
Monkey see, monkey do!
Nobody in the history of Alcatraz Elementary School had ever gotten in as much trouble as Benjamin. All day long, his teacher said, “STOP THAT, BENJAMIN!” But the MOST trouble he ever got in was the day his class went on a field trip around town.
But, as usual, Benjamin wasn’t listening. A chimpanzee came out and shut the door behind him.
The last stop on the field trip was the bank.
…if the shiny chandelier hadn’t been hanging right where an ape could jump up and grab it…
But the chimp wearing Benjamin’s hat saw his reflection in a mirror and thought it was another chimpanzee. That ape in the mirror copied every silly face he made…yelling “Ooh ooh ahh ahh AHH AHHH AHHHHHHHHHH!”
At the zoo, the teacher told the class, “Don’t touch the animal cages!”
At the library, Miss Hush reads to the class (notice which book she’s reading).
Richard spent a week studying the chimpanzees at the Oregon Zoo. He did dozens and dozens of quick gesture sketches, working fast to catch poses as they bounced around their yard.
A quick charcoal gesture sketch.
Knowing a little American Sign Language, Richard was able to sign to the chimps, who responded with signs. However the alpha male chimp was not happy with Richard hanging around his tribe.
Delila (who happens to have been born the same year as Richard!) followed him around and even sat for poses.
She seemed mildly impressed when he held up drawings for her approval.
Here Delilah uses a stick, as a tool, dipping it into an ant hole and eating the tasty treat of fresh ants.
The paper used for the paintings was made from elephant dung by Maximus, a papermaking company in Sri Lanka. This grassroots business benefits the environment and the local economy, and it helps save the lives of Asian elephants who damage the crops of Sri Lankan farmers. It is sold in the U.S. under the name “Mr. Ellie Pooh”.
Richard started these pieces by pouring recycled house paint onto sheets of elephant dung paper, to create a jungle vine effect for the backgrounds. He then used sumi ink line with acrylic paint for the illustrations. He first gessoed areas where he needed stronger colors, to compensate for the super absorbancy of the paper.
Richard’s self portrait for this book. Check out the resemblance to the artist above.
The author, Benjamin Watson, was Richard’s model for the book, Tom Thumb, when Benjamin was young. In Benjamin’s dedication he thanks his dad for: “the cool pictures—not bad for a knuckle-walker.” And in Richard’s dedication he says to Ben: “Ever since we brought you home from the zoo, you’ve been like a son to us.”
Book Reviews:
“Watson …does a clever job with the artwork, keeping the tale slightly off-balance, with a touch of spooky wildness that hints at something more than just monkey business in the chimp’s crazy eyes and gleaming choppers…” Kirkus Review
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The Boy Who Went Ape, by Benjamin Watson, illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson
Scholastic/Blue Sky Press 2008 ISBN 13: 9780590479660 ISBN 10: 0590479660