Curious Creatures, Wild Minds
The GNU
I was visiting one of my favourite school libraries last week and spied their display of books about the curious gnu. What is a gnu I hear you ask...
- A gnu is also known as a "wildebeest". The names are used interchangeably.
- Gnu is pronounced NEW or NOO
- "Wildebeest" is an Afrikaans word meaning wild beast
- A gnu is a type of antelope
- They are related to cattle, sheep and goats.
- The gnu is an even toed ungulate
- There are two species - the black gnu and the blue gnu
- The blue male gnu stands around 150cm tall and the black male gnu is around 120cm tall.
- Gnu live in Southern Africa - South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, and Tanzania
- Gnu live in herds with zebra as a protection from predators
- Gnu are herbivores and they eat grass
- The collective noun is a confusion of gnu
- Here is a video of a group of Blue Wildebeest (Blue Gnu).
Further Reading
Even though the gnu is not an especially cute animal I found five picture books.
Publisher Blurb: Meet Yak and Gnu, two best friends who love to row and sing.
Who will they meet on their journey down the river? This funny rhyming tale is
full of adventurous animals and boats galore. Walker Books Published in 2015
Publisher Blurb: Drawing. Reading. Building.
Painting. These are things Nelly loves to do…but they’re always better with
Daddy Gnu! With fun-to-read rhyme, a
little silliness, and a lot of warmth, Anna Dewdney—the creator of the beloved Llama
Llama books—tells the story of a daughter and her daddy and their wonderful day
together. Penguin Random House Published in 2017
Blurb: When Gnu says that there's a cave filled with diamonds
across the river, Shrew is intrigued. But Gnu seems to be all talk, fantasizing
about riches yet dismissing all of Shrew's suggestions. As Gnu dreams his days
away, tossing out one big idea after another, Shrew spends his nights trying to
make those dreams a reality. Can Gnu's big ideas and Shrew's hard work make
something remarkable happen? In this
entertaining spin on "The Ant and the Grasshopper" that values the
roles of both dreamers and doers, author Danny Schnitzlein's deadpan
storytelling is perfectly complemented by illustrator Anca Sandu's humorous
artwork. Book Depository available October 2020
Blurb: When Gnu receives an invitation for tea with the Queen, he
realises he better start brushing up on his etiquette. He hops on the train to London
and picks up some rather interesting new mannerisms on his way to the palace.
By the time he meets the Queen he has plenty of hilarious manners in his repertoire!
Booktopia Published in 2017
Blurb: Boo loved being the only blue gnu. Whenever he met another
gnu he’d say – “I’m Boo, I’m blue, not grey like you. I’m blue like the sky and
blue like the sea. Wouldn’t you like to be blue like me?” So when another blue
gnu comes along and wants to be friends, Boo doesn’t like it one bit. But can a
blue gnu change more than his colour? A tongue-twisting read-aloud story. Kyle Mewburn
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