A celebrity western lowland gorilla from Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya is involved in another promotional blitz — this time a picture book for children has been published to raise public awareness of the need to protect endangered species.

Dubbed an ikemen, which means "hot guy," due to his well-defined facial features, Shabani the gorilla is attracting throngs of visitors to Higashiyama Zoo. A photo book featuring him has already been published.

The new picture book, titled "Shabani Daisuki" ("Big Love for Shabani"), is a story in which the gorilla invites a boy and a girl to his home to play together.

Author Shingo Okada said he hopes children will learn more about the endangered species through the picture book and think about what we can do to protect them.

Publisher Sankeisha Co. is leading a project to help raise public awareness over endangered species. Earlier, the company published another picture book on a different species at the zoo.

Shabani was born at Apenheul Primate Park in the Netherlands and was moved to Taronga Zoo in Sydney shortly afterward. He was brought to Higashiyama Zoo for breeding in June 2007. He has fathered offspring with each of the two female adults and is the leader of the five gorillas in the habitat.