Follett Titlewave
This picture-book biography of Jane Goodall begins with Jane as a young child, carrying her beloved stuffed chimpanzee wherever she goes.
As she grows, Jane learns all she can about nature through books and her own observations.
She loves being out-of-doors. Climbing her favorite tree, she reads Tarzan of the Apes and dreams of someday living in Africa.
The point of this book is show how Jane’s passion for animals and Africa as a young child found fulfillment in her lifelong work. So appropriately, the last pages quickly skip ahead from her falling asleep as a child to her awakening in a tent in Africa as a young woman–”to her dream come true.”
The illustrations are masterful, well-deserving of the 2012 Caldecott Honor.
Primarily Patrick McDonnell uses India Ink and watercolors in peaceful earth tones to match the simple yet powerful text. Also interspersed throughout are ornamental engravings that speak of Jane’s “detailed, scientific oberservation of nature” (Art Notes).
One double-page illustration includes Jane’s own childhood drawings, and the book closes with a cartoon Jane drew of her life in Africa.
Perhaps most striking of all is the famous National Geographic photo of Jane and a young chimpanzee reaching towards each other.
As it so happens, I was previewing this book at the same time as another picture book, What Animals Really Like (which is about stereotyping). I paired them together to read to the 2nd graders and then asked the students in what ways the books were alike.
Immediately the students noticed that both books were about animals. But then a student added, “Jane was told she couldn’t do what she liked because she was a girl. But just like the mouse encouraged the conductor to let the animals express what they liked, Jane’s mother encouraged Jane to follow her dream and to go to Africa.”
Often I encourage the students to follow their passion using authors and illustrators as examples. Just today we read a book illustrated by Jan Brett who knew from the time she was in kindergarten that she wanted to be a children’s book illustrator.
Jane Goodall’s research is linked to human evolution, and she espouses that theory. For that reason, is she a good role model for our children? Does this book belong in a Christian school library collection?
Awards/Lists: Caldecott Medal Honor 2012, Best Illustrated Books of the Year 2011, Children’s Books of the year 2012, Notable Children’s Books 2011 & 2012
