"In my fifties, I set off on my
biggest adventure: to protect
people, wildlife, and the earth.
I traveled from country to
country with a message of love.
We must be kind to
one another and to the
planet we live on.
Do you know why?"
This is the second book in a new series from Scholastic that began with a book about Ruth Bader Ginsburg a year ago. It is meant for young readers to introduce them to Jane Goodall, her life and her accomplishments as a world-renowned scientist. Jane was the first person to live with chimpanzees in Gombe National Park in Tanzania. Her lifelong love of animals inspired the visit that became her life's work.
Dean Robbins tells her story in a clear, first-person voice that gives readers a friendly, warm look at a lifetime of love for animals. That love began with a gift from her father on her first birthday: a stuffed chimp named Jubilee. Animals consumed her through her childhood, and into her later life. When she received a letter from a friend in Kenya asking her to visit, she saved every penny she made to finally make the trip.
While there, she arranged a meeting with Louis Leakey who offered her a job when he realized that she was as interested in animals as he was, especially chimpanzees. He needed someone brave enough to live with the chimps and study their behavior. As luck would have it, Jane was ready and willing.
"I had no scientific training, so it
was risky to choose me for this
experiment. But Dr. Leakey was
excited to find a curious explorer who
had never researched chimpanzees.
He knew I might try things no
one had ever thought of before."
That is exactly what happened. Jane became the world's leading scientist on chimp life and behaviors by living with them and reporting on all that she was learning from them. Today, she continues to teach world citizens about protecting nature, people and the earth itself.
Back matter is valuable and includes an author's note, the discoveries Jane made, encouragement for readers to be more like her, a list of her beloved chimpanzee friends, a timeline of her career, a selected list of books written by Jane, her good works, and a list of chosen books that have been written about her.
Hatem Aly creates quiet, effective scenes that show Jane from very young child to serene world traveler as she takes the love she has for animals, and continues to have for all, out into the greater world.
No comments:
Post a Comment