NSTA Recommends
How can a book pull in reluctant readers who might otherwise never be exposed to the work of this world-renowned primatologist? Perhaps this "graphic novel," written for upper elementary and middle school readers, will do the job. Jane Goodall: Animal Scientist describes her life from her childhood years—curious about how eggs get out of the hen—through her young adult years and her single-minded efforts to visit Africa. It describes her years of studying chimpanzees that she came to know as individuals and her later years and interest in involving young people in conservation activities. Brief narrative text in boxes (at the sixth-grade reading level) and conversation- or thought-"bubbles" (at the fourth-grade reading level) tell the tale. The full-page color illustrations show much of the story in comic book style. To my eye, the illustrations only vaguely resemble the characters (Jane, her mother, anthropologist Louis Leakey, and her first husband, National Geographic photographer Hugo van Lawick), but this will probably not put off readers. Students will find the brief glossary and simple index useful for writing reports. Suggestions for further reading and a code to access related Internet sites through "FactHound" encourage research (and more reading!). Teachers will also want to direct readers who get hooked on this story to read Goodall's own autobiography for children. Perhaps Jane Goodall: Animal Scientist, along with her own account for children, will inspire the next generation of animal scientists and conservationists. www2.nsta.org/recommends/
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
This book, illustrated in comic book format, describes Goodall’s path to becoming a pioneer researcher and scientist. Even as a young child, Jane was fascinated by animals. Her fascination inspired her to pursue a career in primate research with singular passion. The full-color illustrations and conversation balloons show the reader the things Jane saw on her adventures in Africa and what she may have been thinking as she observed animals in the wild. Krohn takes readers into the adult Goodall’s life and research, describes her developing fascination with chimpanzees, and includes revealing comments about her lifelong work with the chimps. The captivating narration is followed by a double-page spread of intriguing fast facts, a helpful glossary of terms, resources for further research, and an index. Part of the “Graphic Library” series.
Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review
From the time when she was a little girl, Jane loved animals and her parents encouraged her interest. She dreamed of going to Africa, but there was very little money available so she had to go to secretarial school instead of being able to go to university. Luckily, Jane had a friend who moved to Africa and after saving her earnings, she was able to go and visit her friend in Kenya. Jane loved Africa and was fascinated by the wonderful creatures that she saw there, and it was during her first visit that Jane met Dr. Louis Leakey, a scientist who studied animals and fossils. Jane was able to get a job working as Leakey’s secretary and she so impressed her employer that he decided to let her go do a research project for him. So Jane began to study chimpanzees in Gombe, East Africa. She worked under very difficult conditions for a year and then she went to Cambridge University in England to get a degree. Leakey hoped that this would help Jane in her career as a zoologist. When she went back to Gombe Jane continued to watch the chimps, making friends with them and recording what they did. She discovered that chimps are high social animals who use tools in the daily lives. Over time, thanks to the National Geographic Society, word got out about what Jane was doing and photographs of her working in the field were seen by people all over the world. In addition to her research Jane began to fight for the protection and conservation of chimps. This wonderful graphic-rich biography will give young readers an excellent picture of one of the world’s most beloved and hard working zoologists and conservationists. An interesting text and excellent comic book style illustrations make this a perfect book for young readers.
Booklist
Recommended by Booklist in their "Series Roundup" section.
