Book Summary
This book starts off by introducing Jane
and her stuffed chimpanzee, and the story follows Jane and her toy chimpanzee
as they played outside, climbed trees, and observed nature. She learned as much
as she could about the plants and animals that she loved. At one point, Jane’s
curiosity even leads her to hide in a chicken coop to see where eggs come from.
Even at a young age, Jane was very aware of the world around her. Jane also
loved the books about Tarzan in African jungles, which featured a character
whose name was also Jane. Jane wanted to live in Africa too. Then the story
jumps ahead in time, saying that one day, Jane awoke and her dreams of living
in Africa with the animals were true.
APA Reference of Book
McDonnell, P. (2011). Me. . . Jane. New York, NY: Little,
Brown and Company.
Impressions
I really
enjoyed both the text and illustrations of this book. It is the type of picture
book that I think can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. Jane is an
extremely famous person known for the great work she has completed throughout
her lifetime, particularly with chimpanzees, and I’m sure there are biographies
available about her that are long and packed with stories, information, and
details. (In fact, I found one biography written about Jane for adults that is
740 pages long!) But McDonnell does a wonderful job of concisely introducing
young readers to Jane Goodall, focusing on Jane’s passion and love for animals
rather than all of the details of how she came to be in Africa. McDonnell
effectively portrays the spirit of Jane as a child—her adventurous pursuits,
her passion for animals, her curiosity about the world—things that children can
relate to. While there is a big and sudden leap in time at the end of the book,
jumping from Jane’s childhood to showing Jane living in Africa as an adult, I
think this shift in time is surprisingly smooth. Plus, the purpose of this book
is to demonstrate Jane’s interests and dreams as a child, so it is not
necessarily important to children to know how her dream came true, just whether
it actually did or not.
I also
appreciated that there was a page with more details about Jane’s life at the
end of the book for older readers. There was a message from Jane in the back as
well in which she encourages the reader to make a difference and get involved.
I did think it would have been helpful, though, to include a list of references
or resources at the end for the reader to both know what type of research the
author conducted and also for the reader to know where he or she can go to
learn more. I can imagine that this might not have been included due to the age
of the intended audience, which is approximately preschool through 2nd
grade. Children from this age will likely not know the purpose of a reference
list, but older readers may want this information.
The
illustrations are also very successful in supporting the content of the story.
They appear to be quite childlike and simplistic, reflective of Jane’s
childhood. Like I mentioned in a discussion post (Dunham, 2012), the
illustrations are also gentle, warm, and inviting, showing small smiles and
facial expressions on Jane’s face and her chimp’s face and appropriately
matching the sentiment of the story that nature is embraced and adored by Jane.
The background pictures that often appear behind the text are also unique and
interesting, and they seem to imitate images from old, scientific notebooks. In
fact, at the end of the book it states, “Throughout the book, ornamental
engravings from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are included,
collectively evoking Jane’s lifelong passion for detailed, scientific
observation of nature” (McDonnell, 2011, p. 38). Overall, I really like this
book and love the unique and beautiful illustrations. I think it is a
successful biographical picture book, it is sweet and endearing, and it
effectively represents Jane and her lifelong passions in a format that is
accessible to young children.
Overall, I
think this is a great biography for young children because it is beautifully
and appropriately illustrated, the text is accessible, the story is engaging,
it is inspiring, and the book appears to accurately portray Jane Goodall.
Professional Review
The following
was stated in a review from Publishers
Weekly (2011):
In this picture book biography, McDonnell (Wag!)
examines Goodall's very English childhood and her unexpected wish—nurtured by
early exposure to Tarzan—to live and work in Africa. On the left, earnest text
appears on cream-colored paper embellished with delicate vintage images of
trees and animals. On the right, by contrast, McDonnell's winsome ink and
watercolor drawings come across as sweetly goofy. Jane spends most of her time
sitting quietly, watching living things. "One day," McDonnell writes,
"curious Jane wondered where eggs came from. So she and Jubilee [her
beloved stuffed chimpanzee] snuck into Grandma Nutt's chicken coop... hid
beneath some straw, stayed very still... and observed the miracle." (The
hen looks just as surprised as Jane.) Best of all is a spread that shows Jane
fantasizing living like Tarzan's Jane in Africa; she swings on a vine through
the jungle, dressed in a sensible cardigan and a tartan skirt. Back matter
fills in readers about Goodall's accomplishments as an adult; McDonnell's
concentration on her childhood fantasies carries a strong message to readers
that their own dreams—even the wildly improbable ones—may be realizable, too. (para.
1)
Library
Uses
This picture book is valuable both for its content
and its illustrations, so it would work well in a storytime program at the
library for preschoolers with a theme of primates. This picture book would be
appropriate for older kids as well, and it could be read aloud to a group of
elementary-aged children during an After School Program during a day that focuses
on biographies of inspirational people. This book would transition well into
talking about what the children want to be when they grow up, and the kids can
write about it or share their thoughts with the group. Lastly, this book could
be included in a book display of biographical picture books or a book display
of children’s books about inspirational women during Women’s History Month in
March.
References
Dunham, K. (2012, November 17). What did you read this week?
[Msg 1].
Message posted to https://ecampus.unt.edu/webct/entryPage.dowebct
[Review of Me. . .
Jane, by P. McDonnell]. (2011, February 28). Publishers
Weekly. Retrieved from www.publishersweekly.com
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