Image retrieved from: www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/patrick-mcdonnell/mejane/
Book Summary:
This is a sweet and short biography detailing some of Jane Goodall's childhood. It starts with her parents giving her a stuffed chimpanzee toy that she named Jubilee. This toy would go with here everywhere as she observed the outside world. The book describes how she studied about animals on her own and one of her first observational discoveries, how a chicken laid an egg. It goes on to describe her love of all nature and her desire to grow up and study animals which she eventually does. There is an afterword about Jane's life and how most people told her she would never be able to accomplish all she did. Also contained is a message from Jane about making and difference for the environment.
APA Citation:
McDonnell, P. (2011). Me... Jane. New York, NY: Little, Brown.
Impressions:
While not highly detailed this books is a perfect introduction into who Jane Goodall is and why she is an important figure. The book is meant to inspire young animal lovers by showing that Jane took her love of animals and made a worthwhile career and became an activist because of it. The book is short so that even the youngest child can understand. The images included some of janes own work are well constructed and help tell the story. The colors used are also not too bright, but vivid in their construction. Sweet and briefly informative introduction to the life of Jane Goodall.
Professional Review:
Little Jane Goodall and Jubilee (her toy chimpanzee) ramble outside their English country home observing everyday animal miracles and dreaming of a life in Africa, "living with, / and helping, / all animals." Readers familiar with the groundbreaking primatologist will love seeing her as a conventional, buttoned-up child, wearing a plaid skirt, classic bob and hair clip as she squats in a coop to watch a chicken drop an egg. McDonnell’s simple ink-and-watercolor illustrations appear as sunny, amorphous panels in ample white space. Purposeful black lines provide specificity with small suggestive strokes—a tiny apostrophic smile relays Jane’s complete contentment sprawled in grass. Opposite pages offer groupings of faint, intricate stamps that correspond with young Jane’s early outdoor experiences and engage readers with their fine details. The playful interplay among stamps, cartoonish drawings and real photographs of Jane reminds readers of a child’s hodgepodge journal—one like Jane’s, which appears as a double-page spread showing her animal studies, charts, games and doodles. Children will appreciate McDonnell’s original format and take heart that interests logged in their own diaries might turn into lifelong passions. Backmatter includes a pithy biography, additional photographs and a letter and drawing from Jane herself—children will thrill at the connection. (Picture book/biography. 2-10)
ME...JANE by Patrick McDonnell , Patrick McDonnell (2011). Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/patrick-mcdonnell/mejane/
Library Uses:
This book would be a great read aloud for a Earth Day program. To inspire young kids to do something for the environment whether it is a small or large act every little bit helps.
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