Book Cover Image:
Book Summary: Me…Jane
tells the biographical narrative of Dr. Jane Goodall and her interest in the
world around her. The book tells of how
her passion and life work began, what inspired her, and even of her early
fondness for her stuffed toy chimpanzee Jubilee. The book begins with how her interest in
animals, plants, and her natural surroundings of backyard sparked and grew, and
of how her knowledge and understanding of animals guided her life. The curiosity and passion grew into a dream
she had of one day working in Africa with chimpanzees. The book carries the reader through her
transitions and accomplishments at each stage of her life. She is particularly fond of inspiring
children by helping them understand they can choose to be a positive influence
on the natural world around them.
APA Reference of
Book:
McDonnell, P. (2011). Me
… Jane. New York, NY. Little, Brown and Company.
Impressions: Me…Jane
provided a simple format for understanding one of sciences most well known
women Dr. Jane Goodall. The book
provided an intriguing and simple concept for how passion is bred, going
against the odds, and staying true to oneself.
It also provided a biographical story for kids that is easy to read and
interesting. The book gives young
readers an opportunity to see how one person can make a difference and by those
choices we can influence the world around us for a greater good. The book’s simplicity, narrative, and
pictures were coordinated very well and helped the reader understand why Dr.
Jane Goodall is an important scientist.
The notes and images provided were impressive to see too. It also
provided a more detailed biographical page for the adult reader, websites to
visit if interested, and an inspirational message from Jane to young kids on
making a positive difference in our world. Overall this was a creative and great
read for a non-fiction children’s book.
The book is a good example of the non-fiction genre due to
the historical facts provided, notes from her past, a synopsis of her early
interest and future work. It also
represents the genre well because it touches on multiple subjects within the non-fiction
genre. It covers science, nature,
biography, autobiographical notes, and even a self-help section from Dr.
Goodall on how everyone, including children, can make a positive difference for
our world. Finally, it is a great
example because it contains information and insights into an important person
in history found her passion and life’s work from a simple curiosity in the
world around her. This is an inspirational book with multiple formats of
relaying non-fiction writing.
Professional
Review:
School Library Journal
-
PreS-Gr 2—In this
heartwarming portrait of primatologist Jane
Goodall as a young girl, author
Patrick McDonnell eloquently tells the story of young adventurous Jane. She,
along with her stuffed chimpanzee, Jubliee, delights in exploring the outdoors;
observing animals and nature; and finding magic in such things as the discovery
of where eggs come from. Children will love the simple text of this Caldecott
Honor-winning picture book (Little, Brown, 2011), which carries the important
message that they should follow their dreams. McDonnell's superb and warm ink
and watercolor drawings are surrounded by faded ornamental engravings and
stamps from the 19th and early 20th century. Animators Paul and Sandra
Fierlinger have skillfully captured the tone of this delightful story by adding
extra elements, such as additional etchings from Goodall's diary, to make the
narrative come alive, further enhanced by Shay E. Lynch's upbeat musical score.
Extras on the DVD include a conversation with Goodall and McDonnell. In this
15-minute conversation, viewers will have the opportunity to hear McDonnell
describe some of the details that went into writing the book. This segment also
offers children a chance to "meet" Jane and hear her talk about her
childhood; sharing some of her own stories, and elaborating on the experiences
touched on in the narrative.
VERDICT: This educational
and entertaining tribute to Goodall and her significant legacy is highly recommended
for all collections.
Source: Joslyn, A. (2015). Me…Jane. [Review of the book Me…Jane by P.
McDonnell].
School
Library Journal. (61)2. Retrieved
from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2052/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=256569
Found Through: UNT Library Database – LexisNexis Academic
Library Uses: Me…Jane
would be an excellent book to use when teaching about biographies. In order to make biographies exciting, I
would use this book to talk about the elements of a good biography. We would first discuss what the elements of a
good biography are by creating a biography stew. We would add the elements or ingredients of the
biography stew in a big pot. Theses elements
or ingredients are as follows:
Peanuts – Family Members – Some family members can be a bit nutty sometimes.
Goldfish – Childhood and School Life – Fish gather in a school.
Bugles – Hobbies, Interests, and Activities – Sometimes we blow our own horns.
Pretzels – Anecdotes – All lives have interesting stories, with twists and turns, just like a pretzel.
Chocolate Chips – Career – When a person makes lots of money or has good fortune, we say he or she is “in the chips.”
Cheerios – Reasons for Fame – We cheer a famous person’s success.
M&Ms – Later Life/Old Age – Stand for more mature.
Dark Raisins – Death – We become shriveled and the lights go out.
Finally, we would evaluate the book to see if it all of the
necessary elements.
Credit: www.librarystew.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment