Day 187: Me... Jane

"There are so many people who have dreamed seemingly unattainable dreams 
and, because they never gave up, achieved their goals against all the odds, 
or blazed a path along which other could follow... 
They inspire me.  They inspire those around them."
~ Dr. Jane Goodall

This beautiful book has been on my "must-find" list for quite some time, and I finally got a hold of it at one of our local libraries a few weeks ago.  Me . . . Jane tells the story of a young Jane Goodall and the beginnings of her lifelong dream to study, understand, and protect chimpanzees.  I remember learning about Jane Goodall as a child and thinking that she had one of the coolest jobs on earth.  Fortunately, both of my children love the natural world as much as I do, so I knew this book would be right up their alley.  

As so often happens when I write about a book I love, I'm having a hard time knowing just where to start.  There are just so many fabulous things about it!  The story about Jane and her stuffed chimpanzee Jubilee is as endearing as it is inspiring.  In it, we learn about Jane's early love of animals and innate curiosity about nature, and see how her dream to go to Africa and live among the chimps became a reality.  As a young girl, "Jane had a stuffed toy chimpanzee named Jubilee.  She cherished Jubilee and took him everywhere she went.  And Jane loved to be outside."  She learned all she could about the plants and animals in her backyard and immersed herself in the natural world.  "It was a magical world full of joy and wonder, and Jane felt very much a part of it."  As she got older, Jane "read and reread the books about Tarzan of the Apes, in which another girl, also named Jane, lived in the jungles of Africa.  Jane dreamed of a life in Africa, too..." I find this story so inspiring because it shows children that their dreams, however far fetched they might seem to others, are still worth pursuing. 

The illustrations throughout the book are equally wonderful.  The soft, watercolor (I think) images of young Jane and Jubilee are lovely, and I especially love Jane's actual sketches that are scattered throughout the book.  The seamless combination of McDonnell's illustrations, Jane's sketches, vintage-style pages, and unique engravings adds a fabulous artistic element to this book.  Be sure to read the "Art Notes" at the very end, which explain how "the ornamental engravings from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are included, collectively evoking Jane's lifelong passion for detailed, scientific observation of nature."  

While I'm mentioning the end notes, be sure to read the short biography "About Jane Goodall," as well as the "Message from Jane."  I particularly love her reminder that "Each one of us makes a difference.  We cannot live through a single day without making an impact on the world around us -- and we have a choice as to what sort of difference we make."  And the picture of her and the real Jubilee when Jane must be about 2 years old?  Adorable!  But back to the making a difference thing.  It's so true, isn't it? Whether it's something as simple as smiling at someone and saying hello or turning off a light, the little things we do every day can make a bigger difference than we realize.  I don't know who gave Jubilee to Jane when she was a baby, but I'm sure he or she could never have envisioned how much that little stuffed animal would influence Jane's life, not to mention the difference she would go on to make in the world.  

It seems I'm gone on about this great book for far too long, so I'll wrap things up here.  Although my son never wants to sit through my reading of the whole bio, I make it a point to at least read him the part about how, at age 10, Jane decided that "when she grew up she would go to Africa, live with the animals, and write about them.  Almost everyone told her this goal was impossible. Her family had little money, and she was a girl in a time when girls were not encouraged to pursue adventurous careers.  But her mother encouraged her to follow her dream." I hope my children always know that no matter what, I will always be their biggest supporter and champion.  I can't help but wonder what they will grow up to be, and which of their passions might steer their hopes and dreams along the way.  Will my son grow up to be a paleontologist?  Or perhaps a zoologist?  I don't know, and it's easy, I think, as parents to dismiss childhood obsessions as merely that.  But sometimes, as in the case of Jane Goodall, they are signs of amazing things to come. 

Day 173: The Water Hole

Graeme Base is one of the most amazing children's illustrators I know.  His artwork is simply stunning, with beautiful, intricate detail that gives his drawings a truly magical feel.  We love Animalia, and recently found The Water Hole at our local library.  We brought it home because my son wants to read any book about animals, but mostly because I'm always fascinated by Base's illustrations.  I briefly flipped through the pages and noticed that it was a counting book, and that each page had a cut-out area for a watering hole which kept getting smaller and smaller as the book went on.  Cute, I thought.  A nice little counting book about animals (with gorgeous illustrations, of course.)  My son took to the book immediately and enjoyed looking at it throughout the afternoon, but it wasn't until the next day that I really sat down to read the book with him.  We've read it many times since, including for an hour together this morning, and each time we pick it up we discover new gems hidden within its pages.

This book is a classic example of a picture being worth a thousand words.  There are so many amazing things about this story that I really don't know where to begin.  You can tell just by looking at the cover illustration that the artwork in the book is incredible, but there is so much more to this wonderful book! Each page features wildlife from various parts of the world, such as India, Australia, South America, the Galapagos Islands, and the Himalayas.  Hidden within each drawing itself are a variety of other native creatures, whose silhouettes appear in the borders of each spread.  We love finding all of these hidden animals, and I am always blown away by the artistry and creativity involved in crafting such elaborate illustrations.  As more animals come to drink at the water hole (that's where the counting element comes in), the level of water gradually goes down... until there is none left!  By weaving in the themes of seasonal change and migration, Base creates wonderful opportunities for further learning and discussion within his pages, as well.  You can see why the geography teacher in me absolutely loves this book!

My son's favorite page is the one for Europe with all of the ladybugs, but I think my favorite is actually the one where, after the water hole has dried up, "All the animals went away."  This page features a beautifully eerie and desolate image of a barren land, with 10 extinct animals hidden within.  It is the least colorful image in the book, but is positively brilliant in every way.  I also love the page shortly thereafter where the rains come, forming shimmering puddles in the shapes of the earth's continents as the world slowly comes back to life.   Yes, I think it's safe to say we've added yet another book to our "Must own someday" list!

I suppose I've gone on enough about how fabulous a book I think this is, so I'll leave you with this tidbit from the author himself about the inspiration behind the story.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!  "The Water Hole was inspired by a four-week sight-seeing safari through Kenya and Tanzania.  I had in mind a simple story about the cycle of season on the African plains, but the idea gradually expanded to embrace other countries and their wildlife, in the process giving the central image of the water hole a certain metaphorical significance -- and, of course, providing me with the perfect excuse to draw lots of animals from other parts of the world, as well!"

Day 172: A Leaf Can Be...

We've reached that magical week in New England where, all of a sudden, I look around and realize that the leaves are turning vibrant shades of yellow, orange, and red.  I love summer as much as anyone, but fall is my favorite season.  It is the reason why I can't imagine living anywhere other than New England:  the crunch of leaves underfoot, cool days and even cooler nights, the crisp smell of the air, the crackle of the first fire in our fireplace.  I love experiencing four distinct seasons and seeing the natural world transform in all its wonder all around us... even when it means my husband and I spend hours raking thousands of oak leaves from our lawn.  Our kids are always more than happy to "help" us with this, jumping in and racing through the piles of leaves in a state of pure childhood bliss.  I raked our first official leaf pile today (solely for my son's jumping entertainment), and realized that it would be a perfect day to feature this wonderful book!

My children love nature, so when I saw this book on the "Staff Recommendation" shelf at the library a few weeks ago, I knew I had to bring it home.  Thank you, Fran the librarian, for introducing us to this beautiful story!  In A Leaf Can Be, author Laura Purdie Solas takes us on a "poetic exploration of leaves throughout the year," from the gently unfurling new leaves of spring, to the frost tipped leaves of winter.  In her lovely, lyrical way, Solas reminds us that leaves can be all kinds of things depending on the time and place:  "Sun taker.  Food maker...  Air cleaner.  Earth greener...  Wind rider.  Lake glider..."  And of course my son's favorite:  "Pile grower.  Hill glow-er."  The verses are simple but perfect, and Violeta Dabija's illustrations are gorgeous!  Her use of color and light magically brings the pages to life, and I always find myself stopping and staring at the pictures longer than usual before I turn to the next page.  We also love the additional information featured at the back of the book, which explains in more detail how leaves serve their many purposes highlighted throughout the story.  A Leaf Can Be... is a perfect book to share as part of a preschool or elementary nature unit, or simply to snuggle up and enjoy with your child at any time of year.

Day 132: The Curious Garden

We haven’t even had snow here yet this winter and I’m already thinking about spring!  The worst part is, it hasn’t even really been that cold here yet (though I hear it’s coming this week...)  In thinking about the chilly week that lies ahead, all I want to do is snuggle up on the couch with my little ones and a cup of tea and read some of the new (and wonderful!) books that they got for Christmas.  They got several stories we have been hoping to add to our personal collection for some time, as well as some other new titles I hadn’t heard of before.  One lovely new book my son got from his Uncle Jeff is Peter Brown’s The Curious Garden.  We’ve read it each night at bedtime for the past few days, as well as at some other times in between.  Each time we read it, I manage to love it even more, and I’m so happy that my son enjoys it as much as I do.  The book has a wonderfully soothing quality to it (hence why we love reading it at bedtime), and the subtle language Brown uses throughout is as beautiful as his illustrations.  The Curious Garden tells the story of a young boy named Liam, who stumbles upon a few plants growing in the unlikeliest of places:  a old, abandoned railway in the middle of the dreary, gray city he calls home.  Fortunately for the plants (and later, for the rest of the city), Liam is determined to help them grow.  “Most gardens stay in one place,” but as Liam soon learns, “this was no ordinary garden.  With miles of open railway ahead of it, the garden was growing restless.  It wanted to explore.  The tough little weeds and mosses were the first to move.  They popped up farther and farther down the tracks and were closely followed by the more delicate plants...”  By the end of the summer, Liam and his garden have made their way to every corner of the railway.  But then, as it does, winter arrives, and Liam can no longer spend his days exploring his garden.  Instead, he busies himself preparing for the next growing season ahead, and before he knows it, more than just new plants are popping up:  a whole community of new gardeners is popping up, too.  As the months and years pass, Liam’s garden and spirit grows, until the entire city has blossomed into one lovely arboretum.  It’s lovely to picture, isn’t it?  I just love Brown’s early juxtaposition of the beautiful, thriving plants and the city’s boarded-up windows and pollution-spewing smokestacks, and his pictures of the garden city in the final pages of the book are inspiring and wonderful.  I especially love reading the author’s note at the end.  If you ever read this book, don’t pass it by.  Turns out, Liam’s railway is based on Manhattan’s old elevated railway, the High Line, and the gardens which now grace its rails.  More importantly, though, you’ll share in Brown’s sense of wonder and curiosity about nature and our place in it.  The jacket cover describes The Curious Garden as “a magical story about a boy’s dream and how the efforts of one small person can help change the world.”  In the same vein as one of my all-time favorite stories, Miss Rumphius, The Curious Garden inspires me to make the world a more beautiful place, and give my children the tools, compassion, and desire to do the same.