The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps

Jane Goodall's life and work for young readers in a style very different from Patrick McDonnell's charming Me Jane (also published this year) but very well done.

This is a simple biography of Jane Goodall. From a young age, Jane Goodall had a passion for animals. She read about Dr. Dolittle talking to animals and Jane wanted to do the same. She wanted so badly to visit Africa and life with the apes. When she was old enough to work, she saved money to buy a

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ticket to Kenya. She set up a tent in forest and began her mission to study chimps. Jane realized chimps were in great danger of becoming extinct so she traveled from city to city asking for help to save the chimps. Jane visited the chimps in the forest as often as possible.

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This was a fascinating picture book biography about Jane Goodall. It documented on how her love of animals started at a very young age and how she was a young woman when she traveled to Africa. It was very captivating in telling about how she camped out in the jungle and watched the chimpanzees. It

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also spanned to her life as an older adult who became an activist in the preserving of the jungles and forests where these chimpanzees lived. The illustrations were unique and colorful.

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This book is appropriate for the grades first through fourth. The book is simple, informational and filled with colorful cartoon-like pictures. The story begins with Valerie Jane Goodall as a young child watching birds, cats, hens and insects. One day she reads a book about Africa and decides that

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she will go someday. She saves up enough to go to Kenya. When scientist Louis Leakey asks for her help to study chimpanzees she agrees and goes to Gombe, a place in Tanzania where the chimps live. She spends days and nights quietly observing the chimps, writing down everything that she is watching. One day a chimp approaches her and she eventually develops a connection with them. When she has to go home she speaks for the chimpanzees in the forests that are being attacked by poachers.
Uses in the classroom:
- I would have children observe and journal each night about something that interests them just like Jane Goodall observes the chimps.
- I would have the children get in groups to talk about what their dreams are. Then I would have them work independently to write about how they will achieve their dreams.
-Create a learning center about chimpanzees. I would put this book a long with more informational texts, pictures and some chimpanzee figures.

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Jane Goodall's life from childhood to her current adulthood is conveyed. She loved animals as a young girl and worked hard to purchase a ticket to Africa. Goodall found a job studying chimpanzees and devoted much time to the work. She bonded with the chimpanzees and now stands up for the

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preservation animals and their habitats.

The book would be good to pair with another book about chimpanzee research or female scientists who work with animals.

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Summary:
As a kid Jane always was very observant. Then Jane read about Dr. Dolittle talking to animals and Tarzan living with apes in Africa. JAne wanted to go to Africa. When Jane was done with school, she was saving to buy a ticket to Kenya. When she went, she talked with a famous scientisit,

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Louis Leakey. He was looking for someone to watch and study chimpanzees. Jane went to Tanzania and lived in Gombe. She instantly felt at home, but one night she got sick with malaria. More weeks and months passed, the chimps let Jane see them. She watched them everyday and named one particular chimp, David Greybread. She saw they were very much like humans. One day, she left Gombe, the trees were being cut down and her chimpanzees were in danger. She went around citites to help save a preserve the forest.

Personal Reaction:
I really enjoyed the story because it shows that if you have a dream, just for it. I also like how even though she left, she came back and decided to save the forest and went back again to be with her chimpanzee friends.

Classroom Extension:
1. I would do a jungle theme unit.
2. Students can share what their dreams are and how they plan to reach it.

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This story is about Jane Goodall and her passion and study of chimps. It talks about her childhood, her study of chimps, and her mission to keep them safe in the forest. It is an inspiring story and gives kids the motivation to follow theirs dreams and passions in life. This book also gives a

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different perspective on Jane Goodall and how her life with the chimps started. The illustrations help the story come to life.
This book is set in chronological order of events, starting with her childhood and ending with her in adulthood. It explores her dreaming to work with animals and how she turned those dreams into reality through hard work and perseverance. It finishes with her determination to keep the chimps safe in their habitat.
This book is not usefully in high school Biology but it could be incorporated into an early education class about how we study animals in their own habitat and what we what we can do protect nature.

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Jane Goodall's life with the chimps has been a long one. She went to Africa and patiently watched them for years. She became their voice when their homes were being destroyed and they were being killed. Jane Goodall is famous for her work with chimps. I liked this book because it shows her bond

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with them. I also loved the colors.

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The Watcher is about Jane Goodall's life. It's a biography about a women who found out that she wants to work with animals and nature when she was a child. She finally lived her dream and went to Africa to watch monkeys and to find out about their lives. This is a very interesting story, especially

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because it's a story about a person who really exists. It's amazing how she fulfilled her dream and did what she always wanted. That's the best thing that can happen to you. An impressive and very well illustrated and written book!

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In my opinion, this was a good book. I thought the author did a very nice job telling about Jane Goodall’s life. I really liked how the author showcased young Jane’s curiosity with animals and nature around her. The writing was engaging and allowed the reader to see how Jane acted at a young

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age: “EVERYONE had been searching for hours and hours…Jane came running to her mother, shouting—“I know how an egg comes out!” At five years old, Jane was already a watcher.” This phrase also connects to the title of the book. I thought this was a really neat way to describe Jane; the word ‘watcher’ is more simplistic, but it still effectively characterizes Jane and her work. Overall, I thought that this was a very appealing and engaging book. I really enjoyed the story line. The book started when Jane was very young, and ended when Jane was much older. But this was only inferred by the illustrations of Jane; the text never discussed her age and I thought this was interesting since this was a biography. The reader learned about all the important things she did in her life, but not necessarily the exact dates or Jane’s age when they happened. Typically dates would be stressed in a biography, but this book focused on what Jane did and why it was important—not when these events occurred. The big idea of this book stresses how if one truly sets their mind to doing something, the possibilities are endless. At a very early age, Jane decided she wanted to work with animals and she did everything she could do achieve that dream. While learning about such an extraordinary person, one can also learn about pursuing goals and dreams and, ultimately, attaining them.

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Summary:
A young girl, named Jane Goodall, always had a dream to work with animals such as chimps. As she was growing up she loved to watch all the different animals. So, she worked and saved her money so she could move to Kenya. She found a job that wanted someone to study and watch the chimpanzees

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in the forest, and Jane took the job. Jane had to live in a forest all by herself and she learned she had to gain the chimpanzees trust before they would let her see them. After awhile, the chimps and she became close and they allowed her to watch them. After she left Kenya, she heard about how poachers were destroying the forest and killing the chimps. She started protests to save the forest and she saved the chimps lives as well.

Personal Reaction:
I really enjoyed this book because the pictures helped me relate to the story. The picture that was the most moving was when the story talked about poachers destroying the forest. There are men cutting down all of trees and shooting chimps. I believe this would be a good book for children who want to work with animals when they get older.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. This book would be a great book to explain the harm of poachers.
2. I loved all the detail it gave on chimpanzees. It would be a good book to read when the students are studying about different forests and the animals that live in the forests.

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This outstanding picture-book biography of primatologist Jane Goodall, whose work with the chimpanzees of Gombe has revolutionized our understanding of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, has both visual and narrative appeal, with artwork that is vivid and engaging, and a simple text that

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follows its subject from her days as an animal-obsessed youngster who dreamed of Africa, through her many years at Gombe, and then her later turn to activism. The theme that runs throughout, as suggested by the title, is Goodall's tireless observation of the world around her. Her patience, in watching the animals that interest her, whether that be the hatching of a chicken egg, as a girl, or the long process of getting the chimpanzees to accept her, in Gombe, has obviously stood her in good stead, making her one of the best "watchers" in the world.

Informative, without being overwhelming, The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps is exactly what a biography for younger children should be! A brief afterword gives more details about Goodall, whom Winter obviously admires a great deal, while the main narrative skillfully sustains the reader's interest. I'm not always the greatest admirer of Winter's artwork - I've read a number of her books, at this point, and while I always appreciate her paintings, they aren't usually a personal favorite - but this time I was really blown away! I loved the color schemes used, and the composition of each painting - I even loved the feel of the thick pages. I think this would make a great companion piece to Patrick McDonnell's recent Me . . . Jane, but if the reader only has time for one, I recommend that Winter's be it. Highly recommended to all young animals lovers and watchers, and to fans of the marvelous Jane Goodall!

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The Watcher, a great mentor text that explores the biography of Jane Goodall.

The Watcher tells the story of Jane Goodall. From a young child, she loved to study animals. When she had the opportunity to study chimpanzees she took it. She endured hardships in the African rain-forest to gain the trust of the chimps, but in the end she succeeded. Slowly they began to show

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themselves and with the trust of one chimp, David Greybeard, she gained access to all of the other chimps. She learned information about their behavior that no one had previously known. This book could be used for kindergarten to second grade. Teaching ideas include biography, Jane Goodall, animals, mammals, patience, deforestation, habitats.

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I remember studying about Jane Goodall in my Biology classes. This book is a good way to show how one person can make a difference in the lives of animals. I love how her topic became child friendly. It's always good to introduce the young to everything these days.

This is a great book about the life of Jane Goodall and how she started observing the chimps from a young age and how she was able to impact the lives of the many different animals. I really enjoyed how a book that would normally be written at an adult level, was brought down to a child's level,

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where they would actually be interested. This could lead into many different activities such as, extinction, how to observe animals, and chimps. Many different subject areas could be touched on, using one book.

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Summery:
A Brief description of Jane Goodall's life and her dreams about studying chimpanzees and protecting the rainforest.

Personal Reaction:
I never really knew a whole lot about chimpanzees or Jane Goodall, so this book was very interesting to me! I loved the colors and how the book wrapped up

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with her wanting to go back to Africa!

Classroom Extension:
Have the children make monkeys and Jane Goodall puppets out of paper sacks and retell the story
the children could sketch out pictures of wildlife around their homes and research one in particular and present to the class

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Tells about the life of Jane Goodall and her love for animals. The book displays her hard work and dedication for her dream of working with animals. It also portrays her journey of struggle and success of going to Africa to work with the chimpanzees.

This is such a wonderful book for young readers. The story is an easy read for children between the ages of 4-8. It is a biography about Jane Goodall and her efforts to help protect chimps and the environment in which they live. The pictures are beautiful and my students really enjoyed looking at

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them.I would use this book to show the importance of valuing the Earth and how we have to protect the world in which we live.

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Summary: This book is about a girl, who, since she was five years old wanted to watch animals and learn more about them. She bought a plane ticket to Africa and started watching the chimps there. It took a while for the monkeys to get used to her but eventually they did and she watched them for

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years and constantly wrote about them. Eventually, she had to leave but to her sadness poachers were cutting down forrests where her monkey friends lived, so she went all around the world speaking out for the monkeys.

Personal Reaction: I liked this book because in it the little girl had her own dreams whether they were far fetched or not and I hope it teaches other children to follow their dreams.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. In the classroom, we could go outdoors and watch the animals in our own ecosystem.
2. In the classroom, we could learn what other watchers do and the impact they make on our environment.

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This is the cute story of Jane Goodall and her work with animals, particularly chimps. It's wonderfully illustrated to depict her efforts to protect animals and their environments.

Given that this book is such an easy read, I use this book for Kindergarten up to second, maybe third grade.

This is a story about a girl who loved to watch animals as a child. When she got older she went to Kenya to learn about chimps. Then, she went to Tanzia, to study the chimps and their habitat. For a while, she did not get much information. She was almost to the point of leaving. Finally, she

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started interacting with the chimps. She survived malaria. She discovered things people did not know about chimps! Very cute book. I love it, because it is encouraging to children to never stop chasing their dreams!

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Jane Goodall finds that she loves observing animals. When she becomes older, she sails out and observes apes. She finds that Apes have peculiar traits and habits.

A(4) was very inspired and wanted to read often.