Kids will learn all about a famous scientist in “Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall” by Anita Silvey.
Goodall loved animals almost from the day she was born. Growing up near London, she had all kinds of pets: earthworms, dogs, chickens.
“Jane loved all creatures great and small,” says Silvey, but most of all, she loved chimpanzees.
Most of her early life was spent near the grounds of a London-area manor filled with animals, but during World War II, Goodall and her family moved to Bournemouth, a coastal area where it was safer. There, Goodall made friends with all creatures.
Once she graduated from high school Jane didn’t really know what she wanted to do for work. She trained as a secretary but found the job exceedingly dull. When an old friend whose family owned a farm in Africa invited her to visit, Goodall was beside herself with excitement. It was a dream come true!
Once she got to Africa, Goodall wanted to stay, but she needed a job. When someone suggested she visit Louis Leakey, a renowned scientist later known for his work in paleontology, it became the perfect opportunity for both of them. Goodall got the job, and more: Leakey had been thinking about sending someone to study chimpanzees in the wild, but he needed the right person to do it.
So Goodall set off for Gombe Stream Game Reserve with one goal: to find the region’s elusive chimpanzees and to observe them for as long as she could.”
Long ago, back in the beginning of time, I wanted to be a veterinarian someday. I’ll bet that same thought has crossed your young pet-lover’s mind, too; “Untamed” is a good way to show her that domestic pets needn’t be her only clientele.
From the cover (look at that adorable chimp!) to her notes at the book’s end, author Silvey gives science-minded children something inspirational in Goodall’s story. Silvey takes the tale beyond Gombe and shows us what Goodall’s doing today, and kids will learn how they can get involved.
I appreciate that young readers will be challenged here, both with what Silvey says and how she says it; a sharp 9-year-old might tackle this book, although its content is meant more for kids a little older. With its pictures, its story, “field notes,” maps, and more, “Untamed” will be a book they’ll enjoy monkeying with.
“Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall,” by Anita Silvey, forward by Jane Goodall [96 pages, 2015, $18.99].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
