The Watcher

February 28, 2011
With her customary care, Winter (Biblio-burro) covers the whole of primatologist Goodall's life and work: her childhood observing animals and dreaming of Africa, her fateful meeting with Louis Leakey, early encounters with the chimpanzees ("David Greybeard has—yes—he has TAKEN BANANAS FROM MY HAND"), and, years later, her departure from Gombe because her "beloved chimpanzees were in danger of becoming extinct. They needed Jane to speak for them." The story's drama comes from the suspense of approaching the chimps, little by little; it took months for trust to build and required trials like sitting out in all kinds of weather: "She saw the chimps accept the rain, not look for shelter, as we do." Winter's repeated, stencil-like patterns give a sense of the wealth of green and the endless reaches of the Tanzanian landscape. (The chimpanzees don't fare as well; her flat style doesn't lend itself to the nuances of expression that distinguish primate individuals.) It's a fine introduction both to Goodall's life and to the idea that excellent science can come from nothing more than close, extended observation. Ages 4–8.

March 1, 2011
Economical art and language produce a fully fleshed-out biography of Jane Goodall, tracing her early years as a watcher of English fauna to her adult work as scholar of animal behavior in Africa. Winter's deliberate illustrations, as rich, complex and unaffected as all great folk art, complement equally engaging, unadorned text. Initial illustrations break through square inset panels, encouraging readers to look, pause and think about how Jane also broke out of boxy boundaries. When Jane finally reaches Tanzania, revelatory double-page spreads invigorate readers with their dense lushness and panoramic views. Myriad trees dot hillsides; countless stars congest the sky. Green mountains and bustling canopies run off the page, and chimps scamper across the book's gutter. While crowded with shapes, color and activity, Winter's illustrations calm the eye with their compositional integrity and cool palette. This gorgeous, accessible biography allows young readers to absorb the significance of Jane's tireless research, her groundbreaking discoveries and important work protecting Africa's land and animals. Quotes from Jane augment this inspiring book, encouraging young people to join her as dutiful watchers of the world. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 2-10)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

April 1, 2011

Gr 1-3-Watching is an apt theme for this picture-book introduction to Goodall's notable studies of chimpanzees. Drawing on the scientist's autobiographical writing, Winter begins with five-year-old Jane watching egg-laying in the henhouse. The childhood years of animal watching and finding inspiration in books such as Dr. Dolittle and Tarzan move quickly into Goodall's adult travel to Africa and meeting Louis Leakey. The long, often solitary years as a watcher of chimps are the main focus, succinctly described and depicted in wide, stylized acrylic paintings suggesting the expansive forest terrain. "Now Jane watched every day, all day-even huddled in the rain. She saw the chimps accept the rain, not look for shelter, as we do. And she kept notes about it all." Goodall's great piles of notes filling her tent are among many bits of humor tucked into the spare scenes. Her childhood is the subject of Patrick McDonnell's Me...Jane (Little, Brown, 2011). Children who are already independent readers will be intrigued by The Watcher's hard-earned encounters with the chimps. This more fulsome account closes with Goodall's world travels to speak out about saving the chimps, a timely note touching today's environmental concerns. As in The Librarian of Basra (Harcourt, 2005) and other biographies, Winter takes readers to a far part of the world in an appealing story for children who love animals or like books about real people.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2011
Grades 2-4 *Starred Review* Winter adds to her growing shelf of exemplary picture-book biographies with this stirring introduction to Jane Goodalls life and work. The meaning in the title becomes clear in the first pages: Goodalls passionate love of nature began in early childhood, when she watched ALL the animals in her world, big and smallearthworms, insects, birds, cats, dogs, and horses. As an adult, she moved to Tanzania with the desire to learn things that no one else knew, and she does just that, making the study and protection of the chimpanzees in the Gombe forest a focus of international fascination. Once again, Winter distills her subjects life into elegantly simple language that has the lyrical rhythm of poetry, while well-chosen excerpts from Goodalls journals bring an even greater sense of her personality and the immediacy and thrill that comes with sustained scientific observation and connection with animals. The vibrant acrylic paintings showcase Winters signature patterned compositions, richly saturated colors, and elemental shapes, and echo the graceful polish of the words in scenes of Goodall living and working in the dense forest; and young children will enjoy spotting the chimps hidden in the trees. An authors note rounds out this beautiful celebration of one of the worlds most influential animal advocates.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2011
This tranquil picture-book biography establishes from the beginning that Jane Goodall has always had the right temperament for the work that made her famous. A marvelous opening scene shows her at age five, sitting patiently in a henhouse, not emerging until able to announce to the frantic relatives searching for her that "I know how an egg comes out!" The theme of persistence, particularly in relation to observing animals, shapes the spare, inviting text, which takes Goodall from backyard observations to scientific study of chimpanzees in Tanzania. In Winter's signature stylized paintings, the jungle is rendered in cool blues and greens, and the pictures of Goodall's earliest days there offer the viewer playful games of hide-and-seek. One panorama has Jane sitting on a peak with binoculars while down below, unseen by her, chimps peep from the brush. The book does perpetuate the misconception that Goodall was alone during much of her field research (when in fact, from the outset, locals transported her gear and helped her find the best spots for viewing the animals). Yet overall it gives an accurate, visually appealing account of her discoveries -- that chimps eat meat, use tools, etc. -- and of her transition from watching chimpanzees to campaigning tirelessly to save them. Back matter not seen. christine m. heppermann

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)