The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps

I stumbled upon this book last weekend and I'm glad I did. The kidders in my life love it and the adults are inspired by the story. The illustrations are top notch. It arrived quickly and as promised.

Great book! Nice quality... nice art... well done!

Jeanette Winter is one of the finest creators of picture book biographies for young readers and this tribute to the great scientist Jane Goodall is among her finest works. Biography is a super transition from picture book story fare to nonfiction chapter books for young readers. With spare but vital text and outstanding illustrations the author reveals the life of one of the most remarkable persons in the world of scientific inquiry in the past fifty years. Here also is a story of courage of a woman rising to the top of a knowledge pyramid more frequently dominated by men. Any young reader who loves animals and admires the people who study them will find this biography to be an instant favorite. Winters equally balances Goodall's life of scholarship with her work as a global activist among young people. This is a choice book about a truly inspiring individual.

I bought this book for my daughter's second birthday. While this book is meant for older children, both my daughter and my 4 year-old son love this book. We have been reading it almost every night for the last several weeks. The pictures are beautiful and interesting for young children (my kids love looking for all the chimps hiding in the trees). It is a simple story that my 4-year old can understand. I think this book will help inspire a love of nature and respect for animals in my children, and it provides an example of a strong, independent female role model for my daughter.

I have bought many children's books about Jane Goodall; they are all special but this one is my favorite; the illustrations are stunningly beautiful; my granddaughter agreed.

I used this book with second through fifth graders to discuss how Jane Goodall encompasses the "global learning" focus of our school. My students loved the story and illustrations, and loved learning about how chimps are so similar to humans. My older students were able to have amazing discussions about how Jane investigated the world around her, how she effectively communicated her ideas to the public, and how she worked to preserve Gombe. The writing itself is simple enough that my younger students could easily follow along, but the topics were complex enough to engage my older students. Wonderful book!

It is SO hard to find good books with female leads that are not a princess for kids at this age, and I think it's important for boys and girls to read them. This book is not only well written with beautiful pictures, it is a true story and a real role model for all kids who love nature and animals. Love this book.

Beautifully illustrated information about young Jane Goodall.