I am Jane Goodall (Ordinary People Change the World)

This is a good introductory picture book about Jane Goodall that covers the timeline of her life. Vocabulary is such that it's a good read-aloud for younger kids. Probably 2nd or 3rd grade for reading alone, but by then the illustrations might be too baby-ish. And that leads us to the bothersome bit. Even though the story starts with Jane aged one, and goes through adulthood, the illustration depicting her never changes. In the parts of the story where she's an infant and adult, she has a white ponytail and looks much as she does now. In the parts of the story where she's an adult, she's still drawn child-sized, even when others on the page are adult sized. When she meets Dr. Leaky as an adult, in the illustration, she comes up to about his hip, and is shorter than his pet dog. Making her the size of a 3 or 4 year old even as an adult. This continues for the entirety of the section of the story that covers her adult life. This seems unnecessary. Why make all the other characters adult sized and keep the hero of the story child sized? While that seems to be a feature of this series, I'm disappointed.

I bought this for our grandsons (ages 3 1/2 & 6) in honor of "earth day" & Jane Goodall. I also made a point of reading it myself before dropping it off for them -- since I can't read it to them directly due to social distancing.The illustrations are visually appealing and the author incorporates information directly from JG's autobiographical writings. Having recently re-watched the National Geographic special on JG as well as a newer documentary that focuses on 3 pioneering female primatologists (including JG), I found this book to be genuine & authentic while still being accessible to very young children.I think it's extremely important to expose young boys (as well as girls) to profiles of females like JG who have managed to carve out unusual and independent career paths and who have had such a strong impact on environmental issues. Also, the next generation can only benefit by learning about humans who value their relationships with animals and nature as much (if not more than) their relationships with fellow humans. I hope to hear that the boys really enjoyed this book!

This book is so good, my daughter is 9 years old and a huge animal lover, she simply loved this book. She opened it up and read it pretty quickly, but she became an instant fan of Jane Goodall and was so happy to learn she's still alive. She really loved the illustrations as well. Although she's in 4th grade and a pretty easy read, she asked me to buy her the entire series. Yikes. Xmas present.

Great book. Great story. Wonderful message for kids, especially girls. Thought it would be short but it's a good size book. Not too many big words but also enough to challenge their reading skills.

Jane Goodall is my hero, and this book is a fine introduction to her life's story. The book is a non-fiction recounting of Jane Goodall's life. Throughout, she is depicted as a child, even when she is very clearly an adult. This is an intriguing device no doubt designed to help children relate to her better. The last few pages discuss how children can make a difference in their own lives and pursue their dreams.FORMAT: The book is written almost like a comic book. It is sure to draw in even reluctant readers with this format and clever illustrations.PROS:- Strong message, especially for girls. Dream it. Live it. Don't listen to the naysayers.- Very educational about Jane Goodall's life and work.- Very interesting, enjoyable, and informative read throughout.- Teaches compassion towards animals and all living things.CONS:- None.BEST READ BY: Children grades 2-5, although certainly you can read the book aloud with younger children. This book will especially speak to girls.BOTTOM LINE: A valuable addition to your library. Very strong 5 stars.

My grand-daughter, who just turned seven, absolutely loves this series by Brad Meltzer. She has several titles, with a couple more (Amelia Earhart and Helen Keller) tucked away for Christmas. As an educator, I am particularly interested in heroic role models for young girls. As always, Brad's love of history shines through and infuses a spirit of learning and aspiration. I highly recommend these books for any young reader.

I LOVE Jane Goodall myself - I love her as female role model, but just a human being who just pursued her passion and moved the big needle. So when I saw this book suggested on Amazon, I bought it for my 4yo daughter. I wasn't expecting her to be moved by her story, but I thought that she might like it because she likes animal. It's not a short book, for the first time when I read the whole book, she said "that was a long book!". But then she asked me a while later that she wanted me to read the book, and I think so far I've read to her 3 times total or so.But to my surprise - when my mom came to our place and playing with my daughter, she was showing all her toys and books and she picked up this book and she said "Her name is Jane Goodall and she likes monkeys" - and I was like, "What did I just hear?!?!". I now realized the power of these books and the way we (as parents) bring these incredible human beings' stories into their lives. I will buy other books again.

Brad Meltzer has created an outstanding series of first biographies in his "Ordinary People Change the World" series and "I am Jane Goodall" is one of the best series' entries. It is a little book, but it is a towering portrayal of a great woman. Goodall's entire life story is revealed in the easy reading text and through Christopher Eliopoulos's delightful cartoons. Goodall went where no man or woman had gone before and in doing so she revolutionized biological science and the importance of primates in the great scheme of things. Easy-reading picture book biographies such as this excellent example help beginning readers move from ABC, counting books, and fairy tales to nonfiction and to chapter books. "I am Jane Goodall" cannot be praised too highly.

Beautiful story, maybe a bit too mature for my 4.5 year old. She loved it, but it also caused us to discuss important but difficult topics: why were girls not being allowed to study / only allowed to be nurses? (why Jane did not want to be a nurse?) why would someone think chimpanzees do not have feelings? (all questions asked by my daughter). So this book does its job brilliantly, however I would not recommend below 4.5 years old, even better for a bit older children.

Good book.

Cute , not sure what is the right age for thougth.

A powerful book for all ages

This book is perfect. I went to see Dr. Goodall speak in person, and this book tells her story exactly as she did. The book is also very cute (the illustrations, etc.) , and informative as well. I am a teacher, and cannot wait to use this with my students!