Bibliography
Rabinowitz,
Alan. 2014. Ill. by Catia Chien. A BOY AND A JAGUAR. New York: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN 9780547875071
Brief Summary Plot
Alan
has the disability of being a stutterer. He can do two things without
stuttering, sing and talk to animals. One day his father takes Alan to the
Bronx Zoo. Standing near a jaguar’s cage, Alan moves in close to the bars to
whisper to the animal. His father asks him what he is doing. Although this disability
causes great pain in his early years when he must interact with humans, he
converses quite well with animals without stuttering. At school he is placed in
a classroom for “disturbed children” even though his parents do not see him as
disturbed. Alan feels as if he is “broken.” Each day Alan goes to his room and
gets his animal pets out of his bedroom closet to tell them his dreams, without
stuttering. He makes a promise to his animals and the jaguar at the zoo that if
he “can ever find his voice, he will be their
voice and keep them from harm.” With the help of a teacher in college, Alan
learns to talk without stuttering. Still feeling broken, Alan, at first,
studies black bears in the forest and later goes to the jungles of Belize to
study jaguars. It is during this time that he feels more alive than ever.
Eventually, Alan is able to keep his promise of being the voice to those who
have no voice and establishes a preserve to protect the jaguars from hunters. His
story concludes, just as it began, with an encounter with a jaguar. Alan has
found his voice, a feeling of completeness, and all it took was a whisper.
Critical Analysis
Alan Rabinowitz, a renowned zoologist and conservationist,
writes of his life in this autobiographical story. Through first hand accounts,
he has supplied detailed information that accurately depicts his character with
the disability of stuttering. In this 2015 Schneider Family Book Award winning
book, he relives the pain of his debilitating disability of stuttering and his
inability to express himself, even in simple conversation.
Alan begins his story as a small boy who has been labeled
“disturbed” by his teachers and placed in a classroom with other children where
he cannot “disrupt his class.” I find this ironic considering his inability to
actually communicate is impeded; yet he is the one being disruptive in the
class. The sadness expressed in the text, as Alan states that his teachers
consider him “broken,” is only multiplied when he begins to question his own
self worth and ponder the possibility that he could be broken. As with many
students who have a disability, Alan finds ways to mask his stuttering. The
text states that Alan got “through school by learning tricks, when not to
speak, avoid situations, and just not be around people.” As with the animals,
he is mistreated for a condition that is of no fault of his own. His ability to
persevere through silent suffering is admirable to say the least. He has
provided insight into his life through his honest and heartbreaking portrayal
of a person with a stuttering issue. Having been a victim of the world’s
misunderstanding in regard to stutterers, the author has skillfully explored
the truths people with this disability encounter avoiding the stereotyping one
could display to promote his cause. The settings of the story take place at the
Bronx zoo, a safe haven for Alan, classrooms, doctor’s office, and his journey
into the wilderness.
The literary quality of the book is well written. The style
of writing is arranged for an evenness of simple sentences followed by lengthy
sentences. This formatting makes the text easily readable by a school age
child. The text is unique in that the font changes colors to match the
background. An example of how the text has a powerful effect on the reader can
be seen when Alan has finally had a breakthrough in college in his ability to
overcome his stuttering. The text is choppy and uneven. His words of “I still
feel broken” are slowly descending toward the bottom of the page in a solitary,
lonely fashion.
The plot of the story is a journey of overcoming
insurmountable obstacles to achieving overwhelming recognition and the ability
to keep one’s promise through all the self-doubt. Alan is even given the title
of “the Indiana Jones of wildlife conservation” by Time magazine. As Alan becomes an adult, he sees his disability as
a gift instead of a burden. A gift that not only gives him a sense of
wholeness, but also can bring about positive change for the animals he has
cared about his entire life. The author confronts his disability by providing
the reader with an intimate look into the emotional pilgrimage he takes to
overcome the stigma of stuttering and fulfill the promise to a species that has
no voice.
When examining the text for cultural markers, the examples
are limited. The reader can see language patterns identified when Alan has
enrolled in college for an experimental program. Although he has been told he
“will always be a stutterer, if he works at it he can be a fluent stutterer.”
The illustration supports this marker as you see the main character trying to
communicate. Letters are seen flowing out of his mouth, yet they do not form
words, are upside down, backwards, and visibly fading.
Catia Chien has beautifully illustrated this story with acrylic
and charcoal pencils. She has masterfully provided the reader a very personal
invitation into the emotionally driven world of the author. The illustrator
uses bright colors of yellows, greens, and white space to depict Alan at his
happiest moments when he is surrounded by animals. When Alan is confronted with
the stigma attached to his stuttering at school, the illustrator chose to
portray the classroom in a deep wine hue. Another example of an illustrations providing
the emotional heaviness the author experienced are the charcoal grey depiction
of people holding hands and turning their backs toward Alan as he walks sadly
away, avoiding people. He is also depicted looking inside panes of glass, which
are a pale blue, from the outside world from which he feels so cut off. In the
final pages of the story, the illustrator captures the scenic beauty with a bird’s
eye view of the jaguar preserve.
Cultural markers for facial features show a young Alan
Rabinowitz trying to explain his reasoning, yet terrified to speak due to his
disability. He is depicted head down and defeated as he stands in the middle of
the class for disturbed students. The reader has an overwhelming sense of sorrow
for the young boy as he is shamed by his teacher’s finger pointing. When Alan
is subjected to medical professionals’ poking and prodding, his expression is
one of desperation for his mother to rescue him. Poachers are identified by
faceless beings riding on horses streaked in black. Cultural markers for skin
tone accurately identify government officials from the country of Belize with
darken skinned.
The themes of this story are loneliness, isolation,
acceptance, the disability of stuttering, conservation of wildlife, and
perseverance. This book explores the world of a stutterer and can provide much
need empathy to those who know little of the disability or who have
preconceived misconceptions regarding stuttering. Children can identify with
the theme of loneliness or isolation and what brings them comfort, as in Alan’s
case that comfort was in animals. This book also provides children information
about the dangers that animals face in the wild with hunters and the need for
wildlife conservation.
An inspiring tribute to add to this story can be found on
the back of the book jacket. The review reads, “A beautiful book that will
inspire stutterers to succeed and make a positive difference in the world.”
This quote can be attributed to Temple Grandin, a noted activist for autism.
Awards
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, Winner 2014
Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books, Winner 2014
American Library Association Notable Books for Children,
Winner 2015
Ezra Jack Keats Book Award – New Writer, Honor Book United
States 2015
Schneider Family Book Award, Winner United States 2015
Review Excerpts
Kirkus Review reviewed May
20, 2010: A simple memoir recounts a lifelong bond between a
child who felt “broken” and the animals, especially jaguars that have informed
his life’s work.
The narrator
explains his teachers must think he is “broken” when he is switched from his
regular class due to his severe stuttering. But he can talk with his own small
menagerie at home—in fact, he says, he can only speak fluently when he is
singing or when he talks to animals. He promises the sad, caged jaguar at the
Bronx Zoo that one day he will be a voice for the animals. In college, he finds
ways to manage his stuttering; as an adult, he studies black bears and, later,
jaguars. In a triumphant moment, he helps persuade Belize to set aside land as
a jaguar preserve. Chien’s acrylic-and–charcoal-pencil art is filled with light
and warm, rich colors, her edge-to-edge illustrations inviting, emotional and
engaging. The forests of Belize are seen as deeply gray-green, a few animal
faces peeking from the thick growth of vegetation. A note about Rabinowitz
along with a brief Q-and-A pitched to young understanding confirm the promise
kept: The author continues to use his voice to advocate for big cats throughout
the world, as well as for stutterers.Moving and sweetly resonant. (Picture book/biography. 3-8)
Publishers Weekly reviewed March 3, 2014: In his first book for children, conservationist and adult author Rabinowitz frames his lifelong struggle with stuttering against his equally long-held love of animals, which led to a career spent studying and advocating for them. "I am a stutterer," he explains. "If I try to push words out, my head and body shake uncontrollably." The first-person present-tense narration creates an intimate connection to the author's pain as he is placed "in a class for disturbed children," subjected to unsuccessful treatments, and considered "broken" and disruptive by teachers. With animals, however, his words flow easily, and a young Alan promises a lonely jaguar at the Bronx Zoo: "If I can ever find my voice, I will be their voice and keep them from harm." Shadowy charcoal lines and the often-muted colors of Chien's paintings amplify Alan's solitude, but also reflect the profound joy; wonder, and healing he discovers studying animals in the wild. It's a candid and deeply resonant account of a hard-fought battle against societal stigma, and an embrace of one's true talent and calling.
Connections
Students can discuss the importance of keeping your
promises.
Students can write about a time when they made a promise and
kept it.
Students can research jaguars and other endangered animals.
Students can write a letter on behalf of an endangered
species, providing factual information on the need to assist in need to
contribute to its survival.
Students can discuss the importance of making sure all
children have a voice and feel valued in the classroom and outside of school.
Students can discuss the differences that all people have
and how these differences make us unique.
I have included a link to an interview with the author, Alan
Rabinowitz, which aired on NPR June 8, 2014. The interview discusses the book, A Boy And A Jaguar, and why it is
still painful for him to talk about his own story.
References
Kirkus Review. “A Boy And A Jaguar.” Kirkusreview.com
(accessed November 22, 2015)
Publishers Weekly. “A Boy And A Jaguar.”
Publishersweekly.com
(accessed November 22, 2015)
TWU Library Database – Books In Print
(accessed November 22, 2015)
TWU
Library Database - Children’ Literature Comprehensive Database
(accessed November 22, 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment