A Boy and a Jaguar

by Alan Rabinowitz, Catia Chien (Illustrator)

Overview

2015 Schneider Family Book Award Winner

Alan loves animals, but the great cat house at the Bronx Zoo makes him sad. Why are they all alone in empty cages? Are they being punished? More than anything, he wants to be their champion—their voice—but he stutters uncontrollably.

Except when he talks to animals…

Then he is fluent.

Follow the life of the man Time Magazine calls, "the Indiana Jones of wildlife conservation"as he searches for his voice and fulfills a promise to speak for animals, and people, who cannot speak for themselves. This real-life story with tender illustrations by Catia Chien explores truths not defined by the spoken word.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547875071
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	05/06/2014
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	47,638
Product dimensions:	11.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD670L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Dr. Alan Rabinowtiz has dedicated his life to two causes: protecting the world's thirty-six wild cat species and advocating for stutterers as a spokesperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America. His conservation work has been chronicled in the New York Times, Scientific American, Audobon, Outside, Jerusalem Report and National Geographic Explorer, among others. He tells audiences that he feels lucky to have been given the gift of stuttering and believes that without it, he would not be on the path of his passion--saving big cats. This is his first book with Houghton Mifflin. Vist www.panthera.org and www.stutteringhelp.org.

Catia Chien is an avid painter who works from her studio in Southern California. She is a collection of fun entomology facts and has been known to prefer soup over most other types of food. Besides filled with vivid imagination, her work is described as rich with whimsy, colors, and energy. She is currently producing work for the children's book market, film and animation, comic book anthologies, and galleries.

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/03/2014
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. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Anna Olswanger, Liza Dawson Associates. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"This book made me cry tears of sympathy, and joy. You and I are this boy; You and I are this jaguar."
—Sherman Alexie, National Book Award winner for The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian

"This true story of a promise kept is for everyone – no matter what age – to read and share."
—Sy Montgomery, Sibert Medal Winner for Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot

"A beautiful book that will inspire stutterers to succeed and make a positive difference in the world."
—Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation

* "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...Iit'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."
—Publisher's Weekly, starred review

* "Moving and sweetly resonant."
—Kirkus, starred review

"The emotional resonance of the text, urgency of the issues discussed, and breathtakingly breautiful illustrations make this book a winner...A testament to the fierce beauty of jaguars and the human spirit."
—School Library Journal

"Readers will feel privileged to be part of this magical experience."
—Booklist

"Kids with speech issues, and those who bond with  animals more easily than with fellow humans, will especially relate to Rabinowitz's emotionally honest narrative."
—Bulletin

From the Publisher

Alan Rabinowitz, a noted conservationist, provides children with a moving autobiography, detailing his struggles with stuttering and how his love for animals, particularly for jaguars, provided liberation. Many children will be able to identify with this story. Chien’s illustrations, which rely on broad brushstrokes and bright, bold colors, provide a strong emotional current to the story, particularly in passages addressing Rabinowitz’s isolation in school. Chien’s colors represent Rabinowitz’s feelings—a crimson canvas when he feels ostracized at school and bright yellow when he feels happy talking to animals. The emphasis is always on Rabinowitz, showing no other illustrations of people (with his talking to the government of Belize as one exception). The illustrations will certainly draw in readers, especially young boys who will see a bit of themselves in Rabinowitz’s tale. The story is important for children, stressing the ability to overcome adversity, especially at school; the importance of conservation; and the importance of Rabinowitz’s story itself. This beautifully illustrated and well-written book will keep children entertained while also conveying some important life lessons. Reviewer: Laura Kotti; Ages 4 to 8.

Children's Literature - Laura Kotti

04/01/2014
Gr 2–5—Rabinowitz is a wildlife conservationist and spokesperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America. When he was a boy, he discovered that, despite severe speech challenges, he had a gift for communicating with animals. The book charts his story through college and his travels to the jungles of Belize. Eventually, he overcomes his stutter enough to speak before the prime minister on behalf of the jaguars. Chien's acrylic and charcoal illustrations perfectly capture the tenacious, loving spirit of the author as a boy and a lonely, intrepid young man. Chien has a flair for painting animals as well as portraying Rabinowitz's condition with empathy. One page, drenched in a moody mauve, depicts his anguished face and hands gripping at his throat as he tries to "push words out." With the flip of a page, readers see the boy awash in yellow sunlight, surrounded by animals, his face completely relaxed as he speaks fluently. Rabinowitz's text is elegant, if at times slightly wordy for the target audience: "In this animal's eyes are strength and power and sureness of purpose." The emotional resonance of the text, urgency of the issues discussed, and breathtakingly beautiful illustrations make this book a winner. The story will help children empathize with their peers with speech issues and will be a lifeline to those with special needs or who feel like outsiders for one reason or another. Every library should own this book, a testament to the fierce beauty of jaguars and the human spirit.—Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard High School Early College, Queens, NY

School Library Journal

★ 2014-03-17
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)

Kirkus Reviews