I am Jane Goodall

I am Jane Goodall BRAD MELTZER illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos

I am Jane Goodall.

On my first birthday, my father bought me a cuddly toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. JUBILEE... MEET JANE. I loved Jubilee. I mean it. Loved. I used to carry Jubilee with me everywhere. As I got older, when I'd line up all my toys and play teacher, Jubilee was the one who had his own chair. OKAY, CLASS, NOW WHO KNOWS WHAT RABBITS LIKE TO EAT? YES, JUBILEE. CORRECT AS ALWAYS. I didn't just love my toy chimpanzee, though. I loved all animals—even the earthworms I found in the garden. DID YOU BRING THE EARTHWORMS INSIDE THE HOUSE? DON'T WORRY, MUM... THEY'RE SAFE AS CAN BE. RIGHT UNDER MY PILLOW. My mum told me the worms would be safer in the garden, so we took them outside and buried them back in their home.

At five years old, I was curious to learn how chickens lay eggs, so I crawled into my grandmother's henhouse to watch. At first, all the hens were scared of me. Then I decided to crouch in the corner. If I had moved, the hens would've run away. I was patient, though. Finally, after all the hours of waiting, I saw what I was looking for. The hen gave a little wiggle and... Plop! There was an egg. WHERE WERE YOU? YOU'VE BEEN MISSING FOR SO LONG WE SENT OUT A SEARCH PARTY! YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE WHERE EGGS COME FROM! It was my first research project.

In addition to animals, I also loved nature. I named the chestnut tree Nooky, and the beech tree Beech. Beech was my favorite. THANK YOU, BEACH, FOR LETTING ME READ UP HERE. Oh, that was another thing I loved: Reading. Back then, my family didn't have a lot of money. To get books, we went to the library. When I was seven years old, I got a book that would change my life. It was called The Story of Doctor Dolittle. I read it once, then read it again, then read it a third time before it had to go back to the library. It was about a man who could talk to animals.

In the book, there's a parrot who says that if you want to learn how animals talk, you need the "power of observation." But what I remember most is the part where Dr. Dolittle and his animal friends are being chased and they come to a cliff. HOW ARE WE EVER GOING TO GET ACROSS? Right there, the monkeys joined hands and feet. They became the bridge. Isn't that beautiful? We can accomplish anything by working together. A BRIDGE! QUICK— MAKE A BRIDGE! After reading that book, I vowed that I would go to Africa and live among the animals.