Me... Jane by Patrick McDonnell (Hachette Book Group 2011)
There are people in this world that really inspire me; too many to list them here but they all have one thing in common: their lives are full of passion and are a reflection of what they believe in. Earlier this year I had the pleasure (together with a couple of hundred other people) of meeting one of these inspiring persons: Jane Goodall.
Needless to say it was a very exciting night that left my head filled with ideas for positive change. One of the ideas that resounded with me the most is the importance of bringing the new generations closer to nature, of spending time with them engaging and interacting with the natural world. How are they going to develop a love for it otherwise?
The night ended with a book-signing session and one of the books for sale at the event was “Me…Jane” by Patrick McDonnell. Imagine my thrill at reading this beautiful children’s book based on Jane’s life story! I had to get a copy! So I did and it has been very much loved and read since.
“Me…Jane” tells the empowering story of a curious young Jane and her toy chimpanzee Jubilee. Jane spends her days immersed in nature, observing and documenting what she sees (some of her delightful drawings and notes are included in the book). She dreams of “a life living with, and helping, all animals” in Africa... until one day she awakes to find her dream come true.
This is a very sweet and simple story but what I love about it the most is the message it gives: follow your interests, have dreams and don’t give up.
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