Information Nonfiction/Biography and Autobiography

Book 1: Biography

Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

Bibliography:
McDonnell, P., Schulz, J., Command-Z Design, & Little, B. a. C. (2011). Me... jane. New York: Little, Brown.

Summary:
The book is story about the life of Dr. Jane Goodall as a young girl. This girl loves her stuffed toy chimpanzee and animals of every kind. She tries to learn as much as she can from books and observation. She feels a connection to Tarzan's Jane and one day hopes to live in a jungle to help the animals. It shows the drive that will lead her as an adult.

My Impression:  
It is a book for younger elementary students. I really enjoyed the illustrations. I found them charming and well done to match the text. It hares Jane’s love and interest in animals and the world around her. Her intent to go to Africa was evident as early as the age of 10. I really enjoyed this account of a girl with big dreams. Good message to kids that they can do whatever they set their mind to.   

Reviews 

“This account of the childhood of Jane Goodall, the famous animal behavior scientist is complemented by ink and watercolor sketches in Patrick McDonnell’s popular style. Jane is shown as a child hiding for hours in the hen house to observe egg-laying, a practice which anticipate her long vigils watching and recording chimpanzees in the Tanzanian game reserve. There are pages of animal puzzles drawn by youthful Jane and photographs of her as a child and as a grownup. This account shows how her childhood dream of helping animals in Africa became a reality. The narrative ends with a message from Dr. Goodall saying that “each one of us makes a difference in the world.” The back matter includes a page of information about Goodall for adults. This pictorial account of the scientist’s youth is  a good introduction to the longer biographies on library shelves.” – Library Media Connection (K - Gr. 3)
 

Kimball, J. (2011). Me . . . Jane. Library Media Connection, 30(2), 83.
 

“Little Jane loves her stuffed animal, a chimpanzee named Jubilee, and carries him everywhere she goes. Mainly, they go outdoors, where they watch birds building their nest and squirrels chasing each other. Jane reads about animals in books and keeps a notebook of sketches, information, and puzzles. Feeling her kinship with all of nature, she often climbs her favorite tree and reads about another Jane, Tarzan’s Jane. She dreams that one day she, too, will live in the African jungle and help the animals. And one day, she does. With the story’s last page turn, the illustrations change from ink-and watercolor scenes of Jane as a child, toting Jubilee, to a color photo of Jane Goodall as a young woman in Africa, extending her hand to a chimpanzee. Quietly told and expressively illustrated, the story of the child as a budding naturalist is charming on it own, but the photo on the last page opens it up through a well-chosen image that illuminates the connections between childhood dreams and adult reality. On two appended pages, “About Jane Goodall” describes her work, while “A Message from Jan” invites others to get involved. This remarkable picture book is one of the few that speaks, in a meaningful way, to all ages.” - Booklist (PreS - Gr. 3)

Phelan, C. (2011). Me . . . Jane. Booklist, 107(14), 53.

Use in Classroom Setting:
After reading Me…Jane students discuss how her interest in animals turned into her grown up job. Students draw a picture of what they want to be when they grow up. Students share with the class their picture and explain to the class what they want to be when they grow up.
 

Students read Me…Jane and discuss the importance of keeping a journal. The class works together to complete a journal about animals. Learners use a variety of materials to design an entry in the animal journal using collages, drawings, and paintings. In the end the journal has pictures and short facts about a variety of animals.

Book 2: Biography

Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science by John Fleischman

Bibliography:
Fleischman, J. (2002). Phineas gage: A gruesome but true story about brain science. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

 

Summary: 
Phineas Gage is the foreman from a construction crew in 1848. He has a horrible brain injury that it seems he has recovered from but he dies of it more than 11 years later. A tamping iron (similar to a crow bar) goes in through his cheek and out through his forehead injuring the frontal lobes of his cortex but he is still alive and conscious.  His brain injury becomes famous because it helps to make discoveries about the brain and how it works because like his doctor observes “Gage was no longer Gage.” In 10 weeks Gage is marked as physically healed but the doctor is not convinced about his mental state. His personality has changed. Someone who used to be able to work well with others has list the ability to socially interact. Doctor Harlow writes about the case and gets the attention of a Harvard Professor of Surgery. Everyone is so interested because if he is still alive then what does that part of the brain do? Gage and Dr. Harlow travel to Boston where they meet with doctors who have two different theories about how the brain works. While both theories are incorrect they move research further that eventually starts to move in the right direction pinpointing control areas and mapping the brain bit by bit.  

My Impression:  
The story tells the event of Phineas brain injury in 1800’s giving the reader a good look at the event and the time period. It’s amazing to read about what doctors thought then compared to what they now in regards to Brain Science. The book frequently refers findings for the reader to understand the time line of medical advances when discussing the events of Phineas’ situation. Details of the story are expressed greatly through the pictures and diagrams within the book. I was really intrigued by the Phenological Head illustration and started touching my own head to try and feel what those brain “organs” might say about me. The entire book itself was so interesting, different from reading about the case from a dry medical journal this book included aspects of his like that made you understand Gage and his importance and struggle better.

 
Reviews: 

"In 1848, Phineas Gage, a twenty-six-year-old explosives expert, had an accident that should have killed him. His three-foot-long, spear like tamping iron, accidentally igniting the blasting powder, shot thirty feet into the air after first passing through his head. Miraculously, Gage was able to walk around, talk lucidly about the accident, and even joke with his horrified doctor. Later, it became clear that his personality and ability to make sound judgments had been drastically changed. Gage became the central figure in a medical debate between two factions of scientists that lasted long after his death eleven years later. Both the phrenologists and the whole-brain theorists were convinced that Gage's survival and personality transformation proved their theories and negated those of the other party. In fact, both theories were mostly incorrect. John Fleischman's bold, present-tense writing draws the reader into the story from the first sentence: 'The most unlucky/lucky moment in the life of Phineas Gage is only a minute or two away… [Soon] Phineas will have a horrible accident" The grisly cover photo of Gage's skull, a classy design, and large illustrations aid in captivating a younger audience (nine and up seems about right) who will likely be hooked by the story before Fleischman begins delving into the specifics of brain anatomy. While the text frequently addresses the reader directly ("Imagine you are inside Phineas’ head"), the serious subject and the author's skill keep the writing from becoming jejune. What truly elevates this book beyond a blow-by-blow description of a ghastly event and its aftermath is the introduction of the idea that some scientists are zealots who are compelled to support their own theories even if it means remaining blind to new evidence. At the heart of the book is the revelation that while science is a discipline based on facts, these "facts" change, forcing the field to evolve and reinvent itself.” – Horn Book Magazine (Intermediate, Middle School)
 

Robinson, L. (2002). Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science. Horn Book Magazine, 78(3), 343-344.
 

"The fascinating story of the construction foreman who survived for 10 years after a 13-pound iron rod shot through his brain. Fleischman relates Gage's "horrible accident" and the subsequent events in the present tense, giving immediacy to the text. He avoids sensationalizing by letting the events themselves carry the impact. The straightforward description of Gage calmly chatting on a porch 30 minutes after the accident, for example, comes across as horrifying and amazing. The author presents scientific background in a conversational style and jumps enthusiastically into such related topics as phrenology, 19th-century medical practices, and the history of microbiology. He shows how Gage's misfortune actually played an intriguing and important role in the development of our knowledge of the brain. The present-tense narrative may cause occasional confusion, since it spans several time periods and dates are not always immediately apparent from the text. Illustrations include historical photographs; one showing the iron bar posed dramatically next to Gage's skull is particularly impressive. Other photos and diagrams help explain the workings of the brain. The work of Gage expert Malcolm Macmillan, cited in the list of resources, seems the likely main source for the quotes and details of Gage's life, but this is not clearly spelled out in the text or appendixes. Like Penny Colman's Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts (Holt, 1997) and James M. Deem's Bodies from the Bog (Houghton, 1998), Phineas Gage brings a scientific viewpoint to a topic that will be delightfully gruesome to many readers." - School Library Journal (Gr. 5 & Up)

Engelfried, S. (2002). Phineas Gage (Book). School Library Journal, 48(3), 247.
 

Use in Classroom Setting:
Students pay close attention to the mention of advances in medical science when reading Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science. Afterwards the class works together to research then prepare timelines with graphic representations showing the specific medical advances they found. Then the class discusses the impact of these advances. 
 

The students will pay close attention to the Phrenology chart in Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science. In groups the students have a chance to create their own Phrenology Chart using our current understanding of the brain function. They will do so on a bathing cap to demonstrate their work on a person. More resources for this lesson are found on the PBS site (http://www.pbs.org/saf/1302/teaching/teach.pdf ).