Animals – Jaguars

A Boy and a Jaguar written by Alan Rabinowitz and illustrated by CáTia Chien is reviewed by MaryAnne Locher.

Starred reviews from both Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus.

“Moving and sweetly resonant.”
—Kirkus Review, starred review

Alan Rabinowitz, author of the new nonfiction picture book A Boy and a Jaguar (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; May 2014; Ages 4-8), grew up as a stutterer, someone who has trouble forming words and getting them out. His difficulties speaking, and a lack of understanding by those around him, caused him to feel “broken” and separate from people. As a boy he spent much of his time with animals. They never hurried him or made fun of him for stuttering. In fact, when he spoke to animals, he didn’t stutter at all! He makes a promise to his pets and to his favorite animal, a sad caged jaguar at the Bronx Zoo.

“…if I can ever find my voice, I will be their voice and keep them from harm.”

In A Boy and a Jaguar, illustrated by CáTia Chien, Rabinowitz has found his voice. By doing so, he has given hope to people of all ages, that no matter what their personal obstacle, with hard work and a sense of purpose, that obstacle can be transcended, and great things can be achieved.

While in college, Rabinowitz finally learned to speak without stuttering, but still didn’t feel whole. He enjoyed his study of bears in the Smoky Mountains, but found that he was more comfortable in the jungles of Belize tracking and studying jaguars than he was anywhere else. Rabinowitz never forgot the jaguar at the zoo from his childhood, or his promise to the animals, and so he convinced the prime minister of Belize to set up a preserve to save jaguars from the trophy hunters who were killing them. Quite an accomplishment, stutterer or not!

By the end of the book, Rabinowitz speaks fluently, feels whole, and has a very special close encounter in nature. This is a beautiful inspirational story in and of itself, but Chien’s use of charcoal pencil and acrylics enhances the mood of the book. Solemn grays and blues, peaceful forest greens, and bright and cheery golds compliment the metamorphosis that occurs for Rabinowitz.

Bonus: There is a Q&A with the author himself on the back cover flap, where we discover Dr. Alan Rabinowitz has devoted his life to being the voice for those who can’t speak for themselves, whether animal or human.

Here’s a link to Publisher’s Weekly interview with Rabinowtiz.