A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz

A Boy and a Jaguar

by Dr. Alan Rabinowitz

Image Credit: A Boy and a Jaguar at stutteringhelp.org

1. Bibliography

Rabinowitz, Alan. Illustrated by Catia Chien. A Boy and a Jaguar. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. ISBN 9781442474659

2. Plot Summary

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.” 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.” (Summary Credit: A Boy and a Jaguar at publishersweekly.com)

3. Critical Analysis

The main character is a young Alan Rabinowitz, only referred to in the story in the first person (I, me, and mine). It is a story of him overcoming a severe stutter, he had all through his young life. The only time his stutter is not an issue is when he is singing or talking to animals. Rabinowitz manages his disability by not talking.  His parents try many solutions (special classes, doctors and hypnosis).  A specialist in college finds a way for Rabinowitz to cope (but never overcome) but Rabinowitz still feels broken.  The settings are many locations throughout Rabinowitz’s life (home, school, the zoo, and the jungle).

At no time is Rabinowitz’s stuttering elucidated. Rabinowitz’s describes what it feels like to stutter (“mouth freezes”, “avoid situations” and “broken).  The acrylic illustrations are indistinct enough that you can’t read an expression on the characters face, however, the color palette chosen gives a sense of the emotion behind the words. The story does a good job of being accurate to the disability described.  Even though the stuttering is ever expounded, this feels true to the fact that Rabinowitz’s avoided talking, therefore, you would not have heard him speak.  It also avoids stereotype by not making the stutter the focus of the story and spotlighting more how the stutter makes the main character feel.  Also, the story does not dwell on the disability, it rather talks briefly about how the character overcame and further how and why Rabinowitz finds his voice.

4. Review Experts

~ 2015 Schneider Family Book Award Winner

~Kirkus Reviews: “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 animals 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.”

~Publishers Weekly: “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. 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.”

5. Connections

~Gather and read other books by Dr. Alan Rabinowitz about Giant Cat conservation including:

            An Indomitable Beast: The Remarkable Journey of the Jaguar.  ISBN 1597269964

            Cougar: Ecology & Conservation. ISBN 0226353443

            The Complete Tiger Man Diaries. ASIN B000FIHM8K

            Beyond the Last Village: A Journey of Discovery in Asia’s Forbidden Wilderness. ISBN 1559637994

            Chasing the Dragon’s Tail: The Struggle to Save Thailand’s Wild Cats. ISBN 9781559639804

~Use with other Schneider Family Book Award-winning picture books:

            Say, Allen. Silent Days, Silent Dreams. ISBN 9780545927611

            Bryant, Jen and Boris Kulikov. Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille. ISBN 0449813371

            Thompson, Laurie Ann.  Illustrated by Sean Qualls. Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. ISBN 044981744X

~Science: Use in a segment about the big cats.