A Boy and A Jaguar By: Alan Rabinowitz Illustrated by: Catia Chien
About:
This Schneider Family Book Award winner tells a true and heart warming story of a boy who finds himself at home when with animals. In this story a little boy Alan is a stutterer. When he talks he constantly cannot get his words out because of his stutters and shakes. Alan is unable to find his voice in the world when he speaks to humans. He is thrown in classes for the disturbed children and doctors cannot seem to have him find his voice. However, with animals he not only has his voice but he becomes their advocate. As a boy Alan would talk to the jaguars at the Bronx Zoo without stuttering. Eventually, he went on to study animals in the jungles of Belize where he advocated for the first ever Jaguar nature preserve. He learns that through his passion of animals he not only has a voice, but he can be the voice of animals who similar to himself cannot speak for themselves.
Thoughts:
This true tale of Alan Rabinowitz will have every student wondering who they can assist and advocate for. In this novel the way which Alan is portraited makes it that students from all backgrounds can relate to him. Alan feels a sense of belonging at a different place than others as do many other children. Whether it be on a sports field, in a dance studio, on stage, or with animals students will often have their own places which they feel at home. This book also highlights a common speech issue students have and shows students what not to do. It shows that if students are welcoming and patient with a student who stutters that the student will still be able to communicate effectively. This book is a fantastic read for all students who have ever felt outcast or have a different sense of the “home” feeling than other children.
Classroom Application:
This book is an excellent book to do as a read aloud for all grades. Having a sense of belonging or home is something we are often judged on and makes us different from others. This book can be used to inspire children to reflect on their own feelings and when they feel most at “home.” Students can write about the reasons why they feel at “home” at these places and will eventually see the commonalities behind feeling at home in any place.
In addition this book addresses a child who cannot properly communicate due to stuttering. Children can think about this and analyze how if they had a classmate who could not find his voice how they would help them. This could lead to a unit about helping others.
The final application would be being an advocate for a cause. Alan is an advocate for Jaguars and words to help their safety and quality of life. We can all be advocates and fight for others who cannot fight for themselves. Students could research and write about a cause which they would want to advocate for and even participate in the programs to advocate for these causes.
Additional Resources:
Alan Rabinowitz tribute page: https://www.panthera.org/alan-rabinowitz-tribute
Interview with Alan Rabinowitz:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQWjr_YGN-Q
Interview with Alan Rabinowitz: https://www.npr.org/2014/06/08/319420681/a-boy-and-his-jaguar-speak-to-children-who-feel-misunderstood