Overview
Learn about different ways to measure time by following the growth of a baby chimp
Late one night, a tiny chimpanzee is born at a zoo in Kansas. He seems very weak, and the staff is worried. Will he survive? When the mother shows no interest in her baby, a pediatrician comes in to care for the little chimp. The baby grows strong and healthy, and soon he is big enough to be moved to the Denver Zoo. He is named Jiggs after the doctor who saved him.
Jiggs is a lot like human babies. He wears diapers. He plays with his toys. He loves his pets. And he learns all kinds of new skills as he gets older.
Follow Jiggs as he grows from a wobbly infant to a wild and wonderful toddler. Along the way you can learn about clocks, calendars, time lines, and other ways of keeping time records.
Synopsis
Learn about different ways to measure time by following the growth of a baby chimp
Late one night, a tiny chimpanzee is born at a zoo in Kansas. He seems very weak, and the staff is worried. Will he survive? When the mother shows no interest in her baby, a pediatrician comes in to care for the little chimp. The baby grows strong and healthy, and soon he is big enough to be moved to the Denver Zoo. He is named Jiggs after the doctor who saved him.
Jiggs is a lot like human babies. He wears diapers. He plays with his toys. He loves his pets. And he learns all kinds of new skills as he gets older.
Follow Jiggs as he grows from a wobbly infant to a wild and wonderful toddler. Along the way you can learn about clocks, calendars, time lines, and other ways of keeping time records.
Michael Chabin - Children's Literature
When his mother refused to care for him, zoo officials were forced to place Jiggs the chimp in the animal nursery of the Denver zoo. There he was put under the daily care of Cindy Bickell. She even took him home at night. Thanks to Cindy, Jiggs' infancy was like that of most human babies, with regular feedings, toys, and plenty of affection. He sucked his thumb at two months, took his first step at five months, and walked at ten months. There are snapshots of him wrestling with the dog, teasing the cat, and celebrating his first birthday. Unfortunately, independence comes early to chimpanzees and, at sixteen months, Jiggs was moved from his human habitat into the primate pen. He was miserable. So, probably, was Cindy. The emotional tie between humans and our nearest animal cousins is rich ground for a book, and the characters in this one would make an unforgettable story. Extraordinary questions arise. What is the crucial distinction between humans and chimps that makes it possible to put chimp babies in zoos? How is loving a chimp different from loving a human child? These questions are fundamental and fascinating to children. Unfortunately, rather than exploring them, the authors included an odd collection of mostly unconnected math on yellow facing pages. While there is no question that timelines and graphs could convey useful information in this story, and that math was essential to saving Jiggs, these pages are obviously extraneous, and separating the math from the main story creates an annoyingly pedantic tone. As it stands, this is not a particularly bad book, so much as a lost opportunity for a great one. 2002, Henry Holt and Company,
Editorials
Children's Literature
When his mother refused to care for him, zoo officials were forced to place Jiggs the chimp in the animal nursery of the Denver zoo. There he was put under the daily care of Cindy Bickell. She even took him home at night. Thanks to Cindy, Jiggs' infancy was like that of most human babies, with regular feedings, toys, and plenty of affection. He sucked his thumb at two months, took his first step at five months, and walked at ten months. There are snapshots of him wrestling with the dog, teasing the cat, and celebrating his first birthday. Unfortunately, independence comes early to chimpanzees and, at sixteen months, Jiggs was moved from his human habitat into the primate pen. He was miserable. So, probably, was Cindy. The emotional tie between humans and our nearest animal cousins is rich ground for a book, and the characters in this one would make an unforgettable story. Extraordinary questions arise. What is the crucial distinction between humans and chimps that makes it possible to put chimp babies in zoos? How is loving a chimp different from loving a human child? These questions are fundamental and fascinating to children. Unfortunately, rather than exploring them, the authors included an odd collection of mostly unconnected math on yellow facing pages. While there is no question that timelines and graphs could convey useful information in this story, and that math was essential to saving Jiggs, these pages are obviously extraneous, and separating the math from the main story creates an annoyingly pedantic tone. As it stands, this is not a particularly bad book, so much as a lost opportunity for a great one. 2002, Henry Holt and Company,— Michael Chabin