Rickie and Henri: A True Story by Jane Goodall, Illustrated by Alan Marks


Posted on Jul 16, 2009
By Tanya Turgeon

REVIEW by Tanya Turgeon

Penguin Young Readers Group, 2004
32 pages
$15.99

By now I hope you have checked out the most recent Lively Licks blog, courtesy of Glenn Close and featuring the incomparable Jane Goodall.  Over the last few decades her name has become synonymous with chimpanzees; and somehow, amazingly, between researching, rescuing, living with, and lecturing on these beautiful creatures Goodall also found time to write several children's books.  One of which, "Rickie and Henri", she appropriately referred to in the interview as it demonstrates beautifully how the worlds of chimps and dogs can collide.

Reminiscent of the opening scenes in "Bambi", "Rickie and Henri" follows the life of a young chimpanzee (Rickie) who becomes orphaned by hunters.  When they attempt to sell her illegally at a market in Africa, a kind Congolese man comes to her rescue.  Rickie is taken into his home where she finds safety but loneliness as the man is often away on business trips.  Still a young chimp, Rickie looks for someone to cling to and finds it both literally and figuratively in the form of the man's scruffy brown dog (Henri).

It seems a difficult task to present a serious and often horrifying topic in a way accessible for children, yet Goodall handles it with ease.  Her writing is simple, clear and easy for children to follow without sacrificing the emotional impact and realistic consequences of hunting.  Further enhanced by the poignant illustrations of Alan Marks; in particular, a heartbreaking image of young Rickie chained and forlorn at the market, Goodall's story is certain to leave a lasting impression.

Without diminishing the capabilities of Goodall's imagination, it's important to note- as Goodall herself did on the cover and in the postscript - that this is a true story.  It simply makes the message of inter-species nurturing and friendship all the more inspiring.  "What a lovely picture they made: a small black chimpanzee with huge sad eyes clinging tightly to a medium sized brown shaggy dog whose bright eyes peered onto the world through his thick fringe of curly fur."

"Rickie and Henri" is a great way to pass on the respect for all creatures and the possibility of peace between those with opposable thumbs and those without that Jane Goodall has spent a lifetime advocating.

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