Railway Jack: The True Story of an Amazing Baboon

Gr 3-5—Debut author Johnston focuses on the relationship between Jim Wide, a railway guard and train inspector in Uitenhage, South Africa, in the late 1800s, and his service animal Jack, a chacma baboon. Wide made himself a pair of wooden legs after a work accident left him without the lower portions of his legs. He displayed continuous ingenuity when creating tools to improve his mobility and the capacity to do his job. One day, Wide saw Jack assisting a man with his oxen. Wide purchased Jack and trained the animal to pitch in with the many tasks around his home, help him get around, and ultimately provide aid in some of his rail work duties. Johnston is thorough in explaining the railway process that Jim was required to do. Spanish illustrator Samaniego's digitally rendered images support the text in depicting the mechanics of the train system and portraying details specific to the historical era. Both the art and the narrative steer clear of any anthropomorphization of Jack. Back matter includes photos of Jack and Wide at work, an author's note, information on primates, the history of service animals, discussion questions, and a glossary. Though the book successfully shows people's relationships with service animals and offers a positive portrayal of disability, readers have to get to the end of the book to obtain context about the time period's lack of services for people with disabilities. It also only shows a white population of South Africa. VERDICT A good conversation starter that will need some unpacking.—Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR