Jemmy Button

by Jennifer Uman (Illustrator), Alix Barzelay, Valerio Vidali (Illustrator)

A beautiful collaboration based on a true story.

Jennifer Uman and Valerio Vidali discovered a mutual interest in this story and overcame language obstacles with the help of translators. Jemmy Button, a native of Tierra del Fuego, was brought to England in the mid-1800s to be "educated and civilized." The book illustrates Jemmy’s adventures in England, his extraordinary encounters, his homesickness and experiences as an outsider in a strange land, and his return home.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Biography, Historical, History, Nonfiction, Native Americans

48 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Jennifer Uman is a self-taught painter and illustrator. Her work has appeared in the New York Times and in publications throughout the world. This is her first illustrated book.

Reviews

[Ruth Quiroa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Illustrations give pause to linger on each page. Large, over-sized, often full-page spreads without borders use silhouettes and bold splashes of color to draw the reader's to attention the big ideas in the text. However, the overall story perspective is NOT that of the child protagonist, but rather that of a "subjective" other explicating facts, which allows (even leads) young readers to infer a Disney-like capture, integration into European society, and uneventful return home with few emotional upheavals for the child/ young man. I found it truly hard to believe that his birth parents were not depicted visually (quite dehumanizing), and that they did not experience stress and loss--what did they think would happen if they didn't sell their child? The text presents evidence that his adoptive family doted on and gave him all manner of things to ensure their care. Not so his birth parents. Maybe no written record exists of their care, but by not presenting the possibility of such, a young child might conclude that they were not "good" parents. This is made stronger when the boy is described as only missing the flora and fauna of his native land with no mention of the people!! This text would need quite a bit of mediation and background information if used with younger children. It could serve as a great text for critical analysis alongside study of colonialism in Social studies and history classes.

[Vincent Desjardins · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could, I would give the illustrations in this book a separate rating of 5 stars. They are truly beautiful. The two page spread with Jemmy looking out a ship's port-hole at the ocean teeming with marine life is spectacular. The spare text, on the other hand, left me wanting more. What happened to the real Orundellico (aka Jemmy Button) had to have been a traumatic event, one I'm sure that must have left life-long scars. The real Orundellico was taken from his people as a young boy and sent to England to be educated in Christianity and Victorian customs. But other than the author mentioning that the boy missed the boughs of the trees and the night sky on his island home, the reader is never told about the difficulties that he must have faced in trying to assimilate into white society. Not to mention the horror of being separated from one's family. The text in this version of events reads like a candy-coated bedtime story. I think this tragic chapter in the history of British colonialism would have been better served if it had been told for a slightly older audience, an audience that could start to understand some of the sad implications inherent in this sad true life story.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spotted this at the library and thought it would make for a fun pairing with another book I’m reading, This Thing of Darkness, a chunky novel about Captain Robert FitzRoy’s expeditions to Tierra del Fuego (on one of which he was accompanied by Charles Darwin on the Beagle). But I was disappointed by the vague plot and unrealistic art in this picture book.

I understand simplifying events for children, but here that’s to the point of historical inaccuracy. Orundellico/Jemmy was one of four Fuegian natives taken by ship to England, and he wasn’t a boy, as depicted here, but a teenager of 15 to 16. His reaction to a new culture is portrayed reasonably well, but there’s no indication of him having to learn another language or of the difficulty of readjusting to life when the Beagle returned him to his home a year later. (A page at the end gives a bit more context on the latter point, but still not the full story.)

White people and England are depicted through prim paper cut art, as opposed to the loose lines and lush colors used for Jemmy (whose head often looks like a red-orange thumbprint with hair) and the Argentinian and ocean scenery. Tierra del Fuego is shown as a land of rainforest, which I don’t think is correct. I can see why contrasting illustration styles were chosen, but I would have preferred more representativeness.

[Maggie Banks]

Jemmy Button by Jennifer Uman and Valerio Vidali is a book that takes readers on an adventure about a boy’s young life and how his whole perspective on life changed when he left his island. Jemmy always felt smaller than everything and felt that everything was almost like his life on the island. The people who took him back to their land introduced him to so many new things and changed his style and his life in so many ways. One day they wanted Jemmy to go back and to teach his people about everything that he has learned from them and show how much he has changed in order to change his people as well. When he goes back to his land and back to his people, he immediately sheds what he was wearing and goes back to his life on the island completely unchanged from everything that he has seen in the land that is not his own. I think this book would be good for third graders to work with adventure books and introduce them to colonization and how our world changed during the 1800’s. Using culture to show how ideas and language spread across the globe would be a good point to highlight in relation to Jemmy and his adventure that he had. Another activity that I would do with students would be to highlight geography and how the world trades and interacts with each other by the spread of culture. How people get places and how interconnected we are as a world would be a point that I would want to highlight. This book was a WOW book for me because of the message and the inspiring story that Jemmy takes. The fact that people tried to change him so much and that he almost acted like the people that offered him a new culture but then ultimately never changed who he was resonated with me at my core. The fact that he went back to who he was after being offered and almost changed so much is so inspiring and shows his loyalty to who he was as a person and who he belonged to culturally.

[Angelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such beautuful illustrations, but the story (based on real events) could have been told in a more realistic way.

[Alice Maton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beautifully illustrated picture book is based on a true event of Jemmy Button. He is given that name as he is taken from his island by aristocratic westerners who believe they can teach a feral person to be sophisticated in a more civilised society. The colours and contrasts are great and a good talking point when reading this book, for example there is page that is all red and gold when he meets the king and queen - lots can be inferred from this.
It is simple but effective.
Eventually they take him back, with Charles Darwin on the ship, and as soon as he gets back he strips off the suit and goes back to the same spot in the trees where he started. Looking at the night sky and stars over the ocean.
This can open the dialogue of innate and learnt behaviours, can we really change the way people behave to fit our ideology? Is it actually what they want? Morally, is this okay? Now and then? It is written in 3rd person, but I wonder what Jemmy is thinking the whole time?
This can then follow on to learn more about the true story and the conclusions Darwin and the other scientists made.

[MiKayla McLamb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book fulfills the mystery/adventure genre.

Jemmy Button is about a boy who travels from his country to another country. He finds new adventures and sees many thing while in the other country. However, there is no place that close to his heart as home is.

I think this book would be appropriate for 3rd graders. I would love to use this book when talking about culture in a classroom. I believe this could show a personal perspective of a boy who experienced a new culture but ultimately loved his own. Jemmy Button would be a great way to introduce the term culture.

Yet again, I have been extremely impressed in the illustrations in this book. The pictures were large and colorful. They allowed the reader to see the visual differenced between the Jemmy Button's culture and the culture he was taken into. I would want to show my students the importance of using the pictures while reading. I would love to read this aloud to my class and have them reflect on the pictures on each page.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful picture book inspired by a true story. Taken from his island home as a child and taken to Victorian England for instruction in the ways of proper living, Jemmy Button (as he is known because his parents were given a pearl button in exchange for him) conforms to society but only just quite.

Years later, when Jemmy returns to his island home he quickly sheds his proper clothing and attempts to relearn his native language for he knew he was finally home.

Gouache, oil paintings, and collage illustrations present two extremely different worlds and the boy who travels between them. There's a lot of emotion at work in the art from the faceless Victorians who appear as silhouettes to the lush island full of life.

Following the story are two paragraphs about the life of Orundellico, the inspiration for this book.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jemmy Button is such an important children's story. I'm now obsessed with Jemmy Button's life. I love the part in the book, when Jemmy gets back to the island and sheds all his clothes. It's such a beautiful moment in history and not many people know about it. I would have loved to have seen and experienced that. I also think it's neat that Charles Darwin was on the boat that took him home. I believe Jemmy Button and his people were kidnapped and I would have preferred that to be depicted in the book. Also, I wish the authors included the other three Yaghan people, who were on the boat with Jemmy Button, in the story. I think the way the Europeans were depicted as dark shadowy figures, shows how scary they may have been to these people. Gorgeous illustrations.

[Chris Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel the illustrations throughout the story offer lots of deep thought and conversational points with the children, the idea of only Jemmy and his family being drawn with life like colour and all the European folk are silhouettes of varying degree, for me shows the strong link Jemmy will always have with home.

There is one page in particular I like because it discusses Jemmy wanting a cap and clothes. And the illustrations have him coloured and drawn in a similar way to the 'pets' of the English.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captivating illustration. As an informational book, not so captivating. The account of what happened to Jemmy Button is unsatisfying and lacking detail of the effects of his abduction.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully rendered true story about an indigenous boy from Tierra del Fuego who is transported to London in the early 1800s, where he encounters a vastly different world.

[Claudia G-D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is based on the true story of a boy called Orundellico who went to England with Captain Robert FitzRoy from the islands of Tierra del Fuego in the 1800’s. The boy was nicknamed Jemmy Button because Captain FitzRoy gave his parents a button in exchange for him. Jemmy Button goes to England and experiences traditions and life in another country. The illustrations are captivating and show how isolated Jemmy Button feels particularly because the European people have been shown as silhouettes and dark figures. This may be a book that children are able to relate to particularly if they are new or have moved to a new area of for EAL children who are living in a different culture or experiencing different customs for the first time. At the end of the story Jemmy Button returns to his home and returns to his original mannerisms. I think this would be an important discussion point for children because it shows that although Jemmy Button has changed and learned a lot because of his time in a different culture he has gone back to his traditions and culture from his home country. This emphasis to children of the importance of staying true to your own beliefs and traditions where ever you may be in the world. Overall fantastic illustrations that provide many opportunities for discussion with children and a good story based on real life events. Links to History, Geography, PSHE.

[Eriska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kali ini mari kita mereview... Jemmy Button, Merupakan salah satu peraih award the best illustrated childern's book menurut NYTimes...bisa dibilang dari segi gambar juara ...dan dari segi cerita yang emak al tangkap sangat2 pengambaran literasi poskolonial yang pastinya masih bisa dicerna dengan sederhana, yaitu ; sense of belonging.

Diangkat dari kisah nyata yg sebenernya sangat ga friendly untuk anak...tapi mari kita lupakan itu.. Buku ini mengambarkan seorang anak yang dibawa jauh dari tanah kelahirannya [yang dianggap sangat primintif oleh org2 yg ngebawanya] untuk di didik jadi berbudaya [tuh kan poskolonial banget ya..] ditanah orang nya tu pokoknya serba wah aja kaya amazing banget dengan segalanya baik kultur maupun teknologi..tapi meskipun sudah dididik untuk jadi bagian mereka tp si anak ngerasa ttp not quite, ia ttp ngerasa ini bukanlah rumahnya..belongingnya ttp ada di tanah kelahirannya... Sampai pada akhirnya kerinduan yang memuncak ia memutuskan untuk kembali ketanah kelahirannya, dan menanggalkan semua ornamen "kebaratannya" dan juga kembali kemana seharusnya ia berada.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid story - biography, really. It tells the story of an indigenous boy taken away from his home land to Victorian England. The story is told in few words, but it is really the evocative illustrations in this book that makes this book great. I read this book to Gabby as last in a series of books we read that night, and by the time we got to this one, she was more interested in making up her own stories than listening to this one. However, these illustrations grabbed her imagination and she was able to tell her own fantastic tale and took pleasure in examining the details in the images. There were some which were magnificently detailed and full of things to look at. There were others which were stark and almost monochromatic. All of these tied in nicely with the emotions of Jemmy during his travels.

[Toscane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visuellement le livre est TOP! La collaboration des deux illustrateurs ainsi que la mixité des médias et techniques utilisées enrichissent ces grands paysages en double page.
Quant à l’histoire, je l’ai tout d’abord appréciée, bien qu’assez rapide et « superficielle » elle est adaptée à une lecture jeunesse. Le problème vain lorsque j’appris que c’était une histoire adaptée de faits réels. Dans ce contexte, la vision européenne assez ancienne sur les populations autochtones présente dans le livre est assez brutale et nous frappe lors d’une relecture.
Cet hommage à Orundellico aurait mérité un peu plus d’approfondissement, peut-être aussi un regard plus contemporain et moins européanisé.
J’accepte l’argument d’une histoire rendue plus accessible et « friendly » pour les enfants, mais une vérité plus crue peut aussi être adaptée et présentée à ce publique.

[Kiersten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this book; my 2yo did, took and had fun pointing out Jemmy on each page. But I was uncomfortable with the way in which the book glossed over the larger implications of colonialism and the ways that western exploration affected the societies that it touched and exploited. I know that this is a book for children, and I appreciate that the stories of lesser-known figures in history are being told, but I can’t co-sign a book that presents the story of white men taking a child away from his parents and parading him around England like a pet or a side show, as a morally neutral event. I don’t want my children to think that this was ever not wrong.

[Mr Bramley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully illustrated and written picture book for children that tells the story of a child taken from South America by New World Explorers to be taught the ways of the English.

It easily creates a feeling of wonder, loss, learning, and awe that children will grip to. The illustrations are perfect to hold conversations about the colours chosen and the way characters are portrayed in the big colourful pages.

[Vicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite nice pictures soften the story of Orundellico, a boy of Tierra del Fuego, bought from his parents for a mother-of-pearl button and taken on the HMS Beagle to England to be "civilized." About 15 years later, on Darwin's famous voyage, the Beagle returned the young man, now called Jemmy Button, to his home, where he had to relearn his native language. There aren't too many lines to read between, but doing so reveals a sad view of colonialism and race relations.

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Patricio Guzman's film, The Pearl Button, was what brought me to this book. The illustrations are incredibly beautiful. However, the story of Jemmy Button is not. The writing has completely whitewashed the true story of Jemmy Button, and it is a shame, as we should know what really happened.

https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/jemmy...

[ULa · Rating 2 out of 5]

gambarnya bagus, tapi ceritanya biasa saja.

baca gratisan di bbw hihi

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy is 'civilised'.

An odd (true) story with strange illustrations.

Overall rating 2.5.

Reading time around thirty minutes.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad! While predictable and a bit maudlin at times, this was a quick and pretty read.

[Nanny B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story about a boy taken from Africa to England and taught about high society and Christianity, and his return back home.
Based on true story.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations! Simple story, one I had never heard of.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Illustrated by Jennifer Uman and Valerio Vidali, with words by Alix Barzelay, the book's first U.S. edition was published in 2013.

I feel deeply uncomfortable with this text.

The contexts of O'run-del'lico (aka Jemmy Button)'s story as told through Uman and Vadali's picture book feel wrong to me. While the illustrations continuously cast the British as faceless silhouettes (a powerful choice) and draw attention to O'run-del'lico in color and detail, the story resonates the colonizers' point of view, erasing whatever feelings, responses, or experiences O'run-del'lico may have been having. (Technically, the text is written from Jemmy Button's perspective, but it reads as if it's written by dominant voices trying to tell Button's story.)

Historically, it's unclear if O'run-del'lico went with the British (Captain Robert FitzRoy) voluntarily or if he was forced. The picture book text says O'run-del'lico was "invited" to visit England, which may or may not have been the case. And it says that the British "gave" a mother-of-pearl button to his family. To me, that sounds like the trading of a button for a human life. Was O'run-del'lico sold? Was he abducted? Either way, it's not a happy story. And, if O'run-del'lico was sold, how might that be indicative of British abuse of power (creating contexts in which native Yahgan people would voluntarily sell or feel forced into selling a child for a button)? I connect the sale of humans with slavery and human trafficking, yet there is no indication from the text that anyone should be considering questions of morality in relation to O'run-del'lico's experience. That contradiction doesn't sit well with me.

As other reviewers note, O'run-del'lico's life is an important one and it should be told. His story puts a human face on colonization and imperialistic conquest, but if it's HIS story, why isn't it told from his perspective with the complexity that a story like his deserves? I found the book so poorly executed -- largely because of its text. And I felt that the book did not include the historical note that O'run-del'lico's story deserved.

I definitely see ways that this book can be used with students, but I feel it really needs an informed adult guide to help students think critically about the perspective it reflects -- one that erases the voice of a marginalized person and his culture. I would not use this book in the classroom without care. (But if used well, it could be a powerful catalyst for deep conversation and critical thinking about history, morality, and power.)

[Kaley Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal response - At first I thought the book was relatable that sometimes we don't feel at home. This hit home for me after moving out during college. It was more interesting after reading the last page saying this book was based on a true story. I liked that the story was true and that it was an easy way to understand history. The illustrations were colorful and used the whole page which really helped the story come alive.

Purposes
Read aloud for enrichment
- students may be able to relate to leaving "home" and having to try and make themselves feel at home somewhere else. They may also be able to relate having new experiences doing things without their parents, or getting something really important to them (like Jemmy's button)
-vocabulary: the vocabulary would be appropriate for lower elementary. There is a few difficult words but its mostly words that students would have seen.
Read aloud for academic purposes:
- in a history lesson (1800's)
- literary elements: Jemmy is a round character and has an adventure. The plot is harder to pick out, but there is plot to be seen. The book is easy to retell (Jemmy does things that are easy to see and shows his emotions well)
- a slow introduction into biographies (the illustrations help students to understand what Jemmy went through.)

[Ira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stunning and brilliant illustrations, hands down but as I was perusing the visual work it hit me how sad and tragic the story actually is, and that's something the text alone couldn't quite capture -props to the two illustrators, Uman and Vidali. I learned that it's a true story of a boy named Orundellico. The book left me wanting more and especially to know how the event impacted him. I'd love for it to be a first-person narrative so we could explore *his* pov on the event. I'd say this book will make a good addition to a kid's shelf (older children) but here's the thing, it'd be a shame to settle for the theme of adventure or only taking the text at face value. Let it be a spark that opens up discussions on other topics such as the challenges and hardships assimilating to a culture, the tragedy of being separated from one's home and family- how about the parents/family? What happened to them? Colonialism, slavery, trades in the 1800s, etc.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this true story, an indigenous boy from Tierra del Fuego is transported to London in the early 1800s, where he encounters a vastly different world. Living on a “faraway island” a boy named Orundellico climbs the tallest trees, views the stars, listens to the ocean and wonders what’s “on the other side.” Strangers arrive in a ship, call him Jemmy Button and invite him to visit their land. Reaching the other side of the ocean, Jemmy finds houses made of rocks “stacked in towers taller than the tallest tree.” The people, colors, noises and costumes make him feel “very small indeed.” Soon, he’s wearing their clothes, attending concerts, and even meeting the king and queen, but he never quite feels at home. When the time comes, he returns to the island, announcing: “My name is Orundellico and I have come home.”

[Julie B · Rating 5 out of 5]

In exchange for a mother-of-pearl button, a young boy named Orundellico is taken from his home at the tip of South America and brought to England by Captain Robert FitzRoy. Given a new name, Jemmy Button learns ways of Christianity and Victorian upper-class culture. Striking collage illustrations show how Jemmy never quite fits in in England. When he returns to South America years later, he sheds his clothes and is home. His nature has not been altered by any nurturing in England.

I adore the illustrated, single-tone silhouettes of English citizens juxtaposed with Jemmy in this 2013 NYT Best Illustrated picture book. The narrative is quiet, the illustrations unique, and the message loud and clear.