Cubs in the Tub: The True Story of the Bronx Zoo's First Woman Zookeeper

by Candace Fleming, Julie Downing (Illustrator)

Fred and Helen Martini longed for a baby, and they ended up with dozens of lion and tiger cubs! Snuggle up to this purr-fect read aloud about the Bronx Zoo's first female zoo-keeper.

When Bronx Zoo-keeper Fred brought home a lion cub, Helen Martini instantly embraced it. The cub's mother lost the instinct to care for him. "Just do for him what you would do with a human baby," Fred suggested...and she did. Helen named him MacArthur, and fed him milk from a bottle and cooed him to sleep in a crib.

Soon enough, MacArthur was not the only cub bathed in the tub! The couple continues to raise lion and tiger cubs as their own, until they are old enough to return them to zoos. Helen becomes the first female zookeeper at the Bronx Zoo, the keeper of the nursery.

This is a terrific non-fiction book to read aloud while snuggling up with your cubs! Filled with adorable baby cats, this is a story about love, dedication, and a new kind of family.

Gorgeously patterned illustrations by Julie Downing detail the in-home nursery and a warm pallet creates a cozy pairing with Candace Fleming's lovely language.

Backmatter includes a short biography of Helen Martini and a selected bibliography.

A Junior Library Guild Selection!

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Nonfiction, Animals, Childrens, History, Historical

48 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2020

About the author

I have always been a storyteller. Even before I could write my name, I could tell a good tale. And I told them all the time. As a preschooler, I told my neighbors all about my three-legged cat named Spot. In kindergarten, I told my classmates about the ghost that lived in my attic. And in first grade I told my teacher, Miss Harbart, all about my family's trip to Paris, France.

I told such a good story that people always thought I was telling the truth. But I wasn't. I didn't have a three-legged cat or a ghost in my attic, and I'd certainly never been to Paris, France. I simply enjoyed telling a good story... and seeing my listener's reaction.

Sure, some people might have said I was a seven-year old fibber. But not my parents. Instead of calling my stories "fibs" they called them "imaginative." They encouraged me to put my stories down on paper. I did. And amazingly, once I began writing, I couldn't stop. I filled notebook after notebook with stories, poems, plays. I still have many of those notebooks. They're precious to me because they are a record of my writing life from elementary school on.

In second grade, I discovered a passion for language. I can still remember the day my teacher, Miss Johnson, held up a horn-shaped basket filled with papier-mache pumpkins and asked the class to repeat the word "cornucopia." I said it again and again, tasted the word on my lips. I tested it on my ears. That afternoon, I skipped all the way home from school chanting, "Cornucopia! Cornucopia!" From then on, I really began listening to words—to the sounds they made, and the way they were used, and how they made me feel. I longed to put them together in ways that were beautiful, and yet told a story.

As I grew, I continued to write stories. But I never really thought of becoming an author. Instead, I went to college where I discovered yet another passion—history. I didn't realize it then, but studying history is really just an extension of my love of stories. After all, some of the best stories are true ones — tales of heroism and villainy made more incredible by the fact they really happened.

After graduation, I got married and had children. I read to them a lot, and that's when I discovered the joy and music of children's books. I simply couldn't get enough of them. With my two sons in tow, I made endless trips to the library. I read stacks of books. I found myself begging, "Just one more, pleeeeease!" while my boys begged for lights-out and sleep. Then it struck me. Why not write children's books? It seemed the perfect way to combine all the things I loved: stories, musical language, history, and reading. I couldn't wait to get started.

But writing children's books is harder than it looks. For three years I wrote story after story. I sent them to publisher after publisher. And I received rejection letter after rejection letter. Still, I didn't give up. I kept trying until finally one of my stories was pulled from the slush pile and turned into a book. My career as a children's author had begun.

Reviews

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glorious! One of the most fun, beautiful and interesting picture book biographies I have ever read. This book is about Helen Martini who longed to become a mother. She ended up mothering hundreds of animal babies; ocelots, orangutans, tigers and more. Helen built a nursery for herself and her charges in an empty storeroom at The Bronx Zoo. She created the position of animal nursery keeper. Helen Mancini was so successful at caring for the baby animals, that the Zoo officials offered her an actual position as zookeeper. Women never held the position before Helen because it was not allowed. The writing is beautiful. Easy to understand and lively. The illustrations are amazing thanks to the abundant talent of Julie Downing. Children will want to read Cubs in a Tub or be read to, over and over. One of the best picture books of 2020. Most definitely Caldecott 2021 worthy.

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

#59 in my 365 Kids Books challenge. For a fuller explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf.

This is a charming book about how the wife of a zookeeper used her thwarted maternal instincts and housewifely skills, unpaid, to provide 24-hour a day neonate care to infant critters at the zoo.

Back matter talks about how many women used their time and talents and skills to sneak their way into jobs that were forbidden to them. It lionizes women who weren't loud and didn't call attention to themselves in a way that probably isn't intended to be condescending but is. The actual text not only undermines the work Helen did in favor of emphasizing her pitiable it is when her maternal instincts are not rewarded with babies to nurture. The actual text doesn't point out that prejudicial hiring was making them bad at looking after the animals in their care, and in keeping alive newborns, the animals who of course really bring in the crowds and the funding.

I get that Fleming is basing her book on Helen Martini's own words, but it relegates to the equivalent of fine print, the back matter, any meaningful insight. Martini revolutionizes the care of captive animals, keeps neonates alive, protects genetic diversity, etc., etc., and she has to tell her own story in a self-deprecating way. Fleming could have used the opportunity to point out what Martini herself couldn't: that she wasn't just a good mommy on instincts. Maternal instinct turns out not to be instinctual. As illustrated by the feline mothers who couldn't do it. It turns out that good parenting has to be modeled and practiced, and that insight and work based on it transformed zoos from cages for dying exotic animals into active conservation. Fleming could give Martini all the praise she deserves for being so astoundingly good at her work, and what it must have cost her to have to deny her own skill.

So, yeah, I was disappointed. Kids will probably not be. It's a heartwarming sort of story if you ignore all the messy stuff.

Library copy

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen Martini became a “quieter kind of hero” when, in 1944, “she established a nursery for tiger cubs in a storeroom of the Bronx Zoo’s lion house.” For three years prior to that, she had experience caring for zoo babies at home which the zoo gave to her husband (Fred, an employee at the Zoo) to bring home to her. In those days, zoos did not always know how to care for their animals. Helen longed for a baby of her own, but, when that did not happen, she poured all the love and nurturing into the baby animals in need. “Men reigned supreme in the zoo world,” in those days, Helen recalled, “But I had sneaked in the back door.” As the Author’s Note explains, “This is how women in Helen’s day often went about carving out opportunities for themselves. Back then, society expected women to stick to the traditional roles of wife and mother. But many women bucked these expectations. They weren’t loud. They didn’t call attention to themselves. Instead, with daring and cleverness, they subtly worked within the exciting power structure. And they brought about change. They took strides. They accomplished firsts.”
In over two decades as the “animal nursery keeper” Helen cared for hundreds of babies including a chimpanzee, two orangutans, three gorillas, a ring-tailed lemur, a pair of ocelots, a skunk, a sea lion, a litter of common marmosets, a round-tailed ground squirrel, an addax, a sika deer, an a long-eared hedgehog from Cyprus. As for her original three tigers, she and Fred continued to oversee their care and even celebrating their birthdays with “chopped meat cakes.” Helen also continued to raise cubs in her apartment and mothered five more tigers, lions, a panther, and a pair of jaguars.
I loved reading about Helen’s loving nature, quiet strength and “back door” heroism. The story proper is a delight and really brings the personalities of Helen, and the creatures in her care, to life. The illustrations are charming. Back matter is excellent and includes further biographical information, Source Notes and a Selected Bibliography. While certainly today conversations should continue to take place about the evolving role of Zoos in conservation and animal welfare, and we may feel some dismay thinking of a time when Zoo officials were somewhat more cavalier with the animals in their care, there seems no denying that Helen, without any formal training, was a champion for the animals in her care and strove to give them the best life possible in the circumstances. It was a pleasure getting to know her through these pages and I look forward to more picture book biographies about “quiet heroes” like Helen.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings on this one. The artwork was definitely five-star stunning, and the story was charming and sweet.

CUBS IN THE TUB is based upon the real-life story of Helen Martini, who in the 1940s, mothered rejected lion and tiger cubs her husband brought home from his job at the Bronx Zoo--eventually creating her own animal nursery onsite and becoming the zoo's first female keeper.

While this intervention definitely saved the first cubs' lives--their mothers were not caring for them and they were wasting away--it is not a stretch to imagine that as the nursery became a more popular attraction, a lot of newborns were deliberately taken from mothers, too. Zoos once regularly bred many more babies than they would ever be able to care for, disposing of them in young adulthood, and also frequently separated babies from parents, until the American Zoo Association stepped in with ethics and conservation guidelines. [Roadside zoos, such as those recently featured in the "Tiger King" series, continue to do these things.]

The book's afterward acknowledges that this was a different era in zookeeping, and we didn't have the knowledge we do today about animal care and nutrition. However, there is no content to counteract the image of raising exotic wild animals in your home as a fun and cute adventure, which, in a time and place where people can buy tigers and wolves over the Internet, is a message that needs to be explicitly sent.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fred and Helen wanted a baby and planned for one, but never got one. So when Fred, a zookeeper, brought home a tiny lion cub, Helen’s supplies came in very handy. She had bottles to let him slurp, blankets to wrap him warm, supplies to wash him, and a crib for him to sleep in. But when the lion was two months old, he got sent to a zoo in another city. Helen packed up the baby items and spent lonely days with no baby to care for until the three tiger cubs arrived. With feedings every three hours, the cubs grew quickly and soon were causing mischief. Finally, they returned to the zoo at three months old, but this time Helen would not be left behind. Soon Helen found herself an empty storehouse that she turned into a nursery for baby animals, becoming the first woman zookeeper!

Fleming tells a wistful and factual story here, allowing the more remarkable elements to be wondered at by readers. It is amazing that Helen was not only willing to take in these little creatures but also very skilled at it. Many of us can care for human children, but ones with sharp teeth and claws would be daunting. Fleming simply appreciates the dedication, skill and tenacity of this woman, shining a spotlight on someone who was inventing it all as she went along.

Downing’s illustrations are soaked in the time period of the 1940’s by showing cars, fashion and home decor. The book wisely uses panels to show the different moments of caring for the animals, distress at their leaving, and planning to create something new. The panels break up the text for young readers and also give a jaunty comic vibe.

An engaging look at a remarkable woman with a knack for caring for little wild creatures. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cubs in the Tub: The True Story of the Bronx Zoo's First Woman Zookeeper is a children's picture book written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Julie Downing. In the 1940s, Fred Martini, a zookeeper at the Bronx Zoo, brought a newborn lion cub home to his wife.

Helen Martini and Fred Martini, her husband, were animal lovers, so when a position at Bronx Zoo opened, she encouraged him to apply. Shortly, after he brought home a lion cub and later three tiger cubs, whose mother have abandon them. After her success in rearing three tiger cubs, she was hired by the Bronx Zoo, which made her the first female zookeeper.

Fleming's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Fleming perfectly captures both time and place as well as the loving, determined woman who forged her way in a man's profession. Backmatter includes an afterword, bibliography, and source notes. Downing's sensitive illustrations shine in a rich, muted palette, using sweeping lines and patterned details to conjure cozy, 1940s-era domestic scenes where lions snooze on laps and tigers frolic in bubble baths.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Martini's husband was a keeper at the Bronx Zoo. When a lioness rejected her cub, he brought it home for Martini to raise before it was sent to another zoo. After she cares for a trio of tiger cubs, Helen follows them back to the Bronx Zoo, transforming a store room into the zoo's first nursery and became the first female zookeeper.

All in all, Cubs in the Tub: The True Story of the Bronx Zoo's First Woman Zookeeper is a lovely homage to a little-known woman and her quiet achievement.

[Amy Pickett · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the early 1940s, Helen and Fred Martini longed for a baby to fill their home with laughter and cuddles. A baby arrived, but not the one that Helen expected; Fred brought home a lion cub from the Bronx Zoo where he worked. Helen hand-fed and nurtured her charge into a healthy young lion, when he was relocated to a new home at a different zoo. Sorely missing their companion, the Martinis soon welcomed three tiger cubs who relied on Helen for around-the-clock care. Raniganj, Dacca, and Rajpur quickly outgrew their home, but instead of saying goodbye, Helen set up a nursery right on the zoo property! In the process, she became the Bronx Zoo’s first female zookeeper (and foster mom to many of its orphaned babies). This delightful picture book biography will hold young readers spellbound with its heartwarming story and adorable pencil and watercolor illustrations, which perfectly match the time period. And whose heart doesn’t melt at the sight of snuggly tiger cubs frolicking in a bathtub?

[Jerry Winsett · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 70’s, I was, for a time the Curator or Animal Behavior for the New York Zoological Society at The Bronx Zoo. I learned many interesting things about the zoo’s history while working there. But I never knew about Helen Martini until I came across this book.

Wonderfully written by Candace Fleming and delightfully illustrated by Julie Downing, “Cubs in the Tub tells the story of Helen’s adventures nursing a lion cub from the zoo when her husband Fred, a zoo keeper, brings him home because his mother rejected him. Naming the cub McArthur, Helen researches and learns how to care for him. Quite successfully!! So eventually, MacArthur is not the only fledging to be raised by Helen. Her success continues until there is no more room at home, and she is moved into a room in the basement of the Lion House. Before long, she is instated as the first female zookeeper at the Zoo.

This is a wonderful non-fiction book to share with your kids. It’ suggested for ages 4 to 8, but I think older kids might be intrigued to also read the afterword – a short biography of Helen Martini. And there are also other suggested readings in the bibliography if they, or their parents, want to learn more about this extraordinary.

I learned that Helen’s “Nursery” was one of the rooms I worked in as a curator. I would love to go back in there now and imagine it as it was those many, many years ago!

[DaNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun to read aloud to my second graders. However, we felt it was very unfair that no one had ever asked us to raise baby tigers and lions.

[Novita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dari hanya ngasuh jadi dapet pekerjaan. Mana pekerjaannya pada zaman itu hanya bisa dilakukan laki-laki tapi stigma ini terpatahkan.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bookaday #84. Very interesting biography of Helen Martini, the first female zookeeper of the Bronx Zoo. Well researched, great back matter, fun illustrations! Love the wild cats.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biography of Helen Martini told for elementary level readers. Martini was the first female zookeeper to set up and run a nursery within a zoo. She began her nurturing when her husband, a zookeeper at the Bronx Zoo, brought home a newborn lion cub that needed to be cared for. Next came three tiger cubs and her loving care grew from there.
Fleming captures the gamut of emotions Martini felt as her sorrow from not having children turned to acceptance and then joy. Martini created the nursery from a storeroom and stood her ground to keep the nursery there when challenged. Further informative text provided at the end of the book.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t like the illustrations much. They’re not my style, and I don’t think they have much child appeal. Furthermore, the title is cute but not a good reflection of the content. One illustration depicts the tiger cubs in the family’s tub, but it is just a minor scene, considering the full arc of the story, and is not even mentioned in the text.

That being said, this is an interesting story about a woman who was able to shift her unrealized dreams of motherhood into a successful and most unusual (at the time) career. She used her unused bottles, formula, crib, and toys to care for some vulnerable baby animals that her husband brought home from the Bronx zoo where he worked. Eventually she became an employee of the zoo, too (at a time when only men worked there), because she was hardworking, resourceful, and above all, compassionate and successful in her care of the animal infants.

This story also gives you a glimpse into an earlier era where opportunities for women outside the home were rare. To today’s reader, it may seem but a small step to transition from wanting to care for one’s own baby to finding fulfillment caring for needy animal babies, but this was considered a highly unusual and even ground-breaking move for a woman at the time.

One last observation- zoo practices have evolved considerable since the time of this story, but disappointingly, young readers will not get any insights into that at all.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fleming embeds an important point in the engaging and cozy story. Not all pioneers break new ground with a lot of noise and attention. Some, especially in the restrictive days of the past, do so quietly and unobtrusively; finding a way to ease into new roles and positions and prove their value with steadfast competence.

This was the case with the very first female zookeeper at the Bronx zoo, Helen Martini. Helen didn't originally yearn to be a zookeeper. As the young wife of Fred, a zookeeper, Helen wished more than anything for a child of their own. The years passed and the nursery remained empty but one day, Fred brought home a tiny lion cub whose mother refused to care for him. Helen figured out how to care for the baby and raised him successfully until he was sent to another zoo. Three tiger cubs followed and when zoo officials insisted the cubs return to the zoo for Helen's safety, Helen quietly set up a nursery in an used office at the zoo. It was the start of a barrier-breaking career.

Julie Downing's appropriately retro-style illustrations are absolutely charming and young readers will be enchanted by the scenes of the baby animals.

Back matter includes source notes, a bibliography and Fleming's thoughtful author's note, A Quieter Kind of Hero which provides additional information about Martini and reflects on the quieter, often unknown heroes who may have been unnoticed but determinedly moved women's opportunities forward.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew the first woman zookeeper in the country, hadn't planned on a career. When Helen Martini's zookeeper husband brought home a baby lion abandoned by his mother, she didn't know what to do. He advised her to follow her motherly instincts. She did just that, and MacArthur the baby cub thrived. He was just the first of many babies she nurtured, soon following them to the Bronx Zoo where her husband worked. Helen Martini secretly created a pleasant nursery with toys, cribs, and all the extras baby animals need. Her private initiative led to a real job at the Bronx Zoo where she nurtured baby tigers, chimpanzee, orangutans, a ring tailed lemur, an ocelot pair, and even a sea lion to name a few. Reading Candice Flemings' "A Quieter Kind of Hero" afterwards is fascinating, her thorough research with lots of fascinating tidbits, such as the individual personalities of the 3 tigers she nurtured, the ferocity of Raijpur, whose exuberance as he pounced on the bars of his cage, hurled her right to the ground. Kids will love this unique story about how a quiet woman full of empathy saved many young animals and earned her the job of not only first woman zookeeper, but also "animal nursery zookeeper." A must read for all elementary libraries.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fred and Helen Martini longed for a baby, and they ended up with dozens of lion and tiger cubs! Snuggle up to this purr-fect read aloud about the Bronx Zoo's first female zoo-keeper.

When Bronx Zoo-keeper Fred brought home a lion cub, Helen Martini instantly embraced it. The cub's mother lost the instinct to care for him. "Just do for him what you would do with a human baby," Fred suggested...and she did. Helen named him MacArthur, and fed him milk from a bottle and cooed him to sleep in a crib.

Soon enough, MacArthur was not the only cub bathed in the tub! The couple continues to raise lion and tiger cubs as their own, until they are old enough to return them to zoos. Helen becomes the first female zookeeper at the Bronx zoo, the keeper of the nursery.

This is a terrific non-fiction book to read aloud while snuggling up with your cubs! Filled with adorable baby cats, this is a story about love, dedication, and a new kind of family.

Gorgeously patterned illustrations by Julie Downing detail the in-home nursery and a warm pallet creates a cozy pairing with Candace Fleming's lovely language.

Backmatter includes a short biography of Helen Martini and a selected bibliography.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cubs in the Tub was charming and cute. It tells the story about Helen Martini, a woman who through cleverness and love for animals, worked her way into being one of the first women to ever work for a zoo in America. After caring for one lion and three tiger cubs at home, she secretly made an unused storage room at the Bronx Zoo into an animal nursery that she could continue to care for motherless animals in. When found out by zoo officials, they saw the good work she had been doing and created a position for her! Fleming's authors note gives a little insight into how women of the time often used unorthodox ways to carve out positions for themselves within existing power structures.

I would have appreciated a bit more textual correction against some of the practices that were done at the time. While Helen did the best she could with the knowledge she had, many of the practices she utilized to care for the animals were simply not healthy or safe, and it made my little zoological heart squirm to read about them. If the author didn't feel like they could fit relevantly into the text, I wish some more science about care of wild animals, and the path to reintigration into zoos or wild settings had been included in the back matter. Otherwise a very solid book.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book biography of Helen Martini. Helen's husband was a zoo keeper at the Bronx Zoo and when a lion mother abandoned her baby, he brought the cub home for Helen to care for. Soon Helen was taking care of more babies for the zoo and without anyone planning to, they found her their nursery keeper and the first woman zookeeper at the Bronx Zoo.

This is a very kid-friendly picture book biography about a topic sure to grab their attention. Finding out how the nursery started at the Bronx Zoo is interesting, and seeing Helen frolicking with baby lions and tigers in her home is humorous. It is also eye-opening about how far zoo keeping and knowledge about animal care has come in just the past 70 years. Helen was doing the best she knew how, and some of her approaches are still used today. There's further information about that in the back of the book. I like the illustration style. It's cute. Recommended for baby animal lovers and those interested in animal rescue and care.

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Explore the life of Helen Martini. She longed to be a mother, and her dreams came true in a way she didn't expect--when her husband, a keeper at the Bronx Zoo, returned home with a tiny lion cub who had been abandoned by its mother. Helen immediately bonded with the cub, raised it, and sadly watched it return to the zoo--but soon more animals came home needing her care. Soon, she was tired of losing her animals to the zoo, so she insisted her husband take her to work, and she secretly installed an animal nursery at the zoo--eventually leading to her being offered a job.

I appreciate the back matter that explains why Helen was allowed to raise baby animals at home at the time, and why that would not happen now (and also the emphasis on Helen helping women break into the male-dominated zoo workplace).

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a baby lion is in need of care, a zookeeper at the Bronx Zoo brings it home for his wife to "mother". Helen Martini raises the cub for two months, until is is sent back to a zoo. Soon, she is needed to take care of three baby tigers. When it's time for them to return to the zoo, she goes with them, setting up a nursery in a storeroom, and becoming the first woman zookeeper at the Bronx Zoo.

Oh! I loved this! A great story - who wouldn't want to take care of baby zoo animals? I loved Helen's spunk and drive, a great message to kids about advocating. Julie Downing's illustrations are adorable. There's plenty of text, so it would be a great addition to even an upper elementary classroom. I'm purchasing one for my middle school library as well.

Cross posted to https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn with this one. It's a really cool story about how a strong woman carved a place for herself. I also love big cats and secretly wish I could have a lion cub at home too. On the other hand, I volunteer for the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore and I know how harmful the exotic pet trade is. I just worry that the way this book portrays the cubs as replacements for human babies could have unintended consequences. Also, when the zoos take the grown cubs back, the book depicts them as villains in a way.
The author's note at the end does explain how zoos were different back then and how they now know better how to care for cubs so this sort of thing (someone taking the cub home) wouldn't happen these days.

I did find the illustrations to be great!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Helen and Fred Martini longed for a baby.”

When Fred brought a tiger cub home because the mother refused to have anything to do with it, Helen took care of it. “Just do for him what you would do for a human baby.” And a career was born. Helen Martini became the first female zookeeper by using “common sense and intuition” because in her day, veterinary science had not had a chance to impact zoos yet.

“A Quieter Kind of Hero” is the author’s note in the back that goes into more detail about Helen. It also includes a bibliography of sources and this Youtube link to a newsreel about Helen Martini: https://youtu.be/6RZF6DZ3-6E -

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Martini’s husband worked at the Bronx Zoo and brought how a tiny lion cub whose mother had rejected it. Helen embraced this tiny furry baby, tending and caring for the cub for two months until it was moved to another zoo leaving Helen berift. But then her husband brought home three tiny tiger cubs, which they raised in their apartment for three months until they had to go back to the zoo. But this time Helen went too, and created a nursery for them out of an old storage room. When zoo officials discovered this, they agreed that her babies needed her. Helen “mothered her way into becoming the first woman zookeeper at the Bruins Zoo,”

Delightful illustrations by Julie Downing.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Martini longed for a baby and when her husband Fred brings a lion cub home from the Zoo one night, Helen is able to mother the cub. When the time comes for the lion cub to be moved to a zoo, Helen reluctantly lets him go. Sadness creeps in and she longs for another baby until Fred brings home 3 tiger cubs! She cares for them as they grow and when officials come to collect them, Helen goes to the Zoo with them.

This is a lovely story and the illustrations are perfect! Watercolor illustrations are already my favorite but Julie Downing does a FANTASTIC job complimenting Fleming’s text and capturing the emotions.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Animal lovers will adore this true story. In the 1940's, a woman prepares to have a baby. She gathers the crib, the baby bottles and all that a new mom will need. A baby never arrives, however. Her husband, a zookeeper, bring homes a baby lion cub for her to take care of. Its mother "lost the instinct" to care for it, so Mrs. Martini does the job. And so, her life as the first female zookeeper is born.

The illustrations are warm and cozy, with that 1940's feel, kind of like Robert McCloskey.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of our new favorite nonfiction books. It is the story of Helen Martini who became the first female zookeeper at the Bronx zoo through an unlikely path. It's one of those too good to be true, you can't make this up, type stories. The text is well paced, snappy and uses page turns so well. The illustrations are warm and cozy, like a nursery, which will make sense when you read the book. It is great to be read aloud, great for animal fans, and fits well with nonfiction children's books about amazing women for Women's History Month.

[Zoraida Rivera Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Helen Martini was a pleasant surprise. I had never heard of her! What a surprising woman who used her mothering skills to raise cubs...and what cubs!

This beautiful story will inspire girls who are interested in careers that have been held by men, not to take no for an answer if they have the skills to do so or are willing to develop them.

The illustrations are true to the time in which Helen lived. Not only is the book interesting, but the back matter, too.

I would have liked to see Helen's name on the cover.

[Rebecca Dougherty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this with kindergarten through 2nd graders. They enjoyed it, but I found it disappointing with it's pro zoo/animals in captivity messaging without direct exploration of the pitfalls. Thankfully some of my students brought up reasons why it may not be a good thing to keep wild animals captive. I also did not love the messaging that Helen Martini was a natural mother, and she could mother wild animals after not having any human children of her own. Last week I shared Shark Lady about Dr. Eugenie Clark with some of the same students and that felt like a stronger choice.

[Ann Haefele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting biography told in picture book (narrative nonfiction) style about Helen Martini who in 1944 did such a good job at caring for baby animals whose mothers wouldn’t care for them, that she eventually was given the position of a zookeeper...the first woman with that position at the Bronx Zoo. Adorable illustrations of tiger cubs add to the interest of the story. More detailed information about Helen Martini and her zoo nursery is included in the back of the book.