Railway Jack

The True Story of an Amazing Baboon

By: KT Johnston

Narrated by: uncredited

Jim was a South African railway inspector in the late 1800s who lost his legs in an accident while at work. Unable to perform all his tasks with his disability but desperate to keep his job, Jim discovered a brilliant solution, a baboon named Jack. Jim trained Jack to help him both at home and at the depot. But when the railway authorities and the public discovered a monkey on the job, Jack and Jim had to work together to convince everyone that they made a great team.

This inspiring true story celebrates the history of service animals and a devoted friendship.

©2020 KT Johnston (P)2024 Capstone Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

It's a human story, a story of resilience, a story of a dependent relationship and the human/animal connection, and most of all, a story of great friendship. (Kevin Kling, author, playwright, and commentator for National Public Radio's All Things Considered)

In the annals of service animals, there can be but few to equal Jack, a chacma baboon who operated switches, fetched keys, and performed other complex tasks at South Africa’s Uitenhage train station in the 1880s for Jim, a station attendant who had lost both legs in an accident. . . .Though the story itself is a sunny one, portraying a loving two-way relationship, the discussion questions add necessary balance by bringing up issues of exploitation, keeping wild animals in captivity, and the perils of anthropomorphism. (Booklist)

A warm, engaging tale of the bond between a resourceful man and his service animal. (Kirkus Reviews)