If I have to pick the book that had the most impact on me, I would say Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation, since I instantly became a vegetarian after reading it. Or the Bible, and the works of Shakespeare, simply because I knew them so well growing up and they helped shape me, my values and my love of writing.

But to be truthful, three childhood books probably had the greatest effect: The Story of Doctor Dolittle and Tarzan of the Apes gave me a burning desire to understand what animals were trying to tell us, and an equally strong determination to go to Africa, live with animals and write about them. The third was a tome called The Miracle of Life, which my grandmother got for free through a cereal promotion – not that it was written for children. It discussed animal behaviour, plant biology, the workings of the human body, and the great discoveries in biology and medicine, such as those of Darwin, Mendel and Curie. It was illustrated by black-and-white drawings and photos, and helped satisfy my burning desire to learn about these things. I spent hours with it.

I believe the breakthrough that lies ahead is how we act on this information. The consequences of our short-sightedness are only just beginning to play out, as species disappear and our world’s precious resources – forests, land, water and oil – are consumed at reckless rates. Satellite images are a way of graphically linking people to the natural world. I hope that in the next 50 years we learn to connect our brains to our hearts and apply this knowledge to help protect our planet before it is too late.

Jane Goodall is founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a UN Messenger of Peace

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