John Muir: America's First Environmentalist (bk 1) (48 pgs)

Lasky, Kathryn (2006). John Muir: America’s first environmentalist. Candlewick Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Summary:
John Muir is a very moving story about his trek through America’s wilderness and the wonders that he discovered on his journey. With amazingly vivid descriptions Kathryn Lasky tells the story of John Muir’s travels from childhood to death and the amazing accomplishments he gained along the way. He was always interested in nature, even as a child he would be caught wondering through the wilderness just admiring the occurrences there. As an adult he journeyed 1000 miles from Wisconsin to Florida on foot and marveled at the types of plants and animals he discovered in that strange place. Lasky goes on to tell how Muir convinced the President Roosevelt to create a bureau of forestry to protect the forests of the land.

Author: Kathryn Lasky
Illustrator: Stan Fellows
Illustrations: Illustrations are done in acrylic on paper. Fellows uses vivid colors and his paintings take up all of two page spreads with text written over the illustrations. The illustrations also follow the writing creating a beautiful image to reflect the vivid descriptors the author uses.
Access Features: Table of Contents, Epilogue, Bibliography, About the Sierra Club
Grade Level: 3-5
Book Design: The cover of the book is a beautiful illustration of a mountain range and green valley. It also has a portrait of John Muir on the cover. End pages are blue to reflect the blue of the sky. The book is oversized perhaps to reflect the size and shape of a mountain.
Writing Style: The author uses vivid adjectives to describe everything in this story. She definitely writes with the passion and her voice shines throughout the book. She reflects the passion that John Muir felt for the wilderness. Some of the words in the book might be difficult for younger children to understand especially in the context that they are presented.
Curriculum: Science
Classroom Use: This would be a wonderful book to use when talking about conservation or the forming of National Parks. Certain chapters could also be used for discussion about mountain formation i.e. the glacier chapter.
Standards: Physical Science; History and Nature of Science
Awards: Notable Social Studies Trade Book 2007
Author Credibility: Author notes that most of the information in this book was obtained from Muir’s own writings in addition to some magazine articles and printed materials from National Parks. Since the information in this book came directly from Muir’s own writings it is an accurate account of the story of John Muir.
Related Texts: John Muir: My Life with Nature by: John Muir; Quest for the Tree Kangaroo by: Sy Montgomery; Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by: Isabella Hatkoff; John Muir: America’s Naturalist by: Thomas Locker; The Journey: Stories of Migration by: Cynthia Rylant; The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by: Jacqueline Davies

Response:
This book was so wonderfully written that I could see, feel, and even hear the aspects of the wilderness the author described. The author was so passionate about this subject that she let that passion shine through her writing and vivid descriptions. I really enjoyed reading this story. I never knew about John Muir and his contributions to the National Parks system so it was interesting to read about somebody new.