John Muir: America's First Environmentalist by Kathryn Lasky, Stan Fellows (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Quoting from John Muir’s diaries, Kathryn Lasky tells the inspiring tale of one of America’s most dedicated environmentalists, aided by Stan Fellows’s evocative, dramatic acrylic paintings.

From the meadows of Scotland to the farms of Wisconsin, from the swamps of Florida to the Alaskan tundra, John Muir loved the land. Born in 1838, he was a writer, a scholar, an inventor, a shepherd, a farmer, and an explorer, but above all, he was a naturalist. John Muir was particularly devoted to the high cliffs, waterfalls, and ancient giant sequoia trees that, through his careful influence, were set aside as the first national park in America - Yosemite. Here is the life story of the man who, moved by a commitment to wilderness everywhere, founded the Sierra Club in 1892, a conservation group that carries on his crucial work to this day.

Jane Jessell - Children's Literature

Every great man begins his life the same way, as a little boy—and Lasky begins this biography by gently revealing the pain and promise of John Muir's Scottish boyhood. Lasky chooses details of 19th century life that may be unfamiliar to 21st century children, but Fellows' lovely acrylic paintings allow each scene to become easily imagined. The scope of Muir's life is condensed to forty-one pages, and some decades are barely mentioned. Muir's exciting travels covered Scotland, Wisconsin, Canada, Florida, and California and yet only one small map is offered near the end of the story. But these are small omissions. With numerous quotations from Muir's own journals, a bibliography, and information about the Sierra Club, this book is a fine way to introduce young readers to biography. Fellows' boldly colorful, detailed drawings frame the text so that even the youngest readers will be encouraged to follow the story of this pioneer environmentalist. 2006, Candlewick Press, Ages 8 to 12.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-4-Lasky's picture-book sketch of the naturalist's life focuses on Muir's special love of California's snowy Sierras and Yosemite Valley and his successes in founding Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Club. The author recounts aspects of Muir's boyhood years in Scotland and teens in Wisconsin to introduce his personality and interests, and the brief account of his accomplishments closes with the often-told story of his Alaskan adventure with his dog Stickeen in 1870 and a page on the 1890 legislation to establish Yosemite as a park. The epilogue summarizes his achievements and later years without indicating how long he actually lived. Fellows's acrylic paintings, sometimes full page and often wrapping around the text, provide pleasant impressions of the man and the impressive landscape. This is a useful introduction to Muir, the founding of the national parks, and the broader idea of environmentalism. A final page describes the work of the Sierra Club.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

In this double-stranded tribute to Muir, who was a driving force behind the creation of the National Parks system, a founder of the Sierra Club and a brilliant inventor too, Lasky not only outlines the course of his life, but eloquently conveys his motivation-a profound delight in what he called "wildness" in the natural world. Fellows places him, as is only appropriate considering that he spent most of his life outdoors, in a variety of wide-open, rugged settings. Though there are several recent profiles of Muir for younger audiences, children will come away from this one with particular admiration for the spirit of a man who "found temples of light in mountain valleys, a song in the water of a stream, a symphony in a storm-tossed tree, and snow flowers in a blizzard." (bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 7-9)

Product Details