Reviews for John Muir: America's First Environmentalist

The average rating for John Muir: America's First Environmentalist based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-01-27 00:00:00 Christopher Stevens This is one of the best bios for young readers that I've read. While it is a picture book, it would be enjoyed by readers of all ages. It's very well done. It even includes a contents which focuses on key blocks of time in Muir's life and gives kids an advance organizer for the story. (Unless kids have been introduced to a Contents page, they may skip right over this reading aid.) The story is divided into seven time periods: 1838-1848 Scotland 1849-1860 America 1861-1866 The War Years .... 1867 .... Journey to Florida .... 1868 .... California .... 1870 .... Alaska .... 1890 .... Yosemite National Park Just having read, The Flower Hunter about William Bartram, I can confidently say that this will have much more appeal to young readers. Both Ray and Lasky used diaries as a basis for the story, but Lasky used them much more effectively. I noted many statements that I liked, but I'll only include a few of them here. p. 3: John Muir later wrote that the best lessons he was to learn were those learned in 'wildness,' by which he meant the natural outdoor world. (Today's batch of politicians definitely missed the opportunity to explore the natural world.) p. 16: In preparation for a thousand mile walk from Indiana to the coast of Florida, Muir packed one change of underwear, a comb, a towel, soap, a small device to press samples of plants and leaves, a brush, three books, and a notebook. p. 18: By the end of his journey, it was not an alligator that had beaten John Muir but a mosquito. He had contracted malaria. p. 20: I completely agree: People needed nature, he concluded: they needed woods and they needed meadows, not to use or own but simply as places where they could marvel at God's inventions. (Or rather, at the wonders of the natural world.) p. 24: And I imagine that a good many readers would enjoy sleeping in Muir's 'hanging nest.' It was a box suspended over the stream, ... It had two skylights so that he could see South Dome, one of the Sierra peaks, and Yosemite Falls. And, while rocking gently in this cozy shelter, he would read by candlelight. And to think that I found this treasure in a neighbor's Little Lending Library!

Review # 2 was written on 2012-11-05 00:00:00 Steven Vitale This book left me wanting to read more about Muir and his wanderings. I can't imagine having the freedom to just walk in the wilderness, exploring for days, maybe seeing no one else for days. He even went to Alaska! Thank goodness he did, or we might not have some of the wilderness preserves that we have today. My favorite picture in this book is of the "hanging nest" he built himself--a little house suspended over a millstream, approachable by stepping on rocks. What a nifty place to read! Highly recommended for budding naturalists!