A magical and timely story of ecosystems restored to their former glory.
“When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
The Eagle Nature Trail in Eagle, Wisconsin, spans vast acres and centuries, although the idea of restoring it was conceived only in 2009. The gradual transformation of an impassable wasteland choked by invasive species into three discrete and diverse ecosystems frames Lawlor’s research into the area’s history. In accessible language, she chronicles the glacial origins of Eagle, the arrival of Indigenous peoples, “Euro-American” colonization and agricultural expansion, and the area’s eventual devastation and renewal. Although her descriptions of past happenstance sometimes fill the proverbial gaps a bit fancifully, the relish with which this research has been undertaken rings clearly in every word, holding reader attention throughout. Returning to the nature trail, a waltz through the four seasons explores how the trail brings the local community together, acting as a natural classroom and drawing volunteers from all walks of life to maintain the sanctity of the land they helped the wilds reclaim. Peppered with bright, almost bucolic photographs and quotes from local sources and free from the burden of proselytizing, this is more than a simple account of a wilderness restoration project. This is activism at its most accessible: the beautiful struggles of a region and community to make a large difference in a small world.
A magical and timely story of ecosystems restored to their former glory. (bibliography, source notes, photo credit, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9780823451654
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
Hot on the heels of the well-received Leonardo da Vinci (2005) comes another agreeably chatty entry in the Giants of Science series. Here the pioneering physicist is revealed as undeniably brilliant, but also cantankerous, mean-spirited, paranoid and possibly depressive. Newton’s youth and annus mirabilis receive respectful treatment, the solitude enforced by family estrangement and then the plague seen as critical to the development of his thoughtful, methodical approach. His subsequent squabbles with the rest of the scientific community—he refrained from publishing one treatise until his rival was dead—further support the image of Newton as a scientific lone wolf. Krull’s colloquial treatment sketches Newton’s advances in clearly understandable terms without bogging the text down with detailed explanations. A final chapter on “His Impact” places him squarely in the pantheon of great thinkers, arguing that both his insistence on the scientific method and his theories of physics have informed all subsequent scientific thought. A bibliography, web site and index round out the volume; the lack of detail on the use of sources is regrettable in an otherwise solid offering for middle-grade students. (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-670-05921-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006
This glossy, colorful title in the “I Want To Be” series has visual appeal but poor organization and a fuzzy focus, which limits its usefulness. Each double-paged layout introduces a new topic with six to eight full-color photographs and a single column of text. Topics include types of environmentalists, eco-issues, waste renewal, education, High School of Environmental Studies, environmental vocabulary, history of environmentalism, famous environmentalists, and the return of the eagle. Often the photographs have little to do with the text or are marginal to the topic. For example, a typical layout called “Some Alternative Solutions” has five snapshots superimposed on a double-page photograph of a California wind farm. The text discusses ways to develop alternative forms of energy and “encourage environmentally friendly lifestyles.” Photos include “a healer who treats a patient with alternative therapy using sound and massage,” and “the Castle,” a house built of “used tires and aluminum cans.” Elsewhere, “Did You Know . . . ” shows a dramatic photo of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, but the text provides odd facts such as “ . . . that in Saudi Arabia there are solar-powered pay phones in the desert?” Some sections seem stuck in, a two-page piece on the effects of “El Niño” or 50 postage-stamp–sized photos of endangered species. The author concludes with places to write for more information and a list of photo credits. Pretty, but little here to warrant purchase. (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-15-201862-X
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2000
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