RACHEL CARSON: PRESERVING A SENSE OF WONDER BY JOSEPH BRUCHAC ILLUSTRATED BY THOMAS LOCKER

This handsome picture-book biography presents the life and accomplishments of Rachel Carson. After telling about Carson's childhood, her education, and her career as a writer, Bruchac writes lyrically about her love of nature, particularly the ocean, and concludes with an appreciation of her impact on the environment. Similar in format and layout to Locker's books John Muir: America's Naturalist (2003) and Walking with Henry: Based on the Life and Works of Henry David Thoreau (2002), this volume offers several lines of text on each left-hand page, facing a full-page illustration. Locker's paintings, particularly the landscapes, are dramatically lit scenes that capture the beauty and majesty of nature. The last page includes excerpts from Carson's writings about the natural world and a paragraph giving some specific biographical information, such as birth and death dates and the titles of her most famous books. A good read-aloud choice for Earth Day. Paperback 32 pages