Rose Blue & Corinne J. Naden

John Muir may be one of the most influential Americans ever to live, yet he's not exactly a household name. This book is a decent introduction, but the presentation of Muir's life and work is a bit scattershot. For example, the purpose and driving philosophy behind conservation isn't really laid out until halfway through the book. "Nature did not make plants and animals to make people happy. Nature made plants and animals for themselves." Additionally, the book relies a little too heavily on "show don't tell." As a children's book, the text could stand to make its points more explicitly. For example, rather than come straight out and say Muir was a genius for the ages, it continually emphasizes his love of reading and inventing as a means of demonstration. But what exactly, a child might wonder, does this have to do with wandering through the woods? Ultimately, I think John Muir was a man who was forced by a confluence of circumstance to exist on the margins of society, and there he discovered there is more to this planet than human society. He fiercely fought for his vision of the world, but somehow this book manages to present him as a bit milquetoast. This may well be a product of the era in which the book was published, and I suspect the author hoped to make a sneak attack introduction to conservationism for young readers who might otherwise not be exposed to Muir's ideas, which remain controversial to this day.… (plus d'informations)