Prolific children's author Tracy Nelson Maurer, whose previous forays into the world of picture-book biography include John Deere, That’s Who! and Noah Webster's Fighting Words, returns to the form in this look at the life of Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the thirty-sixth President of the United States. Born Clara Alta Taylor, Lady Bird - so nicknamed by her childhood friends - was a shy girl who grew up to become an important public figure, notable not just for her relationship to LBJ, but for her active participation as a citizen in her own right. A campaigner for the beautification of American's parks and motorways, and for the protection of our green spaces, she was the first First Lady to have her own chief of staff, and she worked tirelessly for the ecological causes she espoused...

Although Lady Bird Johnson, That's Who!: The Story of a Cleaner and Greener America is the first book I have read from Maurer, it is the second picture-book biography of Lady Bird Johnson that I have encountered, following upon Kathi Appelt and Joy Fisher Hein's Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America. Although on the whole I think I prefer the Appelt/Hein title, this was still an engaging, educational book, one that pairs an informative, friendly narrative from Maurer with cute, appealing artwork from illustrator Ginnie Hsu. I liked the focus here on Lady Bird overcoming her shyness - as one might imagine from the title, the focus in Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America was its subject's love of wildflowers and how this influenced her life - and think many young children will find something to identify with, in this theme. Recommended to picture-book readers who enjoy biography, are passionate about conservation, or are interested in First Ladies. ( )

great story of overcoming shyness and speaking out for what is important ( )