John Muir Wrestles a Waterfall

Reviewed by: Phyllis Fuchs - Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 9, 2015

Review

The eye catching title and cover illustration strongly suggest that an exciting adventure in picture book format follows. It does and the colorful drawings done in full color and pastel pencil tell of the naturalist John Muir's adventure when he scoots behind a huge waterfall in Yosemite Valley, California. The book also contains a brief account of some of the highlights of Muir's life. The waterfall adventure is told using generous-sized type along with the lively drawings. On some of the same pages, relevant facts about Muir are printed in smaller size type. While this format does interrupt or at least slow down the story, both younger and older readers are accommodated. The book is both a non-fiction picture book adventure and an intriguing introduction to an exceptional naturalist at a time of heightened interest in the environment. Appended is a two page spread about Muir's popular newspaper columns which described his enthusiasm for the beauty of Yosemite followed by a bibliography for learning more using online sources and books. Recommended to school and public libraries and to independent readers of about seven through twelve years. The book's brevity, illustrations and good story make it a fine choice for reading aloud to a class or one on one.

Overall Book Score: good