(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jenn Ely. This picture-book biography introduces young readers to the conservation efforts of Hoyt, focusing mainly on her life after the death of her husband in 1918. Newly married in 1897, they had moved to Pasadena, California, where it was only a matter of time before she fell in love with the Mojave Desert. She was particularly interested in Joshua trees, which are not trees at all but rather the largest member of the yucca plant family. By 1933, the Joshua trees and their habitat were threatened by carelessness (people cut them down for wood), and Hoyt hatched a plan to designate the area as a national park, preserving this unique ecosystem. It was a hard sell, but she -- and the activists she inspired -- were ultimately successful. "No one who heard her talk could ever again regard the subject of conservation of desert flora with indifference," said a fellow environmentalist. Ely's cozy gouache illustrations (double-page spreads, single-page drawings, and spot art) depict both Hoyt's plucky spirit and the majesty of the high desert landscape. More information about Hoyt and Joshua Tree National Park, along with tips for environmental activists, photographs, an author's note, and a select bibliography, are appended.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. Beginning with a title that introduces both Frederick Law Olmsted's work and the book's main idea, Partridge (Boots on the Ground, rev. 3/18) gives young readers a focused biography that shows not only what Olmsted accomplished--he designed and executed the completion of numerous parks, from Central Park to the U.S. Capitol grounds--but also what stirred him to do so. Deliberately, but never with a heavy hand, she fleshes out these accomplishments with the private motivations that gave his public work meaning. For example, readers see Olmsted as a restless boy who found joy in nature and a young activist who wanted to improve the lives of others, steady in his conviction that the land was the province of all Americans, no matter their backgrounds. Although his beliefs were altruistic, the execution of them was not always so, as his labors displaced African Americans and Native Americans in Central Park and Yosemite, respectively. (Partridge mentions both in the main narrative and elaborates on them in the back matter.) Stadtlander's (Fearless World Traveler, rev. 9/21) watercolor and gouache illustrations invoke folk art, underscoring the main idea that these parks are "for the people." Double-page spreads allow an emphasis on landscapes. Back matter includes a timeline of ­Olmsted's life in context with historical events; documentation; and a bibliography. In a concluding note, Partridge shares her experiences in two of her subject's parks, reminding readers that these green spaces still exist, for us all, over a century after they were first created.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon. Marjory Stoneman Douglas, journalist and fierce champion of Florida's natural environment, spent her long life (1890–1998) advocating for the protection of the Everglades. ­Wallace's account begins with Douglas's brief childhood visit to sunny Florida with her father and her early life of books and nature in New England with her mother and aunt. In her own adulthood, divorced, Douglas arrives in Miami and takes a journalist position at the Miami Herald, the paper her father had started. Wallace's narrative incorporates relevant quotes from Douglas: "I wanted my own life in my own way." After service in the navy in WWI, Douglas returns to Florida and begins, with Ernest Coe, a campaign to designate the Everglades as a national park. Successes and obstacles ensue--"The Everglades is a test. If we pass it, we get to keep the planet"--set against Gibbon's illustrations of lush Florida landscapes filled with multitudes of birds, marsh grasses, people, and marine life, and contrasting images of ever-encroaching development. Douglas is unbowed, writing The Everglades: River of Grass and organizing the Friends of the Everglades. Though the biographical detail is selective, the back matter is useful for filling in blanks. Endnotes provides a timeline and background on Douglas, her conservation efforts, a field guide to Florida wildlife, and additional resources.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by William Goldsmith. This creatively rendered biography-in-comics, with Muir's imagined voice as narrator, is filled with the naturalist's adventures, from his childhood in Scotland to his pioneering conservation work and formation of America's National Parks. Illustrator Goldsmith's Muir is a feisty character, portrayed in loose pencil sketches with one or two accent colors. Vibrant spreads in the chapter transitions and interludes capture the stunning landscapes in which Muir found his purpose. Timeline. Glos.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 First Facts: U.S. National Parks Field Guides series. These image-heavy volumes introduce young readers to major features of each national park, functioning as accessible travel guides. Engaging photographs accompany brief information about landmarks including geysers, canyons, and suspension bridges, along with brief overviews of wildlife and weather. Maps included. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these First Facts: U.S. National Parks Field Guides titles: Grand Canyon National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 First Facts: U.S. National Parks Field Guides series. These image-heavy volumes introduce young readers to major features of each national park, functioning as accessible travel guides. Engaging photographs accompany brief information about landmarks including geysers, canyons, and suspension bridges, along with brief overviews of wildlife and weather. Maps included. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these First Facts: U.S. National Parks Field Guides titles: Grand Canyon National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 National Parks series. This series takes readers on pleasant tours through individual national parks. Each book's second-person text has a guidebook-like tone, offering tips and tricks for getting the most out of a visit. The volumes are filled with fascinating facts, vivid photographs of natural wonders and animals visitors might encounter, and keyed maps. Additional fast facts are appended. There are six other spring 2018 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Welcome to Redwood National and State Parks, Welcome to Yosemite National Park, Welcome to Denali National Park and Preserve, Welcome to Glacier National Park, Welcome to Grand Teton National Park, and Welcome to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 National Parks series. This series takes readers on pleasant tours through individual national parks. Each book's second-person text has a guidebook-like tone, offering tips and tricks for getting the most out of a visit. The volumes are filled with fascinating facts, vivid photographs of natural wonders and animals visitors might encounter, and keyed maps. Additional fast facts are appended. There are six other spring 2018 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Welcome to Redwood National and State Parks, Welcome to Yosemite National Park, Welcome to Denali National Park and Preserve, Welcome to Glacier National Park, Welcome to Grand Teton National Park, and Welcome to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old anxious perfectionist Miranda Cho joins her absentminded cryptozoologist mom on one last Bigfoot hunt, determined to convince her to abandon "make-believe" pursuits and get a real job. Their expedition to the Olympic National Park rainforest becomes a survival adventure, complete with potential werebears, fairy villages, and Bigfoot's cave. This engaging yarn blurs myth and reality; third-person narration amplifies the wildness of Miranda's spiraling thoughts and the almost mystical forest.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) 4-6 National Parks series. This series takes readers on pleasant tours through individual national parks. Each book's second-person text has a guidebook-like tone, offering tips and tricks for getting the most out of a visit. The volumes are filled with fascinating facts, vivid photographs of natural wonders and animals visitors might encounter, and keyed maps. Additional fast facts are appended. There are six other spring 2018 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Welcome to Redwood National and State Parks, Welcome to Yosemite National Park, Welcome to Denali National Park and Preserve, Welcome to Glacier National Park, Welcome to Grand Teton National Park, and Welcome to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 National Parks series. This series takes readers on pleasant tours through individual national parks. Each book's second-person text has a guidebook-like tone, offering tips and tricks for getting the most out of a visit. The volumes are filled with fascinating facts, vivid photographs of natural wonders and animals visitors might encounter, and keyed maps. Additional fast facts are appended. There are six other spring 2018 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Welcome to Redwood National and State Parks, Welcome to Yosemite National Park, Welcome to Denali National Park and Preserve, Welcome to Glacier National Park, Welcome to Grand Teton National Park, and Welcome to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 National Parks series. This series takes readers on pleasant tours through individual national parks. Each book's second-person text has a guidebook-like tone, offering tips and tricks for getting the most out of a visit. The volumes are filled with fascinating facts, vivid photographs of natural wonders and animals visitors might encounter, and keyed maps. Additional fast facts are appended. There are six other spring 2018 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Welcome to Redwood National and State Parks, Welcome to Yosemite National Park, Welcome to Denali National Park and Preserve, Welcome to Glacier National Park, Welcome to Grand Teton National Park, and Welcome to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 National Parks series. This series takes readers on pleasant tours through individual national parks. Each book's second-person text has a guidebook-like tone, offering tips and tricks for getting the most out of a visit. The volumes are filled with fascinating facts, vivid photographs of natural wonders and animals visitors might encounter, and keyed maps. Additional fast facts are appended. There are six other spring 2018 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Welcome to Redwood National and State Parks, Welcome to Yosemite National Park, Welcome to Denali National Park and Preserve, Welcome to Glacier National Park, Welcome to Grand Teton National Park, and Welcome to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bee Johnson. "Shine a flashlight behind the page...to reveal the amazing sights in and around our country. Discover a land of great surprises." This Shine-a-Light installment presents a very broad tour of American landmarks such as the White House, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, and Carlsbad Cavern. The information is slim, but the guessing game ("What is sleeping in the cave?") and shine-a-light hooks should engage viewers.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(1) K-3 Vacationing in the Grand Canyon provides a father and daughter--and readers--numerous opportunities to explore this national park's geology and ecology. Travel guide–like narration presents accurate scientific information, as do page perimeters filled with delicate sketches and diagrams. Detailed, scenic watercolors portraying actual sites cleverly feature selected objects through subtle die-cuts that transport the girl back to ancient geologic environments. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(4) 4-6 An ancient curse keeps humans unaware of the mythical creatures living in U.S. national parks. When this secret is threatened, twelve-year-old Sam London is recruited by a special government agency to keep the information safe. The story features an interesting assortment of mythological and folkloric creatures and includes some clever twists, but its pacing suffers from Gallicano's excessive wordiness. Includes a glossary of creatures.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan