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Eye on the Wild: A Story About Ansel Adams
Recounts the life and career of nature photographer Ansel Adams, whose work for the Sierra Club helped to increase public interest in wilderness preservation
64 pages, Library Binding
First published June 17, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 9, 2022
As a short but in all ways more than sufficiently detailed and informative middle grade biography of American landscape photographer Ansel Adams author, Julie Dunlap has in my humble opinion done a simply phenomenal, spectacular textual job with her 1995 Eye on the Wild.
For yes and indeed, Eye on the Wild lists and presents both biographical positives and negatives, featuring not only Ansel Adams’ triumphs but also the many struggles and setbacks both personal and professional he encountered during his life (from Ansel Adams’ childhood to his final years, detailed, sometimes perhaps even a trifle verbally dense, but also engagingly penned and reading interest retaining, both for my adult self and also and importantly for my inner child as well), and with Julie Dunlap’s text for Eye on the Wild also very clearly demonstrating and pointing out that Ansel Adams always always remained true to his calling as a landscape photographer even when for example his choice of subject matter was being severely criticised (by many) during the Great Depression of the 1930s and during WWII (that these criticisms certainly caused Ansel Adams some personal pain but thankfully were not ever able to push him away from first and foremost being a nature photographer and nothing but a nature photographer).
Combined with the fact that Julie Dunlap has also included a detailed bibliography listing both primary and secondary sources (and under separate headings) and with Kerry Maguire’s artwork providing a nicely rendered decorative trim, my reading experience with regard to Eye on the Wild had been solidly pleasurable and with my only mild annoyance being that I do find it a bit lacking that none of Ansel Adams’ actual photographs have been included within the pages of Eye on the Wild.
But while the lack of inclusion of Ansel Adams’ photographs (as pictorial examples) was originally making me consider four and not yet quite five stars for Eye on the Wild, the oh so very many positives regarding Julie Dunlap’s writing and storyline (see above) and that she, that Dunlap also and very much appreciatively ONLY textually shows in Eye on the Wild Ansel Adams’ life as it happened and refrains from speculation and adding her own personal musings (that for example, for Julie Dunlap’s description of Ansel Adams education, while she points out that Ansel Adams was fidgety and not a good student, Dunlap thankfully does not ever try to claim that this might have been a case of ADHD or some other learning issues), yes, this all most definitely has made me up my star rating to five stars and to almost consider Eye on the Wild for my favourites shelf.
For yes and indeed, Eye on the Wild lists and presents both biographical positives and negatives, featuring not only Ansel Adams’ triumphs but also the many struggles and setbacks both personal and professional he encountered during his life (from Ansel Adams’ childhood to his final years, detailed, sometimes perhaps even a trifle verbally dense, but also engagingly penned and reading interest retaining, both for my adult self and also and importantly for my inner child as well), and with Julie Dunlap’s text for Eye on the Wild also very clearly demonstrating and pointing out that Ansel Adams always always remained true to his calling as a landscape photographer even when for example his choice of subject matter was being severely criticised (by many) during the Great Depression of the 1930s and during WWII (that these criticisms certainly caused Ansel Adams some personal pain but thankfully were not ever able to push him away from first and foremost being a nature photographer and nothing but a nature photographer).
Combined with the fact that Julie Dunlap has also included a detailed bibliography listing both primary and secondary sources (and under separate headings) and with Kerry Maguire’s artwork providing a nicely rendered decorative trim, my reading experience with regard to Eye on the Wild had been solidly pleasurable and with my only mild annoyance being that I do find it a bit lacking that none of Ansel Adams’ actual photographs have been included within the pages of Eye on the Wild.
But while the lack of inclusion of Ansel Adams’ photographs (as pictorial examples) was originally making me consider four and not yet quite five stars for Eye on the Wild, the oh so very many positives regarding Julie Dunlap’s writing and storyline (see above) and that she, that Dunlap also and very much appreciatively ONLY textually shows in Eye on the Wild Ansel Adams’ life as it happened and refrains from speculation and adding her own personal musings (that for example, for Julie Dunlap’s description of Ansel Adams education, while she points out that Ansel Adams was fidgety and not a good student, Dunlap thankfully does not ever try to claim that this might have been a case of ADHD or some other learning issues), yes, this all most definitely has made me up my star rating to five stars and to almost consider Eye on the Wild for my favourites shelf.
August 4, 2018
A great introduction to Ansel Adams for kids! Told in story form, with illustrations.
February 7, 2025
Great youth biography!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews