Rachel Carson: caring for the earth

by Elizabeth Ring

Intended to foster a sense of individual responsibility for taking care of the planet, these biographies focus on the lives of important naturalists and figures in the environmental conservation movement.

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Mariah Lauritzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I read this book, I knew that Rachel Carson had written Silent Spring, thus spurring more regulation on pesticides. My interest in this book was trying to find biographical books for kids, and this book fulfilled that. I read it to get a sense of it.

The book is rather long and is not a picture book. I would qualify it as an early reader. It's 43 pages in total. It might be better as a book read together over the course of a couple days. Or for an older child who is just getting into short chapter books. Given the content of covering an entire life, part of which might not be relatable to a child, I think that discussing this book with your child could really add to critical thinking around this biography.

I was surprised at all the interesting information in this book. It goes through her entire life, from birth to death.

It takes you on the journey of a lot of things that a kid would really relate to:
- walking around with her mom through their farm as a young child
- submitting writing articles to a magazine.

Then it takes you through her young adulthood and her adulthood. I thought it did a good job at grounding you in the time period and current events. It also took you through the process of her career, how she went from writing to biology, how her writing shaped her biology career.

The book touches on the personal, which doesn't always happen with famous figures. She not only raised her nephew and niece when her sister died. She also raised her grandnephew when her niece died! I couldn't believe it. It really added to my perspective on Rachel Carson.

I do think they should have added more pictures throughout the book. I think they should have chosen a different cover picture; it almost made me not get this book.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

[Bradley]

Most of these Gateway Green books follow the life of an influential environmentalist what roles they played in the shape of the world today, and I’m not belittling their importance I’m just wondering how the biography does better than their magnum opus or primary works such as, in this case, Silent Spring. Maybe we’re just trying to introduce the authors to kids first? What a boring idea.

It’s more plain to me now why education can sometimes look, feel and be boring. I’ve always been of the notion that we should curb or at least raise publication standards. Too many books.

Again, not saying that this one shouldn’t exist, and maybe as a focal point of this woman’s life it serves as a good, genuine overview…