Laurie Lawlor grew up surrounded by a family deeply passionate about theater. Summers were spent with her siblings in a summer stock repertory company located in a small Colorado mountain town. This theatrical endeavor was managed by her parents, with her mother overseeing costumes, cooking, accounting, and serving as the company's psychiatrist, while her father directed the artistic vision.
A small rural Wisconsin community transforms a neglected dumping ground into a nature trail that connects an elementary school and a public library. This project highlights the restoration of publicly-owned land while showcasing three distinct ecosystems, emphasizing community involvement and environmental stewardship.
Scientist. Artist. Rule-breaker. The vibrant and daring life of Marianne North by the award-winning author of Super Women and Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World. In 1882, Marianne North showed the gray city of London paintings of jaw-dropping greenery like they'd never seen before. As a self-taught artist and scientist, Marianne North subverted Victorian gender roles and advanced the field of botanical illustration. Her technique of painting specimens in their natural environment was groundbreaking. The legendary Charles Darwin was among her many supporters. Laurie Lawlor deftly chronicles North's life, from her restrictive childhood to her wild world travels to the opening of the Marianne North Gallery at Kew Gardens to her death in 1890. The North gallery at Kew Gardens remains open to the public today. Becca Stadtlander's award-winning lush, verdant artwork pairs wonderfully with the natural themes. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year An NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students
In 1775, while traveling with her family from Virginia to Kentucky, and joined by another family along the way, eleven-year-old Elizabeth reads Gulliver's Travels to the children and keeps a journal of their adventures, which include a runaway slave, encounters with Cherokees, and a near-fatal accident.