Synopses & Reviews
Birds were and#8220;the objects of my greatest delight,and#8221; wrote John James Audubon (1785and#8211;1851), founder of modern ornithology and one of the worldand#8217;s greatest bird painters. His masterpiece, The Birds of America depicts almost five hundred North American bird species, each imageand#8212;lifelike and life sizeand#8212;rendered in vibrant color. Audubon was also an explorer, a woodsman, a hunter, an entertaining and prolific writer, and an energetic self-promoter. Through talent and dogged determination, he rose from backwoods obscurity to international fame.
In This Strange Wilderness, award-winning author Nancy Plain brings together the amazing story of this American iconand#8217;s career and the beautiful images that are his legacy. Before Audubon, no one had seen, drawn, or written so much about the animals of this largely uncharted young country. Aware that the wilderness and its wildlife were changing even as he watched, Audubon remained committed almost to the end of his life and#8220;to search out the things which have been hidden since the creation of this wondrous world.and#8221; This Strange Wilderness details his art and writing, transporting the reader back to the frontiers of early nineteenth-century America.
Review
andquot;Nancy Plain's Light on the Prairie . . . places Butcher's work in its historical and sociological context, and provides a well-chosen sampling of his photographs.andquot;andmdash;Benjamin Schwarz, Atlantic
Review
"Plain has an enviable gift for storytelling."and#8212;M. Melissa Wolfe, Great Plains Quarterly
Review
"Plain has again taken a subject, explored it deeply, and expressed the nuances of the story in a way that both educates and entertains. . . . This is a book that belongs in every Nebraska school, and the homes of anyone who wants to understand our western homestead legacy and Great Plains history better."and#8212;Candy Moulton, Fence Post
Review
"The images in this collection are stunning. Farmers posed in front of sod houses, tracklayers working on the Union Pacific Railroad, corn harvesting, and even the sadness of a family gathered around a lonely grave, all iconic views reflecting the irrepressible spirit of the Nebraska pioneers who made this inhospitable region their home."and#8212;Larry Cox, Tucson Citizen
Review
"Superbly reproducing sixty-two of Butcher's iconic photographs depicting life and times in frontier Nebraska, Light on the Prairie features an informed and informative commentary making it a very highly recommended and unique addition to personal, community, and academic library American History and American Photography reference collections and supplemental reading lists."and#8212;James A Cox, Midwest Book Review
Review
"Light on the Prairie serves as a model of how a book for young readers can educate as well as delight."and#8212;Kate Elliot, Annals of Iowa
Review
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This Strange Wilderness is like walking through a secret door into early nineteenth-century America. Nancy Plainand#8217;s stellar prose and meticulous research, combined with the glorious paintings of John James Audubon, will delight readers of all ages.and#8221;and#8212;Candace Simar, author of the Spur Awardand#8211;winning Abercrombie Trail seriesand#160;
Review
and#8220;Nancy Plain captures the essence of Audubon in words as beautiful and informative as his paintings.and#8221;and#8212;Rod Miller, author of John Muir: Magnificent Tramp
Review
andquot;Like Audubonand#39;s paintings, this volume andquot;glow[s] with life.andquot; A superb introduction to the life and times of a great American artist and naturalist.andquot;andmdash;Kirkus starred review
Review
andquot;Plain chronicles Audubonand#39;s adventurous life in a succinct, absorbing narrative that is well researched, meticulously documented, and beautifully written. . . . This biography offers a vivid introduction to Audubonand#39;s life and work.andquot;andmdash;Carolyn Phelan, Booklist starred review
Review
andquot;Plain has chosen quirky and interesting snippets of Audubonandrsquo;s life, nicely illustrated with 44 color plates, for this readable and fascinating little book.andquot;andmdash;Star Tribune
Review
andquot;Nancy Plain provides readers of all ages a concise introduction to the naturalistand#39;s prophetic role in the establishment of the American conservation movement.andquot;andmdash;True West
Review
andquot;Definitely a book children and adults will enjoy.andquot;andmdash;Roundup Magazine
Review
and#8220;Graceand#8217;s story relates hardships and hilarity in a compelling mix. . . . This is a fine personal portrait of one womanand#8217;s life and a good read. Excellent-quality archival photos, many of Graceand#8217;s own family, enhance the well-documented text.and#8221;and#8212;School Library Journal (starred review)
Review
and#8220;[Pioneer Girl] tells the riveting story of life on the prairie and the determination of the families who settled there.and#8221;and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
Review
and#8220;A nonfiction parallel to Laura Ingalls Wilder stories, filled with the gritty details of a settlerand#8217;s life and told with a smooth storytelling style.and#8221;and#8212;Horn Book
Review
and#8220;Every year my fifth grade students embark on a journey and#8216;out westand#8217; with Andrea Warrenand#8217;s Pioneer Girl. The bookand#8217;s wonderful details and compelling characters make for a high-interest story as readers learn about the homesteadersand#8217; experiences and what it took to settle the prairie.and#8221;and#8212;Sharon Story, teacher at B.D. Lee Elementary School in Gaffney, South Carolina
Review
and#8220;An excellent addition to units on the westward movement or for fans of pioneer stories.and#8221;and#8212;Booklist
Synopsis
Birds were the objects of my greatest delight, wrote John James Audubon (1785 1851), founder of modern ornithology and one of the world s greatest bird painters. His masterpiece, The Birds of America depicts almost five hundred North American bird species, each image lifelike and life size rendered in vibrant color. Audubon was also an explorer, a woodsman, a hunter, an entertaining and prolific writer, and an energetic self-promoter. Through talent and dogged determination, he rose from backwoods obscurity to international fame.
In This Strange Wilderness, award-winning author Nancy Plain brings together the amazing story of this American icon s career and the beautiful images that are his legacy. Before Audubon, no one had seen, drawn, or written so much about the animals of this largely uncharted young country. Aware that the wilderness and its wildlife were changing even as he watched, Audubon remained committed almost to the end of his life to search out the things which have been hidden since the creation of this wondrous world. This Strange Wilderness details his art and writing, transporting the reader back to the frontiers of early nineteenth-century America.
"
Synopsis
Once President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act of 1862, which granted 160 acres of free land to anyone with the grit to farm it for five years, the rush to the Great Plains was on. Solomon D. Butcher was there to document it, amassing more than three thousand photographs and compiling the most complete record of the sod house era ever made.
Butcher (1856and#8211;1927) staked his claim on the plains in 1880. He didnand#8217;t like farming, but he found another way to thrive. He had learned the art of photography as a teenager, and he began taking pictures of his friends and neighbors. Butcher noticed how fast the vast land was and#8220;settling up,and#8221; so he formed the plan that would become his lifeand#8217;s workand#8212;to record the frontier days in words and images.
Alongside sixty-two of Butcherand#8217;s iconic photographs, Light on the Prairie conveys the irrepressible spirit of a man whose passion would give us a firsthand look at the men and women who settled the Great Plains. Like his subjects, Butcher was a pioneer, even though he held a camera more often than a plow.
Watch an interview with the author.
Synopsis
Pioneer Girl is the true story of Grace McCance Snyder. In 1885, when Grace was three, she and her family became homesteaders on the windswept prairie of central Nebraska. They settled into a small sod house and hauled their water in barrels. Together they endured violent storms, drought, blizzards, and prairie fires. Despite the hardships and dangers, Grace loved her life on the prairie. Weaving Graceand#8217;s story into the history of Americaand#8217;s heartland, award-winning author Andrea Warren writes not just of one spirited girl but of all the children who homesteaded with their families in the late 1800s, sharing the heartbreaks and joys of pioneer life.
About the Author
Nancy Plain is the author of nine childrenand#8217;s books, including With One Sky Above Us: The Story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians, winner of the 2010 Spur Award for Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction, and Sagebrush and Paintbrush: The Story of Charlie Russell, the Cowboy Artist, winner of the 2008 Spur Award for Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction. Her books have also won the Carter G. Woodson Honor award and First Place in Childrenand#8217;s Nonfiction from the National Federation of Press Women.