Marjory Saves the Everglades

July 1, 2020
A visually rich look at the life of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a champion of the Everglades. Vivid and lush, done in acrylic ink and colored pencil, the illustrations immediately greet readers with skies full of birds and flowers that create a horticultural rainbow. Alas, the bold, folk-style illustrations that provide so much visual interest cannot save a problematic text about a noteworthy woman. Vague, suggestive lines pepper the narrative, leading to more questions than answers: "...it would be a long time before Marjory felt the southern sunlight again. Or her father's warm hug." With no mention of a family separation to help them along, readers will be puzzled. "Finally, she found her voice. It wasn't her father's voice, her mother's voice, or Aunt Fanny's. It was entirely the voice of Marjory Stoneman Douglas." Readers will wonder, did any of those people try to silence her? Her father (now back in the story) gave her the reporting job where she found that voice and used it to advocate for women's suffrage. Marjory "became an activist" in her later years. But what was all of her advocacy prior to that? The fatal flaw of the text, however, lies in its promotion of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a white woman, as leader of the charge to save the Everglades, reducing the work of the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes (and countless others) to a sentence in the author's note. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) Readers (and Marjory) deserve better. (timeline, environmental tips, sources, additional resources) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)

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August 1, 2020

K-Gr 3-This vibrant biography details the life of Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Douglas fell in love with the natural beauty of Florida at a very young age, and that passion followed her into adulthood. When World War I broke out, Douglas decided to enlist in the Navy. Soon thereafter, she joined the Red Cross and traveled to Europe. When she returned to Florida, Douglas was appalled to see the devastation that relentless construction had created. She was equally shocked to hear people proclaim, "Drain the Everglades!" Determined to gain knowledge and use her voice to implement change, Douglas committed to a life of environmental activism. Gibbon's watercolor illustrations shine, evoking the richness of Florida wildlife. The text is spare but compelling, emphasizing the many times Douglas had to fight the same battles over the years and convince new people of the importance of her mission. The further reading section offers an extensive list of suggestions, an illustrated guide to the plant and animal life mentioned in the text, and resources. VERDICT A lively addition to biography collections and an ideal starting point for further learning.-Savannah Kitchens, Parnell Memorial Lib., Montevallo, AL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2020
Grades K-3 After WWI, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a newspaper reporter in Miami, worried that land developers were ruining the Florida she loved, and she wrote articles about the issue. In 1930, when she was 40, a boat trip opened her eyes to the incredible diversity of plants and animals living in the Everglades. She joined a committee determined to convince National Park Service officials to make the Everglades a national park. Rejected at first, they succeeded only after taking the officials on a flight above the beautiful region. Decades later, when the Army Corps of Engineers began constructing a jetport in the Everglades, Douglas helped rally the support needed to end the project and begin the restoration of the Everglades. A helpful time line appears in the back matter. The sunny illustrations, created with acrylic inks and colored pencils, are particularly effective at capturing the beauty of nature. While some details in the text will need explanation for its primary-grade audience, this picture book provides a lively portrayal of Douglas as a remarkable individual and a significant environmental activist. Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)