Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America

by Kathi Appelt, Joy Fisher Hein (Illustrator)

Overview

Bluebonnets and lady's slippers, larkspurs and blazing stars, black-eyed Susans and Granny's nightcaps.

From a lonely childhood in the Piney Woods of East Texas to an exciting life in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson loved these wildflowers with all her heart. They were her companions in her youth, greeting her everywhere as she explored wild forests, bayous, and hills. Later, as First Lady, she sought to bring the beauty of wildflowers to America's cities and highways. She wanted to make sure every child could enjoy the splendor of wildflowers.

In this warm, engaging look at the life of a great First Lady, Kathi Appelt tells the story behind Lady Bird Johnson's environmental vision. Joy Fisher Hein's colorful wildflowers burst from every page, inviting us to share in Lady Bird's love for natural beauty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060011079
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/15/2005
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	182,618
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kathi Appelt is the award-winning author of many children's books, including Bat Jamboree, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, and Incredible Me!, illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Ms. Appelt teaches creative writing to both children and adults and lives in College Station, Texas.

Joy Fisher Hein is an artist, designer, and illustrator in the Texas Hill Country, where she lives with her husband. They are the parents of three wonderful, creative children. Joy has been painting and gardening all her life, at her mother's or grandmother's side, and is a certified Texas Master Naturalist.

Editorial Reviews

… colorful pictures add sparkle to the work.

Dallas Morning News

… a colorful and readable account …

Grand Rapids Press

… Joy Fisher Hein’s illustrations … will captivate readers of all ages.…

Austin American-Statesman

Joy Fisher Hein’s illustrations for the picture book give readers an easy lesson in wildflower identification.…

Houston Chronicle

… children will pore enthusiastically over her riotous, millefleur landscapes, each bloom… meticulously rendered …

Booklist

Joy Hein’s spectacular paintings veritably burst off the page.

Orlando Sentinel

This warmly attractive volume tells a graceful braid of stories: the life of Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of a president; the tale of a lonely child who found solace in the landscape and flora of east Texas; and the work of a First Lady who sought to bring beauty of the wilder sort into the highways of America. Lady Bird grew up in a rich and privileged household, but she lost her mother before she was six. She went to college-unusual for a woman in 1930-and there met and married Lyndon, following him on a political trajectory that led to Congress, the vice-presidency and then to president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. She filled Washington with more cherry trees and with the daffodils she had loved as a child and urged the passing of the Highway Beautification Act. Now, more than 30 years later, interstate highways are free of junkyards and an endless procession of signs; instead, the native wildflowers Lady Bird loves are growing everywhere. Hein's delicate pictures are in bright, clear colors and her flowers instantly recognizable in broad vistas and intimate close-ups. (author's notes, endnotes, bibliography including Web sites) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews