great story ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this picture book biography. I’ve always been interested in the man and this book takes the reader though his entire life. I found the narrative interesting. There are a lot of topics that could be brought up for discussion but the way they’re related is appropriate even for young children. I’m thinking of the destruction of the Seneca Village in order to make way for NYC’s Central Park and also the rigors of living and making a living when Olmsted was alive. The materials at the end offer excellent additional information. There is an Author’s Note, and a list of Sources, Resources & Bibliography, and (my favorite!) a two column timeline where the left side covers Olmsted’s life from birth to death and most everything between the two and the right side covers what was going on in the U.S. at precisely the same time. I found it riveting. It’s an informative and entertaining biography and history book.

I loved the everything about the illustrations. They’re engaging and I love the art steyle. On different pages they are different sizes and shapes. Extraordinarily good details and colors. I could pore over these for a long time and they do justice to the subject matter. Nature, trees, people, animals, buildings, interiors, etc.

My only quibble is that San Francisco was mentioned only in passing but it’s true that Olmstead ended up not doing that much in/for San Francisco and there was so much else in his life to cover.

4-1/2 stars ( )