Spring after Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement by Stephanie Roth Sisson

Abstract

Reviewed by: Spring after Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement by Stephanie Roth Sisson Elizabeth Bush Sisson, Stephanie Roth Spring after Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement; written and illus. by Stephanie Roth Sisson. Roaring Brook, 2018 [34p] ISBN 978-1-62672-819-6 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R 5-8 yrs Following naturalist Rachel Carson from observant child to scientist, writer, and activist, Sisson fashions a picture book that is laudably thorough and informative, and it’s a visual treat as well. Opening scenes linger over Carson’s early years in Pennsylvania, allowing viewers to experience the birdsong and animals calls that changed with the seasons, to join her in investigating the “wonders big . . . and small” around her home, and to share her expectation that she would become a writer of nature stories. The life-changing moment, in which she’s captivated by a microscope view of aquatic life, emerges as a delightful plot twist, as it leads to her overcoming her fear of water to do underwater research, which in turn informed her observations of drastic change in the environment and the pesticide research that led to publication of Silent Spring. Mixed-media illustrations add a tactile dimension to a text replete with nature’s chatter; smooth surfaces of stones and clothing and breaking dawn contrast with the rough paper texture beneath vibrant blue waterscapes, and negative space denoting animals increasingly conspicuous by their absence practically invite viewers to poke their fingers into the sad little voids. A graphic of the path of pesticide poisoning throughout several food chains rivals science textbook presentations for clarity, an author note remarks on Carson’s connection to Earth Day, and endnotes offer extended annotations on the text. Bibliography and source notes are also included. Copyright © 2018 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois