Flower Watching with Alice Eastwood (Naturalist's Apprentice) [Hardcover]

Michael Elsohn Ross (Author), Laurie A. Caple (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Naturalist's Apprentice

Discusses the life and work of botanist Alice Eastwood, who explored plant life in Colorado and California in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?Ross profiles two remarkable scientists who succeeded in their fields despite the racial and gender prejudices of the early 20th century. Turner, one of the few African Americans in his day to earn a doctorate (in zoology) was noted for his research on insect behavior. Eastwood was a self-taught botanist in an era when science was considered an inappropriate pursuit for women. She gained renown for her intrepid explorations of remote areas of Colorado and California, where she collected and identified plants, and for her books on the flora of these regions. A mix of assorted black-and-white reproductions and watercolor paintings of flora and fauna appear on about every other page. Many of the photos are not dated. For the most part, the texts are competently written; however, some information is oversimplified. For instance, the text of Bug Watching consistently uses the unscientific term "bug" instead of the correct terms, "insect" or "spider," even after the correct terms are defined. Use of such imprecise terms does not match the predominantly straightforward text. Scientific miscellanea is juxtaposed with the main texts in beige-colored inserts designed to look like torn pages from an old notebook. The majority of them are only marginally relevant. Neither of these books attempts to be a definitive biography of its subject (both scientists appear to be near saints in character), but rather to provide overviews of their lives and accomplishments. Flower Watching will be the more useful title as it is more clearly written.?Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

An entry in the new Naturalist's Apprentice biographies that lovingly presents the life of botanist Alice Eastwood (18591953), who explored plant life in Colorado and California at the turn of the century. She was mainly self-taught and began by exploring ``the flowers in her uncle Helliwell's garden'' when she was only six years old. Flowers became her ``true passion,'' and later, as a teacher, she spent her summers exploring the Rockies and its flowers. She ultimately became the curator of botany at the California Academy of Sciences and in 1950, at the age of 91, the honorary president of the Seventh International Botanical Congress held in Sweden. Readers will enjoy learning about this dedicated, pioneering botanist who was the only woman to be listed in ``every edition of American Men of Science.'' Beautifully painted watercolors make this book particularly pleasing to pore over, as do the well-placed activities for budding botanists on choosing a field guide, using a magnifying lens, keeping a botanical journal, and more. (b&w photos, chronology, glossary, bibliography, index) (Biography. 8-11) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (December 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575050056
• ISBN-13: 978-1575050058
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,675,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Botinist biography, June 4, 2006

By 

Celia Sorensen (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flower Watching with Alice Eastwood (Naturalist's Apprentice) (Hardcover)

This is a fabulous book that would be of interest to anyone ages 6 years old to adult. This book is perfect for Charlotte Mason, any other home school curriculum or for those interested in the study of plants.

Alice Eastwood was born in 1859. At age 6, her mother died and she was sent to live for a time with her uncle who encouraged her early interest in Botany. During her teen years she moved to Colorado where she eventually graduated and became a school teacher. During summers and any spare moments she spent her time "surrounded by fields and pastures immersing in her true passion--flowers", engaging in rugged hikes and camping expeditions. She was completely self taught but she eventually became The expert on flowers in Colorado at a time when little was known about plants in the Rockies. In 1892 she eventually moved to San Francisco to be a joint curator of the herbarium at the California Academy of Sciences, where she continued her plant explorations and journal writing. In 1906 she made a daring and exciting rescue attempt as she tried to save some of the herbarium's collection after the great earthquake shook the city and badly damaged the building that housed plants from all over the world and Alice's lifetime collection's of plants and journals. She spent the later part of her life trying to preserve the last groves of Redwood trees and buying up land for arboretums and nature preserves creating living museums. She lived into her nineties and continued her work, only now she was international recognized as one of the great botanists of the United States.

Surprisingly, although it mentions that women typically did not engage in rugged activities during the time period that Alice lived, it does not contain the typical feminist or environmentalist dogma. This book is not only a wonderful biography, but has many beautiful illustrations and includes ideas scattered throughout the book to encourage young naturalists to do their own plant studies.

The book is in a series called Naturalist's Apprentice Series.