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Love Every Leaf: The Life of Landscape Architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander

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It was a pleasure to be introduced to Cornelia Hahn Oberlander through Love Every Leaf. In our normal daily events, her name would not usually cross paths with most people's lives. Yet, the truth is, this one woman has had a profound impact on how humanity has been engaged with the environment for years and she is responsible for many of the major developments in playground, park, city and private landscape architecture and planning. Stinson documents Oberlander's personal life, her childhood in Berlin, Germany and her migration to the United States in 1939 at the age of 18. The book builds upon the events of her life while weaving her passion for children, their need for unstructured play and landscape architecture, which results in the biography of a thoughtful, responsible and progressive woman, who was far ahead of her time. The concepts of play, good earthly stewardship and conservation that Oberlander sought to promote are apparent in each personal and professional decision that Stinson chooses to highlight. The reader must be prepared for Stinson's injections of information on the current events of the times, which call for a mature historical knowledge base in order to segue into the text. Ages 12 & up. Reviewed by Christine Maasdaam