Camping with the President

by Ginger Wadsworth, Karen Dugan (Illustrator)

Overview

Imagine a U.S. president on a camping trip! It seems unlikely today, but in May 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt dismissed his Secret Service men to go camping with John Muir, the world-famous naturalist.

For three glorious nights and four days in California's Yosemite National Park, the two men talked about birds, giant sequoia trees, glaciers, as well as the importance of preserving wilderness for future generations. They slept under the stars, built blazing campfires, and enjoyed the beauty and the uniqueness of the area. Setting aside new national parks and monuments became one of the cornerstones of Roosevelt's presidency and was a direct result of this camping trip.

Author Ginger Wadsworth and illustrator Karen Dugan carefully researched this true story, relying on primary documents and working closely with experts in the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590784976
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	09/01/2009
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,111,166
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	750L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Ginger Wadsworth lives in northern California near John Muir's ranch. Yosemite National Park, the setting for this book, is one of her favorite camping and hiking spots. Some of her titles include John Muir, Wilderness Protector; Giant Sequoia Trees; and Words West: Voices of Young Pioneers.

Karen Dugan has worked on more than twenty-five books, eight with Boyds Mills Press, including If I Had a Snowplow by jean L. S. Patrick and Tea Party Today: Poems to Sip and Savor by Eileen Spinelli. She lives in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

California Reading Association Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Silver Honor Book

"Wadsworth's research is sound, her writing spritely and her information interesting."—Kirkus Reviews

"An informative and enjoyable introduction to two of America's early environmental champions and to the early history of our national parks."—Booklist

"A beautifully told story. . . . This glimpse back in time gives valuable insight to a president that made the environment and preserving our natural resources a priority."—Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

In the spring of 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt took a long trip to the far American West and capped his visit with a four-day camping trip through Yosemite with famed naturalist John Muir. Dodging persistent reporters, the men rode through ancient sequoia forests, climbed Glacier Peak and camped at the foot of Bridalveil Fall. As detailed in an author's note, the trip likely played a significant role in Roosevelt's later conservation efforts. Wadsworth's research is sound, her writing spritely and her information interesting, but she reports the story instead of telling it, and she does so in so much detail that the amount of print overwhelms Dugan's otherwise serviceable watercolors. Half the words would have twice the value; as written, it's not detailed enough for older readers, who will gravitate toward chapter books, but too much for younger readers and downright daunting as a read-aloud. Some of Roosevelt's quotes ("I want to drop politics absolutely for four days") are authentic and sourced; others ("This is bullier yet!") are "created by the author based upon typical language of Roosevelt"-an unfortunate license. (author's, biographical notes) (Picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews