Restoring Prairie, Woods, and Pond (Books for a Better Earth)

by Laurie Lawlor (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

A small town with few resources comes together to restore nature and create a valuable resource for the entire community in this inspiring middle grade nonfiction book.

Restoring Prairie, Woods, and Pond is about activism at the community level—and tells how a small village transformed a city-owned dumping ground into a nature trail with three distinct ecosystems that runs from an elementary school to a public library and community center.

Filled with beautiful photos the book will explain how this trail became a valuable outdoor classroom during covid, a STEM teaching center, a respite for people young and old, and a place for community engagement. Books for a Better Earth are designed to inspire children to become active, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on.

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Kirkus

Starred Review

A magical and timely story of ecosystems restored to their former glory.

School Library Journal

Gr 4 Up- A delightful work that reads like a love letter to the Eagle Nature Trail in Wisconsin. Readers learn about the past struggles and former glory of this special field and forest that has a seasonal pond. They are invited to follow along the journey of the small community's efforts to create a nature trail and restore the surrounding prairie. Detailed descriptions of flora and fauna will excite aspiring biologists. Also included is a complete history of this section of land-how it was abandoned and neglected as a dumping ground-then revived and restored to serve as an incredible living laboratory for students. Various story walk opportunities are possible throughout the year thanks to a vibrant partnership with the local library. Service-learning opportunities abound. Social studies and science teachers will be able to mine this book for a wealth of lessons, rich with photos and charts. Students with an interest in social studies will appreciate the author's efforts to connect larger events in history with the story of the prairie. The book's vocabulary can be challenging, but with guidance, or perhaps as a class read-aloud, this story could inspire similar projects at schools across the country. VERDICT This thoroughly and painstakingly researched book could serve as a blueprint for others seeking to revitalize similar areas. Highly recommended for school library collections.

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission. 

Review quotes

★ "A magical and timely story of ecosystems restored to their former glory."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Laurie Lawlor
Laurie Lawlor is a prolific and celebrated author of children's books. Her picture book biography Rachel Carson and her Book That Changed the World was named a Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year and a National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Book and received the John Burroughs Riverby Award. Her Super Women: Six Scientists Who Changed the World was named a NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book. She lives and teaches in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780823459063
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Holiday House
Publication date
September 17, 2024
Series
Books for a Better Earth
BISAC categories
JNF037020 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Environmental Conservation & Protection
JNF065000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Recycling & Green Living
JNF071000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Activism & Volunteering
Library of Congress categories
Wisconsin
Nature conservation
Restoration ecology
Nature trails

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