Little Muir's Song

by John Muir (Text by), Susie Ghahremani (Illustrator)

Overview

Delight in nature with Little Muir!

This playful book invites children to ramble through rolling hills, climb friendly trees, and listen to bird song on the breeze as they follow along with famed conservationist John Muir’s lyrical prose and award-winning illustrator Susie Ghahremani’s irresistibly cheerful paintings.

The sun shines not on us, but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us.

With creatures to spot and small adventures to follow, Little Muir’s Song takes young readers on a journey of appreciation for the natural world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781930238893
Publisher:	Yosemite Conservancy
Publication date:	08/13/2019
Pages:	14
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 5.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Susie Ghahremani is the award-winning illustrator of picture books Balance the Birds, Stack the Cats (named a Kirkus Best Picture Book of the Year), and What Will Grow? She shares her love of nature in original artwork which can be enjoyed on Etsy and through her boygirlparty® gift collection. Susie can often be found drawing while hiking (on a "Muir trek"!), a practice she has enjoyed since she was a kid.

John Muir was the first modern environmentalist. His famous spirit of adventure and his persuasive writings led directly to the world-wide national parks movement.

Editorial Reviews

Susie Ghahremani's Stack the Cats was named a Kirkus Best Picture Book of the Year. Her picture book What Will Grow? received three starred reviews and appeared on the Texas Library Association's 2x2 Reading List.

From the Publisher

07/01/2019

Toddler-PreS–With simple words taken from the naturalist's journal, this lovely title is more of a meditation than an informational text about the environment. As a jaunty John Muir heads out for an early morning hike in the mountains, he reminds readers that "The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us." He encourages everyone to observe and listen to every song that nature has to offer and to make it their own. The paintings are as playful and exhilarating as a walk in the woods. A cheery and inspirational selection.

School Library Journal

2019-08-26
A gentle introduction to the natural world and the words of John Muir.

A useful version of Muir himself, sporting a brown beard with no mustache, white skin, blue vest, white shirt, and brown trousers, appears on each double-page spread. Dubbed "Little Muir" on the cover but not on the inner pages, this sole human character hikes mountains, rock-hops across a river, snoozes under and climbs up trees, and listens to bird song. One line of Muir's own words, taken from John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir (edited by Linnie Marsh Wolfe, 1979) and focusing on humanity's spiritual connection to nature, appears on either or both sides of each tableau: "The sun shines not on us but in us. // The rives flow not past, but through us." Youngsters may not grasp the big ideas, poetic musings, and how it all relates to Muir (or even who he was), but the reverence for the Earth comes through with each page turn. With round, friendly lines reminiscent of Wanda Gág's work, the jewel-toned landscapes evoke the vistas of Yosemite National Park, which Muir helped preserve.

This offering isn't much of an introduction to Muir, but it is a lovely poetic meditation on the natural world. (Board book. 2-4)

Kirkus Reviews