Marjory's River of Grass: Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Fierce Protector of the Everglades

by Josie James

Overview

A picture book biography of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the remarkable conservationist and naturalist who worked tirelessly to protect the Florida Everglades.

As an environmental journalist and conservationist, Marjory Stoneman Douglas spent her life fighting to preserve the Florida Everglades. Now celebrated as a subtropical paradise with a diverse ecosystem, the Everglades was once considered a worthless swamp. Marjory recognized the wetlands as a treasured river, home to an array of species unlike anywhere else in the world—and she was determined to help protect it.

This is the story of how Marjory’s incredible vision and unwavering tenacity led to the preservation of one of the most unique regions on Earth. 
 
Bonus content includes an author’s note, inspiring quotes by Douglas, and information about water: where it comes from, and what we can do to help preserve this precious resource.

One of Booklist's Top 10 Environmental & Sustainability Books for Youth (2025)
Featured in "No Planet B: Books on Climate Change and Environmental Activism" (School Library Journal)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316446914
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/15/2025
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 11.40(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Josie James—a pseudonym for picture book creator JoAnn Adinolfi—has illustrated over thirty books for young readers and is the creator of Marie’s Ocean: Marie Tharp Maps the Mountains Under the Sea, which was a National Science Teaching Association Best STEM Book of the Year, an NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, and a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. She lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and invites you to visit her online at joannadinolfi.com. 

Editorial Reviews

★ “This picture-book biography skillfully traces Douglas’ decades-long fight to save the Everglades...An invigorating story that should inspire young readers to enlist in environmental efforts.” —Booklist, starred review

“James’s straightforward storytelling and gentle, chalky artwork capture the abiding appreciation of nature writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890–1998) for the Florida Everglades... Alongside peaceful, airbrush-like vistas of the landscape, bright-eyed text carefully traces Stoneman Douglas’s involvement in protection efforts, underscoring water’s importance while building toward the idea that “Florida’s precious water still flows because new generations continue to protect and defend... the Everglades.”—Publisher's Weekly

"Through adept biographical storytelling, Douglas’s life’s work of fighting for the Everglades is brought to the center…. An excellent starting place for educators and young environmentalists alike, this is highly recommended for classrooms and libraries."

—School Library Journal

Featured in New and Noteworthy Children’s and YA Books: April 2025.—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2025-01-18
This picture-book biography of Marjory Stoneman Douglas leans into her passion for Florida’s Everglades.

A Minnesotan by birth, Douglas arrived in Florida in 1915 as a college graduate, joining her estranged journalist father at theMiami Herald. There, she fell in love with the Everglades and used her writing skills to draw attention to their importance and to advocate for their preservation. Seeing this ambition become reality took decades of persistence and incremental success. James’ text, set in small, businesslike type on her backgrounds, leads readers on a jerky path through Douglas’ long life (she died at 108). They meet many of the influential men in her life—her editor, her fellow activists—but not the husband whose surname she adopted. That is but one omission that readers may note in this elliptical text. Most notable is the stark absence of the Miccosukee and the Seminole; while the text waxes lyrical about the flora and fauna, it is silent about the human residents of the Everglades. Information is too frequently conveyed in awkward, expository, and unsourced dialogue; James’ digital artwork often has a distinctly uncanny-valley effect. She places her white subject, usually clad in hat and pearls, amid a variety of swampy settings. Backmatter offers an author’s note, information on water resources, a bibliography, and source notes.

Douglas’ life and work were important; this attempt to celebrate them falls short. (list of relevant organizations)(Picture-book biography. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews