[Nonfiction Wednesday] A Dryad Of A Scientist Who Gave Voice To Spring

Myra here.

We are delighted to join the Nonfiction Picture Book meme 2019 hosted by Alyson Beecher @ Kid Lit Frenzy. We would also be linking our nonfiction choices with our reading themes throughout the year, when we can.

Spring After Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired The Environmental Movement

Written and Illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson
Published by Roaring Brook Press (2018)
ISBN: 1626728194 (ISBN13: 9781626728196)
Borrowed from the Jurong West Public Library. Book photos taken by me.

I know of Rachel Carson and how her courage and steadfastness compelled people to protect their environment. This picturebook biography is a perfect primer that showed how Rachel was like as a child, her affinity with the natural world, and her keen attentiveness to the sounds, rhythm, and the beauty around her.

While she initially wanted to be a writer, her experience witnessing an entire universe from under a microscope made her chart a different path. She wanted to be as close as possible to the creatures that fascinated her – those who live in water and on land and flying free in the air.

Her keen powers of observation also made her deeply aware of the sudden silence around her during spring, which alarmed her. After doing extensive research, she realized that the animals are being poisoned, not deliberately – but unwittingly, with poison and pesticide that were initially thought to be harmless to humans and animals.

What is truly admirable is how Rachel Carson was depicted to speak out the facts brought about by scientific study and observation, regardless of how unpopular they were at the time. She was vilified, initially ignored, and dismissed – particularly by huge corporations who stand to lose a great deal of money if her recommendations were followed. Yet despite this, her steady voice rang loud and clear, shining light to darkness and ignorance. Her life narrative remains strikingly relevant, especially with climate change and the proliferation of fake news. We need to nurture more Rachel Carson among our youth. But first, we need to listen to the world around us, and hear what it has to say.

#WomenReadWomen2019: United States of America