Henry David Thoreau

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-- In both of these workmanlike biographies, the authors have attempted to relate the life story of each conservationist to the global movement toward environmental awareness. In Chico Mendes, the martyrdom of this Brazilian rubber tapper reflects the danger and brutality of the political situation in his own country and in others where government policies and business interests threaten the very existence of the tropical rain forest. Although most young readers may be unfamiliar with Mendes, the poignant story of his life and death will inform them of the harsh realities in developing countries that are facing difficult choices between industrial progress and conservation. Gaylord Nelson projects a figure of strong, powerful beliefs softened by humor and realism. An environmentalist from his early boyhood in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, he began his fight to protect our natural resources as governor of Wisconsin, and later in the U. S. Senate. These two books could be used to support curriculum units on the Earth's endangered species, conservation, and other related subjects. Black-and-white drawings are scattered throughout. --Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY