MISS LADY BIRD'S WILDFLOWERS: How A First Lady Changed America

New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 1st Edition 9th Printing. Hardcover. As New/As New. Joy Fisher Hein - color illustrations. CONDITION: UNREAD, but not quite perfect, 2005 HarperCollins hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ, first edition, 9th printing. Beautiful, vivid color illustrations by Joy Fisher Hein - especially the fields of Bluebonnets. Blank bookplate front loose end page and signature on the title page - it's so scribbled, can't tell if it is of the Author or Illustrator. CONTENT: Causes celebres are as commonplace among First Ladies as red suits and pearls, but few are as accessible to children as the wildflower-planting campaigns of Lady Bird Johnson. Appelt traces Johnson's botanical passions to her rural, East Texas childhood, finding parallels between the solace her subject drew from nature after her mother's death and her launch of the Highway Beautification Act to soothe a nation grieving for JFK. Psychological correlations of this sort appear throughout, and Appelt doesn't provide specific evidence to back them up; however, source citations for quotations and bibliographic resources are listed. Children will pour enthusiastically over Hein's riotous, millefleur landscapes, each bloom so meticulously rendered that bluebells can be distinguished from bluebonnets by using the identification key provided. This is ideally suited for children lucky enough to attend schools where gardens are part of the curriculum; elsewhere, a stroll through Hein's stunning gouache meadowlands may be the next best thing. An endnote describes the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center that Johnson founded in 1982. Questions welcome.