Who Was Rachel Carson?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Sarah Fabiny, Who HQ, Dede Putra (Illustrator)

Though she grew up in rural Pennsylvania, Rachel Carson dreamed of the sea. In 1936 she began work with the Bureau of Fisheries and soon after published Under the Sea Wind, her first of many nature books.

Her 1962 bestseller, Silent Spring, sent shockwaves through the country and warned of the dangers of DDT and other pesticides. A pioneering environmentalist, Rachel Carson helped awaken the global consciousness for conservation and preservation.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Science, History, Nature, Childrens, Middle Grade

112 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2014

Reviews

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Rachel Carson's history. She was one of the pioneer environmentalists and studied, worked and researched very hard during her lifetime.

Wikipedia: "Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose influential book Silent Spring (1962) and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.

Carson began her career as an aquatic biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her widely praised 1951 bestseller The Sea Around Us won her a U.S. National Book Award, recognition as a gifted writer and financial security. Her next book, The Edge of the Sea, and the reissued version of her first book, Under the Sea Wind, were also bestsellers. This sea trilogy explores the whole of ocean life from the shores to the depths.

Late in the 1950s, Carson turned her attention to conservation, especially some problems she believed were caused by synthetic pesticides. The result was the book Silent Spring (1962), which brought environmental concerns to an unprecedented share of the American people. Although Silent Spring was met with fierce opposition by chemical companies, it spurred a reversal in national pesticide policy, which led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides. It also inspired a grassroots environmental movement that led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter. She wrote 24 books and her most popular book was "Silent Spring." Carson died after a long battle against breast cancer at the age of 56."

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe I had not heard of this remarkable woman! Thanks Mollie. I’m excited to read more of her books. Sad that we lost her so young to GD cancer!

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading The Sea Around Us, the first bestseller by Rachel Carson, and I became curious about the author. All I could find at my library were two biographies written for children, so I decided to read them and see what I could find out.

I was most interested to see how Rachel Carson was set on the path to becoming a naturalist and an early environmentalist. It seems that one of the influences was that of her mother, an avid bird-watcher, who encouraged others to study nature. Rachel and her mother took long walks together and Rachel would ask questions as they walked. If her mother didn't know the answer, she taught Rachel how to find answers in books. Rachel also had a teacher who encouraged her toward a career in science.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first "Who Was" book I ever read and I see why our kids love this series so much. It was very clear and logical, a perfect junior level biography. And Rachel Carson's story is so touching, I teared up.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a proud Chatham (PCW) alumna, and I've never read Silent Spring! Ooops.

This Who Is book is perfect for a quick background of one of the leading environmentalists and biologists of our time.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic! I had no idea who Rachel Carson was until I read this with Trinity. What an amazing human!

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

106 pages. I really enjoyed this biography of a famous ecologist and writer. I had not really read about her before so it was quite refreshing to learn about her life and work. It inspired me to read her original book on ocean creatures and last book titled Silent Spring.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. These little biographies for kids are great. I knew nothing about Rachel Carson and now 100 pages later I know a ton. And I. Going to add one of Carson's book store my TBR list. I still don't like the giant heads, they creep me out.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's an extended shout-out to Rachel Carson in The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World, and so I decided to read Silent Spring, as it is her most famous book - although I'm really more interested in her earlier works on the ocean, which I will get to sometime in the hopefully near future. Meanwhile, I also wanted to know a little more about her as a person, so once again defaulted to "young reader" biographies, as they give me the Wikipedia-level information I'm looking for but in a nicely dumbed-down format - and with pictures!

As with other such famous women - Mary Anning, Anne Innis Dagg, etc. - our library has many more books aimed at younger readers than full "grown-up" biographies; not necessarily a bad thing, as I'm a firm supporter of young people learning about real-life heroes as early in life as possible. This particular bio is part of the apparently endless "Who Was…?" series, and is probably as good as any - our library has a good dozen to choose from, but this has given me pretty much what I wanted for now.

[Kevin Dufresne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi,

I hope all is progressing well.

Who Was Rachel Carson? by Sarah Fabiny (Author), WHO HQ (Author), and Dede Putra (Illustrator) is a biography about Rachel Carson's life. I read the book (on the spot) deciding between which book to purchase to donate to one of the hospitals Barnes and Noble has a donation relationship with as a part of a Christmas program. I choose Who Was Rachel Carson? to purchase to donate. The text informs of Rachel Carson's upbringing toward being an environmentalist, an author, an integral member of a family, and a citizen with concerns as well as practical approaches (with her skillsets) about society. I learn about Rachel Carson for the first time reading this book, and I'm really glad about doing (learning and reading) so.

Onward and Upward,
Kevin Dufresne
www.Piatures.com
IG: @Dufreshest

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had not heard of Rachel Carson prior to reading this book. I learned a lot about her life and her mission to save the environment. She spoke out about DDT which was one of the most prominently used pesticides of the day. It was killing birds and plants but was supposed to be killing mosquitoes. It did not do that great of a job on killing the insects. DDT was also a prime factor in weakening the shells of baby bald eagles. This led to it eventually being banned in the US as a pesticide. Rachel raised awareness of many problems with the environment that had never been discussed in public prior to her writing her books.

[Rick Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of Rachel Carson's life and career, with emphasis on her family life, education, and writing. Carson's love of nature is brought to the forefront, as is her talent for writing. Sidebars include information on women's rights, the history of Johns Hopkins University, and the science behind pesticides and their effects on the environment.

The Kiddo read this as part of this year's summer reading, and expressed an interest in reading some of Rachel Carson's books after being introduced to her work here.

[Amity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaye and I both enjoyed this book. I think the author did a great job of balancing personal information with information about her work. It definitely started a lot of great conversations about the importance of having women in STEM, the need for human's--especially Americans--to realize what we have done and continue to do to our environment, and so many other topics.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4th grade daughter is doing a report on this book, so I read it along with her.

First of this series of books I have read and was quite impressed with the quality.

Very impressed with Rachel Carson as a person. Not your typical "environmentalist". She had the right scientific approach and the right motives. Helped get DDT banned.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first “Big Head” book I’ve read. I hand them to children regularly. Even though it is targeted to children, it is a quick read for adults who want to learn about a person but would rather not read a longer biography. I choose Rachel Carson after helping my daughter study for an American History test. Now I want to read one of her books.

[Amanda up North · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's sad to me that I had never heard of Rachel Carson until I was scanning Who HQ titles for interesting people to read about. Which is exactly why I picked her - I had no idea why she was famous. That said, I probably learned more from this Who Was book than any other I've read.
While it's disappointing that she wasn't mentioned in school when I was growing up (she would have been a great role model), my expanded knowledge it's reaffirming of self-education, and makes me grateful that young people today have books like these to learn from. This is such a fantastic series.
Who Was Rachel Carson? is an informative biography on an outstanding writer, scientist, and environmentalist. She was a pioneer and a hero.
I was inspired to add Silent Spring and a few of her other titles to my reading list.

[Maglevcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who was Rachel Carson? is about a woman named Rachel Carson. She was born in 1907. She wrote books about the ocean and the environment. She also wanted to have less pesticide and less DDT because it was making people sick and animals sick. Rachel Carson did many speeches and also was on TV. I suggest this book for ages 8 and up, because it has some difficult words about science.

[Robin Pelletier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, we read this one in a pinch. The tutoring nugget SUPER procrastinated on a school project, so we had to get this one on kindle and read it together. We got it done and she passed the project. I actually learned about Rachel Carson in the novel Consider the Octopus. This book gave a quick intro to her and all the work she did. I am totally going to read her books after learning about them here!

[Tue Le · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Fabiny wrote a superb little book on the founder of environmentalism. She was determined, well-informed, articulate, and passionate about her work. Rachel Carson is the true face of environmentalism, or at least what it should be. I recommend this book for school or public libraries. Parents may want to add this to their home libraries as well.

[Kurt Garfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent primer on an incredibly important figure from the 20th century. My students are always looking for books to read during downtime, this will definitely be one that I recommend for them to read!

[Ella Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it highlights the life and change made my a Woman. I also liked this because it is not a common story told, I had never heard of Rachel Carson before researching this text set.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud to my daughter

We decided to read because at summer camp she got the award for being a modern day Rachel Carson. So we were astonished to find they have the same birthday.

As for this book, it’s to the point. But didn’t have enough interesting tidbits.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that it was very special that Rachel followed her dreams and believed she could do anything she wanted! Definitely a book about a strong minded woman who supported her family! I definitely would recommend this book!

[Steven Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though she grew up in rural Pennsylvania, Rachel Carson dreamed of the sea. In 1936 she began work with the Bureau of Fisheries and soon after published Under the Sea Wind, her first of many nature books.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I had no clue who Rachel Carson was. This book was very informative, covering the good along with the controversy.

[Mary T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know anything about Rachel Carson, so I learned a lot!

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

So very facinating. I had heard of the book "Silent Spring" but did not know that Rachel Carson was the author. Love to learn about women who took/take the path less traveled.

[Trena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scientist read aloud for my second grade class. They love the "Who Was" books.

[Emma D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for kids!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was at the same crossroads. I had to decide between my love of zoology and my love of reading and books. I chose books.