Everglades Wildguide

by Jean Craighead George

This official color poster provides an artist's conception of Everglades wildlife.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Animals, Nonfiction, Childrens, Science, American

1 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Jean Craighead George wrote over eighty popular books for young adults, including the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves and the Newbery Honor book My Side of the Mountain. Most of her books deal with topics related to the environment and the natural world. While she mostly wrote children's fiction, she also wrote at least two guides to cooking with wild foods, and an autobiography, Journey Inward.

The mother of three children, (Twig C. George, Craig, and T. Luke George) Jean George was a grandmother who joyfully read to her grandchildren since the time they were born. Over the years Jean George kept one hundred and seventy-three pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappaqua, New York. "Most of these wild animals depart in autumn when the sun changes their behaviour and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories."

Reviews

[Klaudia Maniakowska · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Everglades” by Jean Craighead George is a beautiful informative book about the genesis of everglades. Although the title may seem uninviting at first sight, Wendell Minor’s naturalistic illustrations make the readers involved into the story. There are two layers of information: the illustrations and the text. To begin with, the illustrations are very dream-like and give an impression of being “a fly on the wall” when all the wild animals and the natural world go on. When it comes to the text, one may put forward a claim that this is a story within a story. Basically saying, the readers observe a school trip during which a storyteller amuses the children by telling them a gripping story about how everglades came into being. I appreciate the fact that the seemingly uninteresting facts are presented through a tale, which for sure is more attractive for the younger audience.

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning artwork with the seemingly ever-present message of caring for the earth told in a compelling way. Recommended it to my kids. The ones who have read it, loved it.

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative -- short, lots of pictures and drawings. I was surprised (and impressed) to realize who the author is.

[Private Account · Rating 2 out of 5]

One sided environmentalist propaganda with nice pictures. Here is what I added so that my five-year-old could consider both sides of the story:

"Where are the clouds of egrets?" a child asked.
"The hunters shot them by the tens of thousands and sold the feathers to decorate women's hats. Only a few survived the slaughter." [says the old, wise storyteller in the book]
I add: The hunters used the money they made from selling the feathers to feed their children.

"Where are the quantities of alligators?" an other child asked.
The hunters shot them by the acres and sold their gleaming hides to make wallets and shoes. Only a few remain. [says the old, wise storyteller in the book]
I add: The hunters used the money they made from selling the hides to feed their children.

And this continues. You get the idea.

At the end we talk about what the author wants to express (that man's exploitation of the environment is sad) and whether or not we agree. It is sad for humans to survive at the expense of the alligators and birds? We are alive today because our ancestors made the choices they did to ensure their children's survival - is that sad? All life feeds on other life, including the birds and the alligators (who often ate children!) Should we let this make us sad?

It would be better, of course, to harvest from nature in a way that is considerate of your children AND your grandchildren AND your great grand children, to make sure you leave enough birds and alligators around so that your grandchildren and great grandchildren can hunt them and sell their feathers and hides too. These hunters were only thinking of their children. That these hunters were short term thinkers would have been a much better story.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of a river and environs.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful book. The hard truth of the Everglades from the Everglades' perspective, facts of what's been lost and why. The paintings and illustrations are just gorgeous. I purchased this book at a used book sale and am so glad I read it.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my son and we are reading it again this week as part of our Florida Nature science unit. I've always loved Jean Craighead George, and I love that she captured some of Florida's unique ecological wonder.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When all were in place, the Everglades was a living kaleidoscope of color and beauty. It glittered with orchids, grass, trees, birds, panthers, raccoons, snakes, mosquitoes, fish all things large and small that make the Earth beautiful.”

Informative with beautiful artwork! We enjoyed it.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stars are primarily for the gorgeous illustrations. The environmental part of the story is a little heavy-handed.

[Maryalene · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are 5 stars, but I didn't find the text engaging at all. Rather than being lyrical, it felt as though the book was trying to cram in as many words as possible.

[Jeanne Trawick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully done! Informational. Origins of the Everglades.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated. Sad to think about the Everglades as they are even compared to when the book was published.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a group of children taken through the everglades as a native american describes the evergglades.

[Earth&Silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little simple on the view of the solution perhaps, but astonishingly rich illustrations, and I have a weakness for bittersweet.

[Haley Kilgour · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I was expecting this to be more of a species guide book. It’s more of an ecological and community guide book. And I think it provided a lot of information that other guides books may not.

[Sydney Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The paintings by Wendell Minor were amazing. The text was too warped by evolutionary views to provide much of the intended inspiration.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely picture book that contains lots of factual information on the Everglades. The narrator tells a story, much as a legend, describing a version of the creation of the Everglades, the damage that has been done to this remarkable ecosystem by people, and hopeful suggestions for how humans can save the Everglades biome. The paintings which illustrate the gentle tale are beautiful and depict the gorgeous plants and animals which make their homes here. There is only one Everglades on this beautiful earth, and I use this story each year in my quest to entice grade school students to value and love it.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poetic and beautifully illustrated books about the Everglades history in a way that makes children care about protecting it. The message is definitely that today's children need to grow up and make a difference. The book makes that seem an easy task.

For English teachers: the author lists all of the previous inhabitants of the Everglades in abundance with just about every synonym for "many" that exists. I see this as a great tool for teaching writing to younger children.

[Scott Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful little booklet providing an overview of the natural history of Everglades National Park, including habitats (Pine Rockland, Tree-Island Glades, Mangrove Swamp, Florida Bay & Coastal Prairie, Big Cypress Swamp) and the plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and invertebrates found in these habitats. There are also helpful species checklists found in the back.

[Najae · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read this book at school and we had to do a report and we had choose an animal and i chose the alligator because it interested me the most but its a good giving imformation on how people can take a beautiful and make it so much different

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a different kind of book for Jean Craighead George. I really like it and again so did the kids. This book has an interesting twist. It's a non-fiction book told in narrative form. It is mystically illustrated to captivate any audience. It has an environmental theme threaded throughout.

[Benjamin Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of the everglades told in mythic tones, followed by the fact that people have destroyed pretty much all of it and urging kids to fix it. It's straightforward, doesn't hide its message. Also, the painted illustrations are wonderful.

[Meredith Henning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seamus loves this one!

[John Smith]

lame

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love this book especially for the beautiful artwork. A little long for a read aloud but good for students to read on their own.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice pictures, starts off with a decent story, but then veers offcourse into the whole "humans are bad and the world would be much better off without them" propaganda.

[Stefani · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My story will be different from any you have heard, because this river is like no other river on Earth. There is only one Everglades."

I: 7 years and older
R: 5th Grade

I read this book for a project in my Children's Literature class.

This book discussed the history of how the Everglades came to be, its inhabitants, and how people impacted the wetlands. The aspect of people impacting the size and inhabitants of the Everglades was interesting and eye-opening. As a resident of Miami, living only a few minutes away from the Everglades, I loved that this book shined a light on the importance of protecting the Everglades for future generations. The lesson in the story can apply to different national parks as well. I loved the illustrations in the book and the inclusion of different native plants and animals to the Everglades.

I definitely plan on including this book in my future classroom, whether I teach in Miami or not. Students can pick one of the plants or animals included in the book and research it on their own or in groups. Younger students can draw what they envision the Everglades to look like or what the Everglades will look like in the future if we help to protect it. This book will also be great to read before taking a field trip to the Everglades as well.