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Listening to Crickets: A Story about Rachel Carson
From the time she was a very young girl, Rachel Carson felt a bond with nature. Growing up in Pennsylvania, she spent hours exploring meadows and woods, dreaming of seeing the ocean. As Rachel grew older, she combined her gift for writing with her love of nature, producing award-winning books about the sea. But her best-known achievement was the publication of Silent Spring, an account of the dangerous effects of pesticides on plants and animals. With Silent Spring, Rachel helped create a movement to ban these harmful chemicals. Her findings helped to assure that future generations would be able to dream about the ocean and listen to crickets.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Candice F. Ransom
43 books13 followersSee also
Candice Ransom
Ransom has published more than 150 books for children, and she is amazed every day that she's able to do this as her life's work. It's no small thing to discover at an early age (ten!) what one is meant to do, and then pursue that dream. For her, the best part of writing for children is that she can move between writing board books, picture books, easy readers, chapter books, middle grade novels, nonfiction, and biography. She is excited to move into picture book nonfiction with BONES IN THE WHITE HOUSE: THOMAS JEFFERSON'S MAMMOTH (Doubleday, 2020).
AMANDA PANDA QUITS KINDERGARTEN and the sequel AMANDA PANDA AND THE BIGGER, BETTER BIRTHDAY (Doubleday) are her first picture books with animal characters! She is proud of her easy readers featuring a brother and sister having fun throughout the year: PUMPKIN DAY, APPLE PICKING DAY, SNOW DAY, and GARDEN DAY. Look for more titles in this Level 1 series written in bouncy rhyme, plus the popular TOOTH FAIRY'S NIGHT (all Random House).
Ransom has published more than 150 books for children, and she is amazed every day that she's able to do this as her life's work. It's no small thing to discover at an early age (ten!) what one is meant to do, and then pursue that dream. For her, the best part of writing for children is that she can move between writing board books, picture books, easy readers, chapter books, middle grade novels, nonfiction, and biography. She is excited to move into picture book nonfiction with BONES IN THE WHITE HOUSE: THOMAS JEFFERSON'S MAMMOTH (Doubleday, 2020).
AMANDA PANDA QUITS KINDERGARTEN and the sequel AMANDA PANDA AND THE BIGGER, BETTER BIRTHDAY (Doubleday) are her first picture books with animal characters! She is proud of her easy readers featuring a brother and sister having fun throughout the year: PUMPKIN DAY, APPLE PICKING DAY, SNOW DAY, and GARDEN DAY. Look for more titles in this Level 1 series written in bouncy rhyme, plus the popular TOOTH FAIRY'S NIGHT (all Random House).
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 9, 2012
I read this non-fiction biography about Rachel Carson to my children.
Until I read this book, I had no idea who this remarkable woman was! While she initially planned to major in literature to pursue her dream to become a writer, the two mandatory science credits that she needed to take to obtain her degree changed her plans. It was unheard of for a woman in the 1920s to become a scientist. It just wasn’t proper! She was not swayed by the opinions of others and did proceed to change her major. She ended up graduating with a Master’s Degree in Marine Zoology from Johns Hopkins University and found her dream job that united both of her loves: writing and science. She wrote a series of radio broadcasts on the topic of marine biology.
Rachel’s first book, Under the Sea-Wind, published in 1941 was about the sea from the point of view of the creatures who inhabited it. Her second novel, The Sea Around Us, published in 1951 was an instant best-seller and made her famous. Her success continued with her third book, The Edge of the Sea, published in 1955 which described the life and geology of the East Coast.
Against all advice, Rachel again listened to her heart when she published Silent Spring in 1962. It was a highly controversial book about the environmental effects of the use of DDT and other chemical pesticides. Her book was the catalyst that resulted in DDT and other chemicals being almost completely banned in the United States, Canada, and other developed countries. She was not afraid of the public backlash, and our world is a safer and healthier place because of her! Many farmers now use natural enemies (usually other insects) to manage crop pests or biodegradable insecticides.
This is a very informative, interesting, and inspiring biography that is suitable for children ages 9-14. I highly recommend it!
Until I read this book, I had no idea who this remarkable woman was! While she initially planned to major in literature to pursue her dream to become a writer, the two mandatory science credits that she needed to take to obtain her degree changed her plans. It was unheard of for a woman in the 1920s to become a scientist. It just wasn’t proper! She was not swayed by the opinions of others and did proceed to change her major. She ended up graduating with a Master’s Degree in Marine Zoology from Johns Hopkins University and found her dream job that united both of her loves: writing and science. She wrote a series of radio broadcasts on the topic of marine biology.
Rachel’s first book, Under the Sea-Wind, published in 1941 was about the sea from the point of view of the creatures who inhabited it. Her second novel, The Sea Around Us, published in 1951 was an instant best-seller and made her famous. Her success continued with her third book, The Edge of the Sea, published in 1955 which described the life and geology of the East Coast.
Against all advice, Rachel again listened to her heart when she published Silent Spring in 1962. It was a highly controversial book about the environmental effects of the use of DDT and other chemical pesticides. Her book was the catalyst that resulted in DDT and other chemicals being almost completely banned in the United States, Canada, and other developed countries. She was not afraid of the public backlash, and our world is a safer and healthier place because of her! Many farmers now use natural enemies (usually other insects) to manage crop pests or biodegradable insecticides.
This is a very informative, interesting, and inspiring biography that is suitable for children ages 9-14. I highly recommend it!
April 30, 2020
I hated the cover art for this book and honestly wasn’t extremely excited to read it. However, it proved to be a exquisite biography about Rachel Carson - a marine biologist. The story was told in a poetic way that described her passion for nature and writing. Many topics introduced led to deep spin off conversations with me and my son. We read this along with our biology homeschool curriculum for the end of his 5th grade year & it was the perfect reading level. It also sparked an interest in my eco-friendly kid & he’s requested many of Rachel’s own books to read which were referenced within this story.
March 30, 2019
I have a lot of respect for Rachel Carson. She spoke out about DDT when it was still controversial to speak out about toxic pesticides. And, just like today, when folks speak out against the court of public opinion, there is hell to pay. Instead of disputing her they attacked her personally. It is no different today. It is such a shame that we do this. Regardless of all the vitriol she received, she was proven correct.
November 17, 2021
This book is a very short biography about Rachel Carson, but it is an intriguing history of her life. It is a fast read and a great introduction to her life and would be a great book for older elementary and middle school readers.
April 20, 2024
This was a very interesting biography about Rachel Carson (who I had never heard of before) and her life as someone who was very curious about science and nature and wrote volumes about it.
May 9, 2024
Not sure I really admire this woman but was interested to see her journey and the legacy she left.
April 15, 2021
I love this book! The girl is so brave! It inspired me to clean some of my neighborhood!
November 15, 2009
A biography of scientist/author Rachel Carson for the intermediate grades or so, it is well done; an accessible, easy-to-relate-to telling of a bright, good woman’s life that led to the publishing of her controversial Silent Spring, a book which in many ways pioneered modern ecological awareness on a large scale. Carson’s history of science and writing interest from her youngest days provides good inspiration for youngsters to do well, never knowing what good future endeavors their interests and skills may lead to. My group of solid reading fifth graders enjoyed it, and more than one child, several girls most notably, expressed the desire to combine writing and science in ways like Carson did. Valuable and recommended.
August 30, 2015
Very clever, concise, biographical account with all the facts of Rachel Carson's life-story. Even though I am an adult, I equally enjoyed this book for younger readers and juvenile literature; so much so, I would like to read the whole series about other influential people of our philanthropic history. The series is called the Creative Minds Biographies. The series consists of biographies of both lesser knowns and mainstream famous historical figures. Rachel Carson's story is straight forward and to the point without any impertinent plot. This book has the naked bones of her life summed up in sixty-two large-printed pages. I suspect all the others in the series have concisely informative tales to tell too.
January 10, 2010
After waiting a week and 1/2 to get the book which I put on hold, I was a bit frustrated that it only took 1/2 hour to read. I wish the prose could have been smoother and, if the book had been longer it might not be so choppy. I appreciated reading a lighter book about Rachel Carson then an adult biography would have been and I'm definitely interested in reading her books.
June 6, 2013
wonderfully written bio of rachel carson. great source list at the end which, if it has been updated, would have websites as well as books. the lack of web references is my only complaint w/the book
January 29, 2010
I really enjoyed learning more about Rachel Carson. Another make a difference in your world person killed by cancer. I hate that disease.
March 19, 2011
A quick biography about Rachel Carson covering her childhood and her family relationships.
July 28, 2019
A nice biography of a woman who worked hard and was able to combine her writing talents with her scientific mind to impact the country in regards to nature and conservation.
February 27, 2026
The cover made me think this book was about a blind girl, but this was good too, and actually more new for me. I’d never heard of Rachel Carson before, and she’s actually pretty cool.
October 26, 2012
A sweet and simple biography of Rachel Carson, one of my super-heroes.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews