I Begin with Spring: The Life and Seasons of Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was born and grew up in the Concord, Massachusetts area. He and his brother and best friend, John, spent as much time as they could out in nature. Henry, fascinated by the natural world, studied it all his life. This beautiful book is designed to look like a nature journal, the kind people in the nineteenth century would have kept.

Illustrations by Megan Elizabeth Baratta populate every page, all painted in quiet, soft colors, mostly greens, browns, and blacks, and have a simplicity to them that is evocative of the kind of illustrations young people might make themselves. A few photographs of items from the Thoreau estate are also included.

The writing by Julie Dunlop is lovely, and it is interspersed with some of Thoreau’s own words. She tells the story of Thoreau’s life from beginning to end simply and briefly, but taking care to include the most important events and with a firm nod to the beautiful, lyrical language lovers of Thoreau know well.

The back matter will encourage young readers to do further study on their own and perhaps to keep a nature journal themselves. Designed for middle-grade readers, this book deserves readers far beyond that age group.