Midnight Forests: A Story of Gifford Pinchot and Our National Forests

Few biographies for kids survey Gifford Pinchot and his role as the father of the conservation movement in this country, which makes Midnight Forests: A Story Of Gifford Pinchot And Our National Forests all the more important. Robert Casilla provides an excellent survey here: good reading skills for grades 3-4 lend to learning about Pinchot's time spent in the woods, his political influence, and his vision for preservation.

Today, most of us take our National Forests for granted. We assume that these beautiful places where we can hike, climb and backpack have always been as they are today. Not at all so as we learn in this educational and entertaining biography of Gifford Pinchot. It was the year 1885 when young Gifford Pinchot set out for Yale University. His father had suggested that he might want to be a forester as the elder Pinchot had become concerned about the destruction of our forests. Well, Gifford only knew that he loved the woods. After his time at Yale he had learned a great deal about geology and biology but nothing about the management of trees. His next step was to study at a forestry school in France. At last, Gifford was the first American to ever be trained in forestry. He knew what he wanted to accomplish, but how to do it? Fortunately, he would eventually find a staunch ally in President Theodore Roosevelt. The two men had many common interests - the outdoors, hunting, fishing. Then, in 1905, with the aid of his friend the President Gifford took charge of all federal forests, and named his department the Forest Service. Thanks in large part to the dedication and determination of one man the National Forests exist today for all of us to enjoy. From this story youngsters will learn how much we owe to those who came before us, and what can be accomplished with a dream and hard work. - Gail Cooke