The Flower Hunter: William Bartram, America's First Naturalist

This is a fine children's book about the life of William Bartram, one of America's early and great naturalists. The story is told in the form of a journal, written by the young William, and is accompanied by helpful maps and vivid illustrations of scenes from his various journeys. Begun on his eighth birthday, the brief but evocative journal entries tell of the boy's early interest in botany, and of his longing to accompany his father John Bartram on his explorations of the newly colonized Americas. He learns to make detailed renderings of leaves, and to identify the various types of plants in the region. Historical details are introduced casually, in the matter-of-fact manner of a child. He tells, for example, of a war between the British and the French that caused them to cancel a journey, or of his encounter with a friend of his father's -- Benjamin Franklin!! - who explains to him the marvels of electricity. We eventually see the young boy grow into a man, who is both sensitive to nature and respectful of the diverse cultures of the various inhabitants of the land. Particularly poignant is the subtle manner in which the author portrays the young man's attachment to and feeling for his aging father, as indicated in a pivotal scene where the son must rescue his father from drowning. Or in a later scene when William brings stories of a lovely but as-yet unnamed tree. His father has lost his vision, and cannot see the drawings that his son brings home for him, but together they name the species Franklinia, in honor of their mutual friend. In an informative afterward, the author points out that this tree has only survived today due to the plantings of it that Bartram made on his farm. This is a very simple and unassuming story, about a remarkable man, that can be appreciated by both young and old. It introduced me to a part of American history that I knew little about, and even inspired my two children to begin journals of the things they discover in nature.