by Kathi Appelt
First published 2005
Lady Bird Johnson grows up alone in the Piney Woods of East Texas, where wildflowers become her closest friends. She wanders through forests, bayous, and rolling hills, finding comfort in the bright blooms that greet her everywhere she goes. These flowers stay with her as she moves from her isolated childhood to the corridors of power in Washington. As First Lady, Lady Bird carries her deep love of natural beauty into her public role. She launches a campaign to plant wildflowers along America's highways and bring color to the nation's cities. Her mission is personal and political: she wants every child in America to experience the joy she found among the wildflowers of her youth. Kathi Appelt tells this story of environmental activism through the lens of one woman's lifelong passion, showing how Lady Bird's childhood companions became the inspiration for a national beautification movement.
Genres: nature, environment, non-fiction, biography-memoir, activism, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, personal-is-political
Setting: East Texas, Piney Woods, Washington
Period: 20th-century
40 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins