Review by Booklist Review
Rare is the book that makes painting seem adventurous, but this true-life account of Thomas Moran's journey to the land called Yellowstone does just that. Although Moran had never ridden a horse, never shot a gun, and never slept in the open air, his itch to paint the wildness of nature led him to sign up with Dr. Hayden's seminal journey into the Rockies. Although only one actual Moran painting is included, Judge's expressive watercolors are visually exciting in their own right, using careful blotches to suggest facial expressions and interlocking swaths of browns and yellows to depict the glorious expanse of a thousand-foot canyon. Most impressive of all are the cataclysmic whites used to illustrate the exploding base of a waterfall (with a tiny Moran sitting at his easel in the foreground). Chronicling the expedition's many struggles, Judge makes a powerful argument for visiting Yellowstone and appreciating Moran's efforts. Get readers hooked with this one, and when they're older, bring on Susanna Reich's Painting the Wild Frontier (2008).--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In 1871, American artist Thomas Moran journeyed with a team of geologists through the Rocky Mountains to "the land called the Yellowstone," observing and sketching the landscape around him. Judge's watercolor illustrations capture the movement and pristine energy of the wilderness along with the team's arduous journey over rocks, ravines and woods ("Tom learned to ride quickly. But by noon he was so sore from bouncing on the hard saddle, he had to put a pillow under him"). Moran's "The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" appears on the final pages of the book-a light-infused synthesis of the magnificent sights seen throughout. Ages 6-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-Thomas Moran was an artist/illustrator who, in 1871, left the comforts of civilization to join a scientific expedition to the then largely unexplored Yellowstone region. He had never been an adventurer, but what he lacked in skill he made up for in effort. His detailed drawings, paintings, and journal entries helped convince the U.S. Congress to make Yellowstone our first national park. Judge's account of Moran's adventures is interesting and engaging. Though somewhat fictionalized, it is based on firsthand accounts. Throughout the story Judge includes quotations from Moran's notebooks and from the journals of others on the expedition. An author's note mentions Moran's further adventures, but there is little about his earlier life. Judge's watercolors are done in the style of Moran's artwork. They are painted with energetic lines and the rich, earthy colors of the American West. A reproduction of the artist's famous painting, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, appears on the final page. This book does a great job of introducing a somewhat obscure artist to a young audience.-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This story of Thomas Moran's bold adventure as part of Dr. Ferdinand Hayden's 1871 exploratory expedition to Yellowstone chronicles his challenges in his first foray into the wilderness and briefly summarizes his resultant success as a painter. Judge gently but humorously acknowledges his inauspicious beginnings: Never having ridden a horse, he jury-rigged a pillow over his saddle, much to the amusement of Hayden and the rest of the team. Together with an adventuresome photographer, he scaled mountainsides to find exceptional sights to sketch and then bring to life on canvasa feat that helped lead to the establishment of Yellowstone National Park, the nation's first. Faux journal pages help to move the narrative along, accompanied by imagined field sketches. The author's watercolors effectively capture the monumental landscapes, accommodating at the end a gorgeous reproduction of Moran's colossal painting of the Yellowstone's canyon. The author explains in a note that she read the journals of Moran and the others on the Yellowstone team and studied his sketches and paintings to bring verisimilitude to her account, then added some fictionalized conversations. Inspiring. (Picture book. 7-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
