Review by Booklist Review
Young Frederick Law Olmsted's hometown of Hartford, Connecticut, was polluted and noisy. Olmsted longed for nature, but the only parks were private ones. In 1857, he got a job supervising those who were "clearing land," which included displacing African American landowners, for New York City's Central Park. Olmsted didn't like the job, but he found his passion when his friend, architect Calvert Vaux, was hired to design the park and asked former-surveyor Olmsted to help. From there, Partridge provides a sweeping view of Olmsted's other accomplishments, such as work on Yosemite National Park and the grounds around the U.S. Capitol building. As well as covering a compelling figure, Partridge (Marching for Freedom, 2009) succeeds in showing students how landscape architecture--a term coined by Olmsted--can simultaneously aim to improve social conditions and bulldoze over the concerns and lives of the poor and minorities. Stadtlander's vivid, architectural-model-like images of places in Olmsted's life provide myriad details to pore over. A closing author's note, time line, and notes add value. A worthy purchase for history collections.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Partridge tells the story of Frederick Law Olmsted's (1822--1903) career as an ambitious, visionary park designer, from his unpromising years in school to his success as the designer of Central Park and public parks throughout the U.S. Along the way, injustices are acknowledged--the appropriation of largely African American Seneca Village to build Central Park, the burning of Ahwahneechee homes for Yosemite National Park--but the footnote-like mentions aren't drawn into relationship with privileged Olmsted's personal story or concerns, undercutting the story's claim that the figure "created common ground" for "everyone in New York City" and for "all of America." Graceful artwork by Stadtlander attends to historical detail and echoes the colors and sweep of period painters. An author's note concludes. Ages 4--8. (Apr.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--4--Frederick Law Olmstead appreciated nature as a respite from city life from a young age, and he wanted to make a difference in America, but it took time for those two things to converge. Ultimately, he found meaningful work and left a lasting impact by designing "common ground" such as Central Park and Prospect Park in New York, Yosemite in California, and the U.S. Capitol grounds. "Making peaceful, leafy places for everyone" was Olmstead's "way to make a difference to America." However, he moved often and frequently held unrelated jobs, presenting a challenge to picture book biographers; some transitions, such as when Olmstead leaves Washington, D.C., during the Civil War and follows the Gold Rush to California, are jarring. Stadtlander's watercolor and gouache illustrations strike just the right note throughout, showcasing landscapes and townscapes peopled with small figures. Author's note, time line, bibliography, resources. VERDICT Because this is a less-than-cohesive biography of a category-defying personality, this is an additional purchase.--Jenny Arch
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Review by Horn Book Review
Beginning with a title that introduces both Frederick Law Olmsted's work and the book's main idea, Partridge (Boots on the Ground, rev. 3/18) gives young readers a focused biography that shows not only what Olmsted accomplished -- he designed and executed the completion of numerous parks, from Central Park to the U.S. Capitol grounds -- but also what stirred him to do so. Deliberately, but never with a heavy hand, she fleshes out these accomplishments with the private motivations that gave his public work meaning. For example, readers see Olmsted as a restless boy who found joy in nature and a young activist who wanted to improve the lives of others, steady in his conviction that the land was the province of all Americans, no matter their backgrounds. Although his beliefs were altruistic, the execution of them was not always so, as his labors displaced African Americans and Native Americans in Central Park and Yosemite, respectively. (Partridge mentions both in the main narrative and elaborates on them in the back matter.) Stadtlander's (Fearless World Traveler, rev. 9/21) watercolor and gouache illustrations invoke folk art, underscoring the main idea that these parks are "for the people." Double-page spreads allow an emphasis on landscapes. Back matter includes a timeline of Olmsted's life in context with historical events; documentation; and a bibliography. In a concluding note, Partridge shares her experiences in two of her subject's parks, reminding readers that these green spaces still exist, for us all, over a century after they were first created. Betty Carter March/April 2022 p.(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
