50 true tales from our great national parks

In this wide-angled survey of our National Parks, Pearson pauses at 50 to highlight distinctive natural features, resident flora and fauna--from manatees in the Everglades to ancient bristlecone pines in Nevada's Great Basin--and notable stories of people associated with their history. To go with each stop, Kloepper supplies painted views of chunky-looking wildlife and park workers, evocative landscapes, and vivid marine or underground settings. This is more of a tantalizer than a travel guide; the entries are arranged in no logical order, there is no index, and the one map provides only an overview of the system, so readers after specific travel directions or even just leads to resources for each park will have to look elsewhere. Still, this portable offering gives a nuanced picture of the park system's growth--the author's rapturous descriptions of natural wonders are interspersed with references to cases in which Indigenous or other residents were arbitrarily relocated. Moreover, most of the racially diverse company of explorers, climbers, park rangers, and naturalists she introduces are women. A good choice for quick, casual browsing.