A juvenile biography of father and son, John and William Bartram, naturalists who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in America.
The Bartrams were America's first native botanists, father and son travelers, plant hunters, and master gardeners. They traveled the east coast and observed and wrote about the nature they found. Their story is full of adventure and curiosity. Their interests took them on wide travels, including through Florida in 1774. William Bartram's most famous book is Travels, which is of particular interest for its early description and drawings of Florida. His book is an important part of Florida's early records.
This is seventh book in Pineapple Press's Young Readers series of biographies of famous people who influenced Florida.
Table of Contents:
- 1. Beginnings in a New Land
- 2. A Curious Man
- 3. Growing Gardens and Friendships
- 4. Going Beyond Plants
- 5. "All in A flame" (quoting Bartram's words)
- 6. William, "my little botanist"
- 7. The King's Botanist
- 8. Endings and Beginnings
- 9. "Poor Billy"
- 10. Peace - and a Revolution
- 11. "Puc Puggy"
- 12. Safe and Sound
- 13. Travels
- 14. A Fruitful Garden
Sandy Sammons' book fills a real need a book to interest young readers in the lives of John and William Bartram. The Bartram story is complex, but Sammons has managed to tell the story in a compelling fashion. She has captured the spirit of John and William Bartram with great skill. We can hope it will spread a love of John and William Bartram's world beyond the twenty-first century. Joel T. Fry, Curator Bartram's Garden, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania"
Sandra Wallus Sammons was for many years a Florida elementary school librarian in Lake County. Learning of the dearth of books on Florida history aimed at fourth graders, she began writing biographies of Floridians who lived fascinating, inspirational lives. She has written all the books in the Pineapple Young Reader Biographies series: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the Florida Everglades; Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and the Florida Crackers; The Two Henrys: Henry Plant and Henry Flagler and Their Railroad; Henry Flagler, Builder of Florida; Ponce de Leon and the Discovery of Florida; Zora Neale Hurston: Wrapped in Rainbows; and John and William Bartram: Travelers in Early America.