Mardy Murie Did!

K-Gr 2—This picture book introduces children to a significant figure in the American conservation movement. Raised in Alaska, Murie moved with her husband to Wyoming in 1927, where they worked to preserve wilderness areas. The rhyming text poses a series of questions to readers ("Did you ever watch caribou walk by/And see so many/That you couldn't count that high?"). Each one is answered with the refrain "Mardy Murie did!" Most of the book focuses on the joy of experiencing nature, such as listening to wolves howl, riding in a dogsled, and watching the Northern lights, though the final pages center on the woman's passion and her tireless work. Van Zyle's luminous paintings capture the beauty of the wildlife and landscapes Murie sought to protect. Although the patterned text would seem ideal to read aloud, the rhyme is sometimes awkward, and the main text lacks specifics on exactly what Murie did to further the conservation movement. Only after reading the lengthy author's note do readers learn that she was the driving force behind the creation of Grand Teton National Park and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Thus the book would be more appropriate for introducing the ideals of the wilderness preservation movement than as a source for research.—Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR