I believe this book came up as a recommendation from either Amazon or ThriftBooks when I was purchasing Down Cut Shin Creek—another title by Kathi Appelt. Seeing Appelt’s name attached to Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers piqued my interest, and I was curious to see how she would approach the story of Lady Bird Johnson and her lifelong love of nature.
I consider Appelt’s book about the packhorse librarians to be a special gem. So when I saw Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers, with its gorgeous cover and the same author’s name attached, I was prepared to fall in love.
This book is a feast! The illustrations by Joy Fischer Hein are rich and beautiful—lush depictions of nature that draw the reader right into the landscape of Lady Bird’s world. Appelt’s writing is a joy to read: lively, accessible, and deeply respectful of her subject. Best of all, she generously weaves in direct quotes from Lady Bird Johnson’s diary, allowing the former First Lady to speak for herself.
I was surprised to learn that Lady Bird was not only a gardener but a driving force behind the movement to beautify our nation’s highways with native wildflowers in each state. I had never considered what her transition into the role of First Lady must have been like—stepping into the national spotlight in the wake of President Kennedy’s assassination. One quote from her diary touched on this beautifully: “Now the time has come to get the wheels of life rolling again.”
The book highlights a powerful connection between Lady Bird’s early grief and her later work. Her mother died when she was just six years old, and thanks to a story from a neighbor, she began to associate bluebonnet flowers with a specific beautiful memory of her mother. From that seed of memory grew her lifelong belief that nature and beauty could be a means of comfort and healing for others during times of tragedy.
Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers is a truly excellent example of a picture book biography. I’m so glad to have it in my library—and in fact, I’d like more copies for our branch and for special library projects.
I would recommend this book to everyone. In fact, I’m making it required reading for my teens. This is a slice of American history worth knowing, and it’s presented so very well.