Middle-Grade Review: The National Parks

I've enjoyed the books in the History Comics series of graphic nonfiction for middle-graders that I've read before, including The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery and The Great Chicago Fire. But its latest book, The National Parks: Preserving America's Wild Places by Falynn Koch, is my favorite so far! We are well past the age of its intended target audience, but both my husband and I enjoyed reading this informative, fun history of one of our favorite things, the U.S. National Parks.

The author, who has traveled extensively and visited many parks, provides a comprehensive history of the National Park Service and many of the individual parks. A retired Regional Director of the NPS, who worked in the parks for over 30 years, provides an interesting forward from a different perspective. As always with History Comics, there is a sense of fun throughout while learning. Here, the narrators are a Sasquatch (yup, really!), representing the parks, and an eagle, representing the American people. The eagle is dressed differently and wearing the year (in his hat or on a button, etc.) in each section, which helps keep track of where in history you are. Sasquatch explains to the eagle how the parks came to be, from Yosemite being named the very first state park in the 1850's through the establishment of the NPS through to some of the present-day issues facing the parks. The author doesn't shy away from difficult topics, like the fact that all of the parks are on land that was taken from Native Americans or the historic and continuing struggles between industry/business benefits and preservation goals. She explains them in ways that kids can understand. The book is illustrated with vibrant colors, beautifully depicting the parks, the people, and the wildlife. 

Sample pages from History Comics: The National Parks

I always enjoy History Comics and always learn a lot. In this case, because we love to visit national parks, I assumed I already knew most of it, but I learned so much from reading this book. I'd start to tell my husband some intriguing fact about the parks, and he'd laugh and say he'd read that, too! We both kept picking up the book to read more. Like much of history, parts of this story are pretty complicated or even dull, like the arguments between differing factions about how to use the parks and the passing of bills in Congress. Koch keeps things moving forward and interesting, though. The eagle serves as a stand-in for the kid audience and asks questions of Sasquatch during the more complex parts. And seeing the year somewhere on the eagle in each part helped me keep track of things. As always, humor is also built into the book to make learning fun. Both kids and adults alike will enjoy this book and learn from it!

120 pages, First Second

P.S. I also just noticed that there is a national park mystery series for middle-grade readers! Book 1 is Mystery in Rocky Mountain National Park -  I'll have to check these out!

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

 

Mount TBR Challenge

2022 Alphabet Soup - N

Nonfiction Reader Challenge - category Geography

Diversity Challenge

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

     

 

 

Or you can order The National Parks: Preserving America's Wild Places from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.