Product Description

When the great cities of North America were being developed, there was little thought to creating “green spaces.” Frederick Law Olmsted combined his childhood love for nature with the structured beauty of the great parks of London and Paris to turn a neglected, swampy area into one of the most acclaimed parks in North America: Central Park in New York City.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #74340 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-13
• Released on: 1999-04-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-Olmsted is not a name most children will recognize, but they will know his work-beautiful open areas such as New York City's Central Park; the grounds surrounding the United States Capital; and other outdoor spaces in Boston, Niagara Falls, and Montreal. In picture-book format, Wishinsky tells the story of a man who drifted through several careers before finding his calling as a landscape architect. The text brings Olmsted to life through accounts of his childhood love of the outdoors, a fondly remembered walking tour of England, and his first day on the job as Central Park superintendent when his boss tried to make a fool of him. Full-page, realistically detailed pastel drawings illustrate the book. No bibliography or list of sources is included. This is a book that may need some introduction but it does have its uses.
Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
?It?s a rich tale of a man finding his true calling and a nation finding a visionary??
?San Francisco Chronicle -- Review

Review
“It’s a rich tale of a man finding his true calling and a nation finding a visionary…”
–San Francisco Chronicle

Customer Reviews

The Man Who Made Parks
The Man Who Made Parks is a beautifully illustrated and inspiring book for children. It tells the story of a complicated man who found his way into American history by way of a convoluted path, but it tells the story in words that children can understand. Olmsted's love of nature, his health problems, his mixed feelings about school, and the difficulties he had finding his special calling are all covered in the book, as well as his triumph in Central Park and some of the highlights of what came after that. Mary G.

Beautiful and Inspiring
The Man Who Made Parks is a beautifully illustrated and inspiring book for children. It tells the story of a brilliant and complicated man in words that children can understand. Olmsted's love of nature, his childhood illness, his mixed feelings about school, and the convoluted path that led him to his special place in American history are all described in the book, as well as his triumph in Central Park and much of what came after that. Mary G. Dabbs marydabbs@hotmail.com