This beautiful picture book tells the heartwarming story of how Lady Bird Johnson shared her love of wildflowers with the nation when her husband, Lyndon Johnson, became president. As First Lady, she ensured every part of America was sown with wildflowers. Full color. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America by Kathi Appelt, illus. by Joy Fisher Hein, tells how the seeds of Lady Bird's love of the outdoors were planted in her childhood. Appelt credits the First Lady with the passing of the Highway Beautification Act, the planting of more of the capital's famous cherry trees, and the establishment of the National Wildflower Research Center. Hein's paintings show off the flowers to beautiful effect. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 1-3. Causes celebres are as commonplace among First Ladies as red suits and pearls, but few are as accessible to children as the wildflower-planting campaigns of Lady Bird Johnson. Appelt traces Johnson's botanical passions to her rural, East Texas childhood, finding parallels between the solace her subject drew from nature after her mother's death and her launch of the Highway Beautification Act to soothe a nation grieving for JFK. Psychological correlations of this sort appear throughout, and Appelt doesn't provide specific evidence to back them up; however, source citations for quotations and bibliographic resources are listed. Newcomer Hein's figures are awkwardly handled, but children will pore enthusiastically over her riotous, millefleur landscapes, each bloom so meticulously rendered that bluebells can be distinguished from bluebonnets by using the identification key provided. This is ideally suited for children lucky enough to attend schools where gardens are part of the curriculum; elsewhere, a stroll through Hein's stunning gouache meadowlands may be the next best thing. An endnote describes the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center that Johnson founded in 1982. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2005 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.