Fact Friday: Wildheart: the daring adventures of John Muir by Julie Bertagna

Wildheart: the daring adventures of John Muir by Julie Bertagna. 128 p. Yosemite Conservancy, March, 2019. 9781930238930. (Review of purchased finished copy.)

Fact Friday features Wildheart: the daring adventures of John Muir by Julie Bertagna. Are you familiar with the name John Muir? Have you ever visited Muir woods in California? Have you ever visited a National Park? If so, you have John Muir as one of the individuals to thank for the preservation of the wild in the U.S. This is a graphic novel "biography" told in the first person by John Muir. He always loved the outdoors and often escaped chores to wander the Scottish countryside with his younger brother, Davie. When the family moved to the U.S., his wanderlust increased at the expense of his schoolwork and chores. Eventually, he became a student of nature and wrote, invented and wandered the country. Seriously, after recovering from a serious illness, he walked 1000 miles from Kentucky to Florida! Eventually, he headed west and fell in love with Yosemite and the Sierras. He founded the Sierra Club, befriended President Teddy Roosevelt and was instrumental in introducing a bill to congress which would preserve the lands. 

While the first-person narration doesn't always work (can it really be called a biography?), and the art leans more toward sketches that don't do justice to some of the nature scenes, this graphic novel biography is a fine introduction to the "Father of the National Parks."