Rachel Carson's Wonder-Filled World: How the Scientist, Writer, and Nature Lover Changed the Environmental Movement

Ages 7 to 10, Grades 2 to 5

This STEAM picture book biography highlights how scientist and writer Rachel Carson became the author of the groundbreaking book Silent Spring and the mother of the modern environmental movement.

Rachel Carson wasn’t always the Rachel Carson, renowned environmental activist. From her earliest years, Rachel had a passion for nature—to her, it was a fairyland, and she loved to write about her adventures and the creatures she saw. Encouraged by teachers, Rachel wanted nothing more than to study the ocean and its inhabitants. Though unable to finish her PhD due to financial constraints, Rachel found work in science and success as a nature writer.

In the course of her work, Rachel learned about the harm caused by recently developed pesticides and chemicals that made their way into the environment. Desperate to protect nature for future generations even as her health declined, she penned the famous book Silent Spring—a call to action against the threat of the deadly chemicals. The book is anything but quiet, selling more than 2 million copies and leading directly to changes like the Clean Air Act of 1963 and the Clean Water Act of 1972.

Kate Hannigan, the author of several award-winning children’s books, joins her talents with Katie Hickey, a longtime illustrator of popular picture book biographies, to bring the mother of the environmental movement to life for a new generation of readers.

Story Locale:Pittsburgh, Springdale, and Kensington, PA; Baltimore, MD; Woods Hole, MA; Southport, ME; Nova Scotia, Canada

About the Author

Kate Hannigan is the author of several children’s books, including A Lady Has the Floor, which received four starred reviews, Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine, a 2024 NSTA-CBC Best STEM Book, and Nellie vs. Elizabeth, one of Smithsonian Magazine's Ten Best Children’s Books. Kate’s other books have also made the 2022 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List, the 2023 Bank Street Best Books of the Year, and were nominated for the 2023 Illinois Bluestem Award, among many other honors.

Author Residence: Chicago, IL

Katie Hickey is the illustrator of several children’s books, including Ocean Speaks: Marie Tharp and the Map That Moved the Earth; How Was That Built: The Stories Behind Awesome Structures; and the three-book series Repair Shop Stories. Her titles have received several accolades, including Smithsonian Magazine's Ten Best Children’s Books lists and the Canadian Children's Book News's Best Books list.

Illustrator Residence:Cornwall, England, UK