Saving the Countryside by Linda Elovitz Marshall

During the Nazi occupation of France, Marcel and his brother took on new identities in the French Underground, where they forged documents for Jewish children and helped many to escape to Switzerland. The legendary mime is introduced to a new generation, though not entirely successfully.Īs a child, Marceau loved to silently entertain his friends, like his idol, Charlie Chaplin. Realizing the countryside she loved was under threat from urbanization, she used her wealth to acquire several farms and saved much of the English Lake District through her land purchases, more than 4,000 acres of which she donated to the National Trust.Ī well-told tale that makes the life story of the renowned author accessible to children. Potter took the precaution of copyrighting her character so that her creations would be protected. When that sold, a publisher became interested, and she wrote and published all the small-format children’s books for which she is well known today.

Initially finding no interest for her children’s book among publishers, she self-published The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Marshall’s clear, engaging text relates how Potter was interested in mycology, but her ideas were rejected by the male scientific establishment, so she pursued book illustration. Urbinati ’s able, Potter-inspired pen-and-watercolor spreads and vignettes show the development of the author’s work through landscapes and facsimile pages of her books. When on vacation in the English countryside, she reveled in the freedom to enjoy animals and nature. Growing up in an upper-class family in Victorian London, Potter was an observant and talented artist from a young age.

The life of the British picture-book author and illustrator makes a serendipitous subject for an engaging and attractive picture book.

Saving the Countryside by Linda Elovitz Marshall