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'The Man Who Made Parks'
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[DEC. 15, 2004]
"The Man Who Made Parks: The
Story of Parkbuilder Frederick Law Olmsted," by Frieda Wishinsky, illustrated by
Song Nan Zhang, Tundra Books, 28 pages, ages 8 to 12
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 Review by
Marlene Perry
Can you imagine New York City without Central Park? Even if you
have never visited the Big Apple, most of us have seen photos of
this very famous place. Did you ever wonder how this large,
beautiful green park was carved out of the middle of busy Manhattan?
Did you know that construction of this park was begun almost 150
years ago? I didn't know any of these things either, until I read
"The Man Who Made Parks."
Frederick Law Olmsted grew up in Connecticut in the 1820s and
'30s and loved the beautiful New England countryside. He was an avid
reader, and even as a child he was interested in reading about the
parks and gardens of England. But it wasn't clear to Frederick how
his life would turn out. In fact he had many varying jobs as a young
adult -- surveyor, bookkeeper, sailor and farmer. A tour of England
and his first view of a public park -- Birkenhead Park -- served as
mental training for his future. Upon his return to the United
States, Frederick wrote a book about his trip to England. His
enjoyment of writing led to a job as a reporter for the New York
Daily Times. He then became a magazine publisher, but his magazine
soon failed. Frederick was now 35 years old and at a loss as to what
to do with his life.
[to top of second column in
this review]
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As happens so many times, it was a chance meeting with one of the men in
charge of organizing a large project in New York City that put Frederick
on the road to his future success. The project was creating a public park
for the tens of thousands of city dwellers, enabling them to find relief
from the stifling living conditions of Manhattan in the 1800s. Frederick
started out helping to clear out the over 800 acres of land designated for
the future park. It was grueling and demanding work, but Frederick already
could envision what could grow out of this barren area, and by then he
knew every acre of this land.
Frederick joined with an architect named Calvert Vaux to enter
the competition to design the new Central Park. On April 28, 1858,
Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux were named the official
designers of New York's Central Park. The future had become clear to
him -- this is what he was meant to do! Olmsted became a pioneer in
the history of this great country, with the landscape design of many
public areas and parks to his name.
Zhang's illustrations effectively use earthy grays and browns in
the beginning of the book to depict city life, as well as showing
the beautiful green trees, autumn colors and snow scenes of the
finished parks. They are as beautiful as any landscape painting you
would see framed and displayed.
To read this biography and other books, visit the Youth Services
Department of the Lincoln Public Library at 725 Pekin St., or call
(217) 732-5732.
[Marlene Perry,
Lincoln Public
Library District] |
