Laurie Lawlor (BSJ74)

Restoring Prairie, Pond, and Woods: How a Small Trail Can Make a Big Difference is full color nonfiction for readers age 10 and up to be released in April by Holiday House, NY. This is the remarkable story about the cooperative effort in a small southeastern Wisconsin community to clean up an eight-acre abandoned lot. With only a bare-bones budget, a group of volunteers–everyone from local firemen and high school students, to local business owners and Boy Scouts–came together to pitch in to clear invasives, grade the trail, and plant native prairie, woodland, and wetland species. The trail leads through what’s become an outdoor classroom and valued community resource for all ages. In a starred review, Kirkus calls the book: “More than a simple account of a wilderness restoration project. This is activism at its most accessible: the beautiful struggles of a region and community to make a large difference in a small world. A magical and timely story of ecosystems restored to their former glory.” (January 2023)