Anna Botsford Comstock, Activities & Learning, Toys & Games, Home & Garden

A Love Affair with Nature
If you enjoy learning about nature, you should thank Anna B. Comstock. Anna was a pioneer in teaching children about nature. Anna worked to get people to love nature. She taught teachers how to teach nature classes. She also prepared materials for them to use. In 1911, she wrote the Handbook of Nature Study. It covers all living things-except humans. The book also covers non-living things such as rocks and minerals. Even today, readers still learn from this book.
Anna was invited to teach at her alma mater-Cornell University. For devoting herself to the study of nature, Anna received many honors. She became the first female professor at Cornell. She was selected for Sigma Xi, the national society for the sciences. The National Wildlife Federation inducted Anna into the Conservation Hall of Fame. The Federation's mission matched Anna's: to train people to "enjoy nature through seeing how creatures live rather than watching them die."

This book is a biography of Anna's life and her love or nature. It also contains two lessons form the Handbook of Nature Study. The book is 128 pages for a reader 8 years and older. It has black and white photos and color pictures of some of her artwork.