Naturalist John Muir is seen through the eyes of Floy, a ten-year-old girl who lived with her family in Yosemite Valley in 1868. The valley was just beginning to be a tourist attraction, and Floy’s father, James Hutchings, made his money hosting visitors in his small hotel and guiding them through the natural wonders of the area. “As if the Fates had sent him,” John Muir showed up looking for work and immediately began assisting Hutchings with improvements to the land. Floy, known by her family as “Squirrel” for her wild ways, was a daring and curious child and was quickly taken with Muir’s confidence and courage in the rugged surroundings. He taught her many things, most notably to be a careful observer of nature. Together they explored every nook and cranny of the valley. Muir was convinced that glaciers had carved through the land millions of years ago, creating a truly unique and spectacular landscape. No one believed him at first, but eventually his theory was proven true. Emily Arnold McCullybright watercolors pay tribute to the beauty of the setting, and her research is carefully documented in a bibliography at the end of the volume. (Ages 8–12)

An outstanding book for young naturalists

Floy Hutchings, also known as Squirrel, is the daughter of the man who opened the first hotel in the Yosemite Valley in the 1860s. She has to fend for herself much of the time and is considered wild by her family and her father's guests. When the future naturalist John Muir is hired as a carpenter, Floy becomes his inquisitive shadow as he builds himself a cabin over a stream, talks to flowers, and listens to snow. Floy, determined never to grow up because she'd have to be a lady, and Muir, searching nature for a way to live free of society's expectations, are primed to find common ground.

In this story set against a backdrop of watercolor paintings that vividly capture the beauty of Yosemite, Floy learns to see the world through John Muir's eyes.