Activities: Downloadable activies to get students excited about keeping a journal or a sketchbook.
Exploration Timeline: Shows the three main expeditions into the Yellowstone from 1869 to 1871.
Wildlife: Amazing photographs taken by Lita's parents of the variety of wildlife seen today in Yellowstone. Includes Bears, Wolves, Bison, Elk and more.
Geysers and Hot Springs: This includes photographs of Geysers and Hot Springs with Journal notes from from one of the members of the 1871 Expedition.
About Thomas Moran: Some photographs of Moran and his field paintings from the 1871 expedition.
- Hardcover: 40 pages
- Publisher: Viking -- September '09
- ISBN-13: 978-067001132-2
- A Junior Library Guild Selection
Take a journey into the heart
of America's Wilderness!
I grew up living in the west and exploring many remote and beautiful places. Starting as a very young child I’ve been fortunate to visit the Yellowstone region many times. My parents were wildlife photographers, and while they photographed Grizzly Bears and elk, I drew pictures. As a child, sketching and surrounded by nature, I imagined being an artist explorer just like Thomas Moran. It was a lifelong dream to bring his story to life. His contribution toward establishing our nation’s first National Park, and a dozen of other parks as well, makes Moran a true American hero.
To create this book, I followed in Moran’s footsteps, hiking and riding on horseback along the same route as Moran. I read Moran’s journals and painted the landscapes from the same places he did. While writing the book, I fulfilled a childhood dream, discovering Yellowstone National Park all over again, through the eyes of an artist-explorer.
"The author's watercolors effectively capture the monumental landscapes, accommodating at the end a gorgeous reproduction of Moran's colossal painting of the Yellowstone's canyon...Inspiring"
-Kirkus, 08/01/09
"Judge’s watercolor illustrations capture the movement and pristine energy of the wilderness...a light-infused synthesis of the magnificent sights"
- Publishers Weekly, 8/10/09
"Yellowstone Moran is a picture book but it's ageless in every way possible. The artwork is arresting, the story gripping and Moran a true hero."
- Colleen Mondoor, Summer Adventures
"Rare is the book that makes painting seem adventurous, but this true-life account of Thomas Moran’s journey to the land called “Yellowstone” does just that...Judge’s expressive watercolors are visually exciting...Chronicling the expedition’s many struggles, Judge makes a powerful argument for visiting Yellowstone and appreciating the efforts. "
-Booklist, 11/01/09
"Judge has masterfully told [Moran's] tale in both text and illustrations. She has created field sketches and journal entries as inserts on the pages to mirror the work that Moran did. However, it is her watercolors that capture the grandness of the landscape, in the same manner that I imagine Moran's early work did. Stunning is not too strong a word to describe them...This is a fascinating biography of a talented and determined artist. It's also a fresh look at the American west. Recommended with enthusiasm."
- The Miss Rumphius Effect, reviewed 10/05/09