TIPS FOR TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS:

John Burroughs, the Sage of Slabsides

• This biography would work well for reluctant readers because of the short text (10,000 words) and the 50+ pictures which enhance the text.

• For a sense of Burroughs, read Chapter One and then Chapter Nine starting on page 78 with "On April 3 . . ." and finishing with the quote from his son Julian on page 79.

• Why was Burroughs called the Sage of Slabsides? Read pages 52-59, starting with "Every year . . . " on page 52.

• Burroughs was a friend of John Muir. Muir was an activist; Burroughs was not. One lived in the Eastern United States; the other lived in the West. Compare and contrast the two men and their lifestyles.

• See pages 34-35 for an example of his journal writing. Discuss the importance of this and try doing some journal writing for a season.

• John Burroughs was named one of the "100 Environmental Heroes" of the century in the November/December 1998 issue of Audubon magazine. Ask students to name others they think are environmental heroes and why.

• Study Burroughs in conjunction with Earth Week. Talk about how his books influenced an "army of nature students" at a time that people were generally unaware of the out-of-doors.

BACK to John Burroughs book page

Web Design by Wadsworth Consulting, with assistance from Andrew Bacon.  Optimized for displays set to 800 X 600 pixels or greater.  © Ginger Wadsworth, 2000.   First posted March 2000.