Sandra Wallus Sammons

Florida is lucky to have had three women -- three Marjories -- speaking out about saving Florida's natural environment.Marjory Stoneman Douglas is known as the "Mother of the Everglades." She wrote The Everglades: River of Grass, the seminal and now classic book on this unique region of south Florida. She was a tireless campaigner for the environment and helped make the Everglades a national park. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is best known for her books set in Florida: The Yearling, Cross Creek, and South Moon Under, all set in the then-remote wilderness of central Florida. Her very popular books brought the world's attention to the importance of the culture and natural environment of this region. Marjorie Harris Carr fought to save the Oklawaha River by challenging the building of the Cross Florida Barge Canal. She argued that this would cut the ecology of the state in two, particularly ruinous for the wildlife. Now there is the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, which serves as a bridge for wildlife through developed areas and over I-75.

A juvenile biography of father and son, John and William Bartram, naturalists who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in America. The Bartrams were America's first native botanists, father and son travelers, plant hunters, and master gardeners. They traveled the east coast and observed and wrote about the nature they found. Their story is full of adventure and curiosity. Their interests took them on wide travels, including through Florida in 1774. William Bartram's most famous book is Travels, which is of particular interest for its early description and drawings of Florida. His book is an important part of Florida's early records.This is seventh book in Pineapple Press's Young Readers series of biographies of famous people who influenced Florida. Next in series > >See all of the books in this series

Considered one of the eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature, Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance and has influenced writers such as Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker. She published four novels, two volumes of folklore, an autobiography, and several short stories and plays. This book includes a glossary, bibliography, and index. Hurston grew up in Eatonville, Florida, was a librarian at Patrick Air Force Base, and taught in Fort Pierce where writer Alice Walker discovered her grave in 1973.See all of the books in this series

Juan Ponce de Leon was a young soldier in Spain when Christopher Columbus made his first voyage to the New World. De Leon accompanied him on his second voyage, and later became Governor of Puerto Rico. On voyages of his own, he explored other islands and discovered an even larger land--Florida. This biography captures the excitement of finding a "new world."

They shared first names. They both first came to Florida looking for a healthy place for their wives. And they both fell in love with the place and with its potential. Henry Plant and Henry Flagler also shared passions for railroads and hotels--and they both ignored the word "impossible."Henry Plant, who had steamships in addition to railroads, was determined to have his trains running to a port for ships on the west coast of Florida. In 1884 Plant realized his dream when his rails reached Tampa. With the grand opening of his fantastic Tampa Bay Hotel in 1891, Plant reached another goal.Henry Flagler first visited Florida in 1878, and he liked what he saw. He came back and built railroads and grand hotels along the east coast so that Northerners could enjoy the beauties of the state. By the end of his long and productive life, he had built a railroad all the way to the very end of the Keys. It arrived in Key West in 1912.Both Henrys were very determined and practical. They met all the great challenges they set for themselves. Their efforts brought growth and development to both coasts of Florida.Ages 12 and upNext in series > >See all of the books in this series

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings grew up loving to write and hoping to become an author. Later she moved to Florida, where she lived out in the country at Cross Creek in an area called the Big Scrub. She met the people who lived there, the so-called Crackers. Their simple way of life fascinated her, so she wrote stories about them. One of her books, called The Yearling, was about a boy and a pet deer. This book won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Her dream of becoming a famous writer had come true. Ages 9-12 Next in series > > See all of the books in this series

Do you want a beautiful winter home in Florida? Located on the highest, driest, healthiest, and most beautiful spot for a town . . . This land company advertisement is like many we see today in Florida, but it was written over 100 years ago by the founder of Hawks Park, Dr. John Milton Hawks. Hawks Park was established in 1871, and within 15 years, it had 115 permanent residents and was a popular place for many Northerners to enjoy the warm winters along the edge of the beautiful Indian River. By 1925, the growing community became a town and adopted the more descriptive name of Edgewater. While there are more than 20,000 residents in 2005, the population of the city still swells during the winter when people follow the migrating birds and boats, seeking refuge from the snow. Although much has changed since the founding of Edgewater, rare vintage photographs will take the readers through the town's years of growth in this illustrative history.