Author Description

Anna B. Comstock had a mission in life: to train people to enjoy nature by seeing how creatures live rather than watching them die. Anna led the movement to teach children how to appreciate and preserve our gifts of nature. Teachers and students today still learn from Handbook of Nature Study, she wrote in 1911. The book contains two lessons from the Handbook. In the book, you will meet a farm girl who lived at a time when electricity and running water were not in the homes. Anna was much like fun-loving girls at any time. Unlike most girls of her time, Anna continued her education. She was a member of the first class of women enrolled in Cornell University. Anna never set out to be "the first" at anything. But where she saw an opportunity, she seized it. Anna became a noted expert in the field of nature study. When New York State faced a farming crisis, they turned to Anna to help solve it. In the process, she created the master plan for nature study in schools. Anna was the first female professor at Cornell University. Anna was inducted into the Conservation Hall of Fame.