Researching and writing Nature’s Ambassador: The Legacy of Thornton W. Burgess was an extensive, exhausting, exciting, and rewarding effort. In order to tell the story of this remarkable writer, I talked with poets, environmental historians, biographers, naturalists, college professors, Canadian archivists, Japanese librarians, museum curators, book sellers, artists, authors, readers, parents, teachers, children, and former children.

 

In all, I conducted approximately ninety interviews by phone, email, and in person. The sources ranged in age from eight to ninety, and in locale from Maine to Texas, California to Massachusetts, and from Japan to Canada.

 

But the publisher and I underestimated the challenge of documenting the role of a prolific writer who contributed to the formative years of 1) children’s literature, 2) conservation, 3) environmental education, and 4) radio technology. No wonder it took four and a half years to write a book about Thornton Burgess’ life and work!

 

The last reviews of galley proofs and layout design were long and tedious, but finally the book was turned over to production. Weeks later, a FedEx delivery man handed me a brown box. My advance author’s copy had arrived. Nature’s Ambassador was about to begin making its way to bookstores, libraries, homes -- and into the hands of readers!