Another wonderful picture book celebrating the natural world and sciences, in words and narrative art. Another biography, too, but this time of an unlikely, even anti-hero – a convicted counterfeiter whom kids will come to care about and be moved by. Julie walks us through The Gardener of Alcatraz: A True Story by Emma Bland Smith, illustrated by Jenn Ely. It’s the unforgettable story of Elliot Michener, a man transformed and made whole by his love of the natural environment and gardening.