THE TROUBLE WITH HENRY

In this well meant (if a little overdone) tribute, the great maverick Thoreau shrugs off the scorn of Concord’s bustling, consumerist townsfolk—some of whom exhibit respiratory ailments from the sooty air—and builds his cabin near Walden Pond. When he hears of plans to construct a toothpick factory next door, he fights back by inviting those same head-shakers to stand with him in the woods, and to recall the pleasures of quiet and clean air. Schindler uses a folk art–style to illustrate the fictional episode, posing the smiling, rail-thin Thoreau and his neighbors in natural ways, while creating a strong sense of time and place with period dress and buildings. Though not quite as intimate a glimpse into Thoreau’s character as D.B. Johnson’s Henry Hikes to Fitchburg (2000) and its sequels, this too will leave readers curious to know more about this gentle rebel. (biographical afterword) (Picture book. 7-9)