Harriet’s Ruffled Feathers: The Woman Who Saved Millions of Birds

Bird puns abound in this origin story of the National Audubon Society, focusing on the efforts of Boston socialite Harriet Lawrence Hemenway (1858–1960) to stop the killing of birds for hat plumes. Flying into action with cousin Minna, Hemenway first organized informative tea parties, then rallied “powerful, influential people” to form the Massachusetts Audubon Society, which quickly spread to other states. McCullough’s prose maintains a playfully vintage flavor: “To think this bird should be deprived of its own finery for someone else’s hat! A passion for fashion was one thing, but this was featherbrained!” Light-hued watercolors by Galotta combine delicate lines with simple figures of various skin tones, intricately rendered fashions, and near-realistic birds in this buoyant portrait of an early female conservationist. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)