The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson, most famous for her alarming book Silent Spring, came recently to hand. A short book, but one that lay at the root of her writing and philosophy. "A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that, for most of us, that clear-eyed vision, the true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood." And she makes the point that the child, therefore, needs the companionship of an adult who can share it and perhaps act as guide. Nor need the adult be particularly well versed in the details of nature - it is enough that the way be laid out for the child to want to know, rather than fill his head with facts and names. The details can come later.
So she tells of wrapping up her 18-month old nephew in a blanket and taking him down to the beach in Maine after dark, to hear the waves thundering and feel them throwing froth at them. They laughed together for joy, the baby meeting the forces of the ocean for the first time, she with half a lifetime of sea love in her. Even if you live in a city, she writes, there will be some place, a park or golf course, where you could observe the changing seasons, and maybe even the migration of birds. More simply, she says, you can ponder the mystery of a growing seed - even if it is only planted in a pot on the kitchen window-sill. A magnifying glass is recommended. Your view through the glass into, say, moss reveals a sort of jungle in which insects, large as tigers, prowl. And the opening buds of flowers or trees hint at unexpected beauty.
And voices. No child, she says, should grow up without an early-morning foray out into the lightening day as the dawn chorus of birds gets under way. She further writes: "Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life . . . Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life does."
This first appeared as a magazine article and she was expanding it into a full book when Silent Spring took over her time, and she died before accomplishing her wish. The quality of the many photographs by Nick Kelsh do this fine author credit. Simple but almost breathtakingly beautiful. Harper Collins. Only price tag is $20.