Anyone who knows our family knows about our love of the National Parks! We try to travel to a new national park every year and I love the way it inspires our kids to think about the wonders of the natural world! More than once, our kids have wondered aloud what it would be like to be a park ranger. Thanks to IF I WERE A PARK RANGER they now have some more concrete ideas about this important profession!
We received a free review copy from the publisher. All opinions are our own. This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, Lu and Bean Read will receive a commission on products purchased.
‘America’s Best Idea’
William Stegner famously called the national park system America’s “best idea.” If that’s true (we think so!), author Catherine Stier and illustrator Patrick Corrigan have done well to bring our best idea to life in this wonderful picture book.
IF I WERE A PARK RANGER is a perfect book for kids wondering what a career in the National Park Service would be like. The simple text describes many roles and responsibilities of a park ranger. Learn science, protect natural spaces, care for animals, work on computers–there is no limit to the type of job you can perform.

I appreciated that the illustrations depict the park rangers as diverse children inspiring others with their love of the outdoors. And I loved the illustrations of different national parks throughout! Some of our favorites are here, including Yellowstone, Yosemite and Glacier. There are many more on each spread to inspire a career path in the parks or just a visit for your next vacation.
This book has me excited for our trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park this summer! It’s a winner!