JOHN JAMES AUDUBON

In the ``First Impressions'' series, a lively account of the life and accomplishments of the extraordinary self-made artist- naturalist. Born in Haiti and raised in France, he was shipped off to America at 18 because he was an indifferent student— interested only in drawing birds, a pursuit he persisted in while acquiring a wife and children and going bankrupt with a country store. Spicing his narrative with amusing anecdotes, Kastner—a journalist and bird-watcher—does an admirable job of setting Audubon in his time and dramatizing his role as innovative naturalist and gifted, meticulous, indefatigable painter. The technical and financial details of his independently publishing the first ``elephant'' folio of Birds of America are especially interesting. As a rebel who made good, and who also gave his name to a landmark environmental organization, Audubon is an appealing subject; little else is available about him on this level. Generously illustrated with full-page color reproductions and details scattered enticingly throughout the text. Index. (Nonfiction. 11+)