Nature and the natural world: general interest Books

Book SynopsisAward-winning author Katherine Ayres charts a lyrical, thoughtful path through the lives of bears she encounters in the forests of Western Massachusetts. Using her natural curiosity and wit, Ayres explores how people and bears coexist, and what happens when things go wrong. This page-turner will delight any reader with an interest in the natural world, and also anyone who is awed by the power and majesty of the black bear.

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Book SynopsisA Traveller's Guide to 199 Michigan Waterfalls is a must-have resource for visitors and includes maps, descriptions, pictures, history, and directions for getting to the waterfalls. The 30th Anniversary Edition has a new introduction by the author as well as several new waterfalls to visit. For over 30 years, it has been the go-to guidebook for nature enthusiasts, who appreciate the concise directions to each falls.

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Book SynopsisJohn Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Natural History BookPEN/Martha Albrand Award Finalist“[Green’s] prose rings with the elemental clarity of the ice he knows so well.” —PEN Awards Committee citationA classic of contemporary nature writing, the award-winning Water, Ice & Stone is both a scientific and poetic journey into Antarctica, addressing the ecological importance of the continent within the context of climate change. Bill Green has been traveling to this remote and primordial place at the bottom of the Earth since 1968. With this book he focuses on the McMurdo Dry Valleys—an area that is deceptively timeless as a stark landscape of rock and ice. Here, Green delves into the geochemistry of the region and discovers a wealth of data, which vividly speaks to the health and climate of the larger world.Bill Green is a geochemist and professor emeritus at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He first traveled to Antarctica in 1968 and began conducting research there in 1980. He is also the author of Boltzmann’s Tomb: Travels in Search of Science.Trade ReviewJohn Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Natural History BookPEN/Martha Albrand Award Finalist“[Green’s] prose rings with the elemental clarity of the ice he knows so well.” —PEN Awards Committee citation“Nature writing of a very high order . . . A joyride for those who enjoy deep explorations of logic, human frailty and the laws of nature.” —San Francisco Chronicle“Brilliant. . . . Resembles at various times the work of Stephen Jay Gould, Loren Eiseley and Barry Lopez, but also Primo Levi’s The Periodic Table and the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins and the writer of Ecclesiastes. It’s the kind of book that makes the reviewer want to quote whole paragraphs.” —Plain Dealer“Among his many accomplishments, [Green] offhandedly makes the vocabulary of science accessible to the lay reader. He is at ease in the kingdom of poetry—just as much as he is (warily) at ease in the frozen and eerily beautiful Antarctic landscape.” —Boston Globe“Some of the prettiest prose ever devoted to the subject of water and lakes and rivers, clouds and rain and fog. A beautiful little book; it will go on the shelf with the other books I read for the love of their words.” —Houston Chronicle“A lucid, wondrous account. . . . This authoritative yet lyrical book blends science with art in the enthusiasm that Green feels at being the creator of a new understanding where none was before.” —Winston-Salem Journal“Compelling. . . . This book is not only filled with wonder, but also hope.” —Cincinnati Post“A magical work of meditation and precise science.” —ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment“Poetic and passionate. . . . Green affirms the fact that science, like art, is rooted in pure imagination.” —Booklist (starred review)“Wonderful. . . . In evocative language, Green successfully moves between arresting natural history and sophisticated but accessible philosophy of science. . . . With gripping accounts of a number of near death experiences added to the mix, the whole is a thoroughly enjoyable and remarkably informative exposition of the life of a field scientist.” —Publishers Weekly“Finely honed flashes of pure scientific writing.” —Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisFrom the tiny rufous hummingbird to the majestic bald eagle, Colorado is home to more than 496 types of birds, making it one of the finest birding destinations in the world. Preserved habitats created by local, state, and national authorities have helped foster and protect nesting sites for hundreds of species, 235 of which are featured in their natural habitats, from Great Plains to Rocky Mountains, in this ornithological guide. The birds are organized by type from waterfowl to finches and appear in beautiful color photographs accompanied by clear and concise introductions, identification tips, and habitat and birdsong descriptions. The book also includes a complete state bird checklist and a directory of birding destinations, making this field guide the perfect companion for anyone interested in learning more about the natural history of Colorado and the diversity of the state’s birds and where to see them.

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Book SynopsisCalifornia has it all for birders—lush coastal coniferous forests, dry chaparral, oak woodlands, grasslands, alpine slides, riparian valleys, watered suburbs, and desert scrubs. Hundreds of types of birds nest in the Golden State or stop by seasonally on migration routes. California has one of the largest state and federal parks programs, as well as extensive protected wildlife areas, which preserve and protect bird habitats. From geese and ducks, herons and storks, eagles, hawks, and owls to hummingbirds, warblers, and sparrows, California is one of the finest birding destinations on earth. The American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of California includes more than 300 species birders are most likely to see in the state. Illustrated with nearly 450 crisp, color photographs, it includes clearly written descriptions along with tips of when and where to see birds penned by an expert Californian birder. It's the perfect companion for anyone interested in the amazing diversity and beauty of California's birds.

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Book SynopsisPennsylvania is one of the best places to go birding in North America. From the shores of Lake Erie in the northwest and the great river basins of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela to the central Allegheny Mountains and east along the Pocono Mountains and the rich farmlands and rolling hills of the south, the Keystone State has a great diversity of birds. The American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Pennsylvania includes more than 275 species birders are most likely to see in the commonwealth. Illustrated with hundreds of crisp, color photographs, it includes descriptions of each birds along with tips of when and where to see them, written by an expert Pennsylvanian birder. It's the perfect companion for anyone interested in the amazing diversity and beauty of Pennsylvania's birds.

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Book SynopsisA complete guide to the many birds of the Lone Star State Texas is one of the best places for birding in North America as the diversity of habitats and shear breadth of the state means that birdwatchers can see birds of the western deserts and scrublands; the eastern woodlands, hills, and prairies; and the Gulf Coast marshes and wetlands. Suburban areas throughout the state also attract species of tremendous diversity, from tropical warblers to waterfowl. As a flyover state for many migrating species, backyard birders can see hundreds of species per year as they head north in the spring and south for the winter. The American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Texas includes more than 300 species birders are most likely to see in the state. Illustrated with hundreds of crisp, color photographs, it includes descriptions of each bird along with tips of when and where to see them, written by an expert Texas birder. It is the perfect companion for anyone interested in the amazing diversity and beauty of the birds of Texas.

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Book SynopsisMinnesota lies at the crossroads of four major landscapes—prairie grasslands, deciduous woods, coniferous forest and aspen parkland. Each area has distinct habitats for plants and animals and offers unique opportunities for viewing birds. This new book in the American Birding Association Field Guide series build on the excellence of previous titles:• Respected Minnesotan native birder• 550 beautiful color photographs featuring over 300 bird species in natural habitats• Clear and concise introduction, identification, habitat, and birdsong text• Tips on when and where to see birds• Organized by type of bird from waterfowl to finches• Complete state checklist, detailed state map, index, and quick index• Perfect portable book for beginning to intermediate birders

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Book SynopsisThe First Edition of The Mammals of Virginia (1998) was the first book on the subject and scope of Virginias mammals to have appeared in more than fifty years and, as such, was a major contribution to the literature on Virginia mammals. Twenty-three years later, the Second Edition presents the very latest and updated research on the subject. An Introduction discusses the general characteristics of mammals and their classification. This is followed by a detailed history of mammal investigations in Virginia beginning in 1585 and a discussion of Virginias five physiographic provinces. Individual species accounts have been prepared for each of the 122 species of mammals currently or previously inhabiting the state. Accounts of several new species that were not found in Virginia in 1998 are included. Each account includes a description of the animal, its distribution (including updated national and statewide range maps), habitat, habits, food, reproduction and development, longevity, pelage variations, parasites and diseases, predation, geographic variation, and the location of all known specimens in museum, college, university, or private collections. Some topics specific to one or more species such as white-nose syndrome, hibernation, rabies, and introductions (both successful and unsuccessful) are discussed where appropriate. Each species account includes a colour photograph and an artists rendering of the skull (dorsal, ventral and lateral views). Diagnostic keys are provided to Orders, Families, Genera and species. A new chapter entitled What May the Future Hold for Virginias Mammals? discusses natural and human-induced changes including urbanisation, climate change, effects of non-native mammals and plants, habitat restoration, wind turbines, pesticides, mining, transmission lines and pipelines. Appendices include a Checklist of Mammals of Virginia, Mammals Whose Type Localities Are In Virginia, Federal and State Endangered and Threatened Mammals, a Glossary, and Credits for Colour Plates. The book concludes with a Bibliography of over 4,400 references, including over 3,600 references to Virginia mammals, the most extensive compilation of bibliographic references ever assembled for Virginia mammals. The Second Edition of The Mammals of Virginia is a valuable resource for everyone -- researchers, students, professors, librarians, federal and state biologists, naturalists, and others -- with an interest in the mammals of Virginia and surrounding states.

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Book SynopsisThe Cacapon and Lost Rivers are located in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia's eastern panhandle. Well loved by paddlers and anglers, these American Heritage Rivers are surrounded by a lush valley of wildlife and flora that is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.Although still rural and mostly forested, development and land fragmentation in the Cacapon and Lost River Valley have increased over the last decades. Listening to the Land: Stories from the Cacapon and Lost River Valley is a conversation between the people of this Valley and their land, chronicling this community's dedication to preserving its farms, forests, and rural heritage.United around a shared passion for stewardship, the Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust and local landowners have permanently protected over 11,000 acres by incorporating local values into permanent conservation action. Despite the economic pressures that have devastated nearby valleys over the past twenty years, natives and newcomers alike have worked to protect this valley by sustaining family homesteads and buying surrounding parcels.This partnership between the Land Trust and the people of this Valley, unprecedented in West Virginia and nationally recognized for its success, greatly enriches historic preservation and conservation movements, bringing to light the need to investigate, pursue, and listen to the enduring connection between people and place.

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Book SynopsisWhich dragonfly eats large butterflies and other dragonflies? Learn about all 102 species of dragonflies in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario. Over 250 new photos and 30-plus new illustrations have been added to the third edition of the best-selling Dragonflies of the North Woods, which won a National Outdoor Book Award. The new maps are larger and updated with the latest survey data, and each dragonfly species has a full 2-page spread of images and information!

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Book SynopsisKenny Salwey is a modern-day American hermit who has lived most of his life in the Mississippi river bottoms, coming to know the river ecosystem with an intimacy unavailable to most. Now, Kenny shares his love of, and knowledge about, the mighty river. The Last River Rat is a seasonal look at Kenny’s unique life.

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Book SynopsisThis colorful book takes students on a ramble through a school yard garden - past the seeding beds, along the compost bin, and over to the bird house and bird bath. Along the way, children learn what insects, animals, and plants need to thrive and discover the fun of observing and recording it all. My School Yard Garden proves you can learn a lot from a garden, no matter where it grows.

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Book SynopsisPhotograph and artistMakoto Oonoapproaches thecollection of organic andchaotic spaces via picture-taking and createsthe works that have been shownin Tokyo and overseas. Focusing on the breeding as well as observation, he oddly expresses discovered habits and details of the organism. This ishis first photo book on hisaccumulation of traps, named SEPARATE HIDDEN RULES. While isolating the viewer in the cage with various life forms, each work makes us confused and collapse our imagination one after another. He shows new possibilities of nature photography in urban circumstances and contemporary life.

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Book SynopsisInform and inspire young naturalists with this book about a very special butterfly garden. Mrs. Carter’s Butterfly Garden is the story of how former First Lady Rosalynn Carter started a front yard project that grew into a butterfly-friendly trail through her hometown of Plains, Georgia. Learn from Mrs. Carter’s example why it’s good for people when butterflies have welcoming spaces and how kids can create their own butterfly gardens at home or school.

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Book SynopsisWould you try a food you knew nothing about? Or would the flowers of your childhood stick as strongly in your mind if you didn’t know what they were called? Vocabulary expands appreciation of our surroundings, and in turn, our language shapes our behavior. By featuring items that can be found in one’s own neighborhood (acorns, flowers, herbs) combined with more exotic items (raw turquoise nuggets, wolves' claws, silkworm cocoons) the imagery in A Beauty Collected is both accessible and designed to expand the mind beyond the backyard. Whether the item is a porcupine quill or vanilla pod, the goal is to encourage inquisitiveness: “What is this item? What purpose does it serve? What does it smell or taste like? Where can I find it?”Trade Review“If an illustrated book could create a manifesto of our curiosity, longing, and need for the natural world in our daily living, A Beauty Collected would be it.” —Amy Smart, actress"In addition to being just the loveliest thing, older kids really do enjoy it. It has the kind of purified beauty that appeals to a wide range of ages." —Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal Blogger"A beauty indeed. This is an ABC, from aloe to bougainvillea to coconut and beyond. Each page has exquisite photos of elements of the natural world, some familiar, some perhaps new additions to a child’s vocabulary. But this is a book for any age to bask in the amazing stuff of nature told in lovely rhyme." —ThisPictureBookLife.com

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Book SynopsisFor the seriously dedicated as well as the merely curious ’shroomer, Alaska’s Mushrooms is a wide-ranging guide to the fungi of the Last Frontier. The book, featuring detailed descriptions of 114 species, includes: color photographs; family and common names; genus and species; striking field characters; both a macro- & micro-description; habitat and role; edibility, taste, and odor; look-alikes, and comments. This comprehensive collection also provides: information on mushroom seasons and habitats hints for collecting mushrooms for food and study tips on how to tell the real mushrooms from their “imposters” directions for making spore prints (an essential test for identifying mushrooms) hundreds of black-and-white line drawings a section listing all poisonous mushrooms by toxin groups a list of frequently asked questions a range map of Alaska’s biogeographic zones Alaska’s Mushrooms provides authoritative natural history, informative color photographs, and black-and-white line drawings for clear identification, and lively notes from the field. It’s a must-have for anyone who has a passion for hunting mushrooms.Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS MAP MEET THE MUSHROOM Mushroom Phyla Roles Played by Mushrooms Identifying Wild Strangers Mushroom Groups, Their Names and Spore Producing Surfaces Use of Common Names The Species List Describing and Labeling Treasured Finds Fungal Collecting Labels Formal Fungal Descriptions Hunting Mushrooms in the Wild Mushroom Spore Prints Safe ’Shrooming Collecting with Care Questions Often Heard Mushroom Toxin Classification MUSHROOM DESCRIPTIONS EATING MUSHROOMS, ALASKAN-STYLE Preparing Wild Mushrooms for Use: Mushroom Recipes: Morel Mushroom Stroganoff Morel Mushroom Gravy Morel Mushroom Soup Psilly’s Bruschetta With Chanterelles L. McLaren’s Wild Rice Mushroom Soup Salmon Fillet with Morels Sautéed Mushrooms Mushroom and Noodle Soup An Outdoorsman’s Seasonal Specials Pan-fried Puffballs Spicy Tofu and Hedgehog Stir-fry Moose and Mushroom Stew MUSHROOM FIELD & REFERENCE GUIDES LITERATURE CITATIONS PICTORIAL GLOSSARY TERMS GLOSSARY SUBJECT INDEX AUTHOR BIO LIST OF FIGURES PHOTO CREDITS

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Book SynopsisHuman beings have always moved for what they need until recently. We know how a lack of movement impacts our bodies but how does culture-wide sedentarism impact the world? Movement Matters is a Foreword Indies GOLD-winning collection of essays, in which biomechanist Katy Bowman continues her groundbreaking presentation on the interconnectedness of nature, human movement, and the environment. Here Bowman widens the “there is more to movement than exercise” message she presented in Move Your DNA and invites us to consider this idea: human movement is a part of the ecosystem. Movement Matters explores how we make ourselves, our communities, and our planet healthier all at the same time by moving our bodies more as well as: how did we become so sedentary? Where did all the movement go? (Hint: convenience often saves us movement, not time.) the missing “movement nutrients” in our food how to include more nature in education why ecosystem models need to include human movement the human need for “Vitamin Community” and group movement. Unapologetically direct, often hilarious, and always compassionate, Movement Matters demonstrates that human movement is powerful and important, and that going beyond exercise and living a movement-filled life is perhaps the most joyful and efficient way to transform your body, community, and world. A must read for exercise teachers, environmentalists, and those wanting simple, accessible ways to take action for a better world.Trade Review“Movement Matters is a delight to read and will help every family. Its implications extend far beyond our individual lives.”—Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and Vitamin N"Tying together ecological sustainability and modern lifestyles, this book focuses on the science of moving in healthy ways as a means of healing both the earth and the individual. Its heavy emphasis on healthy living generates a necessary bridge between personal well-being and the well-being of the whole environment, and is yet another strong voice in the general call for more active, mindful lifestyle choices. Bowman, a biomechanist, does a fine job communicating the hidden significance of everyday acts, such as walking, sitting, and buying prepared food, in digestible sound bites. This is no dense academic treatise; it is written specifically to appeal to the average person, actively acknowledging commonly asked questions about activity and exercise. Movement Matters is a continuation in a popular trend toward a holistic approach to health and ecology. Ideal for nutritionists, fitness experts, and anyone seeking an all-around healthier lifestyle."—Foreword Reviews"This book is for thinkers...A gem for the modern yoga teacher."—Shut Up & Yoga"In Movement Matters you’ll find radical new clarity on how to fulfill [your role in the ecosystem] in a meaningful way. Do not expect a list of exercises or go-to movements. Expect to shift your perspective. Don’t expect an easy read. Expect an engrossing one, one that will leave you not only a better “mover,” but a better human animal."—Breaking Muscle "With Movement Matters, Katy Bowman has produced a thoughtful—and radical—treatise that is a must-read for those interested in their personal health…and the health of the body politic and planet. A stellar read."—Rose Hayden-Smith, author of Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War I"Everyone should read this book."—Paleo Magazine"I’ve spent almost twenty years talking to people about food and specifically why good food matters. I’ve made my case using biology and ecology, talking about our hunter-gatherer past. What I missed is all the movement that went into not just our food but also our lives. This is why movement matters—and fortunately for you, Katy Bowman has tackled this topic in a way that has never been done before."—Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution"Perfect for the person who can’t sit still!"—National Outdoor Leadership School, from their list of “10 Favorite Books About Leadership By Women”Katy Bowman is one of the world’s leading experts on the ecology of human movement. She offers a timely and fascinating collection of essays that are designed to inspire a movement-based lifestyle—essential for our long-term survival as adaptive humans. A must-read for anyone who cares about their health."—Angela Hanscom, author of Balanced and Barefoot"What a breath of fresh air! Katy Bowman, like her books, oozes originality and intelligence. In Movement Matters, she makes readers see how movement isn’t something you do—it’s something you are…The world, the fitness industry, and those of you at home aspiring for well-being will really benefit from Katy’s life-enhancing information."—Ellen Barrett, author of The 28 Days Lighter Diet"[Bowman’s] insights are empowering and enlightening."—Erwan Le Corre, founder of MovNat, author of The Practice of Natural Movement"This gorgeous book opens the door to a new way of thinking and being. Katy teaches us how each movement, no matter how small it may seem, matters. You can’t help but want to become more active in every aspect of your life."—Kristin Meekhof, author of A Widow’s Guide to Healing"One of the unfortunate side effects of living in complex, modern societies is the distance we create from the natural world, leading us to forget how to live better with less and by keeping active. In her quest to resurrect this lost knowledge, Katy Bowman provides us with a survival roadmap to reclaim personal quality of life and a sustainable future for all. A must-read for anyone interested in living a happy, productive life on a habitable planet."—Jason Lewis, author of The Expedition series"In Movement Matters, Katy Bowman has taken a large and complex topic and made it more than just fathomable—the essays are an enjoyable exploration of movement and other features of human health viewed from a unique perspective."—Arthur Haines, author of A New PathTable of ContentsForeword Introduction Movement: Outsourced Science Moves Muscle: A Simple Model Expand Your Muscle Model You’re More Than (Two of) Your Parts Proof Putting All Your Eggs in One Comment Basket Don’t Be a Stupid Sometimes Science Is Sedentary Dear Katy Nature Moves Analogous Thigmomorphogenesis Shaped by the Trees First Hike Tree Bones A Matter of Perspective Wet Bones Myopic You Speak How You Are Outdoor School Dear Katy Food Moves Must Work for Food Those Other Nutrients Mammals Suck Forage Kitchen Movement A Sedentary Culture Eats Movement as a Commodity Dear Katy Just Move Part-Minded Stack Your Life Maximalism Nutrient Dense Geese, or Movement Ecology Natural Movement Is Efficient Natural Movement Is Joyful Movement is Counter-Culture Movement is Not Medicine Vitamin Community Personal Mission Statement Elderberry Dear Katy Afterword and Acknowledgments Appendices Appendix 1: Nature in Education Appendix 2: Foraging Appendix 3: Breastfeeding Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisFrom biomechanist and bestselling author Katy Bowman comes her eagerly anticipated guide to getting kids—from babies to preteens—and their families moving more, together, outside. Our kids are moving less than any other generation in human history; indoor time and screen time have skyrocketed. As adults and kids turn more to "convenient," tech-based solutions, tasks that once required head-to-toe use of our muscles and bones can be done with a click and a swipe. Without realizing it, we’ve traded convenience for the movement-rich environment that our physical, mental, and environmental health depends on. Parents don’t know what to do! But there’s good news: While the problem feels massive, the solution is simple…and fun! Grow Wild not only breaks down the ‘big ideas’ behind movement as a nutrient, it serves as field guide—how to spot all the movement opportunities we’re currently missing. Learn to “stack your life” for richer experiences that don’t take more time: Set up your home to promote more movement, naturally Dress for (movement) success Add snacktivities to your meals Plan dynamic celebrations Create a dynamic homework space Bring nature into your home and play And much more! Bowman, a leader in the Movement movement, has written Grow Wild to show where movement used to fit into the activities of daily life and more importantly, how it can again. The perfect companion to Bowman’s bestseller Move Your DNA, Grow Wild provides practical, everyday, nature-rich ideas on how to let kids move their DNA while doing things they’ll love. The book features: 100+ full-color photographs of kids and families moving Success stories from parents, grandparents, teachers “Study sessions” that make movement research more accessible to laypersons Written to all that work with children—parents, teachers, relatives, health professionals, and more A book to be referenced again and again as kids grow up! Grow Wild is necessary reading for a wide range of readers—anyone who spends time with children. Humans live in many places and there are countless movement opportunities wherever you live, you just need to know how to spot them. Children and their families can thrive by learning to move more inside, adventure more outside, and grow wild in any environment. Trade Review"Grow Wild is a must-read for any parents and educators who want to inject more movement into kids’ lives but aren’t sure where to start. With plenty of photo inspiration and some great ideas to try, Bowman combines the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of movement to give a field guide to turning sedentary kids into a generation of wild movers."—Caroline Williams, author of Move! and My Plastic Brain"Pandemic parenting. Zoom meetings. Virtual school. If you’ve coped with looking at devices all year, Katy Bowman’s Grow Wild will strike you as a gentle, cautionary guide about kids’ “super-sedentary” environments, and how it’s counter-cultural, yet urgent, to start changing these. A biomechanist, Bowman encourages reconnecting with movement and nature, not only for their health benefits or evolutionary ties, but for longer-term family and community vitality. Rather than outlining specific exercises, her holistic approach spans everything from choosing footwear and flexible clothing, to setting up movement-friendly indoor spaces, to adding motion in natural stages. Its methods dovetail with activities we’d be doing anyway, such as making food. Color photographs of real families and alloparents supplement the book’s personal stories about engaging wild and urban spaces. These inspire ways to rethink how we use our settings. Logical, persuasive, and compassionate arguments make this a timely resource: we’re all culpable of sitting around too much, but we’re all capable of redefining our modern mold, too.”—Karen Rigby, Foreword Reviews "Brilliantly organized and accessible, Grow Wild is full of actionable items that families can do immediately... An important book you'll want to keep handy as a daily reference."—Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith, author of Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of WWI"Grow Wild provides essential movement nutrition for you and your family…An inspiring, original and even a joyful book, Grow Wild is an instant classic."—Professor Vybarr Cregan-Reid, author of Primate Change: How the World We Made is Remaking Us"It is [the adults'] job to give [kids] permission to try [growing wild], and an environment that gives them the ability to succeed. Grow Wild is not a book of exercises. Rather it is a helpful reference for creating active spaces for children to move in throughout their ordinary day."—Sheryl Campbell, Mother Earth News"Through touching images, convincing science, and warm-hearted wisdom, Katy Bowman offers you practical strategies to get moving even in the face of environmental and psychological barriers."—Diana Hill, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and author of ACT Daily Journal: Get Unstuck and Live More Fully With Acceptance and Commitment Therapy"Grow Wild is a wondrous invitation to belonging and connection in a world that has forgotten how much movement matters. In this essential guide, Katy Bowman offers a magical blend of inspiration and practical action. Every page glows with ideas for cultivating the innate bodily intelligence that connects kids (and all of us) to health, creativity, radiance, and the wisdom of the earth."—Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Mozart’s Starling"This is more than a book to get you and your family moving more. Each of us has a role to play towards regeneration, and this book outlines ways to shift everyday essential activities from the mundane to the meaningful."—Doniga Markegard, regenerative rancher, author of Dawn Again and Wolf Girl“Katy Bowman lays out the case for centering your family life around movement so plainly that it may not dawn on you right away how profound her suggestions are. Make no mistake--the ideas in this book are a paradigm shift. Making space for wildness doesn’t just help the young humans in your life (and you, too); it can also save the human race and the planet, all while making your family life more fun and fulfilling. No big deal!”—Kate Hanley, author of How to Be a Better PersonTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One: Stack Your Life for More Movement Chapter Two: The Culture Container Chapter Three: The Clothing Container Chapter Four: The Cooking Container Chapter Five: The Home Container Chapter Six: The Learning Container Chapter Seven: The Activities Container Chapter Eight: The Celebration Container Chapter Nine: Alloparents Afterword References and Resources Photo Credits Index

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Book SynopsisTree Lines unites striking ink drawings of high-altitude pine trees with poetic vignettes about how people interact with mountain environments. The drawings and text work together to form a direct artistic encounter with timberline conifers. The husband and wife team of Valerie and Michael Cohen employ a unique process whereby she draws in isolation, gives him her drawings, and he then writes whatever he’s inspired to create. Neither offers the other any kind of feedback or instruction. The result is an accessible and deeply engaging work that is also extremely well researched; the Cohens bring a lifetime of scholarship in literature, history, and the environment to this work. The drawings are black-and-white, pen-and-ink representations of high alpine ecosystems. The prose is stripped bare, abbreviated in an epigrammatic style that is poetic and spontaneous. Trees represented here are the Western Juniper or Sierra Juniper, the Limber, and the Bristlecone Pine—three species of long-lived, slow-growing conifers that grow across the Great Basin. While they represent only a small portion of the vegetative culture high in the western mountains, the Cohens use representation as abstraction as is utilized by writers and artists to convey a unique kind of microcosm of our natural environment. This book compares to such classics as Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, and Berger’s Ways of Seeing, which open up lines of observation, analysis, and art for a new generation of readers.Trade ReviewThis truly unique and powerful book is the culmination of a lifetime of close observation, scholarship, and artistry. This is a significant contribution to the literature, not just of California, Nevada, and the Great Basin, but to the world, and particularly to the crucial intersection of art, humanities, science, and the environment."" - Jon Christensen, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA

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Book SynopsisReaders familiar with Lia Purpura’s highly praised essay collections—Increase, On Looking, and Rough Likeness—will know she’s a master of observation, a writer obsessed with the interplay between humans and the things they see. The subject matter of All the Fierce Tethers is wonderfully varied, both low (muskrats, slugs, a stained quilt in a motel room) and lofty (shadows, prayer, the idea of beauty). In “Treatise Against Irony,” she counters this all-too modern affliction with ferocious optimism and intelligence: “The opposite of irony is nakedness.” In “My Eagles,” our nation’s symbol is viewed from all angles—nesting, flying, politicized, preserved. The essay in itself could be a small anthology. And, in a fresh move, Purpura turns to her own, racially divided Baltimore neighborhood, where a blood stain appears on a street separating East (with its Value Village) and West (with its community garden). Finalist for the National Book Critics Award, winner of the Pushcart Prize, Lia Purpura returns with a collection both sustaining and challenging.Trade Review2019 Nautilus Gold Winner in "Lyric Prose" 2020 Independent Publishers Book Awards Gold in Essay Foreword INDIES 2019 Finalist for Essay Big Other Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction "[Lia Purpura] evinces great skill as a prose writer in this volume of meditations on nature and society. . . . Amid the numerous essay collections driven by concern over climate change, Purpura’s stands out for its passionate intensity." —Publishers Weekly "'Metaphors get compromised. Get eroded and need updating. Rerouting. Reconstituting,' writes Lia Purpura. This is just one of the luminous themes mined in her glittering new essay collection All the Fierce Tethers. In prose that is inventive, with ideas that contract and dilate with fluidity, Purpura considers the mundane and crafts powerful essays that traverse the landscapes that surround us." —Foreword Reviews, starred review "[Purpura's] understanding and use of language is impeccable." —"Lia Purpura reads selections from her new book of essays" by Cole Douglass, The Johns Hopkins News-letter "In one of the 20 essays found in this collection, National Book Critics Circle Award finalist Purpura. . . quotes her grandmother who advised her to 'steal with your eyes.' This advice may have resulted in the keen power of observation found in Purpura’s writing, but here the author uses her eyes to create rather than steal, as demonstrated by her rich descriptions of items such as a three-legged branch, detritus on a city street, freshly picked cotton, a moose in a meadow, and a flowering tree stump. . . . Highly recommended for readers interested in the essay genre and for English or creative writing students." —Library Journal, starred review "Witty, friendly, and provocative, Purpura fosters a belief in the authenticity of interaction." —World Literature Review, print "To see as Purpura sees is to parse experience closer to its raw, vital core. . . .In this time of ecological crisis, no other way of seeing and being in the world bears greater urgency or promise of revitalization." —Marlie McGovern, Rain Taxi, print "[Purpura's] essays read like prose poems, and her love of language is palpable. Best to read this book when you’re in a quiet, contemplative head space. And read slowly to enjoy every nuance, every breath, every word." —"Book Reviews: April 2019" by Lauren LaRocca, Baltimore "These essays are the kind of encounters I’d drive in bad weather for. Some are a lot like the heat of another warm body in a small space, some like skidding through snow-covered mud at seventy miles an hour. . . . What Purpura’s book offers to a reader are thingly confrontations, rendered with more sincerity than irony, with more self-awareness than self-consciousness, and that’s all I want from any writer." —David Grandouiller, Cleaver "Few writers work as hard as Lia Purpura to interrogate the language of our world, to try to shift our perceptions away from the metaphors we habitually apply to what we see. This act is almost a kind of denial of writing — metaphor, simile, and even cliche are the tools we habitually use to make our observations comprehensible. But Purpura distrusts such simplification, such habits. 'A word is a way to speak about something that really, in truth, no word can touch,' she wrote in her 2011 essay collection, Rough Likeness. Her essays live in the frisson created between the something and the word we’ve resignedly decided accurately represents it." —Mark Athitakis, On the Seawall "All the Fierce Tethers is both a marvel of language and a treatise on our taking the time to stop, look around, and pay attention to our surroundings and, concurrently, to acknowledge the interconnectedness of life and its objects. Written in vibrant, luxurious prose, Purpura leaves her readers looking at the world in a distinct and more vibrant way." —Nicholas John-Francis Claro, The Arkansas International "It's a heck of a book." —Ander Monson, Essay Daily ". . .wonderfully thought provoking and lyrically constructed. . . The book is a portent to be read with care." —Lanie Tankard, The Woven Tale Press "Prose in appearance only, her accounts of intimating, then seeing, a moose; following the decomposition of a bird into a 'house framed out, barrel staves, then…the keel of a skiff'; and of being overwhelmed by a crepe myrtle in full, stunning bloom, not only 'make something of the moment,' as [Purpura] continually urges, but make 'each moment of seeing be again its own shining grunt of creation,' in which we are 'found and rearranged.' These essays will do that to you." —Laurie G., Politics & Prose Bookstore “Reading this collection of essays is like taking a walk through your neighborhood with a wizard or a medieval saint: Lia Purpura can conjure visions from seed pods, a plastic bag, a city sidewalk, transforming what is right in front of you into what is really there, uncommon, untamed. Under her gaze, the most ordinary things become not just extraordinary, but almost frighteningly radiant. To watch her free, say, a flowering crape myrtle from ‘tree’ and let it burst into experience is to behold reverence at its most ferocious, precise and delicate." —Suzanne Berne, author of The Dogs of Littlefield “In Lia Purpura’s work, language is a renewable resource that keeps on giving, restoring wonder to a world of wounds. She is a meditative writer and in her, the life of the mind and senses abide in conjugal bliss. What holds us to this troubled life? A beautiful, associative mind attentive to small gestures, wending its way through our age of contradiction, finding solace and reckoning in language. That’s what.” —Alison Hawthorne Deming, author of Zoologies: On Animals and the Human Spirit “Lia Purpura writes not just for our perilous moment, but for our dead, and the world that will outlast us. Her eye beholds animals and humans with awe, but the awe is never easy or borrowed or impressed with itself. ‘The world offers us to ourselves at every turn,’ writes Purpura, and though that sounds like a gift at first, it actually comes as a cautionary note. Only a writer of rigor and depth could turn such a shining statement on its head—and still manage to delight. All the Fierce Tethers is a phenomenal achievement of art and mind, but it's more than that, really: it will make you feel alive.” —Paul Lisicky, author of The Narrow Door: A Memoir of Friendship “Lia Purpura’s essays make the tethers between apparently separate things not only visible, but luminous. Frankly, I can think of no better—by which I mean, adamantly, more necessary—quality in art. We are connected to the guy across the way ashing his cigarette. We are connected to the hawk at the dump, the murdered student, the fire ant, each other. And to do it with so much goddamn music! Time and again I found myself re-reading sentences and paragraphs throughout these essays wondering how I arrived where I did. Astonished, and grateful for it. These are some of the best essays I’ve read in a long time.” —Ross Gay, author The Book of Delights, Essays

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Book SynopsisMountains Piled upon Mountains features nearly fifty writers from across Appalachia sharing their place-based fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry. Moving beyond the tradition of transcendental nature writing, much of the work collected here engages current issues facing the region and the planet (such as hydraulic fracturing, water contamination, mountaintop removal, and deforestation), and provides readers with insights on the human-nature relationship in an era of rapid environmental change.This book includes a mix of new and recent creative work by established and emerging authors. The contributors write about experiences from northern Georgia to upstate New York, invite parallels between a watershed in West Virginia and one in North Carolina, and often emphasize connections between Appalachia and more distant locations. In the pages of Mountains Piled upon Mountains are celebration, mourning, confusion, loneliness, admiration, and other emotions and experiences rooted in place but transcending Appalachia's boundaries.

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Book Synopsis2019 Foreword Indie Silver Award Winner for Science Welcome to the biggest, fastest, deadliest science book you'll ever read. The world's largest land mammal could help us end cancer. The fastest bird is showing us how to solve a century-old engineering mystery. The oldest tree is giving us insights into climate change. The loudest whale is offering clues about the impact of solar storms. For a long time, scientists ignored superlative life forms as outliers. Increasingly, though, researchers are coming to see great value in studying plants and animals that exist on the outermost edges of the bell curve. As it turns out, there's a lot of value in paying close attention to the "oddballs" nature has to offer. Go for a swim with a ghost shark, the slowest-evolving creature known to humankind, which is teaching us new ways to think about immunity. Get to know the axolotl, which has the longest-known genome and may hold the secret to cellular regeneration. Learn about Monorhaphis chuni, the oldest discovered animal, which is providing insights into the connection between our terrestrial and aquatic worlds. Superlative is the story of extreme evolution, and what we can learn from it about ourselves, our planet, and the cosmos. It's a tale of crazy-fast cheetahs and super-strong beetles, of microbacteria and enormous plants, of whip-smart dolphins and killer snakes. This book will inspire you to change the way you think about the world and your relationship to everything in it.Trade Review"The interesting stories and anecdotes provided here by focusing on the extremes, which are unquestionably interesting, may serve another purpose: they pique the curiosity of readers who may not have fancied themselves interested in science. " —CHOICE "LaPlante writes with zeal—be sure to read his endnotes!—and engages the reader in the wonder and thrill of scientific discovery." —Booklist "In Superlative, Matthew LaPlante takes us on a whiplash-paced journey around the globe to visit the biggest, smallest, quickest, slowest, and smartest creatures out there. In a string of short colorful vignettes, LaPlante explores a medley of superlative creatures one at a time, intertwining science and natural history with spirited storytelling and genuine affection. In the end, we learn that what makes each of these creatures superlative also makes them uniquely valuable—to their ecosystems, to science, and also to us." —Beth Shapiro, author of How to Clone a Mammoth "Matthew D. LaPlante is a rising star. In his new book, Superlative, he travels to the ends of the Earth to find the smallest, hardiest, most unusual organisms, and the interesting people who study them. As a professor of biology, I was shocked there was still so much I did not know about our brethren at the extremes. Hail evolution." —David A. Sinclair, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School "This is one of those rare books that you want to show people while going, ‘Look at what it says here, did you know that?' LaPlante writes in an engaging and clear style that perfectly communicates his delight for nature's creativity while simultaneously lamenting the tragedy of extinction . . . Superlative should not only be in the library of any science enthusiast, but it should also be required reading for high school students and beginning college students." —Oné R. Pagán, PhD, professor of biology at West Chester University, and author of Strange Survivors "Superlative displays a key scientific insight: It's the exceptions, the unusual, and the extremes that teach us the most. Matthew LaPlante's exploration of these exceptions is timely, fascinating, and exciting, giving us a chance to see what the future may—quite unexpectedly—offer us." —Michael Fossel, author of The Telomerase RevolutionTable of ContentsContentsIntroductionNature’s Best AmbassadorsChapter IAll Things Great and Tall: How the World’s Biggest Life-Forms Are Saving Human Lives Chapter IIAll the Small Things: Why Little Organisms Have Such a Big Impact on Our World Chapter IIIThe Old Dominion: How Our Biological Elders are Offering Us New Knowledge Chapter IVFast Times: Why the Quickest Animals Probably Aren’t the Ones You Think Chapter VAural Sects: How Superlative Sound Drives Life as We Know It Chapter VIThe Tough Get Going: How the World’s Strongest Organisms Might Lift Us to the Heavens Chapter VIIDeadly Serious: Why the World’s Most Efficient Killers Are Such Effective Lifesavers Chapter VIIISmarter All the Time: Why the Most Intelligent Life-Forms Ain’t Us ConclusionThe Next Superlative Discovery Is Yours AcknowledgmentsNotesAbout the Author

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Book SynopsisMohammad Reza Shafii-Kadkani is a contemporary Iranian poet, literary critic, editor, author, and translator born in 1939. His nature poetry, which comprise most of the poems in this book, are harbingers of hope. His wildflowers and birds anticipate the arrival of spring. His milkvetch contemplates its predicament but finds a way to convey its message through the breeze. His wintersweet outsmarts the drought; his mountain osier, pine and petunia are the songs of life; his rain cleanses the earth and purifies the words; his poppy is reckless, his sea fearless; his jasmines and sweetbriars are miraculous. Kadkani is at once a modern poet and a classical one, well versed in both traditions. His themes, language, and style are unique, fusing the old with the new, the classic with the modern. Mojdeh Bahar was born in 1973 in Iran to a family of poets and writers. Her parents emigrated to the U.S. when she was 14. Although she is a patent lawyer by profession, she continued her deep interest in Persian poetry. This is her first book of translations from one of her favourite contemporary Persian poets.

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Book SynopsisLaguna San Ignacio, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, comes alive in the essays within Touched/Tocado. Michael Branch writes the essays are "ingeniously organized as a four-stranded narrative which deftly braids the perspectives of a poet, a cetologist, a fisherman, and an activist to offer an informative and inspiring story of how this unique whale nursery was protected and preserved." ENGLISHLaguna San Ignacio, along the Pacific coast of Baja California, Mexico, is one of the most extraordinary places in the world. It is the centerpiece of the Vizcaíno International Biosphere Reserve, which holds beautiful and complex stands of mangroves and dazzling assemblies of seabirds and shorebirds, their wings aglow with ocean light. Within the waters of the Lagoon thrives a full suite of marine life in all its mystery and richness. Not long ago, it was all at risk, but was conserved from ruinous development by a legendary effort of science-based conservation.Such is the setting. The Laguna has an eminent place now not just in Mexico, not just in the Americas, but in the imagination of the world. It is the winter breeding and birthing ground of the gray whale. Just here, and nowhere else on Earth, the whales will approach a boat: they will come to be touched, to play, and to romp and frolic with their newborns, who rise to our hands with antic curiosity and affection. They bring not just themselves: they bring a new world, the one even now in creation. Here is the Laguna. It is a place of transformative power and beauty, of wonderment of being literally in touch with so intelligent and generous a life form. This book is meant to show the whole: in four essays, it unites spirit, science, people, and activism. It is the union we can use to make a future together. A Non-Profit Publication - Proceeds will be donated to gray whale research and programs benefitting the community of Ejido Luis Echeverría, Baja California Sur, Mexico. ESPANOLLaguna San Ignacio, a lo largo de la costa del Pacífico de Baja California Sur, México, es uno de los lugares más extraordinarios en el mundo. Es la pieza central de la Reserva de la Biosfera El Vizcaíno, la cual alberga hermosos manglares y deslumbrantes grupos de aves marinas y costeras, con sus alas resplandeciendo con la luz del océano. Dentro de las aguas de la laguna prospera una gama completa de vida marina, en todo su misterio y riqueza. No hace mucho, todo esto estaba en riesgo, pero fue salvado de un desarrollo ruinoso gracias al esfuerzo legendario de la conservación basada en la ciencia. Este es el escenario. La laguna ahora tiene un lugar inminente no sólo en México, ni en América, sino en la imaginación del mundo. En invierno es la zona de reproducción y nacimiento de la ballena gris. Sólo aquí, y en ningún otro lado en la Tierra, las ballenas se acercan a los botes: se aproximan para ser tocadas, jugar y retozar con sus recién nacidas, las cuales se levantan hacia nuestras manos con mucha curiosidad y afecto. No sólo se traen a sí mismas: ellas traen un nuevo mundo, el cual aún sigue en creación.Aquí está la laguna. Es un lugar de poder y belleza transformadora, de asombro al estar literalmente en contacto con formas de vida tan inteligentes y generosas. Este libro está diseñado para mostrar todo: en cuatro ensayos, une el espíritu, la ciencia, las personas y el activismo. Es la unidad que necesitamos para formar un futuro juntos.Publicación sin fines de lucro. Las ganancias serán donadas a la investigación de la ballena gris y programas que beneficien a la comunidad de la laguna.

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Book SynopsisHave you ever wondered how some of nature''s smallest creatures spend their days? Here''s your chance to take a scientifically accurate peek into the life of a mealworm, (Tenebrio molitar), beginning with egg-laying.  Striking illustrations and a lively storyline capture the real life challenges of the mealworm. Perfect to read to young children.

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