Search results for ""Author Willem Lange""

A collection of columns about the wilderness of New England and more from well-known New Hampshire and Vermont naturalist and commentator Willem Lange.

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NORWAY, 1894Olav -- son of Erik Bjørnsson -- seventeen,swung his father's scythe and dreamed:The singing scythe Grandfather Bjørn had madeand honed each time he found a bit of shadeand passed on to his oldest sonto pass on to his oldest sonto pass until there were no longer sons --the scythe hissed like the grains of sand on the beachthat hiss when a wave falls back and the bubbles burst.The wind that whispered through the grainand dried the sweat upon his arms and chestbore from the west the scent of saltand the distant rumble of the Norwegian Sea. The Viking Age began more than a thousand years ago when the ancient Norse perfected their swift-sailing, dragon-headed longships. Young men, and later whole families, left Norway's rugged fiords in search of open land, trade, treasure, or fame. Many others took to the unknown sea simply because something vague and irresistible beckoned to them. They settled islands all across the North Atlantic and landed in North America more than four hundred years before Columbus. Their exploits are recounted in the ancient Norse sagas. A Dream of Dragons is a proper and modern Norse saga, written with all the power of Melville and Hemingway and a true story now retold in the ageless rhythms of blank verse, as irresistible as the beautiful and specially commissioned woodcuts of Mary Azarian.

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Favor Johnson lives on a small farm in the hills of Vermont. He keeps to himself, surrounded by dozens of animals, chickens, geese, and his one constant friend, a hound named Hercules. Then one Christmas Eve Hercules' life is saved by Favor's new neighbor, a doctor, and Favor's whole life -- as well as the life of everyone in his village -- is changed forever. This delightful story of Favor Johnson, Hercules, Doctor Jennings, and the mysterious house-to-house delivery of homemade fruit cakes on Christmas Eve is a heart-warming tale of neighborliness and generosity in a Vermont village at Christmas. It is also a tale of rescue, of good and bad cooking, of friendship, and of giving presents at Christmas. A modern, and classic, American Christmas folktale, Favor Johnson has been a favorite radio story for years and is published now for the first time, brought to life by the wonderful watercolor illustrations of Bert Dodson. This book is their second collaboration, the first being John and Tom, published in 2001.Willem Lange is a short-story writer, commentator and host on Vermont Public Radio and New Hampshire Public Television. He also has a weekly column in The Valley News, the major newspaper in the NH/VT Upper Valley area. In addition to the Yuletide readings of his Christmas story, Favor Johnson, a staple on Public Radio for fifteen years, his annual readings of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol -- on stage, on Vermont Public Radio, and on Armed Forces Radio overseas -- have been popular since 1975. He lives with his wife in East Montpelier, Vermont.Bert Dodson is the author and illustrator of the best-selling learn-to-draw classic Keys to Drawing as well as the illustrator of over 80 children's books including a previous one with Willem Lange. He has also co-written The Way Life Works with noted biologist Mahlon Hoagland. He lives in Bradford, Vermont.

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A boy is sure he has the world's best father, an outdoorsman who shows him the hiding places of ground-nesting birds and teaches him to paddle a canoe and handle a rifle safely. Never point your gun at anything you don't intend to shoot, his father tells him, and don't kill anything you don't intend to eat. When he's eight years old, he is finally allowed to go to hunting camp with his father. They climb through dark woods to the icy-cold camp, where Dad starts a fire in the stove. A few minutes later, a tiny, shivering white-footed mouse emerges from his nest to share the warmth of the stovepipe. The boy feeds him a bit of cheese and sees that the mouse trusts him. Later, when his father begins to bait a mouse trap, the boy wittily reminds his Dad of the lesson he had taught him.The White-Footed Mouse is Willem Lange's and Bert Dodson's latest collaboration, a delightfully illustrated parable for lovers of nature and the great outdoors and for kids who want to keep their Dads in line.Willem Lange is a short-story writer, columnist, commentator, and host on Vermont Public Radio and New Hampshire Public Television.This is his third children's book with Bert Dodson. He lives with his wife in East Montpelier, Vermont.Bert Dodson is the author and illustrator of the best-selling learn-to-draw classic Keys to Drawing as well as the illustrator of over 80 children's books including a previous one with Willem Lang. He has also co-written The Way Life Works with noted biologist Mahlon Hoagland. He lives in Bradford, Vermont.Advance PraiseWhen I was a 15-year-old kid, Will arrived in our tiny Adirondack Mountain town. It was the beginning of an enduring and profound friendship. Over fifty years we've paddled, climbed, hunted, and fished together, and listened to each other. This story is Will at his best: a man, a boy, and a mouse in a camp together, a tender story of respect and caring for one another in the most important ways.--Baird Edmonds, retired designer, contractor and outdoorsman What a wonderful and beautifully illustrated story! A father teaches his son about nature and ethics, and the son then gives his father a lesson. Willem Lange is a master storyteller and The White-Footed Mouse is one of his best. Beautifully written and beautifully illustrated, the story has lessons for us all. Though written for youth, it's one that every parent and grandparent will treasure. It's destined to become a classic that future generations will enjoy and learn from.--Gary Moore, syndicated columnist, broadcaster and former Vermont Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife

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