by Liz Brownlee
The Solstice cometh, and visions of vacation days dance in our heads. Field Naturalists are always ready for an adventure in the snow, but we also love a thick quilt, a fire, and a book. Here are a few of our winter-time favorites:
“The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature” by David Suzuki
Power, passion, and concrete examples of how humans can live more responsibly in the world.
“People of the Deer” by Farley Mowat
Hear the tale of the Ihalmiut people of northern Canada: how they lived in the far north, how their story intertwined with caribou migrations, how an imposing culture wrote death into the final chapter of their story.
“The Moon is Always Female” Poems by Marge Percy
Poems of all shapes and sizes, including an entire section focused on our friend the moon.
“Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival” by Bernd Heinrich
This book tops many of our reading lists for this December (full disclosure: it’s partially because we’re headed on a Winter Ecology course with Bernd in January!) A must read for understanding our wintry friends.
High adventure meets real life, all in the winter world. It’s technically “young adult literature” but that hasn’t stopped us.
“Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert” by Terry Tempest Williams
Just in case you prefer warmer climes, listen to the real life stories of the desert west. TTW takes you from wonder to land use policy and everywhere in between.
I recommend a golden “Oldie”
Design With Nature” by Ian McHarg — A pioneer and a must read by your whole group!
Perfect. I’m always looking for good science and naturalist books for my kids to read. There are several titles here that I think they’ll enjoy. Thank you!