Best of
Nature

2022

The Fallen Stones: Chasing Blue Butterflies, Mayan Secrets, and Happily Ever After in Belize


Diana Marcum - 2022
    Before long Diana and her partner, Jack Moody—new to being a couple—have moved into a long-empty jungle house, cohabitating with bats, scorpions, toucans, iguanas, and the vulnerable but resilient butterflies. She comes to be obsessed with the array of iridescent creatures.Just ahead, although they don’t know it, are a hurricane and a global pandemic.This warm, funny tale of finding a way forward when the world seems to be falling apart is filled with the beauty of the natural world and a heartfelt cry to protect it—beginning with butterflies.

Apple and Magnolia


Laura Gehl - 2022
    Includes an author's note that further explores how trees communicate.Britta visits her two favorite trees, Apple and Magnolia, every day. Though she can't explain it, she's sure they are best friends! Then one day, Magnolia's branches start to droop. Is there anything Britta-or Apple-can do to help? After all, unusual friendships can be the most powerful of all.With a lyrical story and vibrant art, Apple and Magnolia unveils the extraordinary connections between trees and the wondrous bonds between all living things. The book includes an author's note offering facts about how trees communicate with one another. A downloadable discussion guide with more information will be available February 2022 at flyawaybooks.com/resources.

Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds


Thomas Halliday - 2022
    In Otherlands, Halliday makes sixteen fossil sites burst to life on the page.This book is an exploration of the Earth as it used to exist, the changes that have occurred during its history, and the ways that life has found to adapt―or not. It takes us from the savannahs of Pliocene Kenya to watch a python chase a group of australopithecines into an acacia tree; to a cliff overlooking the salt pans of the empty basin of what will be the Mediterranean Sea just as water from the Miocene Atlantic Ocean spills in; into the tropical forests of Eocene Antarctica; and under the shallow pools of Ediacaran Australia, where we glimpse the first microbial life.Otherlands also offers us a vast perspective on the current state of the planet. The thought that something as vast as the Great Barrier Reef, for example, with all its vibrant diversity, might one day soon be gone sounds improbable. But the fossil record shows us that this sort of wholesale change is not only possible but has repeatedly happened throughout Earth history.Even as he operates on this broad canvas, Halliday brings us up close to the intricate relationships that defined these lost worlds. In novelistic prose that belies the breadth of his research, he illustrates how ecosystems are formed; how species die out and are replaced; and how species migrate, adapt, and collaborate. It is a breathtaking achievement: a surprisingly emotional narrative about the persistence of life, the fragility of seemingly permanent ecosystems, and the scope of deep time, all of which have something to tell us about our current crisis.

The Treeline: The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth


Ben Rawlence - 2022
    Ben Rawlence's The Treeline takes us along this critical frontier of our warming planet from Norway to Siberia, Alaska to Greenland, to meet the scientists, residents and trees confronting huge geological changes. Only the hardest species survive at these latitudes including the ice-loving Dahurian larch of Siberia, the antiseptic Spruce that purifies our atmosphere, the Downy birch conquering Scandinavia, the healing Balsam poplar that Native Americans use as a cure-all and the noble Scots Pine that lives longer when surrounded by its family.It is a journey of wonder and awe at the incredible creativity and resilience of these species and the mysterious workings of the forest upon which we rely for the air we breathe. Blending reportage with the latest science, The Treeline is a story of what might soon be the last forest left and what that means for the future of all life on earth.

Mushroom Rain


Laura K. Zimmermann - 2022
    But don't call them plants--mushrooms are fungi. They're more closely related to animals like you! Through lyrical text and colorful, detailed artwork, the wonderful, mysterious, and sometimes bizarre world of mushrooms is explored. Back matter includes a glossary, additional mushroom facts, and a science activity.

Bandoola: The Great Elephant Rescue


William Grill - 2022
    Working together on a teak plantation, the two develop a rare friendship, which even today set standards around elephant care and conservation.But when another war forces them to leave their home in the Burmese jungle, the two undertake a journey that will test their friendship, taking trust, understanding, and bravery to the very limit. Together, they lead a group of refugees and over 70 elephants to safety, scaling 5000 ft mountains as they cross the border from Burma into northern India.

The Social Lives of Animals


Ashley Ward - 2022
    Ants farm fungus in cooperatives. Why do we continue to believe that life in the animal kingdom is ruled by competition?  In The Social Lives of Animals, biologist Ashley Ward takes us on a wild tour across the globe as he searches for a more accurate picture of how animals build societies. Ward drops in on a termite mating ritual (while his guides snack on the subjects), visits freelance baboon goatherds, and swims with a mixed family of whales and dolphins. Along the way, Ward shows that the social impulses we’ve long thought separated humans from other animals might actually be our strongest connection to them.  Insightful, engaging, and often hilarious, The Social Lives of Animals demonstrates that you can learn more about animals by studying how they work together than by how they compete.

Grow Your Own Medicine


Ava Green - 2022
    Kate Bensinger is a nurse and obtained a degree in Naturopathy with an Herbal Emphasis. Together, they set out to write the book they wish had been available for them starting out.This is for every aspiring herbalist.Indoors, backyards, or on a farm, you will become self-sufficient by growing your own medicinal and culinary herbs. As prices continue to soar, you can save money or build a business.When you’re the grower……there’s no need to worry about additives or GMOs.Benefits:- Almost no side effects compared to conventional meds- Become empowered and be your own herbal dispensary.- Learn the medicinal, culinary, decorative, scent and dye uses of 50+ herbs- Be the healer your family needs- How to maintain your herb garden without chemicals- How to prevent and treat the root causes of ailments instead of silencing the symptoms with conventional medsYou’ll love the beautiful illustrations, and this easy-to-understand beginner’s guide will make it a breeze to Grow Your Own Medicine

Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill


Matt Lilley - 2022
    “Hi. What are you? You appear to be an egg. You are an egg sinking. For many days, you sink. You sink a mile down, and you keep sinking down… down… until…”The unidentified narrator follows one krill among billions as it pursues its brief existence, eating and eating while metamorphosing from one thing into another and trying to avoid being eaten. Questions and advice are hurled at the krill on every page, but the krill never responds—because, after all, krill can’t talk, and this is nonfiction.  Krill are the largest animals able to catch and eat phytoplankton, and they in turn are eaten by the largest animals ever to live on earth—blue whales—as well as by seals, penguins, and a host of others. In other words, krill are really good at eating, and they make really good eating. And that makes them the most important animals in the high-latitude oceans.  As in The Whale Fall Café, Dan Tavis’s illustrations combine scientific accuracy with Nemo liveliness and humor. Our star krill is so good at gobbling up phytoplankton that he turns green, so we can pick him out from the crowd racing to escape a penguin’s beak or a blue whale’s gaping maw. The book has been reviewed and endorsed by global krill expert Dr. Stephen Nichol, and the manuscript earned an honorable mention in Minnesota’s McKnight Artist Fellowships for Writers. Helpful backmatter is included.

Once Upon a Forest


Pam Fong - 2022
    Perfect for teaching children to practice kindness while developing an appreciation for animals and the earth. After a fire leaves the forest smoldering, a determined marmot and her resourceful bird friend set off on a rescue mission in this beautifully illustrated, wordless story.They clear away fallen branches and scorched bushes. They rake and dig and plant new seedlings in the earth. With determination and ingenuity, as the seasons pass, they care for the little trees by making sure they have enough water, protect their branches from the wind and snow, and keep away hungry creatures, until the trees can thrive on their own.With a little time, care, and hope we all can help the earth.

Time on Rock: A Climber's Route into the Mountains


Anna Fleming - 2022
    Through the story of her progress from terrified beginner to confident lead climber she shows us how placing hand and foot on rock becomes a profound new way into the landscape.Anna takes us from the gritstone rocks of the Peak District and Yorkshire to the gabbro pinnacles of the Cullin, the slate of North Wales and the high plateau of the Cairngorms. Each landscape, and each type of rock, brings its own challenges and unique pleasures. She also shows us how climbing invites us into the history of a place: geologically, of course, but also culturally.This book is Anna's journey of self-discovery, but it is also a guide to losing oneself in the greater majesty of the natural world. With great lyricism she explores how it feels to climb as a woman, about the pleasures of the physical demands of climbing, about fear and challenge, but more than anything it is about a joyful connection to the mountains.

Wild Fell: Fighting For Nature On A Lake District Hill Farm


Lee Schofield - 2022
    It was a tragic day for the nation's wildlife, but the fight to restore the landscape had already begun.Lee Schofield, ecologist and site manager for RSPB Haweswater is leading efforts to breathe life back into two hill farms and their thirty square kilometres of sprawling upland habitat. The farms sit at the edge of the region's largest reservoir, beneath which lie the remains of a submerged village. The area's history has been a turbulent one for both its people and its wildlife, leaving its habitats in tatters.In the search for inspiration, Lee sought out England's rarest mountain flower and travelled from the wild fells of Norway to the pristine meadows of the Alps. Informed, too, by the local land, its history and the people who have shaped it, Lee and his team have remeandered a straightened river and are repairing damaged wetlands, meadows and woods. Each year, the landscape is becoming richer, wilder and better able to withstand the shocks of a changing climate. But in the contested landscape of the Lake District, change is not always welcomed, and success relies on finding a balance between rewilding and respecting cherished farming traditions. This is not only a story of nature in recovery, it is also the story of Lee's personal connection to place, and the highs and lows of working for nature amid fierce opposition.Wild Fell is a call to recognise that the solutions for a richer world lie at our feet; by focusing on flowers, we can rebuild landscapes fit for eagles again. A landscape of flowers is a landscape of hope.

Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth


Randy Woodley - 2022
    Woodley invites us to come away from the American dream--otherwise known as an Indigenous nightmare--and get in touch with the water, land, plants, and creatures around us, with the people who lived on that land for thousands of years prior to Europeans' arrival, and with ourselves. In walking toward the harmony way, we honor balance, wholeness, and connection.Creation is always teaching us. Our task is to look, and to listen, and to live well. She is teaching us now.

I Love You, Blue


Barroux - 2022
    Mayday! Mayday! Can anyone help?One rescue leads to another in this charming story of friendship, revealing that care for the ocean and its inhabitants can lead to the well-being of all. With joyful simplicity, I Love You, Blue introduces the impact of plastic waste in the oceans and includes an author's note with facts about how whales and their habitat can be protected.

Moving Words about a Flower


K.C. Hayes - 2022
    When it rains, letters fall from the sky; and when seeds scatter, words FLY!Each playful page will have readers looking twice. The back of the book includes more information about the life cycle of the humble, incredible dandelion.

Not a Cat: A Memoir


Winter Miller - 2022
    His identity is his alone to describe and determine. With the help of Danica Novgorodoff’s laugh-out-loud illustrations, he takes us on a tour of his adventures, accomplishments, and daily activities that makes mincemeat of our first impressions. He wears a sweater and a leash, so is he a dog? He runs in pastures, so is he a horse? He likes flowers, so is he a bee? He swims, so is he a duck? He has flown in airplanes and ridden in subways, so is he a person? Maybe he’s all those things, but what he truly is, he wants us to know, is Gato.To underline the story’s message of empowerment and self-identity, the back cover and backmatter include photos of the real Gato (Winter Miller’s cat) doing everything he claims and more. Signs on walls, headlines in newspapers, New Yorker cartoon homages, and sight gags on every page reward repeated readings and will make this book the first one that parents reach for at bedtime.

Sounds Wild and Broken: Sonic Marvels, Evolution's Creativity, and the Crisis of Sensory Extinction


David George Haskell - 2022
    

Flourish: Design Paradigms for Our Planetary Emergency


Sarah Ichioka - 2022
    What will it take to restore balance to our world, repair past injustices, and support future generations’ survival? Reaching beyond ‘sustainability,’ ‘regenerative’ practice is increasingly named as a new goal, but what does this emerging term really mean? And which key mindset shifts might enable truly regenerative transformation? Looking deeply into the web of life that created and supports us, and drawing inspiration from diverse cultural traditions and perspectives, spirited thinkers Michael Pawlyn and Sarah Ichioka propose a bold set of regenerative principles with potential to transform how we design, make, and manage our buildings, infrastructure, and communities. Whether you’re a built environment professional or client, an activist, or a policymaker, Flourish offers an urgent invitation to inhabit a new array of possibilities, through which we can build a thriving future, together.

It's Up to Us: Building a Brighter Future for Nature, People & Planet


Christopher Lloyd - 2022
    More than 400 corporations have already signed on, agreeing to put the health of Nature, People & Planet at the heart of their activities. Now it’s up to all of us to make sure our leaders keep their promises.This book has been developed in partnership with The Prince’s Foundation, a charity established by HRH The Prince of Wales to demonstrate how Nature can be put at the heart of human activities. Half of all the proceeds from sales will go directly to the work of the charity, based at Dumfries House in Scotland, UK.Printed in Canada on 30% recycled FSC paper with vegetable inks, and all carbon impacts of the production have been offset through sustainable forestry programs.

Solitary Animals: Introverts of the Wild


Joshua David Stein - 2022
    That splash and crash is a pod of whales, sounding.Behold, a fever of stingrays gliding by.But what do you call a group of octopuses?A tangle of octopuses? A chandelier of octopuses? A multipus of octopuses? No, octopuses prefer to be alone. The octopus is a solitary animal.This lyrical, nonfiction text honors animals who live in solitude, in contrast to others who live in groups. Against a backdrop of the specific names of various animal tribes (a parade of elephants, a tower of giraffes, a dazzle of zebras), Stein shines a spotlight on those animals who go through life on their own. With nature at his back, Stein invites readers to draw strength and comfort from the behaviors of fellow mammals. Perfect for children who tend to be alone, and their parents...as well as all children, who will be encouraged to respect the natural choices of their peers.

Woodsqueer


Gretchen Legler - 2022
    Gretchen Legler is no stranger to life away from the rapid-fire pace of the twenty-first century, which can often lead to a kind of stir-craziness. Woodsqueer chronicles her experiences intentionally focusing on not just making a living but making a life―in this case, an agrarian one more in tune with the earth on eighty acres in backwoods Maine.Building a home with her partner, Ruth, on their farm means learning to live with solitude, endless trees, and the wild animals the couple come to welcome as family. Whether trying to outsmart their goats, calculating how much firewood they need for the winter, or bartering with neighbors for goods and services, they hone life skills brought with them (carpentry, tracking and hunting wild game) and other skills they learn along the way (animal husbandry, vegetable gardening, woodcutting).Legler’s story is at times humbling and grueling, but it is also amusing. A homage to agrarian American life echoing the back-to-the-land movement popularized in the mid-twentieth century, Woodsqueer reminds us of the benefits of living close to the land. Legler unapologetically considers what we have lost in America, in less than a century―individually and collectively―as a result of our urban, mass-produced, technology-driven lifestyles.Illustrated with rustic pen-and-ink illustrations, Woodsqueer shows the value of a solitary sojourn and both the pathway to and possibilities for making a sustainable, meaningful life on the land. The result, for Legler and her partner, is an evolution of their humanity as they become more physically, emotionally, and even spiritually connected to their land and each other in a complex ecosystem ruled by the changing seasons.

Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science


Jessica Hernandez - 2022
    Despite the undeniable fact that Indigenous communities are among the most affected by climate devastation, Indigenous science is nowhere to be found in mainstream environmental policy or discourse.

Firsts and Lasts: The Changing Seasons


Leda Schubert - 2022
    But there’s also the bittersweet feeling of doing something for the last time, like mowing the lawn one final time on a brown day in autumn, or watching the last of the geese fly south in the early weeks of winter. Whichever way you mark the changing of the seasons, every year feels like an extraordinary miracle! In this jubilant ode to seasonal rituals, Leda Schubert evokes the familiar, enchanting rhythm of the four seasons, while Clover Robin’s bold collages bring warmth and magic to everyday occurrences.

The Architect of Impossible Places: Amazing Jobs of the Future


Sofia E. Rossi - 2022
    Become a “plastics fisherman” and save the oceans from pollution! Or be a “cloud hunter” and help to slow global warming! Whatever their passion, children will discover a world of possibility in this imaginative, colorful guide to a wide range of futuristic careers.

Free (Lunch Box Read)


Zita Grant - 2022
    

Bobcat Prowling


Maria Gianferrari - 2022
    Amidst the harsh winds and icy chill of winter, Yearling travels between the deep wilderness and suburbia, hunting for prey as he goes. He tracks hare, squirrel, pheasant…Watching. Waiting. LEAP!But each time, he is foiled by the resident predator. Will Yearling find a territory to call his own?

Drawn to Nature: Gilbert White and the Artists


Simon Martin - 2022
    From Thomas Bewick to Eric Ravilious and Clare Leighton, many artists' depictions of animals, birds and wildlife have illustrated White’s celebrated book, together providing a microcosm of natural history illustration from the eighteenth century until today. In Drawn to Nature, Simon Martin has gathered joyful and beautiful images of the extraordinary array of wildlife described by White, providing an insight into the continuing appeal and relevance of the Natural History.   This fascinating account takes us from some of the earliest published depictions of birds and animals, to pioneering nature photography, the revival of wood-engraving in the 1920s and 30s, and responses to White’s message about the natural world by contemporary illustrators such as Angie Lewin and Emily Sutton. The book also includes an introduction to the life of Gilbert White by Sir David Attenborough, an essay by Virginia Woolf, poems by modern and contemporary poets, and a jacket design by Mark Hearld.

Hidden Animal Colors


Jane Park - 2022
    A lizard is brown. A hippo is gray. But wait! The lizard has a blue tongue to scare predators, and the hippo has pink "sweat" that protects it from the sun! Brilliant photos accompany author Jane Park's rhyming nonfiction text in this playful exploration of animals' hidden colors.

Across the Pass: A collection of tramping writing


Shaun Barnett - 2022
    The pieces in Across the Pass, as selected by Shaun Barnett, range from epic tales to stories of strolls. Some writers celebrate the intricacies of nature and the strong bond forged when facing challenges together, while others talk of treading the trails first pioneered by their ancestors. All say something about the many textures and colours of the experience we call tramping. Across the Pass includes writing from New Zealanders such as writer John Mulgan, mountaineers Sir Edmund Hillary and Lydia Bradey, adventurer Graeme Dingle, public servant Bill Sutch, MP Eugenie Sage, and photographer Craig Potton.