Staff Picks
Our national parks are beautiful and unique places, often serving as an introduction to the outdoors and inspiring an appreciation for nature and wilderness. Similarly, stories and storytelling can serve as an introduction to other places and foster a powerful emotional connection to nature. Campfire Stories brings together tales about our national parks; some are by well-known writers such as John Muir, Bill Bryson, and Terry Tempest Williams, while others are from pioneer diaries or have been passed down through generations of indigenous peoples. Co-editors Dave and Ilyssa Kyu spent six months traveling and researching the stories collected here. They gathered the best materials from public libraries, historical societies, arts and cultural organizations, museums, research centers, and national park archives. Park rangers, historians, artists, curators, educators, and local residents all offered guidance and suggestions. The goal was to discover entertaining, diverse, and engaging writings that reflect each park's essence--as well as just fun to share. Campfire Stories focuses on these six iconic national parks: Acadia National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rocky Mountain National Park Yellowstone National Park Yosemite National Park Zion National Park
Each story includes an "About this Story" reflection, offering insight into how Dave and Ilyssa discovered the tale, why they selected it, and some background about its writer. Dave and Ilyssa also share their own thoughts on each of the parks they visited, as well as tips on how to be a compelling storyteller.
Each story includes an "About this Story" reflection, offering insight into how Dave and Ilyssa discovered the tale, why they selected it, and some background about its writer. Dave and Ilyssa also share their own thoughts on each of the parks they visited, as well as tips on how to be a compelling storyteller.
Ages 6+. 2-4 Players. 30-60 Minutes.Grab your binoculars and keep an eagle eye to the sky with Charley Harper's Spot the Birds. It'll be a hoot! Peregrinate through the board's five habitats--the Backyard, the Desert, the Woodland, the Wetland, and the Shores--and track each bird you spot. Along the way, you'll discover how to be a good bird steward. But watch out--you'll need to dodge storms, avoid falling in a river, and beware of birds that poop on your head (it happens). Be the first to the Bird Sanctuary, and you'll rule the roost! Measures 8.5"x8.5"x2". Weighs 1 lb 12 oz.
Deep sea green T-Shirt with imagery of Shenandoah Street and text "Harpers Ferry National Historical Park." 25% recycled polyester, 25% polyester, 25% organic cotton, 25% modal.
Amusing and informative, Hey Ranger! teaches as it entertains with tales of boat ramp misadventures, lost Afghani campers, encounters with wild animals, dumb crooks, and more. One chapter, "Tales from the Wild Side," brings together unusual incidents from National Park Service reports, and the concluding essay, "Don't Be a Victim of Your Vacation," advises visitors on how to avoid being a story on the evening news. Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing. Paperback, 227 pages. Measures 6" x 9" x 0.75". Weighs 13.3 oz.
An engaging, fact-filled, and beautifully illustrated guide to a forest's life cycle
Includes wide range of natural history and facts about types of forests, tree species, tree biology, and more Full-color illustrations throughout and Seeds of Knowledge sidebars enliven and deepen understanding of tree science From the award-winning author of Earth Almanac
In Knowing the Trees, naturalist and outdoor educator Ken Keffer explores our forests with both precision and charm. He offers essential context for understanding scientific knowledge and discoveries about trees and forest ecology, informed by rich anecdotes and specific examples from across the US. Modeled after the life cycle of a tree, this beautifully illustrated guide showcases a wide range of topics, including unique reproductive strategies, the wonders of seed dispersal, vast underground networks of roots, the importance of photosynthesis, treetop canopies, how snags and nurse logs contribute to the future of a forest, connections among other species throughout the habitat, benefits of forest bathing, and so much more. Keffer also makes the convincing case that our health depends on the health of trees and being able to see the forest and the trees.
In Knowing the Trees, naturalist and outdoor educator Ken Keffer explores our forests with both precision and charm. He offers essential context for understanding scientific knowledge and discoveries about trees and forest ecology, informed by rich anecdotes and specific examples from across the US. Modeled after the life cycle of a tree, this beautifully illustrated guide showcases a wide range of topics, including unique reproductive strategies, the wonders of seed dispersal, vast underground networks of roots, the importance of photosynthesis, treetop canopies, how snags and nurse logs contribute to the future of a forest, connections among other species throughout the habitat, benefits of forest bathing, and so much more. Keffer also makes the convincing case that our health depends on the health of trees and being able to see the forest and the trees.
An updated edition of a classic African American autobiography, with new supplementary materials A Penguin Vitae Edition The preeminent American slave narrative first published in 1845, Frederick Douglass's Narrative powerfully details the life of the abolitionist from his birth into slavery in 1818 to his escape to the North in 1838, how he endured the daily physical and spiritual brutalities of his owners and driver, how he learned to read and write, and how he grew into a man who could only live free or die. In addition to Douglass's classic autobiography, this new edition also includes his most famous speech "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" and his only known work of fiction, The Heroic Slave, which was written, in part, as a response to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. Penguin Classics presents Penguin Vitae, loosely translated as "Penguin of one's life," a deluxe hardcover series featuring a dynamic landscape of classic fiction and nonfiction that has shaped the course of our readers' lives. Penguin Vitae invites readers to find themselves in a diverse world of storytellers, with beautifully designed classic editions of personal inspiration, intellectual engagement, and creative originality.
In 1948 World War II veteran Earl Shaffer decided to "walk the war out of his system" and became the first person to report hiking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in one, continuous journey. This children's book tells the story of Earl's remarkable journey of five million steps across fourteen states for over two thousand miles. "So, on a blustery April morning in 1948, Earl stood on a Georgia mountain peak, beside a weather-beaten sign, with a pack on his back and only the birds in the trees for company." One hundred and twenty-four days later he stood atop Maine's Mt. Katahdin in triumph. In 1965, he hiked the AT from north to south and became the first person to report a thru-hike of the AT in both directions. Publisher: Muddy Boots. Hardcover with dust jacket, 32 pages. Measures 8.25" x 10.25" x 0.4". Weighs 13.4 oz.