All of our books are published on planet Earth!
In honor of our favorite planet, we put together a list of some of our most earthy books. Read on for suggestions in gardening, children's activities, ecospirituality, and memoir.
GARDENING
"This is the only garden book that I have read from cover to cover. Alxe's and Martin's fine writing and stunning photographs teach us that the beautifully designed garden has a magical intangible quality that helps us transcend our busy modern lives and connects us to the universe."-Herb Schaal, Principal Landscape Architect, EDAW, Fort Collins
"Compost City is a must-read for any would-be composter, urban or otherwise. In an informative, whimsical way, Rebecca Louie de-icks composting, debunks its myths, and DIY-ifies its methods. By the end, you'll be able to compost this book, but you wouldn't dream of doing so for fear of losing a vital resource."-Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland and creator of wastedfood.com
Garden Made: A Year of Seasonal Projects to Beautify Your Garden and Your Life by Stephanie Rose
Blending the pleasures of gardening with the joys of crafting, Garden Made showcases over forty projects to adorn your garden, beautify your home, or give as gifts. Following the natural cycle of the garden in all its seasons-yes, even winter!-these garden-inspired projects are the perfect way to express your love of the garden in fresh ways. With full step-by-step instructions, as well as gardening tips and advice, Garden Made will inspire seasoned and novice gardeners, and everyone in between.
Seedswap: The Gardener's Guide to Saving & Swapping Seeds by Josie Jeffery
"There is nothing more important in our times than saving seeds and swapping seeds. We are faced with a seed emergency caused by rapid disappearance of seed diversity; the replacement of renewable seeds with nonrenewable, patented seeds; and the perverse idea that seed saving and seed sharing is an 'intellectual property crime.' Seedswap will help spread the seeds of freedom."-Dr. Vandana Shiva, seed activist and founder of Navdanya International
CHILDREN
I Love Dirt! 52 Activities to Help You & Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature by Jennifer Ward
"There may be no better way to ensure the well-being of the natural world tomorrow than to introduce children to its many small wonders today. Through a series of accessible activities designed to engage young minds and all five senses, this book reminds us of-even celebrates-the magic to be found right outside our own back doors. "-Todd Christopher, cofounder of National Wildlife Federation's Green Hour
Whatever the Weather: Science Experiments and Art Activities That Explore the Wonders of Weather by Annie Reichmann & Dawn Suzette Smith
"Curiosity about weather shouldn't end with a weather report. Whatever the Weather explores the whys of weather while having fun with creative science experiments, art projects, and activities that the whole family can enjoy."-Cassi Griffin, creator of The Crafty Crow
We Love Nature! A Keepsake Journal for Families who Love to Explore the Outdoors by Stacy Tornio & Ken Keffer
"We Love Nature! encourages hurrying less and noticing more. Here, families are given a blank canvas on which they may capture time with loved ones while creating memories in nature that will build bonds, too. The journal itself will become a treasure to be enjoyed and reflected upon by family for years, even generations. I love We Love Nature! "-Jennifer Ward, author of I Love Dirt! and Let's Go Outside!
It's a Jungle Out There! 52 Nature Adventures for City Kids by Jennifer Ward
"We have found the perfect guide for urban families. Jennifer Ward offers a wonderful array of games, explorations, and adventures for kids usually boxed in by skyscrapers. "-New York Family
ECOSPIRITUALITY / DEEP ECOLOGY
Dharma Rain: Sources of Buddhist Environmentalism by Stephanie Kaza and Kenneth Kraft
A comprehensive collection of classic texts, contemporary interpretations, guidelines for activists, issue-specific information, and materials for environmentally oriented religious practice. Sources and contributors include Basho, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Gary Snyder, Chögyam Trungpa, Gretel Ehrlich, Peter Mathiessen, Helen Tworkov (editor of Tricycle), and Philip Glass.
Deep Ecolology for the 21st Century: Readings on the Philosophy and Practice of the New Environmentalism edited by George Sessions
Deep Ecology offers a solution to the environmental crisis through a radical shift in human consciousness-a fundamental change in the way people relate with the environment. Instead of thinking of nature as a resource to be used for human needs, Deep Ecology argues that the true value of nature is intrinsic and independent of its utility. Emerging in the 1980s as an influential philosophical, social, and political movement, Deep Ecology has shaped the environmental debate among leading activists and policymakers.
"Conversations with Trees has never been more important. Twenty-five years ago, Stephanie Kaza's lyric, wondering prose invited readers to listen to what trees teach about the glistening webs that connect all of life. Now, as global warming brings hellfire and tempests to the forests, we must listen to what their sinewy strength tells us about suffering, regeneration, and redemption." —Kathleen Dean Moore, author of Wild Comfort
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
This edition of Walden features exquisite wood engravings by Michael McCurdy, one of America's leading engravers and woodblock artists. McCurdy's engravings bring the text to life-and illuminate the spirit of Thoreau's prose. Also included is a foreword by noted author, environmentalist, and naturalist Terry Tempest Williams who reflects upon Thoreau's message that as we explore our world and ourselves, we draw ever closer to the truth of our connectedness.
MEMOIR
Hunger Mountain: A Field Guide to Mind and Landscape by David Hinton
"A gorgeous book, a book of power, the very opposite of mystical. If you have a special mountain in your life, you'll read it with understanding; if you don't, it will make you want to get one!"-Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
Wild Comfort: The Solace of Nature by Kathleen Dean Moore
"Moore recounts with descriptive poignancy how moonlight rides the waves toward shore; how a rubber boa relaxes and comes alive in the warmth of the human hand; how it can feel to sit in the sun, savoring the air with a sense that is not quite smell, not quite taste, but something in between. [Wild Comfort] is an invitation to us to experience our own belonging. "-Yes! magazine
Cold Antler Farm: A Memoir of Growing Food and Celebrating Life on a Scrappy Six-Acre Homestead by Jenna Woginrich
"Cold Antler Farm will leave you torn: you'll be just as eager to turn the page and learn what comes next as you'll want to close the book and walk away, so as to draw out the conclusion. It's that good. "-Ashley English, author of the Homemade Living book series and A Year of Pies
"John Price has a precious ability to distill-gently, scrupulously-the heroism and beauty from his ordinary life in an ordinary place in the middle of America. Daddy Long Legs is an everyman's tale demonstrating the upside of Tolstoy's famous line: happy families are all alike. Thank goodness for gifted storytellers who can depict the good luck and hard work of being a member of one of those families. "-Kurt Andersen, author of True Believersand host of Studio 360