Outdoors

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, March 1, 2008 Nature books teach children the ABCs of the great outdoors By Sharon Wootton Herald Columnist I've been a fan of Sylvan Dell's nature books for children since discovering them last year. I particularly like the publisher's ability to keep the prices within reach ($8.95), the "For Creative Minds" section in the back, and the way some activities can be downloaded from the Internet. Some books take the story approach ("Julie the Rockhound," "In Arctic Waters"), a playful approach ("The Rainforest Grew All Around"), or the animal-by-alphabet approach ("ABC Safari"). "In My Backyard" uses numbers as an entry into introducing the words for a group of animals (prickle of hedgehogs, scurry of squirrels, skulk of foxes). "A Day in the Salt Marsh" goes hour by hour to introduce tides and estuary life. Outdoors books for adults include: "The Great Swim" -- Gavin Mortimer delivers the dramatic story of four young U.S. female swimmers who challenged the treacherous English Channel in the summer of 1926. Gertrude Ederle was the winner and the focus of one of the largest media events in the 1920s, when rival newspapers competed almost as hard as the swimmers. The three-time Olympic medal winner crossed the channel in 14 hours and 39 minutes. The first man to swim across did it in 1875 in more than 21 hours. This event went a long way to changing how people saw the role of women in the culture and sport, not to mention the change of bathing suit styles. "Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding" -- Scott Weidensaul takes the story from the first birdwatchers, American Indians, who wove birds into myths and tales, to modern birders, including those whose interest in the pastime can empty their bank account. Between the extremes, Weidensaul delivers the familiar giants of the past as well as the not-so-well-known enthusiasts such as cavalry officer Charles Bendire, who once fled an Apache band with the egg of a rare hawk in his mouth; and ornithologist Florence Merriam, who succeeded against all odds of male resistance, to have published "Birds Through the Opera Glass" in 1889, arguably the first field guide to American birds. "Neptune's Ark from Ichthyosaurs to Orcas" -- David Rains Wallace again takes us on a trip through nature, this time a survey through 500 million years of Pacific Coast marine evolution of vertebrates. Yet "Neptune's Ark" also contains philosophical thoughts, stories of paleontologists and explorers, coastal Indian creation stories, and science that takes us from prehistory to the present. In 20 chapters, he moves from reefs in the desert to bird teeth and tail tales, hooves into flippers to Ice Age invasions and pinnipeds, carrying us along from the past to the present. "The Incredible Grand Canyon" -- Ghost dancing, the first bear to run the river, astronauts, ancient fossils, biggest nugget, butterfly poaching and petrified snow are part of Scott Thybony's collection of facts and foibles about the Grand Canyon. He also includes some questions asked by tourists, including "When do they turn the lights on in the canyon?" and "Why did they build the Grand Canyon so close to the hotel?" Snowshoes at Stevens: There's still time to see the slide show on the 1910 Wellington Disaster at Stevens Pass when an avalanche swept a train off the tracks and killed 96 people. The Skykomish Ranger District offers a combined slide show about the tragedy and an introductory snowshoe walk at 10 a.m. every Saturday through March 30. The slide show is held in the USFS Guard Station at the entrance to Stevens Pass Ski Area's Lot A. Snowshoes are provided, group size is limited ($10 donation suggested) and reservations are required (360-677-2414). Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.

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