Every Kid Can Be

A Nature Explorer What Kids Are Saying

N ature is everywhere, just waiting to be
discovered: pigeons perched on the school
window, ants crawling along the front step, leaves
falling in the backyard.
• Why is it happening?
• What does it look like?
• Was it here yesterday?
• Will it be different tomorrow?
With The Nature Connection as guide, kids will be
amazed at how their world just got bigger and bet-
ter when they open their eyes and start exploring.
Long-time educator, parent, naturalist , and artist
Clare Walker Leslie has a distinctive way of engag-
ing children of all ages with nature. She’s con-
ducted workshops in urban, suburban, and rural
settings, helping parents, teachers, and children
discover the uniqueness of the natural world in
the place where they live. With the log book as her
primary tool, Leslie challenges kids to use all five
senses and make a record:
“When I look at the clouds in the sky, I know
that my cousins who live in a different state
might see the same clouds going from my
• identify the smells in the air
house to theirs.”
• list all the birds you’ve seen or heard today
• draw a picture of the cloud shapes you see out
— Sam Greeman, age 10
the window
• note what time the sun hit your desk today
“For three nights in a row I went outside
• sit outside for five minutes and write down all to see the stars and I drew their position Scenes from
the sounds you hear. in the sky—and I could really see how they Storey’s book
trailer for The
From writing and drawing to record-keeping and moved!”
Nature Connection
map-making, The Nature Connection provides hun- — Magnolia Armstrong, age 8
dreds of fun, year-round educational activities
for kids ages 8 to 13. Every kid will want their own
copy of this book, so they can create their own
special log of nature discoveries.
“I’ve changed my perspective from “there’s

What Teachers Are Saying nothing where I live” to “my backyard’s a

jungle!”
“By allowing and promoting children’s exploration of na- — Elana Motalis, age 11
ture, we help them develop an appreciation for diversi-
ty, an awareness of the needs of other living things, and
“When I walk my dog the same way every
an understanding that all life-forms are interdependent.”
— Alice Woodard Catlin, Education Coordinator,
day, I can see how the woods behind our
Thacher Montessori School house change. Sometimes I see different
bugs, and sometimes I even see new little
“The Nature Connection is a treasure — full of ideas to
trees coming up from the ground.”
inspire young readers and writers to experience the
world through their senses. Children will discover the
— Will O’Connor, age 12
fun in simple connections with nature which are too
often missed in our fast paced time.”
“I like to see the stone wall around our
— Prudence Marsh, Ed.D., Gifted and Talented Program park in the wintertime get buried in snow!”
— Rachel Heller, age 5
 “Clare Walker Leslie’s work is so The Author

The
invaluable in the field of nature study Clare Walker Leslie is a “In a time when most kids know more about the Amazon rain forest than their
. . . [helping] young people sharpen their nationally known natural- own backyards, Clare Walker Leslie’s terrific new book will open
observation skills and deepen their ist, artist, and educator.
a whole new world.”
connection with nature.”
She teaches workshops — Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods
— Jane Goodall, Founder, and classes on nature
The Jane Goodall Institute observation and journal-
ing for colleges, educa-
tion centers, and schools
nationwide. She has pub-
“Clare Walker Leslie is a nationally- lished ten books, includ-
recognized wildlife artist, educator, ing Drawn to Nature and

naturalist and author. Her works are Keeping A Nature Journal.

seminal and inspiring to anyone
interested in drawing or journaling.”
— The Natchitoches Times
“Leslie’s approachable methods for
recording the natural world have
inspired many people.”
— New Orleans Times-Picayune
She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Granville, Vermont,
with her family and several animals.
“As a naturalist, educator and artist, Leslie’s
words helped me cultivate my desire to main-
tain a journal of my own. [She] showed me how
to use my drawings to take more enjoyment
out of everyday life.”
An outdoor workbook
for Kids, Families, and Classrooms
— Donna Dyer, New York State Conservationist

The Nature Connection

Two-color; illustrations throughout; 320 pages; 7‹/• x 9¼

Paper: $14.95 US / $18.95 CAN

ISBN: 978-1-60342-531-5; No. 62531 Acorns provide
food for squirrels,
July 2010
How far can a
p er jump?
chipmunks, deer
grassho p — what else?
Publicity Contact:
Amy Greeman (413) 346-2113 or Black-eyed
amy.greeman@storey.com Susans are
blooming in

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• Special mailing to school groups and “back-to-nature” the backyard.

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I heard two
cardinals
singing today!
Clare Walker Leslie
author of Keeping a Nature Journal