Sustainable Bookshelf Volume IV
It is our beloved annual tradition to turn to our friends at Longfellow Books in Portland and Royal River Books in Yarmouth for their top picks on recently published books about living with compassion for the planet. As always, they delivered! Here are beguiling lists for curious readers young and young-at-heart, covering a wide variety of topics, unified by their focus on tuning into the natural world, in all its bounty, wonder and complexity.
LB: recommended by Longfellow Books | RRB: recommended by Royal River Books
For adult readers
Audubon’s Animals: The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America
By John James Audubon; Introduction by Kristofer M. Helgen
This handsome boxed set includes a new edition of John James Audubon’s classic work on animals along with twenty-four facsimile prints suitable for framing. First published in 1854, Audubon’s portraits of the nation’s native mammals are still considered by many to include the finest animal prints ever published. –RRB
In Maine: Essays on Life’s Seasons
By John Cole
In Maine, like all Cole’s essays and books, draws from his fascination with the natural world, from commercial fishing in the waters off Long Island, New York, to chasing stripers in Casco Bay, Maine, to quietly observing the shifting winds that roll around the meadow and the annual change of seasons—a ritual he finds exhilarating. –RR
Northland
By Porter Fox
Fox took three years to journey along America’s northern border, and this book is the result of his travels. His journey leads him to interact with border guards, Native American activists, “ordinary” residents and even militia leaders. Through Fox, we learn the northern border is as affected by issues of war, climate change and security as its southern counterpart. –LB
The New Portland, Maine Chef’s Table
By Margaret Hathaway; Photography by Karl Schatz
At this point, everyone knows that Portland is a hot restaurant destination, and this book beautifully captures the essence of some of the city’s most popular eateries. With stunning photographs and clearly written recipes, Hathaway and photographer husband Karl Schatz bring Portland’s best restaurants into your kitchen. –LB
Underland: A Deep Time Journey
By Robert Macfarlane
Macfarlane’s most recent book explores the connections between humans and their landscapes by looking at what is happening under our feet. Ranging from caves to tree roots, bunkers to subterranean rivers, Macfarlane opens our eyes to a part of the world most of us rarely consider but which influences so much of our existence. –RRB & LB
National Geographic The Photo Ark
Vanishing: The World’s Most Vulnerable Animals
By Joel Sartore; Foreword by Elizabeth Kolbert
As part of the Photo Ark project to document the world’s animals, the animals featured in this photo collection, are either destined for extinction or already extinct in the wild but still alive today, thanks to the dedication of a heroic group committed to their continued survival. –RRB
Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have
By Tatiana Schlossberg
Schlossberg’s take on climate change is not simply a rehashing of the same information we all know—fossil fuels are bad. Instead, she delves into the ways that everything around us is connected to the environment and how our decisions play into global change. With a light approach and a dry sense of humor, Schloosberg shows that we, as voters and consumers, have power to affect the environment. –LB
For younger readers
Running Wild
By Lucy Jane Bledsoe
Twelve-year-old Willa and her twin brothers have survived with their father in the Alaskan wilderness for five years. But Willa knows this can’t go on—they must escape. –RRB
The Magical Unicorn Society: A Brief History of Unicorns
By Selwyn E. Phipps
From the story of the 17th century sailors rescued from pirates by Water Moon unicorns to the mystery about the girls who believed they’d discovered a Woodland Flower unicorn in modern-day Central Park, this book shares some of the most amazing stories of humanity’s experiences alongside these magical creatures. –RRB
Hey, Water!
By Antoinette Portis
A spunky little girl plays a spirited game of hide-and-seek with water in this gorgeously illustrated nonfiction picture book. As the girl discovers water in nature, in weather, in her home and even inside her own body, water comes to life, and kids will find excitement and joy in water and its many forms. –RRB
Can You Hear the Trees Talking?: Discovering the Hidden Life of the Forest
By Peter Wohlleben
The children’s adaptation of Wohlleben’s best-selling Hidden Life of Treesis a fascinating, approachable look at how trees communicate. Filled with scientific principles and activities explained in a manner that kids will relate to, this book teaches without talking down. –LB
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Green & Healthy Maine is published by TheSunriseGuide, LLC. This article originally ran in the 2020 SunriseGuide.