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TAKE A BACKYARD BIRD WALK
by Jane Kirkland
Stillwater Publishing, 2002 - ages 9-12
 
No two backyards are alike, and some people don't even have a backyard. No problem! The good news is that you can use this fantastic Backyard Bird Walk book anywhere--a local park, around your apartment complex or school grounds, or in the backyard of a friend. According to author Jane Kirkland, you don't need a lot of time to learn about birds, either. Your backyard bird walk can be as short as fifteen minutes or hours long. Dress according to the weather, and prepare to have fun!
 
Oh, and don't forget this book...and a pencil or pen, to record "field notes"--information about the weather, the birds you spot, a map of your route, and sketches of birds you discover along the way. You might find it helpful to write down questions so you can research a particular bird later on.
 
Take a Backyard Bird Walk is designed as a field guide, sketchpad, and notebook all rolled into one. Sidebars provide fun information and bird-related trivia, such as why birdwatchers are called "twitchers." (Hmmm...betcha didn't know that, did you?) It also teaches young readers a respect for nature ("Leave only footprints"), and challenges them to become observant. Study the bills of a bird...listen for the unique call of each feathered friend...take pictures along the way...and create a backyard space where birds would like to live.
 
This 32-page Take-a-Walk Book is the beginning of a great adventure. Who knows, it might even change your life!
 
 
TAKE A TREE WALK
by Jane Kirkland
Stillwater Publishing, 2002 - ages 9-12
 
This second book in the Take a Walk series is the perfect followup to Take a Backyard Bird Walk. Children who loved her first book will delight in Kirkland's photos, such as a spectacular peek into a Tamarack forest, and a closeup shot of The Hercules Club tree. There's even a picture of the author trying to stretch her arms around the humongous trunk of a California Redwood.
 
You'll learn about many trees you may have never seen--or may never have the opportunity to see--as well as more common trees such as the ones in your own neighborhood. Your exploration of trees doesn't end with this book, either; Kirkland supplies a generous list of recommendations for further study--books and fascinating websites that will coax you even deeper into the wonderful world of trees and the friends who call them Home.
 
If you're the type who doesn't like taking someone else's word for it, grab this book and head outdoors. Use Take a Tree Walk as your very own field guide to flowers, fruits, and cones...seeds and nuts...and learn firsthand how to tell the age of a tree. And did you know, there is a way to figure the approximate height of a tree, too?
 
You'll never look at trees the same again, once you dive into this book!
 
 
Wonderkorner is pleased to give readers a glimpse into the life of author Jane Kirkland, whose Take a Walk books are encouraging kids to enjoy hands-on experiences in nature.
 
1. What were some of your favorite books from childhood?
I didn't discover books until 7th grade when I asked my homeroom teacher, who taught creative writing, to read some of the stories I'd written. He would liken some of my writing to other stories or books, asking me if those books influenced me. I'd don't remember reading fiction in elementary school and not wanting to admit that to him, every time he referenced another book, I'd get it from the library and read it. But my favorite book that year - that year being the first year I can recall reading for pleasure - turned out to be my social studies book because it was the biggest book I'd ever seen - it had a hard cover, glossy pages, lots of photos and it was about places and people I'd never even imagined. It was the first book that took me beyond my own sheltered little world. I read the entire book within a week of getting it and I read it several times that year. It did more for me than any fiction I read that year because it was about real people and real places and I began to see the possibilities of a different life that the one I was living.

2. How are your Take-a-Walk books unique from others on the market today?
We're not books kids just read, we're books kids do. Take A Walk books empower kids by turning knowledge into a personal encounter. We stimulate the reader with interesting facts, funny stories (some written by kids), my own close encounter adventures with nature, and we stop at the beginning - providing just enough to motivate the reader to head out on his own quest. We're not about the strange and wonderful things the reader can only imagine - such as the rainforest - we're about the strange and wonderful things he can discover in his own backyard, schoolyard or local park. Kids become the story itself through their discoveries and they become the author, finishing the book by recording their findings. A Take a Walk book is an experience and it's one kids can enjoy over and over again because each new walk provides new encounters, new discoveries, and a new ending to the story.
 
3. Who in your life has most influenced your love for the great outdoors?
My husband Rob who, when we purchased a new home on a lake at state park, introduced me to the treasures of our new environment. Author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Scott Weidensaul whose books motivated me to look to the sky for birds, who introduced me to local and far away natural treasures, and whose words transformed me from a computer geek to an explorer who can't get enough of outdoor discovery. And lastly, a little Eastern Bluebird who visits my feeders, utilizes my bluebird houses, eats from my hand, and often sits beside me on my deck for hours on end surveying the surrounding area and chatting away. I call him "Greg".
 
4. Where do you go when you want to "get away from it all" and relax?
To my deck, my backyard, or on the lake where "getting away from it all" means taking camera in hand and heading out with no particular agenda, purpose or time frame.

5. Do you have any advice for children who would like to write books someday?
Write every day. Keep a journal or write a story and add to it or improve it daily. Read as much as you can. Knowledge is power. Read a variety of books and stories. Don't stick to one genre. Become a great observer of your environment and of the people in it. Record what you observe. your observations will lead you to a greater understanding of what interests people and what makes them interesting. Observation provides a solid basis from which to write.

Jane Kirkland
Take a Walk® Books

 
 
 
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