Earth Almanac: Nature’s Calendar for Year-Round Discovery
By Ken Keffer
After writing a number of books focused on inspiring kids and families to get outside and appreciate nature, I shifted to adult audiences with my new book Earth Almanac: Nature’s Calendar for Year-Round Discovery.
Earth Almanac by Ken Keffer with illustrations by Jeremy Collins
The book presents the greatest hits of North American nature! Structured around phenology, the day-by-day descriptions offer insight into activities and connections throughout the natural world. Beginning with the Winter Solstice in December, Earth Almanac highlights a wide range of natural history, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects, intertidal and marine life, trees, plants, fungi, weather phenomenon, geology, astronomy, notable environmental activists, and more, and reveals the ebb and flow of nature across the planet. Each season features more than 90 entries, and sidebars throughout provide calls to environmental action, citizen science opportunities, and details on special dates or holidays. The book can be enjoyed one day, month, or season at a time—dip in and out as you observe the world around you. Engaging and accessible, Earth Almanac inspires readers to learn about and appreciate the natural world and to get outside and explore it.
About the Author
Ken Keffer is a naturalist and author with a background in wildlife biology. He has written eight books highlighting the importance of exploring the outdoors and contributes to a number of publications including Birds & Blooms and Outdoors Unlimited. As an educator, Ken uses nature as a classroom, teaching people the everyday lessons the outdoors offer. He has been involved in projects from monitoring small mammals in Grand Teton National Park to studying Bactrian camels in Mongolia, and currently lives in Des Moines, Iowa. Learn more at www.kenkeffer.net.
Pronghorn (c) Jeremy Collins
About the Illustrator
Jeremy Collins is known for his unique drawings and maps featured in books, films, and commercial work and is recognized throughout the outdoor industry. He is the author of Drawn: The Art of Ascent and the Wild Lines calendars. Follow Jeremy at www.jercollins.com and on Instagram @jer.collins.
Praise for Earth Almanac
“Jeremy Collins’s precise, sensitive illustrations enliven the text and provide a visual field guide to the plants and animals likely to be found on a trek through the wild or the neighborhood…. Lively and lovely, Ken Keffer’s Earth Almanac is a fun, enlightening guide to the wonders of nature throughout the seasons.”
—Foreword Reviews, STARRED review
“Beautifully illustrated, Earth Almanac makes a delightful daily read-aloud with family. Keffer’s generalist approach offers encouragement to budding naturalists, inviting us to action as field data collectors and advocates for the earth.”
—BookPage, STARRED review
Featured Image: Cougar (c) Jeremy Collins
Ken Keffer is a naturalist and author with a background in wildlife biology. Ken’s rich diversity of research and experiences, from monitoring small mammals in Grand Teton National Park, to studying flying squirrels in southeast Alaska, to catching blue crab off the coast of Maryland has led to the inspiration for his new adult nonfiction release, Earth Almanac: Nature’s Calendar for Year-Round Discovery. He has written eight other books highlighting the importance of exploring the outdoors, including The Kids Outdoor Adventure Book, which won a National Outdoor Book Award. As an educator, Ken uses nature as a classroom, teaching people the everyday sounds and lessons the outdoors has to offer. In 2015, Ken was named the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education’s Nonformal Educator of the Year.
Find out more about Ken, including how to book him for presentations, at www.kenkeffer.net.