“Must-Read” and “Tale for all Ages,” InStyle Magazine “Best Children’s Books of 2021 for Middle Grades,” Red Tricycle “The Purpose-Driven Book for Tweens Hitting All the Right Notes,” PaperCity “The Land of the Pines Connects Youth with Authentic Self,” Houston Style Magazine “Movie-worthy . . . a modern-day take on Charlotte’s Web,” CultureMap Houston Featured on NBC’s Texas Today and ABC’s “Kids Under Construction” "Hoo" is Grey the Kitten? What is her destiny? And why is she riding in a cup, on a DEER? In her debut novel, author Summer Nilsson takes readers on a journey of discovering identity and the gift of empathy. Lush illustrations capture the magic found in the Piney Woods of Nilsson’s East Texas hometown and bring the cast of creatures vividly to life. The Land of the Pines is a thought-provoking fantasy tale of friendship and fortitude, sure to capture imaginations of all ages. Grey the Kitten knows that she’s meant to be more than just a barn cat. As she grows up on Black Mountain Farm with her mentor Miss Jay the Bird, she can’t help but feel that her destiny lies somewhere beyond her beloved farm. But Grey isn’t the only one with ideas about her future. The Black Widow and her guiding Hourglass have big plans for the farm, and Grey could be their key to controlling the whole mountain—and all the animals who reside there. When the Widow traps Grey in a web of promises and threats, will this special kitten give up control over her destiny? Or will she become an example of what’s possible when you have the courage to forge your own path? Filled with unpredictable twists and turns, The Land of the Pines connects tweens to the transformative power of kindness and intention, all while reinforcing our universal connection to one another.

Nature photographer Bob Birdsall celebrates the people and traditions of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey in this handsome coffee-table book. Picking up where John McPhee's The Pine Barrens left off, Birdsall's perceptive lens and an engaging text illumine more than two dozen individuals and their ways of life—many of which are fast vanishing. From “Piney” hunter-gatherers who still live off the land, to hardworking baymen and farmers, to volunteers and public servants, artisans and entrepreneurs, scientists, conservationists, and educators, these men and women typify the bold and creative spirit of the region. With roots in the pines going back 200 years or more, many are deeply committed to preserving tradition, while others are relative newcomers who came to visit and stayed to fight for the future of a wilderness at risk. What the “People of the Pines” share in common—as evidenced by Bob Birdsall's intimate and inspiring portraits—is a boundless passion for this unique and storied land.

"The felling and transporting of behemoth New England oak and white pine trees, destined to become masts of 18th-century British ships, is gracefully recounted in this elegant picture book."--"School Library Journal, " starred review. An ALA Notable Children's Book, "Booklist" Youth Nonfiction Top of the List, "School Library Journal" Best Book, NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies. Illustrations.

Edwin "Bud" Shrake is one of the most intriguing literary talents to emerge from Texas. He has written vividly in fiction and nonfiction about everything from the early days of the Texas Republic to the making of the atomic bomb. His real gift has been to capture the Texas Zeitgeist. Legendary Harper's Magazine editor Willie Morris called Shrake's essay "Land of the Permanent Wave" one of the two best pieces Morris ever published during his tenure at the magazine. High praise, indeed, when one considers that Norman Mailer and Seymour Hersh were just two of the luminaries featured at Harper's during Morris's reign. This anthology is the first to present and explore Shrake's writing completely, including his journalism, fiction, and film work, both published and previously unpublished. The collection makes innovative use of his personal papers and letters to explore the connections between his journalism and his novels, between his life and his art. An exceptional behind-the-scenes look at his life, Land of the Permanent Wave reveals and reveres the life and calling of a writer whose legacy continues to influence and engage readers and writers nearly fifty years into his career.

For 78 days in the summer of 1990, Canadians were transfixed by the dramatic images of Mohawk warriors in an armed standoff with the Quebec police and the Canadian army. It was a crisis that paralyzed an entire province, gripped the nation's imagination, and forever transformed the politics of aboriginal people in Canada. People of the Pines is the insider's account of the amazing events at Oka and Kahnawake in the hot summer of 1990. Written by two journalists who lived at the warrior encampment in the final weeks of the military siege; -It contains a memorable portrait of the strange and fascinating characters who plotted the warrior strategy. - It explores the ideological training grounds of the Warrior Society and hotbeds of Mohawk nationalism that continue to supply hundreds of new recruits for warrior movement. - It describes the 270 year dispute over the land at Oka and the stubborn men and women who led that fight, inspiring their grandchildren and great-grandchildren who stood together in the Pines in 1990. - It investigates the little-known history of armed conflict and guerrilla warfare at Oka and Kahnawake. - And it contains some surprising new revelations about gun-smuggling, psychological warfare, secret meetings and private deals at the highest levels of Canada's political and military circles. People of the Pines is an unforgettable saga of intense human drama and military intrigue. It tells a compelling story of the uncompromising idealists and powerful personalities who forced Canada to confront the new reality of aboriginal people in this country today.

Most people think of New Jersey as a suburban-industrial corridor that runs between New York and Philadelphia. Yet in the low center of the state is a near wilderness, larger than most national parks, which has been known since the seventeenth century as the Pine Barrens. The term refers to the predominant trees in the vast forests that cover the area and to the quality of the soils below, which are too sandy and acid to be good for farming. On all sides, however, developments of one kind or another have gradually moved in, so that now the central and integral forest is reduced to about a thousand square miles. Although New Jersey has the heaviest population density of any state, huge segments of the Pine Barrens remain uninhabited. The few people who dwell in the region, the "Pineys," are little known and often misunderstood. Here McPhee uses his uncanny skills as a journalist to explore the history of the region and describe the people—and their distinctive folklore—who call it home.

The book that launched environmental history, William Cronon's Changes in the Land, now revised and updated. Winner of the Francis Parkman Prize In this landmark work of environmental history, William Cronon offers an original and profound explanation of the effects European colonists' sense of property and their pursuit of capitalism had upon the ecosystems of New England. Reissued here with an updated afterword by the author and a new preface by the distinguished colonialist John Demos, Changes in the Land, provides a brilliant inter-disciplinary interpretation of how land and people influence one another. With its chilling closing line, "The people of plenty were a people of waste," Cronon's enduring and thought-provoking book is ethno-ecological history at its best.

Deep within the desolate Pine Barrens, a series of macabre murders draws ever nearer to an isolated farmhouse where a woman struggles to raise her strange, disturbed son. The boy seems to have a psychic connection to something in the dark forest, something unseen ... and evil. The old-timers in the region know the truth of the legendary creature, The Jersey Devil, that stalks the Pine Barrens. And they know the savagery it's capable of.