A heart-expanding, magical debut from one of the most exciting new voices in the grand tradition of southern literature. “Wrapped in prose as mysterious and lovely as a southern breeze lies a story about loss that haunts, and the ghosts that help us heal. This story is a treasure.”—Natalie Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author of A Snicker of MagicSparrow doesn't have many friends. Some kids believe her house near the swamp is haunted. Others think there's something "unusual" about her.But Sparrow's not lonely -- she has a best friend who's always with her. He sits with Sparrow on her porch swing. He makes her smile by playing pranks in church. Yet Sparrow is the only one who can see him . . . because the Boy is a ghost.So when her mama passes away, Sparrow doesn't give up hope. After all, if the Boy can linger after death, then surely Mama can return as well.But the Boy has a secret of his own, one that Sparrow will need to uncover before the ghost will lead her to Mama. To solve the mystery, Sparrow joins forces with some unlikely allies -- Maeve and Johnny, siblings from a family of town outcasts --and Elena, a visiting child fortune-teller.With its loving depiction of small town life, and characters who feel like old friends, this magical debut will enchant you, dazzle you . . . and make you feel at home.

International Herb Association's 2017 Thomas DeBaggio Book Award Winner 2016 Silver Nautilus Book Award Winner History, literature, and botany meet in this charming tour of how humans have relied on plants to nourish, shelter, heal, clothe, and even entertain us. Did you know that during World War II, the US Navy paid kids to collect milkweed’s fluffy white floss, which was then used as filling for life preservers? And Native Americans in the deserts of the Southwest traditionally crafted tattoo needles from prickly pear cactus spines. These are just two of the dozens of tidbits that Tammi Hartung highlights in the tales of 43 native North American flowers, herbs, and trees that have rescued and delighted us for centuries.

When 14-year-old Julia realizes she can no longer live with her mother, she moves in with her father and grandmother, who live in a rural Washington town. Julia begins to make friends--but one thing continues to elude her. Who is the girl she sees out in the marshes, the one who is singing? The author combines mystery and romance to create an absorbing and entertaining novel.

"Countless small and large outdoor joys are to be found in Bill's book, a capsuled lifetime of discovering delightful living and lore . . . " —Midwest Outdoors " . . . what a truly marvelous story teller he is and how he seems to have covered every facet of the out-of-doors during more than a half century." —The Daily Clintonian " . . . a book any Hoosier can sit by the fire and enjoy this winter." —Osgood Journal "Bill Scifres, unlike a lot of us, never forgot how to have fun. . . . His niche in life is obviously to write about the outdoors, and we are the better for it." —Indianapolis Star "Outlandish characters and a lifetime of misadventures touch on the timeless tradition of humorous tales and anecdotes. Scifres is one of many regional raconteurs widely enjoyed, who sustains the storytelling tradition." —Come-All-Ye Readers of the Indianapolis Star have enjoyed Bill Scifres's column "Lines and Shots" for over 37 years. The premier outdoor writer in Indiana, Bill is also a born storyteller. This collection gathers some of his best accounts of a lifetime of adventure in the out-of-doors. From The Great Turtle Adventure to the discovery that Santa Claus was really a mink, Bill's message is the same: Nature is full of wonderment and pleasure and there is always something enjoyable to do outdoors, no matter the season. The good old days are alive and well in Indiana.

A Garden & Gun Best Book of 2020 “Witty and passionate.” —Lauren Groff “Craig Pittman has a remarkable talent for telling stories set in the Sunshine State that never fail to fascinate and entertain.”—Gilbert King “The definitive book on one of America’s least understood apex predators. The story of how Florida’s panthers were saved from extinction is one that both deserves and needs to be told.” —Dane Huckelbridge The captivating tale of the Florida panther, its survival and rescue from extinction With novelistic detail and an eye for the absurd, Craig Pittman recounts the extraordinary story of the people who brought the panther back from the brink of extinction, the ones who nearly pushed the species over the edge, and the cats that were caught in the middle. This being Florida, there's more than a little weirdness, too. An engrossing narrative of wry humor, sharp writing and exhaustive reportage, Cat Tale shows what it takes to bring one species back and what unexpected costs such a decision brings.

The stories and legends of the Lushootseed-speaking people of Puget Sound were an important part of the oral tradition by which beliefs, values, and customs were handed from one generation to another. Vi Hilbert, a Skagit Indian, grew up at a time when many of the old social patterns survived and when everyone still spoke the ancestral language. As an adult, when she realized that native language and culture were being forgotten, she began to work with linguists and anthropologists in recording and translating as much of the Lushootseed oral tradition as possible. Haboo is her collection of thirty-three stories. Most of the stories in the book take place in the Myth Age, before the world was transformed. Animals, plants, trees, and even rocks had human attributes as well as the characteristics we know today. Characters included Wolf, Salmon, and Changer, who made things the way they are now. Especially prominent are Mink, Raven, and Coyote--three tricksters who are usually caught in their duplicity but who can occasionally rise to heroic deeds. Other worlds exist--the sky world, the Salmon People's world--and it is possible to walk from one to another. Many of the stories are light, humorous, and earthy, reflecting the foibles of human nature. While a serious moral is usually implied, instruction is achieved by humorously detailing the unfortunate, even disastrous consequences of breaking taboos. In his Introduction, Thom Hess, professor of linguistics at the University of Victoria, places the stories in the context of the Lushootseed world view. Vi Hilbert in her Preface describes the storytellers, many of them relatives and older friends with special knowledge of the old ways. The vivid and humorous stories in Haboo will be of interest to linguists, anthropologists, and folklorists, as well as to future generations of Lushootseed people and all others concerned with native languages and cultures.

International Herb Association's 2017 Thomas DeBaggio Book Award Winner 2016 Silver Nautilus Book Award Winner History, literature, and botany meet in this charming tour of how humans have relied on plants to nourish, shelter, heal, clothe, and even entertain us. Did you know that during World War II, the US Navy paid kids to collect milkweed’s fluffy white floss, which was then used as filling for life preservers? And Native Americans in the deserts of the Southwest traditionally crafted tattoo needles from prickly pear cactus spines. These are just two of the dozens of tidbits that Tammi Hartung highlights in the tales of 43 native North American flowers, herbs, and trees that have rescued and delighted us for centuries.

A series of ironic, imaginative, surreal stories with female characters doing fantastical and creative things that challenge authority and preserve life in a small South American town.

A “fun, fanciful, and even informative” history of felines as revealed by a very learned tabby with a knack for hunting down facts (People). Since the dawn of civilization, felines have prowled alongside mankind as they expanded their territory and spread the myth of human greatness. And today, cats are peddled on social media as silly creatures here to amuse humans with their antics. But this is an absurd, self-centered fantasy. The true history of felines is one of heroism, love, tragedy, sacrifice, and gravitas. Not entirely convinced? Well, get ready, because Baba the Cat is here to set the record straight. Spanning almost every continent and thousands—yes, thousands—of years, Baba’s complex story of feline survival presents readers with a diverse cast of cats long forgotten: from her prehistoric feline ancestors and the ancient Egyptian cat goddess Bastet to the daring mariners at the height of oceanic discovery, key intellectuals in the Enlightenment period, revered heroes from World Wars I and II, and the infamous American tabbies. Baba, a talented model in addition to a scholar, goes beyond surface-level scratches, pairing her freshly unearthed research with a series of stunning costume portraits to bring history to life. A paws-on journey through the feline hall of fame, with in-depth research and four-legged testaments that will make you rethink who defines history, A Cat’s Tale is a one-of-a-kind chronicle that introduces readers to the illustrious ancestors of their closest companions and shows, once and for all, that cats know exactly what they’re doing. “Almost certainly the most unique cat history book ever published.” —Smithsonian Magazine