Happy Earth Day! Wow. We need a celebration like this right now. Let’s look away from human nature for a minute and look up to Mother Nature. She’s amazing, isn’t she?
A few weeks ago, while mired in deadlines and family emergencies, I got something wonderful in the mail that I haven’t had time to celebrate. Well today is the perfect day to celebrate it. Here it is:
Forest Has a Song framed by my live oak tree!
My friend Amy Ludwig Vanderwater’s debut book, Forest Has A Song! It is an absolutely gorgeous book of poetry celebrating a child’s discovery of nature’s many facets as she explores a forest. We see her marvel at life as she observes ferns unfurling, spiders knitting, and tree frogs serenading, and observing death in a fossil and a pile of bones. Forest Has A Song is a celebration of observation as well as nature! (Robbin Gourley’s water color images make it a celebration of color, too.)
I asked Amy to express the best Earth Day message A Forest Has A Song offers us and she did!
Go outside, just to be there. Walk. Listen. Let our beautiful planet sink into your very bones. Enjoy the mysteries. Remember who you are.
Thank you, Amy! I hope everyone will take a minute to do that today!
We’re also happy to feature a poem Amy wrote for Earth Day. It is, after all, National Poetry Month.
I can think of many more things to say about Earth Day. About how much I love the twisting branches of the oaks in my yard, how if I walk a block in any direction I run into marches full of tall grass, scuttling crabs, and speckled with graceful long-necked birds, and how tree frogs cling to my office window every night of the summer. But… well, go out there and see what you can for yourself! Thanks again Amy for sharing your love of nature through your poems! (You can all expect a proper interview with Amy soon.)
To read a poem from Forest Has a Song and link to some of Robbin Gourley’s sketches, click HERE. To see more about Amy’s Earth Day celebration click HERE.
*We also want to celebrate how another Nerdy Chick Interviewee is involved in Earth Day. Flori Pate’s banner was chosen for the Discovery home page today. See it live HERE.
Happy Earth Day everyone!
Nerdy Chicks Rule 
Amy’s book looks awesome, I’ll need to pick up a copy! Thanks for posting my Earth Day banner. It feels intimidating and awesome at the same time knowing that hundreds of thousands of people all over the earth will see it today. Happy Earth Day to ALL the Nerdy Chicks out there!
Sooooo excited for you! More good things headed your way, and all because you took a chance and followed your dream!
Kami, I LOVE how you framed this book! What a WONderful subject, Amy! I’ll be sure to look for it my next time at Barnes 🙂 Because I attended an event last night with guest speaker Linda Sue Park, I just so happened, only the other day, to have read a story she wrote for the amazing book THE CHRONICLES OF HARRIS BURDICK. The story she wrote was for Chris Van Allsburg’s illustration THE HARP. In this beautiful, imaginative story, she also mentions “the music of the woods.” Beautiful story. Great book! Way to go, ladies 😀
And since I forget what day it is almost EVERY day, I was forgetting today was Earth Day! (btw, great banner, Flori!) I was reminded, ironically enough, this morning when I called Green Depot to find out about “safe” flooring for my bedroom (I’m chemically sensitive and disabled by it)!
As for me, for a couple of decades now, largely due to my chemical sensitivities, I’ve become acutely aware of the toxic factors in our indoor and outdoor environments. So, although it took decades for “Earth Day” to FINALLY sink into the American consciousness, I’m glad it did 🙂 It’s been more than a pleasure watching recycling becoming law in most towns and cities, terms like “green” come into existence, and safer products and foods become more readily available 😀 Mankind isn’t even close to doing what’s necessary, but at least it’s making some important leaps forward. What I’m most happy about is the increase in public awareness 🙂
Happy Earth Day, one and all (but especially to the Nerdy Chicks 😉
It is great to see us taking one step forward…. there’s a long road ahead, but at least more travelers will be aware!
[…] Happy Earth Day!. […]
Thanks for the shout out Anna!
Dear Kami,
Thank you for such a warm welcome and your very kind words for my new book! It was an honor to have the poems illustrated by Robbin Gourley; she truly added a new dimension to each poem. And what a stunning banner by Flori – such a beautiful celebration of our planet. Happy spring to you and all of the nerdy chicks…I feel lucky to know you.
xo,
a.
No, I feel lucky to know you, Amy! Thanks for letting us feature you on Earth Day! Robbin did a great job with your words… and I LOVE the clean white background. Looking forward to interviewing you soon!