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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2021)
BOOKMONGER The wild as a post-pandemic tonic ing for a wren, a willow, a brook, blackberries and more. And yes, these were words that the Oxford Junior Dictionary no longer considered relevant to youth. One is a slim picture book and the other a chunky move- As the grandmother explains to her granddaughter: ment guide — but even with very diff erent approaches, two “If we don’t use words, they can be forgotten. And if Pacifi c Northwest authors deliver strikingly similar warn- they’re forgotten … they disappear.” ings about the 21st century’s deterioration of humankind in Smith clearly aims to keep these words in relationship with nature. And each off ers solutions. circulation. British Columbia artist Madeline Kloepper illus- trated “The Keeper of Wild Words” — the human characters are crudely represented but the natural ele- This week’s books ments are vibrant and enticing. ‘The Keeper of Wild Words’ by Brooke Smith, illustrated by Meanwhile, up on the Olympic Peninsula in Madeline Kloepper Sequim, Washington, biomechanist Katy Bowman has Chronicle Books — 56 pages — $18.99 been preaching the gospel of “nutritious movement” for a while now. Her latest book, “Grow Wild,” has an ‘Grow Wild’ by Katy Bowman increasing sense of urgency. Propriometrics Press — 402 pages — $31.95 “Today’s kids are more sedentary than their parents,” Bowman writes. “Our kids are movement aliens.” That failure to keep active goes against the entire timeline of human evolution. Cultural sedentarism also Bend children’s book author Brooke Smith became has a devastating global impact. concerned a couple of years ago when she read an article Like Smith, Bowman pays close attention to reporting that the latest edition of the Oxford Junior Dic- vocabulary. tionary had expunged over 100 words pertaining to nature. “We talk about the future with terms like ‘carbon The editorial justifi cation for the update was that the dic- footprint’ and ‘climate change,’” Bowman writes, “but tionary needed to make room for words that were more this language divorces the problem from our individual relevant to today’s youth — words like “chatroom” and behavior. If I’m not stepping, then carbon is. Carbon’s “database.” footprint is where our own footprints once were.” To channel her outrage, Smith took some of the words To help reverse that trend, Bowman urges us to get that had been discarded and wrote a picture book story reacquainted with the abundant power of our bodies. And around them. anticipating the argument that we don’t have time to walk In “The Keeper of Wild Words,” a grandmother gives her to the store, for example, or create meals from scratch, she granddaughter a checklist of things to look for when they go has come up with the genius concept of “stacking.” The for a hike. Together, they wander fi elds and woods search- idea is to address the many needs you have in your daily life — exercise, food acqui- sition, family time — by stacking them together inventively. In contrast to the soul-fraying prac- tice of multitasking, this is a more holistic, intentional approach to how you might invest your time and energy. Both “Grow Wild” and “The Keeper of Wild Sheryl Teuscher, LACP, LUTCF, CPIW Words” off er sane ways Representative 112 West B Street to reframe our actions in a Rainier, OR 97048-0310 post-pandemic world. countryfinancial.com/sheryl.teuscher The Bookmonger is Bar- sheryl.teuscher@countryfinancial.com bara Lloyd McMichael, 503-556-0186 who writes this weekly col- umn focusing on the books, authors and publishers of Auto and Home policies issued by COUNTRY Mutual Insurance Company®, the Pacifi c Northwest. Con- COUNTRY Casualty Insurance Company®, or COUNTRY Preferred Insurance Company®, Bloomington, IL. tact her at barbaralmcm@ 0520-507HC gmail.com. Two new books urge readers to explore nature From protecting your car and home to preparing for your future, let’s discuss options to meet your needs. 10 // COASTWEEKEND.COM