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