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Birds art life / by Maclear, Kyo,1970-author.;
"For fans of When Breath Becomes Air and H is for Hawk, an elegant and exuberant memoir about a year of bird-watching, reflection and art -- a field guide to things small and significant. For Vladimir Nabokov, it was butterflies. For John Cage, it was mushrooms. For Sylvia Plath, it was bees. Each of these artists took time away from their work to become observers of natural phenomena. In 2012, Kyo Maclear met a local Toronto musician with an equally captivating side passion -- he had recently lost his heart to birds. Curious about what prompted this young urban artist to suddenly embrace nature, Kyo decides to follow him for a year and find out. Intimate and philosophical, moving with ease between the granular and the grand view, this memoir is an unconventional field guide that celebrates the particular madness of loving and chasing after birds in a big city. It celebrates the creative and liberating effects of keeping your eyes and ears wide open, and explores what happens when you apply the core lessons of birding to other aspects of life. In one sense, this is a book about disconnection -- how our passions can buckle under the demands and emotions of daily life -- and about reconnection: how our distractions can also sustain us. On a deeper level, it takes up the questions of how we are shaped and nurtured by our parallel passions, and how we might come to love (and protect) not only the world's pristine natural places but also the blemished urban spaces where most of us live. Birds art life follows two artists on a year long adventure"--
Subjects: Maclear, Kyo, 1970-; Bird watching; Birds; Nature;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Away & back [videorecording] / by Bleckner, Jeff,television director.; Dyer, Jonah Lisa,screenwriter.; Dyer, Stephen,screenwriter.; Frislev, Michael,television producer.; Gottlieb, Andrew,1966-television producer.; Jaren, Lewison,actor.; Jones, Maggie Elizabeth,actor.; Kelly, Minka,1980-actor.; Lee, Jason,1970-actor.; Oakes, Chad,1968-television producer.; Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, Inc.,presenter,broadcaster,production company.; Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Firm); Sony Pictures Television,production company.;
Music by William Ross ; edited by David Beatty ; director of photography, James L. Carter.Jason Lee, Minka Kelly, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Jaren Lewison.When a family of Trumpeter Swans make their home on the Peterson farm pond, it's love at first sight for 10-year-old daughter Frankie. But when Ginny Newsom, a no-nonsense wildlife biologist rushes in to 'save' the majestic birds, it's dislike at first sight for Frankie's dad Jack. As everyone watches nature's plan unfold for the swans, Frankie and her brothers also observe changes in the relationship between their widowed father and the strong-willed Ginny. Could that be romance in the air?Canadian Home Video Rating: G.DVD, region 1, widescreen presentation; 5.1 Dolby surround.
Subjects: Families; Made-for-TV movies.; Man-woman relationships; Trumpeter swan; Widowers;
For private home use only.
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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How the zebra got its stripes : Darwinian stories told through evolutionary biology / by Grasset, Léo,author.; Mellor, Barbara,translator.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Why do giraffes have such long necks? Why are zebras striped? Why are buffalo herds broadly democratic while elephants prefer dictatorships? What explains the architectural brilliance of the termite mound or the complications of the hyena's sex life? And why have honey-badgers evolved to be one of nature's most efficient agents of mass destruction? Deploying the latest scientific research and his own extensive observations on the African savannah, Léo Grasset offers some answers to these and many other intriguing questions.
Subjects: Evolution.; Savanna animals; Savanna animals; Savanna ecology;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Mi'kmaw moons : the seasons in Mi'kma'ki / by LeBlanc, Cathy(Cathy Jean).; Chapman, David.; Gould, Loretta.;
Includes bibliographical references and internet addreses.Traditional teachings about the moon cycles and their relation to the natural history of Mi'kma'ki on Canada's East Coast. For thousands of years, the Mi'kmaq have been closely observing the natural world and the cycles of the moon and the stars to track the passage of time. Each full moon in an annual cycle was named by the Mi'kmaq to relate to a seasonal event, such as tomcod spawning, birds laying eggs or berry ripening. For the past decade Mi'kmaw Elders and Knowledge Keepers have shared stories of the traditional night sky calendar with authors Cathy LeBlanc and David Chapman. In this book Cathy relays these stories in her role as Auntie to her young relation Holly. Each moon's story is richly illustrated with an evocative colour painting created for this book by the noted Mi'kmaw artist Loretta Gould. Alongside this presentation of the Mi'kmaw time-keeping traditions, this book offers a brief history of the modern Western calendar, and some basic astronomy facts about the moon's phases and why the seasons change. This two-eyed seeing approach takes young readers on a journey through one full year in Mi'kma'ki.LSC
Subjects: Lunar calendars; Seasons; Traditional ecological knowledge; Micmac Indians; Mi'kmaq;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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When the angels left the old country / by Lamb, Sacha,author.;
"Uriel the angel and Little Ash (short for Ashmedai) are the only two supernatural creatures in their shtetl (which is so tiny, it doesn't have a name other than Shtetl). The angel and the demon have been studying together for centuries, but pogroms and the search for a new life have drawn all the young people from their village to America. When one of those young people, Essie, goes missing, Uriel and Little Ash set off to find her. Along the way the angel and demon encounter humans in need of their help, including Rose Cohen, whose best friend (and the love of her life) has abandoned her to marry a man, and Malke Shulman, whose father died mysteriously on his way to America. But there are obstacles ahead of them as difficult as what they've left behind. Medical exams (and demons) at Ellis Island. Corrupt officials, cruel mob bosses, murderers, poverty. The streets are far from paved with gold. With cinematic sweep and tender observation, Sacha Lamb presents a totally original drama about individual purpose, the fluid nature of identity, and the power of love to change and endure"--012-018.Grades 10-12.
Subjects: Fantasy fiction.; Paranormal fiction.; Young adult fiction.; Novels.; Angels; Demonology; Identity (Philosophical concept); Immigrants; Jews; Missing persons; Angels; Demonology; Identity; Immigrants; Jews; Missing persons;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Embrace fearlessly the burning world : essays / by Lopez, Barry Holstun,1945-2020,author.; Solnit, Rebecca,writer of introduction.; Lopez, Barry Holstun,1945-2020.Essays.Selections.;
"This collection represents part of the enduring legacy of Barry Lopez, hailed as a 'national treasure' (Outside) and "one of our finest writers" (Los Angeles Times Book Review) when he died in December 2020. An ardent steward of the land, fearless traveler, and unrivaled observer of nature and culture in all its forms, Lopez lost much of the Oregon property where he had lived for over fifty years when it was consumed by wildfire, likely caused by climate change. Fortunately, some of his papers survived, including four never-before published pieces that are gathered here, along with essays written in the final years of his life; these essays appear now for the first time in book form. Written in his signature observant and vivid prose, these essays offer an autobiography in pieces that a reader can assemble while journeying with Lopez along his many roads. They unspool memories at once personal and political, including tender, sometimes painful stories from Lopez's childhood in New York City and California; reports from the field as he accompanies scientists on expeditions to study animals; travels to Antarctica and some of the most remote places on earth; and to life in his own backyard, adjacent to a wild, racing river. He reflects on those who taught him: the Indigenous elders and scientific mentors who sharpened his eye for the natural world--an eye that, as the reader comes to see, missed nothing. And with striking poignancy and searing candor, he confronts the challenges of his last years as he contends with the knowledge of his mortality, as well as with the dangers the Earth-and all of its people--are facing"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Essays.; Travel writing.; Personal narratives.; Lopez, Barry Holstun, 1945-2020; American essays.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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I am peace : a book of mindfulness / by Verde, Susan,author.; Reynolds, Peter H.(Peter Hamilton),1961-illustrator.;
"When the world feels chaotic, find peace within through an accessible mindfulness practice from the bestselling picture-book dream team that brought us I Am Yoga. Express emotions through direct speech. Find empathy through imagination. Connect with the earth. Wonder at the beauty of the natural world. Breathe, taste, smell, touch, and be present. Perfect for the classroom or for bedtime, Susan Verde's gentle, concrete narration and Peter H. Reynolds's expressive watercolor illustrations bring the tenets of mindfulness to a kid-friendly level. Featuring an author's note about the importance of mindfulness and a guided meditation for children, I Am Peace will help readers of all ages feel grounded and restored"--A child starts to get carried away with worry and rushing thoughts before taking a breath, steadying, observing thoughts, feeling kindness, feeling thankful, and experiencing the world.
Subjects: Board books.; Board books.; Fiction.; Juvenile works.; Picture books.; Picture books.; Mindfulness (Psychology); Peace; Breathing exercises; Calmness; Kindness; Board books.; JUVENILE FICTION; JUVENILE FICTION; JUVENILE FICTION; Board books.; Breathing exercises.; Calmness.; Kindness.; Mindfulness (Psychology); Peace; Picture books for children.;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Noopiming : the cure for white ladies / by Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake,1971-author.;
"Noopiming is Anishinaabemowin for "in the bush," and the title is a response to English Canadian settler and author Susanna Moodie's 1852 memoir Roughing It in the Bush. Set in the same place as Moodie's colonial memoir, this genre-fluid novel is offered as a cure for Moodie's racist treatment of Mississauga Nishnaabeg in her writing. The giant Sabe meditates on the gifts and challenges of their recent sobriety. Migrating geese make a case for coordinated formation as a way to get out of "one's own cycling head." Racoons turn Bougie Kwe's Zen-garden pond into their personal urban spa. This is a world alive with people, animals, ancestors, and spirits who are all busy with the daily labours of healing -- healing not only themselves, but their individual pieces of the network, of the web that connects them all together. These stories gather up tiny pieces, one at a time, as they slowly circle through the perspectives of different characters, in a breathtaking act of world-building that rewards patience and deep listening. This is the real world, the one where meaning accumulates through close observation and relationship. Enter and be changed."--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Psychological fiction.; Listening; Patience; Healing; Nature;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The economy of sparrows / by Herriot, Trevor,author.;
This debut novel by Trevor Herriot, one of Canada's foremost writer-naturalists, is the richly observed story of Nell Rowan, who has inherited her family's prairie farmstead and returned there to live after many decades away. Nell is increasingly obsessed by a 19th-century bird collector while haunted by memories of her mother's disappearance. Herriot lives in Regina, SK.
Subjects: Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Bird watching; Country life; Environmental responsibility; Inheritance and succession; Nature; Teenage girls; Women;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Seed to dust : life, nature, and a country garden / by Hamer, Marc,author.;
"For readers of Late Migrations and Vesper Flights From the acclaimed author of How to Catch a Mole, this meditative memoir explores the wisdom of plants, the joys of manual labor, and the natural cycle of growth and decay that runs through both the garden's life and our own. Marc Hamer has nurtured the same 12-acre garden in the Welsh countryside for over two decades. The garden is vast and intricate. It's rarely visited, and only Hamer knows of its secrets. But it's not his garden. It belongs to his wealthy and elegant employer, Miss Cashmere. But the garden does not really belong to her, either. As Hamer writes, 'Like a book, a garden belongs to everyone who sees it.' In Seed to Dust, Marc Hamer paints a beautiful portrait of the garden that 'belongs to everyone.' He describes a year in his life as a country gardener, with each chapter named for the month he's in. As he works, he muses on the unusual folklores of his beloved plants. He observes the creatures who scurry and hide from his blade or rake. And he reflects on his own life: living homeless as a young man, his loving relationship with his wife and children, and--now--feeling the effects of old age on body and mind. As the seasons change, Hamer also reflects on the changes he has observed in Miss Cashmere's life from afar: the death of her husband and the departure of her children from the stately home where she now lives alone. At the book's end, Hamer's connection to Miss Cashmere changes shape, and new insights into relationships and the beauty and brutality of nature emerge. Just like all good books and gardens, Seed to Dust is filled with equal parts life and death, beauty and decay, and every reader will find something different to admire."-- Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Hamer, Marc.; Gardening; Gardens; Natural history;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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