God only knows what possessed Bill Bryson, a reluctant adventurer if ever there was one, to undertake a gruelling hike along the world's longest continuous footpath—The Appalachian Trail. The 2,000-plus-mile trail winds through 14 states, stretching along the east coast of the United States, from Georgia to Maine. It snakes through some of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in North America, as well as through some of its most poverty-stricken and primitive backwoods areas. With his offbeat sensibility, his eye for the absurd, and his laugh-out-loud sense of humour, Bryson recounts his confrontations with nature at its most uncompromising over his five-month journey. An instant classic, riotously funny, A Walk in the Woods will add a whole new audience to the legions of Bill Bryson fans.

Part inspiration, part information narrative for our story is based on walking meditation, also known as mindful walking; an active practice that requires you to be consciously aware and moving in the environment rather than sitting with your eyes closed. Just as The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo's mega-selling book (over 4 million copies sold worldwide) provides readers with a life/spiritual philosophy embedded in the how-to of minimalism (with practical tips for de-cluttering of one's home), A Walk in the Wood provides a narrative grounded in the simple act of slowing down, observing what is around us, and being present. Appealing to adults who are actively searching ways to join the JOMO movement (Joy of Missing Out and being content just "being"), A Walk in the Wood also makes for a perfect gift for stressed-out family members and friends.

Length: 2 acts.

God only knows what possessed Bill Bryson, a reluctant adventurer if ever there was one, to undertake a gruelling hike along the world's longest continuous footpath—The Appalachian Trail. The 2,000-plus-mile trail winds through 14 states, stretching along the east coast of the United States, from Georgia to Maine. It snakes through some of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in North America, as well as through some of its most poverty-stricken and primitive backwoods areas. With his offbeat sensibility, his eye for the absurd, and his laugh-out-loud sense of humour, Bryson recounts his confrontations with nature at its most uncompromising over his five-month journey. An instant classic, riotously funny, A Walk in the Woods will add a whole new audience to the legions of Bill Bryson fans.

Winner of a Schneider Family Honor! “A beautifully rendered and deeply inspiring book for everyone who has ever read slowly—myself included! Hudson shows us the beauty and magic that can come from taking our time. Brilliant.”—Jacqueline Woodson Hudson Talbott's inspiring story vividly reveals the challenges--and ultimately the rewards--of being a non-mainstream kind of learner. When Hudson Talbott was a little boy, he loved drawing, and it came naturally to him. But reading? No way! One at a time, words weren't a problem, but long sentences were a struggle. As his friends moved on to thicker books, he kept his slow reading a secret. But that got harder every year. He felt alone, lost, and afraid in a world of too many words. Fortunately, his love of stories wouldn't let him give up. He started giving himself permission to read at his own pace, using the words he knew as stepping-stones to help draw him into a story. And he found he wasn't so alone--in fact, lots of brilliant people were slow readers, too. Learning to accept the fact that everyone does things in their own unique way, and that was okay, freed him up and ultimately helped Hudson thrive and become the fabulous storyteller he is today.

A field guide designed to get kids out and exploring the woods! This unique, simple nature kit gives kids an accessible, engaging introduction to the woods—and the animals, insects, flora, and rocks that a nature walk will most likely reveal. Since the guide focuses on the most popular North American wildlife, kids will feel instantly rewarded when they spot a chipmunk, sugar maple, or monarch butterfly. The portable, fully illustrated, flexibound guide includes tree-climbing tips, a chart for identifying animal droppings, a feature on edible forest finds, and more. It is packaged in a beautiful treasure box with magnetic closure, complete with compartments for kids’ prized discoveries, such as berries, acorns, and pebbles. Tucked into two of the compartments—and visible though the die-cut frame on the treasure box’s cover—are a mesh collecting bag for mess-free gathering and a magnifying jar for close-up observing.

In Six Walks in the Fictional Woods Umberto Eco shares with us his Secret Life as a reader—his love for MAD magazine, for Scarlett O'Hara, for the nineteenth-century French novelist Nerval's Sylvie, for Little Red Riding Hood, Agatha Christie, Agent 007 and all his ladies. We see, hear, and feel Umberto Eco, the passionate reader who has gotten lost over and over again in the woods, loved it, and come back to tell the tale, The Tale of Tales. Eco tells us how fiction works, and he also tells us why we love fiction so much. This is no deconstructionist ripping the veil off the Wizard of Oz to reveal his paltry tricks, but the Wizard of Art himself inviting us to join him up at his level, the Sorcerer inviting us to become his apprentice.