Letters from Eden: A Year at Home, in the Woods

Emile Zola wrote, "The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." In Julie Zickefoose?s book "Letters From Eden," you will find both. The gift shines from every page, in her glowing watercolors, in her lyrical prose, and in her obvious passion for the natural world around her. The work is evident in her field notes and pencil sketches, and in the tales she tells. The effort she exerts when protecting nesting piping plovers on a busy beach along the Connecticut coastline, climbing ladders to replace baby birds in their nests, or rehabilitating box turtles is demanding. If you would ask Julie however, she would not call this work, but a way of life, her life in the little piece of Ohio she calls Eden. Come along with her as she shares her discoveries during a walk in the woods, or celebrates spring with tree swallows playing with feathers, or grieves for an opossum found dying in a trap. From the hilarious to the tragic, with the drama of a poisonous snake thrown in, "Letters From Eden" strikes just the right chord. Anyone with an interest in nature will feel right at home with this book. I know I did.

To give this book five stars is a bit risky. It has a minor flaw or two. It raises the question of what a person can do when Julie Zickefoose writes an even better book. However, this book goes straight to a bird lover's heart. Readers of Bird Watcher's Digest have long enjoyed Zickefoose's essays and paintings. This collection of essays reminds us that she is one of the best nature writers publishing today. Almost every emotion finds its way into "Letters from Eden." There is the expectation, discovery, and excitement of going with Julie on her walks through the southern Ohio forest. The walks can also provide a quiet time. There is the humor of the essay on bullfrogs or Julie poking fun at herself because she wants some chickens. There is loss as human thoughtlessness harms an animal or bird. There is tenderness as Julie, ever the rehabilitator, nurses birds and animals to the point of releasing them into the wild. There is wonder as various wild things demonstrate intelligence beyond what humans normally expect of them. Raising young children in an area where there are copperhead snakes can lend a touch of terror. That is counterbalanced by Julie's faith in all things natural. Not least among the emotions is the reader's enjoyment in these delightful narratives. Then again, there is always balance in Julie's stories. She recognizes that predators must eat, even when it means the death of a loved bird. Weedy brush from foreign soil tries to overrun everything but provides needed shelter for wildlife. House sparrows introduced from England are a threat to native species but Julie notes that it is through no fault of their own. She is a vegetable gardener who rues the damage birds and animals do to her crops, but weighs that against the benefit they gain from her garden and the joy she gets from seeing them there. Zickefoose is a mother and her young children are ever present in these essays. Again, there is a nice balance between the love of family and the fact that they cut into the time available for studying the outdoors and writing. Julie's art is a perfect complement to the essays. There are simple pencil drawings and quick watercolors. There are also some beautifully finished paintings and ink drawings. The text is very easily read, although the field notes accompanying some of the sketches are sometimes hard to make out. The thirty-some essays were originally meant to stand alone. Julie has organized them here by seasons of the year. Therein is a minor flaw. The essays do not lead into one another easily and they jump back and forth in time. Zickefoose recognizes the problem and mentions it in her Foreword. Still, it is a flaw and leaves room for an even better book - a book that gets six stars out of five.

Julie Zickerfoose is a talented lover of Nature, an acomplished artist and a fine teller of stories. She lives her life immersed in what she loves and has a sense of all that is aroud her on this our beautiful Earth. Her storeis are entertaining and delightful. Water colors are precious. This is a work of art to be enjoyed by all who love Nature and the lessons it has to teach us. A good book to share with children of all ages.

Seldom does one person serve as both writer and illustrator of a book. Julie Zickefoose proves that she is adept at both. She paints with brush and pen (or keyboard) pictures of what life can, and should, be like if we only take the time to appreciate it. Her 80 acres seem even larger, for all that occurs on them. After reading her book it will be the rare person who will not look at the world around them more carefully and enjoy it more fully. While she is no swami, she imbues her words with magic.

The stories in Letters from Eden are a shimmering blend of humor and heartbreak as the author shares the gifts, loss and lessons that come from an intimate relationship with nature. I find myself savoring each story and taking time to digest each one. The writing is exquisite, the field drawings are a treat, and the watercolors express the vibrancy of the life they portray. I love this book!