The Geography of Childhood
Why Children Need Wild Places
by Stephen Trimble and Gary Paul Nabhan
introduction by Robert Coles
School Library Journal "Top Ten Non-Fiction Books of 1994"
"…provocative and compelling." —Francesca Lyman, Los Angeles Times Book Review
"I believe The Geography of Childhood could become as important a book as Leopold's A Sand County Almanac or Carson's Silent Spring." —Charles Yaple, director, Coalition for Education in the Outdoors
"...a collection of ideas, anecdotes, and meditations on our relationship with the land, this book raises fundamental questions about the ways in which we teach our children to become responsible citizens." —Christopher Merrill, El Palacio
"This unusual, eclectic work is highly rewarding. The core concern is environmental education as a way of life that hinges on the moral trajectory of world culture. In the finest tradition of the environmentalist literary genre, Nabhan and Trimble tell us that while facts are fine, we must feel what goes on and that, conversely, when all meditation is done we must take a hard look at the whole child-nature situation. Then, increasing and synthesizing our knowledge, we can do something. Their book is a loving contribution to that urgent task." —Sanford Gaster, Children's Environments
In this unique collaboration, two naturalists ask what may happen now that more children than ever are denied exposure to wildness. The authors remember pivotal events in their childhoods that led to lifelong relationships with the land. From cities and suburbs to isolated Nevada sheep ranches to Native American communities in the Southwest and Mexico, they tell stories of children learning about wild places and creatures.
Combining their flair as essayists with research from fields as diverse as environmental psychology, gender studies, and ethnobotany, Trimble and Nabhan give parents looking for inspiration a guide for their next adventure, whether it's family camping in the wilderness or at the beach or an hour in their backyard garden.
(Beacon Press, 1994)
Excerpt: The Scripture of Maps, The Names of Trees (in the Colorado College Bulletin)
Interview for NPR's Living on Earth (Note that quotes from Gary Nabhan and Steve Trimble are reversed!)
