Books with author Brenda Peterson

In Brenda Peterson's unusual memoir, fundamentalism meets deep ecology. The author's childhood in the high Sierra with her forest ranger father led her to embrace the entire natural world, while her Southern Baptist relatives prepared eagerly and busily to leave this world. Peterson survived fierce “sword drill” competitions demanding total recall of the Scriptures and awkward dinner table questions (“Will Rapture take the cat, too?”) only to find that environmentalists with prophecies of doom can also be Endtimers. Peterson paints such a hilarious, loving portrait of each world that the reader, too, may want to be Left Behind.

In Brenda Peterson's unusual memoir, fundamentalism meets deep ecology. The author's childhood in the high Sierra with her forest ranger father led her to embrace the entire natural world, while her Southern Baptist relatives prepared eagerly and busily to leave this world. Peterson survived fierce “sword drill” competitions demanding total recall of the Scriptures and awkward dinner table questions (“Will Rapture take the cat, too?”) only to find that environmentalists with prophecies of doom can also be Endtimers. Peterson paints such a hilarious, loving portrait of each world that the reader, too, may want to be Left Behind.

From revered nature writer Brenda Peterson and told through striking and vibrant mixed-media collages by Caldecott Medalist Ed Young, Catastrophe by the Sea is a poignant story of redemption through empathy and compassion found in the most surprising places, and also provides a rich understanding of small creatures that live in a dangerous tidal zone.A lost cat roams the tide pools, pawing relentlessly at the small creatures that live there. One day an anemone confronts him and asks why he is alone and befriends him. In partnership with the Seattle Aquarium, Catastrophe by the Sea delivers a powerful message of finding understanding and friendship, and at the same time educates on the varied wildlife brimming in tide pools.“For several years, the Seattle Aquarium has studied the role of empathy in promoting conservation. Empathy is the ability to perceive, understand and care about the experiences or perspectives of another person or animal. We most often feel empathy for other people, but we can also feel empathy for animals. This led us to the idea of a children’s book. Animals are regular protagonists in children’s books, but these characters are primarily vertebrates and often charismatic mammals. Could we create a book that would allow kids and their caregivers to empathize with strange and exotic marine animals, like sea anemones or barnacles? We hope this book strikes a chord with audiences and fosters empathy for animals less like us.” --Jim Wharton, director of conservation engagement and learning at the Seattle Aquarium

Two different people from two very different worlds. Can a mermaid and a human boy find love? Can they survive in his world and hers?A regal and highly trained young mermaid, Marina, is on her first spy mission to Skyeworld in 2020. She comes ashore on Siesta Key, Florida where she meets feisty Lukas, a proud Cuban refugee. Marina will have to choose between the advanced civilization of Aquantis, where she has been chosen as a High Priestess, and her love for Lukas and his dangerously polluted SkyeWorld.The DROWNING WORLD is an inventive and mesmerizing saga set in a vivid future of rising seas, floating cities, and Flood Lands. Marina’s magic and skill save Lukas’ life. But can she save her own against a lifelong nemesis from her world?

In his sixth book, renowned photographer, popular instructor, and best-selling author Bryan Peterson challenges and inspires us to see close-up photography in new ways when we view it through his eyes. You’ve seen the dewdrops, but what about dewdrops on a bird’s wing or raindrops on a car windshield? You’ve seen the bumblebees on vibrant flowers, but what about the fluid edge of just one petal or the colorful rusting metal at industrial sites? Even when Peterson does capture the more traditional subjects, it's done in untraditional ways–and often with minimal specialized equipment! Most important, he moves beyond the commonplace to inspire new ways of getting close, using your lenses, and discovering unconventional subjects.

On a Pacific odyssey from Mexico to Alaska in pursuit of the mysterious gray whale, Linda Hogan and Brenda Peterson create a vivid tapestry of poignant stories and plainspoken science. Their two voices, that of an award-winning Native American writer and an acclaimed novelist, essayist, and naturalist, interweave the diverse strands of legend and lore, science and symbolism, wonder and controversy inspired by gray whales, which migrate 10,000 miles each year and have twice been hunted to the brink of extinction. The authors also address the three-way collision between the whales and their countless champions, the curtailed but still destructive whaling industry, and the tribal whaling rights of Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest who have resumed their traditional hunt. Sightings is a lyrical celebration of our eternally elusive yet irresistible kinship with the strange and surprising gray whale. “Linda Hogan carries the voice of the deep past and a reexamined future. Her writing is evocative, true, and dangerous because she is not afraid to name evil and identify beauty.”—Terry Tempest Williams

National Science Teachers Association named WILD ORCA an "Outstanding Science Book for K-12"A picture book homage to Granny, the world's oldest known orca, who lived to be 105 years old! For animal lovers and future environmentalists."Will Granny and her family come again this year?" Dark fins slice through whitecaps, heading straight toward shore.Told from the perspective of young Mia and her family on a whale-watching excursion in the San Juan Islands, here is a moving homage to Granny, the world's oldest known orca. This intimate and informative story celebrates the importance of respecting and protecting wildlife. It also sheds light on communication and family connections in both human and orca communities, all while answering essential questions about how these intelligent animals live.A Christy Ottaviano Book

Hand-made jewelry is always in style. So why not start the process from scratch and make your own beads?This beautifully illustrated book, packed with clear step-by-step instructions, will show you how. Polymer clay is the material of choice and you will learn how to use free-form techniques and bead-rolling tools to create several styles. Unusual shapes, sculpted effects, simulations of semi-precious stones, photo-image transfers, and use of glitter and organic material mean the beads you make will be unique. And with practice, they will look professionally hand-crafted. All the tools you will need are listed, and finishing techniques, such as sanding, buffing, and sealing, are described. You will also find detailed instructions on how to use your own work to create stylish and individual pieces of jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Basic jewelry-making techniques, such as stringing and fixing clasps, lead on to assembling all the components in designs and styles ranging from contemporary and elegant, to simple and just plain fun. The finished pieces incorporate a whole variety of mixed media to enhance the look of your beads. Technique based, this book is also full of useful information—including a list of suppliers—and will be invaluable to anyone taking up this rewarding and affordable craft. Beginners and more advanced practitioners alike will find both practical advice and inspiration.

In this picaresque memoir—a dark and divine comedy of family and faith—acclaimed novelist and nature writer, Brenda Peterson, embraces this earthly life while her relatives prepare fervently to leave it. As a “wild, rather odd, and unknowingly subversive child,” she survives fierce “sword drill” competitions over total recall of the Scriptures and awkward dinner table questions—"Will Rapture take the cat, too?" Peterson paints such a hilarious and tender portrait that the reader, too, may want to be left behind. The memoir was selected by independent booksellers as a “Great Read” and an “Indie Next.” Chosen as a “Top Ten Best Non-fiction Book of the Year” by Christian Science Monitor, I Want to Be Left Behind celebrates what the Los Angeles Times calls her “rich and often lovely life—full of humor and Peterson’s own brand of faith.”

Two different people from two very different worlds. Can a mermaid and a human boy find love? Can they survive in his world and hers? A regal and highly trained young mermaid, Marina, is on her first spy mission to Skyeworld in 2020. She comes ashore on Siesta Key, Florida where she meets feisty Lukas, a proud Cuban refugee. Marina will have to choose between the advanced civilization of Aquantis, where she has been chosen as a High Priestess, and her love for Lukas and his dangerously polluted SkyeWorld. The DROWNING WORLD is an inventive and mesmerizing saga set in a vivid future of rising seas, floating cities, and Flood Lands. Marina’s magic and skill save Lukas’ life. But can she save herself from a lifelong nemesis in her world?

In his sixth book, renowned photographer, popular instructor, and best-selling author Bryan Peterson challenges and inspires us to see close-up photography in new ways when we view it through his eyes. You’ve seen the dewdrops, but what about dewdrops on a bird’s wing or raindrops on a car windshield? You’ve seen the bumblebees on vibrant flowers, but what about the fluid edge of just one petal or the colorful rusting metal at industrial sites? Even when Peterson does capture the more traditional subjects, it's done in untraditional ways–and often with minimal specialized equipment! Most important, he moves beyond the commonplace to inspire new ways of getting close, using your lenses, and discovering unconventional subjects.

In Brenda Peterson’s unusual memoir, fundamentalism meets deep ecology. The author’s childhood in the high Sierra with her forest ranger father led her to embrace the entire natural world, while her Southern Baptist relatives prepared eagerly and busily to leave this world. Peterson survived fierce “sword drill” competitions demanding total recall of the Scriptures and awkward dinner table questions (“Will Rapture take the cat, too?”) only to find that environmentalists with prophecies of doom can also be Endtimers. Peterson paints such a hilarious, loving portrait of each world that the reader, too, may want to be Left Behind.