Books with author Margaret Mobley

Baby Mitchell was an August squirrel. That is, he was born in the month of August. His pretty gray mother found a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree, for her babies’ nest; and I know she lined it with soft fur plucked from her own loving little breast,—for that is the way the squirrel mothers do.This chestnut tree grew on the side of a steep mountain,—none other than Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain peak in all the eastern half of the United States. It is in North Carolina, where there are a great many beautiful mountains, but none of them more beautiful than Mount Mitchell, with the great forest trees on its slopes.One of these forest trees was the big chestnut where Baby Mitchell was born. In the warm and lovely summer he lay safe in his snug nest twenty feet above the ground.How many little brothers and sisters there were, I do not know, for a very sad thing happened, and all of them died but Little Mitchell. I must tell you what this sad thing was that happened to the little squirrels.There was a small log-cabin at the foot of the mountain, and here lived a father and mother and a very large family of very small children. There was no other house near; and the father had to go a great many miles through the woods to his work in a saw-mill that some one had set up in the mountains.

In 1890, Margaret Morley, a well-known biologist, writer, and educator, visited the mountains of North Carolina. She was so enchanted by their pastoral beauty and charm that she spent over a decade exploring the region, recording scenes of everyday life in captivating photographs and delightful prose. Her documentation culminated in her book The Carolina Mountains, originally published in 1913.The Carolina Mountains is a combination of travelogue, biological observation, history, and photography. Morley toured widely through areas of upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, traveling by train, horse and buggy, horseback, and on foot. Her skill with a camera, her background in botany, and her ability to befriend the tough, independent mountaineers helped her create one of the most descriptive and poetic accounts of the region.Influenced by her Victorian sensibilities, Margaret Morley presents a unique historical perspective on the region. Her descriptions of the early settlers, early education in the mountains, local speech, the Biltmore Estate, Flat Rock, and the Great Smoky Mountains thoughtfully capture the essence of the area as she experienced it in the early twentieth century.Even today, we can trace Margaret Morley's travels throughout the region, from Caesar's Head to Asheville, Tryon to Cashiers. Her detailed descriptions of Mount Mitchell and Roan Mountain still ring true. With very few exceptions, the detailed and accurate account of her journeys makes The Carolina Mountains a reliable guidebook nearly a century later.Coinciding with a year-long celebration of Margaret Morley's photography ("The Carolina Mountains: Photography of Margaret Morley") at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, Bright Mountain Books' 2006 Historical Images reprinting of The Carolina Mountains is enhanced with over 60 pages of Margaret Morley's photographs.

Pete Shelton’s life revolves around Riverside, a Michigan nature preserve on the St. Joseph River. The property is dedicated to its founder, the late Paul McMichael, naturalist and moth collector, who died while still a young man. When a runaway named Nora McMichael shows up at Riverside, claiming to be the daughter of Paul McMichael, Pete suspects she is lying. He resents her urgent need to be part of Riverside and to become close, too close, to Paul’s mentor and friend, Abe McMichael, younger brother of Paul. Although enemies at first, Nora and Pete slowly begin to piece together their shadowy pasts . . . and discover that their lives are intertwined in ways neither could have imagined. Filled with loving descriptions of Michigan wilderness, animal lore and a passionate Lepidopterist's journal, Willey weaves an inter-generational tale of healing, reclamation and discovery.

This collection of 10 craft-it-yourself children's party theme ensembles offers more than 70 unique projects for games, invitations, favors, centerpieces, edible creations, costumes, and more. Imaginative party options are provided for both girls' and boys' celebrations, with step-by-step instructions, detailed patterns, full-color photographs, and party planning tips.

People can't always tell everything. Sometimes they have to leave things out so that they can recover. Start over. So that people will still be able to love them. Seventeen-year-old Pete Shelton's life revolves around helping his friend Abe McMichael build Riverside, a nature preserve dedicated to the memory of Abe's brother, Paul. Then one summer a troubled runaway shows up―a girl named Nora who claims to be Paul's daughter. All her life, Nora has lived with secrets and lies, never knowing anything about her father. Although enemies at first, Pete and Nora slowly begin to piece together their shadowy pasts . . . and discover that their lives intertwine in a way they never imagined. "A Summer of Silk Moths gives us the bewilderment and wonderment that real growth always brings, in a setting as fresh and tender as a new green leaf."―Kathe Koja, bestselling author of Buddha Boy "A thoughtful, complex and moving story about loss and discovery of identity, love and the ability to change and the restorative powers of nature."―Kirkus Reviews An Honor Book for the 2010 Green Earth Book Awards in the category of Young Adult Fiction.

When he was seven, Charlie Porter never intended to become the world's youngest published author. He just wanted his father to stop crying. So he told him a story about a talking beetle―a dumb little story his mother made up to make him feel better. (That was before she left and feeling "better" became impossible.) But Charlie's story not only made his father stop crying. It made him start planning. The story became a book, and then it became school events and book festivals, and a beetle costume, and a catchphrase―"I was born to write!" Because of the story, Charlie stayed seven until he was ten. And then it all ended. Or it should have. Now Charlie is eighteen, and the beetles still haunt his dreams. The childhood he never really had is about to end . . . but there's still a chance to have a story of his own. Beetle Boy is a novel of a broken family, the long shadow of neglect, and the light of small kindnesses.