The Last River Rat: Kenny Salwey's Life in the Wild
Adult/High School-Fans of Gary Paulsen and Tom Brown, teens who head for the woods when school is out, and city slickers who want to connect with the outdoors will relish this month-by-month glimpse into the disappearing way of life of a woodsman who lives off the land on a swampy and hilly bank of the Mississippi in Wisconsin. Salwey, a loner who decided to communicate his love of the wild with others in an effort to conserve and protect it, shares with a professional outdoors writer one year in the woods. He begins with April, and the format repeats for each month thereafter: first a short piece by Bestul on the climatic changes, then the two spend some time sharing a seasonal activity, such as ginseng hunting or deer hunting, followed by a piece in which Salwey tells something about his experience in the woods. This coverage is wonderfully evocative-one can almost hear the geese honking. Biology and earth science teachers will find the book an excellent resource for following the natural year as the school year proceeds; no month's reportage depends on previous months. Readers will find it is a privilege to accompany the pair through this fascinating and lovely corner of the world.Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.