Jerry Dennis

A history of the Great Lakes as told by the biologists, fishermen, sailors, and others who have experienced them firsthand traces the author's experiences as a local resident and schooner crewperson. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas

The Living Great Lakes

Four Seasons of Natural Phenomena and Oddities of the Sky (Outdoor Essays & Reflections)

It's Raining Frogs and Fishes

It's Raining Frogs and Fishes is a generously illustrated inquiry into wonders of the sky: Why is the sky blue? Where do meteors originate? What causes rainbows, mirages, and the colors of the sunset? Why do some birds and insects migrate, and how do they navigate over hundreds or thousands of miles to do it? How have civilizations throughout history viewed the aurora borealis, tornadoes, eclipses, and the bizarre but well documented cases of fish, reptiles, snails, and even snakes that have rained to earth? Author Jerry Dennis and illustrator Glenn Wolff approach such questions with curiosity and wit, and suggest ways to observe first-hand extraordinary weather, astronomical anomalies, and odd and interesting wildlife of the skies. This updated edition of the national bestseller is a spellbinding look into the natural world's most fascinating and baffling phenomena, with illustrated explanations of rainbows, meteors, sunsets, hurricanes, the northern lights, bird and insect flight, and dozens of other curiosities. Subjects are arranged by season, and each is discussed in a concise and entertaining style that blends the most recent scientific findings with historical anecdotes, personal observations, and examples of the lore and superstitions that have always surrounded phenomena of the skies. PRAISE: “Amusing and illuminating…This writer-artist team shines a bright and lovely light on nature.” —Los Angeles Times “Charming, informative, humorous, and scholarly… embraces wind and weather, the sun, the moon and stars, the seasons of the year and the effect of these things on the denizens of this planet. It is a delight.” —Nelson Bryant, columnist for The New York Times "Vastly entertaining, valuable... Makes natural history so much fun the reader is sucked from paragraph to paragraph, page to page, chapter to chapter.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch "This delightful look at nature...is a cornucopia of fact and lore. Wit, humor, wonder, and reverence spice and season the vignettes herein. It's Raining Frogs and Fishes reminds adults — especially in this hectic, fast-paced, just-do-it world — that it is more than OK, it is desirable, to be child-like and to look up at the heavens and ask why." —Toledo Blade

Four Seasons of Natural Phenomena and Oddities of the Sky

Craig Date

The bible for Michigan canoists has been updated and revised! Includes all new maps and up-to-date data and descriptions for 45 blue-ribbon Michigan rivers. The wealth of canoeing adventures ranges from placid family floats to blood-curdling whitewater runs. Written by two experts who personally paddled every mile.

A Comprehensive Guide to 45 Rivers

Canoeing Michigan Rivers

There is nothing in the universe like water. It is unique and beautiful and without it there could be no life on earth. Little wonder, then, that people have always expressed such awe, delight, and reverence for it. The Bird in the Waterfall is a celebration of the wonders of water and the creatures that live in it. While exploring waterfalls and artesian springs, ocean waves and tidal bores, whirligig beetles and torrent ducks, author Jerry Dennis and artist Glenn Wolff address age-old aquatic mysteries: Why do rivers meander? What are the sources of hot springs and geysers? What causes tsunamis and rogue waves? Why is water blue—and sometimes green, black, yellow, or red? Why do we gather to watch falling water and crashing surf? Why do we toss coins into fountains? At the heart of The Bird in the Waterfall is a profound appreciation for the magic, music, and poetry of water—and a passionate appeal for the protection of this most precious of the earth’s resources. PRAISE: “A passionate appreciation for the magic, music, and poetry of water, and an appeal for the protection of this most precious of the earth’s resources.” —Natural Resources and Wildlife Magazine “Jerry Dennis is one of today’s most readable and informative nature essayists, and his latest book, The Bird in the Waterfall, is a marvelous look at the natural history of oceans, rivers, and lakes. It ought to be required reading for anyone who loves the outdoors, angling, surfing, beachcombing, or birding.” —Buffalo News “The Bird in the Waterfall is truly science for everyone. When you have finished reading it, you will not only know more, but you may become as charmed with water as Dennis is.” —Earth Magazine “I can’t think of anyone I know—angler, conservationist, scientific reader, curious kid—who wouldn’t enjoy, and learn from, this unusual book. And from endpaper to endpaper, it’s a visual delight, too.” —Fly Rod and Reel Magazine “Nature writer Dennis conveys his deep feelings for all aspects of the aquatic realm…and parlays his fascination with the dynamics of bodies of water into a richly informative description of how lakes and rivers support myriad lifeforms.” —Booklist

Exploring the Wonders of Water

The Bird in the Waterfall

Northern Michigan is a place, like all places, in change. Over the past half century, its landscape has been bulldozed, subdivided, and built upon. Climate change warms the water of the Great Lakes at an alarming rate—Lake Superior is now the fastest-warming large body of freshwater on the planet—creating increasingly frequent and severe storm events, altering aquatic and shoreline ecosystems, and contributing to further invasions by non-native plants and animals. And yet the essence of this region, known to many as simply “Up North,” has proved remarkably perennial. Millions of acres of state and national forests and other public lands remain intact. Small towns peppered across the rural countryside have changed little over the decades, pushing back the machinery of progress with the help of dedicated land conservancies, conservation organizations, and other advocacy groups. Up North in Michigan, the new collection from celebrated nature writer Jerry Dennis, captures its author’s lifelong journey to better know this place he calls home by exploring it in every season, in every kind of weather, on foot, on bicycle, in canoes and cars. The essays in this book are more than an homage to a particular region, its people, and its natural wonders. They are a reflection on the Up North that can only be experienced through your feet and fingertips, through your ears, mouth, and nose—the Up North that makes its way into your bones as surely as sand makes its way into wood grain.

A Portrait of Place in Four Seasons

Up North in Michigan

Stories of Michigan's Million-dollar Lottery Winners

Money for Nothing

Northern Michigan is a place, like all places, in change. Over the past half century, its landscape has been bulldozed, subdivided, and built upon. Climate change warms the water of the Great Lakes at an alarming rate--Lake Superior is now the fastest-warming large body of freshwater on the planet--creating increasingly frequent and severe storm events, altering aquatic and shoreline ecosystems, and contributing to further invasions by non-native plants and animals. And yet the essence of this region, known to many as simply "Up North," has proved remarkably perennial. Millions of acres of state and national forests and other public lands remain intact. Small towns peppered across the rural countryside have changed little over the decades, pushing back the machinery of progress with the help of dedicated land conservancies, conservation organizations, and other advocacy groups. Up North in Michigan, the new collection from celebrated nature writer Jerry Dennis, captures its author's lifelong journey to better know this place he calls home by exploring it in every season, in every kind of weather, on foot, on bicycle, in canoes and cars. The essays in this book are more than an homage to a particular region, its people, and its natural wonders. They are a reflection on the Up North that can only be experienced through your feet and fingertips, through your ears, mouth, and nose--the Up North that makes its way into your bones as surely as sand makes its way into wood grain.

Animals are everywhere in our lives. We follow them into the wild, we invite them into our homes, they inhabit our dreams, mythologies, folklores, and popular cultures. What is this powerful bond? Why are we so fascinated with animals of every kind? And why has our relationship with them always been riddled with such complexity and contradiction? A Walk in the Animal Kingdom explores the world of animals with the inquisitiveness, depth, and gentle humor that readers across the globe have come to expect from the acclaimed author-artist team of Jerry Dennis and Glenn Wolff. The book is an inquiry into animals of the world, their astonishing diversity and abundance; their mating habits, defensive strategies, and other behaviors; their extraordinary senses of sight, hearing, and smell. It is also an exploration of our profound connection with them, from the joys they inspire and the fears they arouse, to their prominence in our lives as pets, team mascots, and embodiments of wild nature—and the paradox that allows us to battle to protect certain species while ignoring others that are disappearing at a rate perhaps unequaled in the history of our planet. Like the previous collaborations of Dennis and Wolff, A Walk in the Animal Kingdom is certain to become a classic among books about nature—its wonders, its complexities, and our place in it. PRAISE: “This writer-artist team shines a bright and lovely light on nature.” —Los Angeles Times “Charming...informative...humorous...This wonderfully illustrated book will make heroes of parents and teachers, who will be able to explain nature's magic and the superstitions surrounding it." —El Paso Times "Vastly entertaining, valuable... Makes natural history so much fun the reader is sucked from paragraph to paragraph, page to page, chapter to chapter.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch “A perfect choice for adults and kids alike who want to discover more about how the world is put together... entertaining and fact-filled.” —Houston Post “As leaves fall and the sky becomes more noticeable, you’re likely to look towards the heavens and wonder at their mysteries...Author Jerry Dennis and illustrator Glenn Wolff address the questions with intelligence, wit and artistry.” —Atlanta Constitution "A delightful book, both readable and informative—like the best of Hal Borland and Edwin Way Teale...You've many hours of pleasure waiting with It's Raining Frogs and Fishes." —Richmond Times-Dispatch "With text that mesmerizes, drawings that enchant...this book calls you to hold it open before you." —The Oakland Press "This delightful look at nature... reminds adults—especially in this hectic, fast-paced, just-do-it world—that it is more than OK, it is desirable, to be child-like and to look up at the heavens and ask why." —Toledo Blade “This is a perfect choice for adults and kids alike who want to discover more about how the world is put together. Dennis has done a good job of entertaining and informing at the same time, and Glenn Wolff's illustrations gracefully supplement the fact-filled text. It's enjoyable reading and a good reference for anyone's library." —Sacramento Bee "Dennis has a knack for being at once scholarly and readable, which makes this book both instructive and enjoyable. You can't ask for much more than that...It's Raining Frogs and Fishes is a book no home should be without." —Binghamton (NY) Press and Sun-Bulletin “Dennis, who writes “The Natural Enquirer” for Wildlife Conservation magazine, is a consummate researcher and gifted storyteller. Wolff’s drawings are first rate...Must reading for the naturally curious of all ages, and it belongs in every school library.” —Michigan Out-of-Doors “Jerry Dennis is one of today’s most readable and informative nature essayists, and his latest book, The Bird in the Waterfall, is a marvelous look at the natural history of oceans, rivers, and lakes. It ought to be required reading for anyone who loves the outdoors, angling, surfing, beachcombing, or birding.” —Buffalo News “Jerry Dennis’s clear-eyed essays surpass mere explanation of facts; he conveys the rare gift of understanding the workings of nature, along with passion for its beauties and terrors. His prose is admirably paced with Glenn Wolff’s artistic microcosms.” —Arts Borealis “With melodic prose and luminous drawings, Jerry Dennis and Glenn Wolff tear the curtain from the sky we all share, revealing the inner workings...Keep this book handy for times when life grows a bit too predictable. It's giddy, it's reverent, and it's guaranteed to get your heart beating with wonder again." —Janine Benyus, author of Beastly Behaviors

Essays on Animals Wild and Tame

A Walk in the Animal Kingdom

"Our country is lucky to have Jerry Dennis. A conservationist with the soul of a poet whose beat is Wild Michigan, Dennis is a kindred spirit of Aldo Leopold and Sigurd Olson. The Windward Shore---his newest effort---is a beautifully written and elegiac memoir of outdoor discovery. Highly recommended!" ---Douglas Brinkley, author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America "Come for a journey; stay for an awakening. Jerry Dennis loves the Great Lakes, the swell of every wave, the curve of every rock. He wants you to love them too before our collective trashing of them wipes out all traces of their original character. Through his eyes, you will treasure the hidden secrets that reveal themselves only to those who linger and long. Elegant and sad at the same time, The Windward Shore is a love song for the Great Lakes and a gentle call to action to save them." ---Maude Barlow, author of Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water "In prose as clear as the lines in a Dürer etching, Jerry Dennis maps his home ground, which ranges outward from the back door of his farmhouse to encompass the region of vast inland seas at the heart of our continent. Along the way, inspired by the company of water in all its guises---ice, snow, frost, clouds, rain, shore-lapping waves---he meditates on the ancient questions about mind and matter, time and attention, wildness and wonder. As in the best American nature writing---a tradition that Dennis knows well---here the place and the explorer come together in brilliant conversation." ---Scott Russell Sanders, author of A Conservationist Manifesto If you have been enchanted by Jerry Dennis’s earlier work on sailing the Great Lakes, canoeing, angling, and the natural wonders of water and sky—or you have not yet been lucky enough to enjoy his engaging prose—you will want to immerse yourself in his powerful and insightful new book on winter in Great Lakes country. Grounded by a knee injury, Dennis learns to live at a slower pace while staying in houses ranging from a log cabin on Lake Superior’s Keweenaw Peninsula to a $20 million mansion on the northern shore of Lake Michigan. While walking on beaches and exploring nearby woods and villages, he muses on the nature of time, weather, waves, agates, books, words for snow and ice, our complex relationship with nature, and much more. From the introduction: “I wanted to present a true picture of a complex region, part of my continuing project to learn at least one place on earth reasonably well, and trusted that it would appear gradually and accumulatively—and not as a conventional portrait, but as a mosaic that included the sounds and scents and textures of the place and some of the plants, animals, and its inhabitants. Bolstered by the notion that a book is a journey that author and reader walk together, I would search for promising trails and follow them as far as my reconstructed knee would allow.”

Jerry Dennis

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