Leaf, Cloud, Crow: A Weekly Backyard Journal

by Margaret Renkl

A beautifully illustrated journal to guide your observations of nature wherever you find it—in gardens and yards, city parks and vacant lots, or the sky—enhanced by inspiring prompts and the wisdom of beloved and bestselling author Margaret Renkl.

In The Comfort of Crows, Renkl’s account of a year in her Nashville backyard, readers encountered birds and wildflowers, foxes and stately oaks, and all the surprises and joys to be found if only we pay attention to the world around us. This journal will help you engage—closely and thoughtfully—with nearby nature. Renkl illuminates the turning days, weeks, and seasons, and offers prompts to help you chronicle and care for the rich life surrounding you: What do the bare branches of winter allow you to see? How does summer’s abundance provide for different wild animals—and can you find the abundance in your own life? What changes have you noticed in the natural habitats near you, not just from month to month, but from year to year?

The perfect contemplative companion and gift for any gardener, outdoors enthusiast, birder, or budding naturalist, Leaf, Cloud, Crow will help readers and writers alike grow more attuned to all the “radiant things bursting forth in the darkest places, in the smallest nooks and deepest cracks of the hidden world.”

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Gardening, Animals

248 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 2024

About the author

Margaret Renkl is the author of The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year (due from Spiegel & Grau on Oct. 24, 2023), as well as Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss and Graceland, At Last: Notes On Hope and Heartache From the American South. She is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, where her essays appear each Monday. A graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Carolina, she lives in Nashville.

Reviews

[SH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just started this journal in the beginning of fall and I’m looking forward to the observations and thoughts that I’ll be able to reflect on regarding nature in my backyard this coming year. I love the artwork that defines each season on the edges of each journal page. I am looking forward to using this as a catalyst for slowing down my busy to stop, notice, and appreciate the world around me.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leaf, Cloud, Crow is a journal for recording nature observations seasonally on a weekly basis. Each week the book offers a prompt for writing and a quote from Renkl's books.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I asked for this book for Christmas last year not realizing it was a journal for the reader to complete. For a moment I was disappointed to not be reading another book by Margaret Renkl. But I quickly found the idea of writing and drawing each week of the year, guided by Renkl's observations and prompts, to be quite appealing.

It was a good discipline for me compelling me to draw more frequently. In this past year this little journal kept me grounded and focused on nature rather than on the dismal news of what's happening in our country and in the world. I'm grateful to Margaret Renkl for providing her fans with this creative outlet and guide to experiencing our plant and animal cousins at a deeper level.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I loved The Comfort of Crows I could just not feel the same about Leaf, Cloud, Crow.

Fantastic in thought... but in theory... not so great. Things that might have improved the theory... a book that is either flat lay or bound differently so that the book stays open to the week! Next improvement... better paper, I mean I wanted to paint some water color but the paper quality just was not conducive to adding water!

I hope that Margaret and the publisher consider making some adjustments to the "formatting" of this book.

[Ray Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many authors have used the approach of nature through the seasons. Although Aldo Leopold popularized this style of nature writing with A Sand County Almanac, it goes back much further, perhaps as far as Hesiod's Works and Days.

Renkl gives us a lovely view of backyard nature in an urban setting. I like how she sees the often villanized crow as a source of comfort. Thanks to an arrangement with Hoopla, I borrowed the audiobook from my local library.

[Lorraine Sulick-Morecraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

So excited my copy arrived today! I am off and running with my first entries in the fall section. Ms. Renkl's writing is poetic and her writing prompts are thoughtful and encouraging. My sketching may not be top notch but I am willing to practice. My backyard journal awaits my weekly entries. What a wonderful addition my personal library.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful addition to any nature lovers Library. The thought put into the writing prompts is noticeable and I am enjoying the time spent outdoors. This journal promotes mindfulness and peace in nature, while giving the user a chance to deep dive into their own beliefs and goals.

[Dianne]

So excited!! I won another Goodreads Giveaway! I 🫶🏼
Margaret Renkl!! I cannot wait to get this one! Thanks, GoodReads!!

[Brittani Greco · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st of all, I loveee a journal. Pair it with my favorite hobby, gardening, and I am in love. The illustrations are so pretty, I love the quotes, and it also explains how to use the journal.

[Rox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning and uniquely beautifully adorned nature journal. The resources for plant and bird identification at the end was also a great feature. Thank you for the giveaway!

[Jessica Koczera · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't have a backyard to really journal about nature and whatnot so I gave it to my mom in hopes that maybe she can use it if she would like to.

[Mary Jeneverre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krystina