Letters From Eden: A Year at Home, in the Woods

by Julie Zickefoose, Sy Montgomery (Foreword by)

At the age of seven, Julie Zickefoose knew that she wanted to paint birds for a living, and her lifelong dedication shows in her paintings, which are meticulously accurate as well as beautiful. The paintings used here, of scenes from her beloved home in southern Ohio, illuminate well-crafted essays based on her daily walks and observations. Wild turkeys, coyotes, box turtles, and a bird-eating bullfrog flap, lope, and leap through her prose. She excels at describing and exploring interactions between people and animals, bringing her subjects to life in just a few lines. Her husband and children make appearances, presenting their own challenges and pleasures. The essays are arranged by season, starting with winter, providing a sense of movement through the year.
 

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Essays, Birds, Animals, Memoir, Art

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2006

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thoughtful, kind, humble, lovely collection of writings and illustrations. Now that I've finished reading it through once, I'm ready to start again at the beginning.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so engrossed in this book, I read this book in one day. It was so beautifully written, even though I have never visited the Appalachians, I felt I was there.

Ms. Zickfoose's writing made me calm and introspective. I missed my own childhood home in the woods very much after reading this book.

It would be nice if there was a companion audiobook CD to this book, so you could look at the lovely illustrations Ms. Zickfoose has made while listening to her tell her own stories. She is a frequent commentator on NPR's All Things Considered and I've gotten used to her voice.

This is probably the best book purchase I've made this year (and since I rarely buy books, that is a big honor).

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give a lot of five star ratings if a book is excellent and meets my needs. The problem is that then it's hard to decipher which are the truly amazing books. This is one such. I have not personally met Julie, but I've heard her speak (never pass up the chance) and my son attended a birding camp with her this summer. She's an amazing naturalist, artist and bird lover. I hope to read all of her books.

[Julie McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this at a time when I was feeling suffocated by too much concrete and a deeply rutted routine. The author's descriptions make the animals seem human in their actions. Her illustrations are amazing--I'd love to be able to draw and paint like that. I recommended this book to a nature-loving coworker who loved it so much that he bought a copy as a gift for his naturalist father.

[Shirley Brosius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julie Zickefoose’s delightful book took me back to my country roots. And how interesting it was to see the world through the eyes of a field biologist! You not only meet yellow-bellied sapsuckers and snakes, but you learn interesting tidbits about their nature and often about their interaction with Zickefoose, her husband, Bill Thompson III, and their two young children, Phoebe and Liam. The author once relocated a snake to a safer habitat after her daughter ran over it with her tricycle.

Besides an engaging writing style, Zickefoose illustrates the book with pencil drawings and paintings of birds, animals and nature scenes. From a nosy turtle, peering down at you, to wildflowers and birds, she uses color and detail to enhance the printed word. It’s a great book for your coffee table, but you can expect guests to borrow it.

Letters From Eden condenses eight years of life on 50 acres in southern Ohio into stories related to winter, spring, summer and fall. By simply paying attention, Zickefoose focuses ours on details of nature that might have slipped by unappreciated by the uninformed eye. An index helps you find those stories you want to reread. If you can’t get out in the field, take the trip with Zickefoose, and if you can get out, let her open your eyes to all the things you might have missed.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually a re-read, and damn, it was better the second time around. Her writing and drawing is elegant and simple. I want to know her and ramble her woods together.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, how I loved this book! Julie Zickefoose’s nature writing is succinct simplicity at its finest, and Letters from Eden is the perfect bedside book; it begins with winter—when I began to read it—and ends with autumn, taking the reader through all of the seasons, with titles like “January Thaw”, “Six Gifts of April”, “Summer Pleasures”, and “Letting It Go”.

Although much of the book is devoted to the beauty and pleasures of nature, Zickefoose does not shy away from its dark side; the illness running through a population of chipping sparrows living near her home—and how Zickefoose handles the beloved birds—is treated with compassion, but reminded me (as if I needed reminding) that nature and animals undergo changes, and sometimes those changes give me a lump in my throat.

And if the various topics and gorgeous writing aren’t enough, Zickefoose’s illustrations push this book even further to the level of “amazing”. Although I’m not an expert on artistic media, I think I know pencil sketches when I see them; the ones in this book range from half-completed drawings to intricate pieces of art. Her colorful watercolors—of animals, of landscapes—are wonderful, and there are some works—like the cover painting of Paul the song sparrow (it’s a long story; read the book)—that are in a medium of which I’m unsure (oils? pastels?). They are all delightful.

Fortunately, I have at least one other Julie Zickefoose book in my bookcases; after reading Letters from Eden, though, I may have to start hunting for her others in order to (I hope) duplicate this reading experience.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman can draw the most beautiful pictures of wildlife! This book is filled with her stories of animals in her life, from saving baby birds and putting them back in their nest, to teaching her young children how to enjoy and love the outdoors. She even raised a bullfrog and taught it to come eat on command - to her own dismay....
Loved the book and mostly the illustrations - more of a bunch of little stories about many kinds of wildlife. She sure knows alot about many different species.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letters from Eden: A Year at Home in the Woods by Julie Zickefoose is a book that I received as a gift many years ago. I loved Letters from Eden, which read like a memoir. It contained essays and illustrations of the wildlife she encountered on her daily walks. Starting with winter, Zickefoose describes wildlife she observes during each season. Living in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio, she observes many birds, turtles, snakes, chipmunks, deer and even a coyote. Zickefoose is a naturalist, gifted writer and painter. This makes her writing and illustrations both accurate and beautiful. Letters from Eden: A Year at Home in the Woods is a book I will treasure and revisit. It's definitely a keeper!

[Elise Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of essays organized by season, it seemed only right to read it the same way: slowly, over the course of a year, as a kind of meditation for a wannabe naturalist. I have neither the scientific background, nor the artistic capability to capture the world like Julie Zickfoose does, but it was a privilege to be invited briefly into this window on the world she inhabits.

We praise books so much for being page-turners...books we can't put down...but I'm glad I made the effort to put this one down. It was one meant to be read slowly.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful. My husband browsed through this book before I began reading it and said it was uncanny how much she and I were similar. I do believe this author and I may have been separated at birth. My thoughts and her words were amazingly similar and we even have a favorite movie in common. Her illustrations are spectacular... her words a perfect companion.

[Linda Elsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every page of this book. Although I disagree with her dislike for starlings, house sparrows and other non-native bird species, after all its not their fault, still I need my own copy of this book. I could so relate to many if these essays ❤️

[Lukie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kind of escapist reading. Beautifully illustrated by the author.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this naturalist's book and didn't want it to end.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the life I want for myself.

[Dianne Rider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book! Delightful topics/stories and beautifully written and illustrated

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book! Not only is Julie Zickefoose an amazing nature artist, she can tell stories that make you feel like you are there with her seeing the beauty of nature, sometimes told with humor.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best nature books I have read!

[Marilyn A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know what I found most impressive--Zickefoose's knowledge and love of birds, her artistic drawings or her lilting writing style. Combined this book is simply splendid and one that I enjoyed immensely. The essays are ordered by the season that she wrote them in although they come from different years of her life. Zickefoose prompted me, in reading this book, to want to learn more about birds. What bird makes what sounds? What are various birds nesting habits? What are the names of the common and not so common birds that I see outside in my garden. That's probably the best recommendation for a.book--one that makes you want to learn more. It also prompted me to begin writing essays about ordinary days in my own specialty--gardening. I can't recommend this beautiful book more highly.

[Christine Voss · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked Amy Tan’s backyard bird book you will love this book by an award winning nature illustrator!

[Steve H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of relatively short, simple, wonderfully illustrated, nature-related, generally homey essays about life and the author's relationships with nature in Southeastern Ohio. The essays are easily digestible and fun to share aloud with others. JZ brings different scenes to life, from climbing a ladder to return birds to nests or hiking through the chill air to find wonders in the Appalachian hills near her home.

This collection takes us through the natural world by seasons, much like Aldo Leopold's classic A Sand County Almanac. Also like Leopold's work though 70 years later, Letters from Eden illustrates the connection between humanity and nature.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zickefoose is a watercolorist who leads an enviable life in Southern Ohio. She's got 80 acres which she roams and sketches. She's a birder, so most of her anecdotes and paintings concern either birds or her young kids or both. She's a bit more anthropomorphic than I'm comfortable with, but a here crafts a solid set of interesting essays just the same. Zickefoose is a keen observer and a good writer as well.

[Marian Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book with a wonderful insight to nature, and how much work and knowledge it takes to provide for all the creatures on a farm. It gave me the realisation that I could never manage to create such an amazing ecology for Nature, but I respect those who do even more now that I have a glimpse of what it takes.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written and wonderfully illustrated journal through Julie Zickfoose' year in her bird sanctuary. I just wish I could spend the year there with her, exploring and learning even a bit of what she knows.

Denise loves it, too. Karen, this would be great for Alan, but look at her other titles - there are lots that may make great Father's day gifts.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice to read a book which affirms my feelings for the woods and my daily surrounds. This gal sees nature as one who's fully immersed and part of it, and with a heart that truly cares for every single creepy crawly, four-footed and winged beasties. Thank you, Mz Zickefoose - you've written and illustrated a natural history treasure.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was written by a nature lover who lives in a rural area in southern Ohio (near Marietta). I am familiar with this area and can appreciate her connection to the land and creatures that reside. She particularly likes birds, but tells of her experiences with all the wildlife on her vast property, and works in stories with her family too. A relaxing, easy read.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up at the library. She writeas about nature for The Bird Digest and NPR. She is a nature artist specializing in birds. She lives with her family on a farm in south east Ohio. She has a web site and it is very informative...also an excellent photographer! CHeck it out!

[Pam Oconnor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simply beautiful book. Julie's descriptions and observations are breathtaking and her illustrations are beautifully done. I read this book slowly, just a chapter or two at a time. It will make you more aware of the nature in your own yard, and outside your own windows.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book! I tried to read it in small doses to make it last, but couldn't help gobbling it in great big gasps. Ms. Zickefoose is an enormously talented artist and writer-I admire her work greatly.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful book. Julie Zickefoose is not only a talented nature artist, but a talented storyteller and writer, as well. This book is a series of short essays of her observations and interactions with birds and the other creatures she encounters on her large property in Ohio.