Table Of ContentPRAISE FOR
This Book Was a Tree
“Marcie Cuff makes nature even more fun than the way you find it. This is a
book about imagination and creativity—and getting dirty. The projects in This
Book Was a Tree remind me of the dozens of ways we can all connect with the
natural world on a daily basis. And since Marcie writes from the heart, you can
just feel the satisfaction and even joy you’ll get from connecting a little bit more
with the world around you. She has ideas that everyone can try alone or with
friends or family. She’s going to make a lot of lives simpler, happier, and more
plugged in to the world that’s all around us.”
—David Yarnold, President and CEO of National Audubon Society
“It really is good to get dirty, and this is a wonderful guidebook to exactly how!”
—Bill McKibben, author of Wandering Home
“Somewhere, in a book of advice on aging, I read a fine adage: Do something
real every day. That’s good advice for people of every age. From the title of the
book, through all of its pages of ideas and adventures, Marcie Chambers Cuff
helps us remember what’s real and what makes kids and their families feel fully
alive in a virtual age.”
—Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle
“Whether you live in a twenty-story building in the middle of the city or on a
twenty-acre preserve, this beautifully illustrated book urges us all to explore the
outdoors like never before. Full of fun, simple ideas and endless inspiration,
Cuff’s book will help all ages get creative and get connected—to nature, to the
process, and to the world in which we live.”
—Bernadette Noll, author of Slow Family Living
“A book that wonderfully captures the wandering and wonderment of my youth
—and brings it to life again. Part project, part prose, what was destined for my
eleven-year-old niece in New England has managed to linger on my desk for too
long. I might even keep it for myself!”
—M. Sanjayan, lead scientist at the Nature Conservancy and TV host
“This book still is a tree: to climb, survey, and touch the simple wonders of
nature. Marcie Chambers Cuff gives us back the physical world: Most of all, she
returns it to our children.”
—Adrian Higgins, garden columnist for the Washington Post
“This Book Was a Tree is full of sparks to reignite your curiosity and
engagement with the natural world around you.”
—Toby A. Adams, director of the Edible Academy at the New York Botanical Garden
“If we forget where we came from, we are lost. Marcie’s book offers a path
home and endless opportunities to learn. We love what we know, so we have to
begin with the knowing, and this book can help you begin. This Book Was a
Tree can help anyone begin to love the natural world around them and want to
be part of it.”
—Ellen D. Ketterson, distinguished professor of biology and executive producer of Ordinary Extraordinary
Junco
“If orangutans, Asian elephants, and crows can improvise creative ways to
interact with nature, Marcie Cuff shows us: so can we! You are very lucky that
you have picked up this book. Now go get your hands dirty and have fun!”
—Melanie Choukas-Bradley, naturalist and author of City of Trees
“Marcie Cuff’s book is a treasure! Even a diehard nature lover like me found
new inspiration and ideas for getting my kid to put down the screens and come
outside and explore, ask questions, and get our hands dirty while learning about
this magnificent planet we share. Any parent who is frustrated by the draw of
today’s relentless gadgets should bring this book home.”
—Annie Leonard, author and host of The Story of Stuff
“This Book Was a Tree is a strong and creative shout-out to all of us who are
artists, teachers, naturalists, parents, and simply humans. This book begs us to
put down our button-pushing gadgets and challenges us to reconnect to nature
through pages of timeless projects, creative acts, and deep thought. From
guerrilla gardening to pinhole cameras to phenology, Ms. Cuff covers it all with
the expertise of a scientist and a mother. This is not another book of ‘nature
crafts’ you can do with a paper plate or a corn husk. The introduction alone may
bring you to tears with an urgent message speaking of global damage,
environmental degradation, and ozone depletion. The author invites us to keep a
foot in both worlds knowing that we can come to our senses through purposeful
and fun exploration of the natural environment around us, no matter where we
live. I applaud This Book Was a Tree for being a tree first and giving the author
the pages to share with us the most important message of our time.”
—Amy Butler, director of education for the North Branch Nature Center and founder of ECO (Educating
Children Outdoors)
“It becomes obvious early on that writing This Book Was a Tree was a labor of
love for author Marcie Chambers Cuff. The passion in her words and conviction
in her messages are real, and comforting. Her message is simple: Step away
from the A/V technology of the twenty-first century and go outside to experience
the natural world. Overcome the inertia of home comforts and go out and get
dirty, poke things with a stick (dead things, which is how all wildlife biologists
get their start), look around, use that acorn between your shoulders, and become
creative, think on your own. This book is not just for city folk, nor is it just for
kids. It’s something to be shared between parent and child, teacher and student.
It belongs at home and in schools. It’s projects and adventures to be shared for
years and among generations.”
—Michael J. Petrula, research and management biologist, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division
of Wildlife Conservation
A PERIGEE BOOK
Published by the Penguin Group
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A Penguin Random House Company Copyright © 2014 by Marcie Cuff Penguin supports copyright.
Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture.
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PERIGEE is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
The “P” design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cuff, Marcie Chambers.
This book was a tree : ideas, adventures, and inspiration for rediscovering the natural world / written and
illustrated by Marcie Chambers Cuff.— First edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-10163007-5
1. Handicraft. 2. Nature craft. 3. Philosophy of nature. 4. Creative ability. 5. Conduct of life. 6. Frontier and
pioneer life. 7. Outdoor life. I. Title.
TT157.C77 2014
745.5—dc23 2013046446
First edition: April 2014
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contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any
responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any
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specific needs. For details, write: [email protected].
Version_1
to my two small wild girls
may you always have handfuls of seeds to scatter
Description:"At no time in human history have we been more disconnected with what lies outside our front doors. Within just a century, our relationship with our surroundings has transformed from one of exploration to one of disassociation. In This Book Was a Tree, science teacher Marcie Cuff issues a call for a
