I love [amazon_link id=”B001NAC5IQ” target=”_blank” ]Patagonia’s[/amazon_link] clothing for their durability, fashion, and environmental ethos. The company  has just entered the publishing business recognizing “books are still the most important medium for passing our values to the next generation”.

To introduce us to Patagonia Books, we were sent Closer to the Ground by Dylan Tomine.

Closer to the Ground is the deeply personal story of a father learning to share his love of nature with his children, not through the indoor lens of words or pictures, but directly, palpably, by exploring the natural world together as they forage, cook and eat from the woods and sea.

This compelling, masterfully written tale follows Dylan Tomine and his family through four seasons as they hunt chanterelles, fish for salmon, dig clams and gather at the kitchen table, mouths watering, to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Closer to the Ground captures the beauty and surprise of the natural world—and the ways it teaches us how to live—with humor, gratitude and a nose for adventure as keen as a child’s. It is a book filled with weather, natural history and many delicious meals.

I can relate to this book so well, as we do all of these things!  My family hunts for mushrooms (we went just yesterday looking for oyster mushrooms).  We backpack, we garden, they boys fish…We live our love of nature.  We live in the woods.

I love how this book is arranged by season.  It is well-written. Although I have not read it cover to cover, but I plan to, just opening it up and reading a passage is quite entertaining.  Dylan’s discussion of the bluetarp is hilarious.  We try to live bluetarpless.  Have you ever tried to pick one up that has decomposed into little pieces of blueness?

I also enjoyed the chapter “You can’t eat dahlias.”  I’ve had the same conversation with my partner when I spend time on flowers instead of food.  Flowers are food for the soul!  The men always come around and appreciate their beauty once flowers bloom, as Dylan does in this book.

I look forward to reading more books published by Patagonia, as I expect they will be of the same quality I have come to expect from their clothing.

disclosure: The products described above were sent to us as free samples. Prior assurances as to the nature of the reviews, whether positive or negative, were not given. No financial payments were accepted in exchange for the reviews. The reviews reflect our honest, authentic opinions.