Review
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“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 rtunities 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
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About the Author
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Marcie Cuff has an academic background in studio art, evolutionary biology and animal behavior, and an MA
in Secondary Science teaching. Now a nature columnist for a regional newspaper, The Hudson Independent, she has written
professionally for most of her life, and runs Mossy, a blog highlighting innovative family projects, hands-on parenting
commentary, and related photography, and listed as one of Babble’s top 50 Mom Craft Blogs of 2011. She works as a garden
coordinator at a local elementary school, and organizes and maintains a community-based vegetable garden.
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