Karen Gaudette Brewer

Not sure who or what this book is aimed at. It's not of the material to be a good field guide though by its size and shape you would think that's what it's trying to be. Illustrations are great but that would normally be supplemental in a field guide with photographs to provide the kind of detail which would aid in identification while out in nature. This is a short, compact book about trees in the Pacific Northwest, which seems to include British Columbia and parts of California. Maybe it's aimed at elementary or high schoolers, or people with low attention spans tolerant of web-paged sized bits of information but not more? The tone of the writing just often isn't very good--very surface, light and flippant. For instance, in the text for the entry for the Western Juniper describing where it would be found: "GROW REGION: The sections of Washington and Oregon where it barely rains (yes, they exist)." If you have actually lived in the varied regions of Oregon and Washington, on both the dry, eastern side of the Cascades or the wetter Western side (even that is a generalization and greatly oversimplifies the varied climate of these states) you would find that description more than inadequate and almost demeaning.

I do note that this book is part of a series from Sasquatch Books titled "Pacific Northwest Know How," which includes a few other titles to date such as "Beer" and "Beaches." So that tells you something about the very simplified approach here. I do like how the book is organized, generally with a spread of two pages devoted to each tree, one for illustrations and one for text, and that Latin names are included. Also, many field guides one might find in the market with better presented and more detailed information take an all or nothing approach to flora; at least this book is focused solely on trees.… (meer)

Wonderful teaser information that encourages readers to explore more deeply. I love the format of this pocket guide with its brief, chipper introduction Introduction that begins with a poetic hook: "To live in the Pacific Northwest is to dwell in a kind of benevolent mystery." Then follows one-page accounts facing a full-page illustration of each Pacific Northwest tree including a few paragraphs of fascinating prose followed by identifying features and a fun fact. (The trees are arranged alphabetically by Latin name.) The drawings accurately and clearly show the full tree shape, a twig, needles, flowers and fruits. Interspersed between the accounts are "Northwest Wonders" which are two-page spread essays on topcs such as "Ghost Forests" and "Larch Madness." It ends with a short, informative Afterword, list of Additional Resources, and an Index. I love the hardcover for indoor reference, but I'd love to see it in a weather-proof softcover to take in the field.… (meer)