Our incredible staff at Tremont Institute put together a list of books that have been important in our lives and work. Check out our suggestions and see if any appeal to you!

Emily Stein

Emily Stein, Youth Program Coordinator

Julie of the Wolves
by Jean Craighead George

My book recommendation for this week is Julie of the Wolves. I read this book for the first time when I was in the third grade, and it set me on the path that my life has taken. I became fascinated by the natural world, its interactions, and our place in it. Two years later, my fifth grade teacher let me “teach” the class about gray wolves by setting up my books, maps, and diagrams in desk pods around the classroom. She wasn’t surprised when I became an environmental educator many years later. Thanks, Ms. Strebeck!

Scott Maas

Scott Maas, Teacher Naturalist

Into the Wild
by Jon Krakauer

This is an inspiring book about the need to be prepared for adventures in the wild as Chris McCandless leaves his world behind and donates $25,000 to charity. Chris sets out on a path of self discovery and hitchhikes to Alaska only to find out how rough the wilderness can be.

Elizabeth Davis

Elizabeth Davis, Field Programs Specialist

The Trumpet of the Swan
by E.B. White

This book is a fictional story of 11-year-old Sam Beaver, a budding naturalist who befriends a Trumpeter Swan. The first few chapters of this book are what inspired me as a 9-year-old to don my most camouflaged clothing (brown jeans and green turtleneck), ascend the backyard holly tree, and wait motionless for almost an hour until a Blue Jay landed on the branch next to me. This encounter was hardly as fantastic as a Trumpeter Swan, but it left a lasting impression, as did the image in my mind of Sam using a compass to navigate by himself the open, marshy landscape of the Canadian lake country, which inspired me to teach myself to navigate with a compass as a teenager and to explore many trails, valleys, and ridges since.

Luke Schutzman

Luke Schutzman, Teacher Naturalist

Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild
by Craig Childs

This book is a fantastic blend of scientific facts and storytelling.  Craig Childs brings the reader with him into the extraordinary encounters he has had with a wide variety of wildlife over the years.  These short stories dive into everything from the immediate emotion one feels while being stalked by a mountain lion to the fossil record of North American camelids.  I highly recommend this book for its combination of entertainment and educational value for anyone interested in wildlife.

Mary Kait Brown

Mary Kait Brown, Teacher Naturalist

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
by Annie Dillard

My book recommendation is Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. Although this narrative nonfiction piece was published in 1974  and won a Pulitzer prize the following year, it has become an environmental classic and favorite amongst nature lovers. Set in Southwestern Virginia, along the Blue Ridge, Dillard takes a deep dive into nature along a small stream by her house, Tinker Creek. The book takes place over one year and is a compilation of Dillard’s personal journal entries. Through painstaking observation—getting up close and noticing the little details—Dillard tracks the changing seasons and the complexities of nature. If you like taking a deep dive into birding, stream ecology, insect biology, discussing morality and mortality, or stalking muskrats, you will definitely enjoy this book!

David Reedy

David Reedy, Community Development Specialist

Two in the Far North
by Margaret Murie

Although I live in East Tennessee, I have a passion for the Arctic. Two in the Far North chronicles the amazing life of Mardy Murie, an avid conservationist and one of the people credited with getting the Wilderness Act passed in the United States. If you get a chance to read this book, pay attention to her incredible recollection and the immensely detailed narrative that she paints about life and conservation in Alaska.