Book ‘em, Santa
By KEVIN COOLIDGE

Birds of Pennsylvania: Field Guide by Stan Tekiela is great if your favorite woodsman perhaps doesn’t get into the woods as much as he used to but still loves sitting by the window with that pair of binoculars he got last Christmas. There’s also a companion CD so he can learn the songs and sounds of our feathered friends. 

Heinlein’s Tunnel in the Sky describes a group of students sent on a survival test to an uninhabited planet. It’s about the difficulties of growing up and the nature of man as a social animal. Great for those boys who don’t always like to read; if your nine- to twelve-year-old likes Hatchet by Gary Paulson, he’ll love this book.
James York Glimm was born a city boy. So when he took a position at Mansfield University in the heart of the mountains of Northern Pennsylvania, he was unprepared for the weather, the animals, and getting only three television stations, two of which didn’t come in. He was ignorant, an outsider—yep, a flatlander—as he explains in the introduction to his now-beloved book, Flatlanders and Ridgerunners: Folktales From the Mountains of Tioga County Pennsylvania, which has recently been reprinted by University of Pittsburgh Press.

Of all the unusual combat units of the Civil War; none was more colorful than the Pennsylvania Bucktails. The trials and tribulations of the Bucktails have been captured in Bill Robertson and David Rimer’s The Bucktail series, an easy and fun-to-read story collection for children and adults. Robertson is himself a Civil War buff and re-enactor, and his enthusiasm and technical expertise show through his writing and photographs. Robertson does most of his own photography and there are several great photos of fellow re-enactors, which bring the books and time period to life.

Though fiction, there’s more than a hint of the autobiographical in Of Woods and Wild Things by Don Knaus, who writes about growing up in Tioga County. The stories follow a young man from novice to seasoned woodsman. There are fishing and forests, hunting and hiking, camping and canoeing, but the stories are about more than woodcraft and the outdoors. It’s about family and friendship, memories and mentoring, youth, and yearning and a rite of passage that is becoming all too uncommon in our modern society.

Eugene Field’s Wynken, Blynken, and Nod  is the classic Dutch lullaby/poem with great illustrations by Johanna Westerman. A statue of this famous trio adorns Wellsboro, Pennsylvania’s Green. There’s also a sister statue in Denver.

From Max Brooks, author of The Zombie Survival Guide, comes World War Z, a gem chronicling “Zombie World War,” a battle against the undead from global pandemic to worldwide panic and the armed struggle to reclaim the planet. World War Z is a collection of accounts, each revealing an aspect of the larger plot and a personal tale. The viewpoint is not strictly the American, but focuses on the global nature of the struggle. Brooks addresses such issues as environmentalism, the war on terror, international health care, and manages to be entertaining. This isn’t just a great zombie book, but a great book. Great for horror, SF fans, or the lover of post-apocalyptic scenarios.

Chuck Dillon’s Short Hikes in Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon describes forty-four hikes that range from two to six hours and backpacking trips that can be completed in a weekend. Special features and topography summarize each hike. Be sure to check his other book on Potter County as well as his pictorial, Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon: A Natural & Human History.

My girlfriend Kasey brought Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant to my attention. I thought it would be a cookbook and I hate eggplant but haven’t been disappointed to discover an anthology of essays edited by Henni Ferrari about the amusing concoctions the contributors eat when they don’t need to worry about anyone else. I read one essay; I laugh. I put the book down and pick up another until the next time I’m in the mood for something short and sweet.

The Dangerous Book For Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden remembers adventure and endless summer days. Maybe I’m just being nostalgic, but I remember when boys were expected, even encouraged to build tree houses, go fishing and to be able to tie a figure-eight knot, which is great for rock-climbing.

I’m a uncle with many nephews and if I had a niece, I’d teach her to arm wrestle. If you are a guy, and need some guidance for that little lady in your life, The Daring Book For Girls by Meriam Peskowitz and Alexis Seabrook is a manual with everything that your gal needs to know, from female heroes in history to secret note-passing skills, science projects to friendship bracelets, and even the perfect cartwheel.

It’s the Christmas season, and I feel obliged to mention at least one holiday book: The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming, a Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket. A latke is a potato pancake served at Hanukkah, but other holiday icons also appear. Only the author of A Series of Unfortunate Events would write a holiday tale in which the main character gets eaten.

Yep, my shopping is done for the year. All that’s left is to leave Santa his milk and cookies and maybe a carrot for the reindeer. I can’t wait to see what Santa leaves in my stocking on Christmas morning. I hope it’s not coal.

Kevin Coolidge is the co-owner of From My Shelf Books on Main Street in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.