Welcome to the Nature Speaks to Us Blog by Nancy Klimp, Children’s Book Author

Welcome to the Nature Speaks to Us Blog! I am Nancy Klimp, Children’s Book Author.

I am so very excited to announce the upcoming debut of my two children’s picture books, Meet Me at the Salish Sea and Explore with Me at the Salish Sea, in April 2021!

Nature Speaks through Children’s Book Inspired Salish Sea

The inspiration for these books took hold several years ago when, by the shores of the Salish Sea, my five-month-old granddaughter Adriana was sleeping in my arms. I sat quietly, taking in the full landscape of sky, forest, waters, and all that resided therein. 

The poems began arriving in my mind and continued over the years as I strolled, played, and wondered with her and her brothers Easton and Francis, plus her cousins Waylon and Otis. Then came the Salish Sea poem:

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A miniature ocean
Constantly in motion

Tides running forth and back
Sometimes active, sometimes slack

Runoff waters from the land
Mountain snows to shoreline sand

An estuary system ancient, large, and productive
Its diverse ecology, highly instructive

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Now, two books containing 39 poems set among gorgeous artwork have been birthed for your enjoyment, curiosity, and education. The five-month-old has grown into an artistic six-year-old. Here, in her father’s art studio, she herself draws and paints among the very paintings that adorn the books.

The Salish Sea offers so much in its stretch from southwestern British Columbia in Canada to northwestern Washington State in the United States. Full of islands, waterways, inlets, mountains, fjords, and bays, its ecological diversity is incredibly rich, home to mammals, fish, birds, invertebrates, plants, and vessels large and small. Both Meet Me and Explore with Me stimulate curiosity and yet also a sense of solid peace, with the astounding artistry of Jared Noury bringing depth, color, action, and life.

Growing up in urban San Francisco in the proximity of cypress trees, a roaring Pacific Ocean, craggy coastlines, and flowers and succulents that grew rampantly year-round in the mild Mediterranean climate, I was keenly aware of nature being everywhere, intriguing and inviting. I also spent time visiting my family in Norway’s beautiful west-coast mountains, and those treasured memories shaped me profoundly. Many decades later, having lived in the Palo Alto region of the Bay Area and now the Puget Sound area in Washington State, nature still speaks to me significantly.

As I write this post today on Bainbridge Island, surrounded by the salty waters of the Salish Sea, the skies above me are bulging with moist clouds offering their fill and seabirds swooping and riding the winter winds. Watching my grandchildren’s curiosity about nature has encouraged me to slow down and be with them in these important moments, for I realize that I am witnessing singular lessons in their young lives.

Many of us are finding in these COVID-19 days that nature provides solace and inspiration. Taking the time to be in nature’s calming, beautiful environments not only slows us down nicely, but it is absolutely necessary for our mental and physical health. After all, we humans evolved from—and are inexorably a part of—nature. To separate ourselves from nature is to deny our origins, our very existence.

My hope with this blog—and my books—is to encourage all of us to take note of the nature surrounding us, to appreciate it, and to become good stewards of our lands, waters, and planet. My books are set in the Puget Sound region, but their concepts apply everywhere! Slowing down and truly seeing, smelling, touching, hearing, and tasting nature can bring us all clearer vision and better productivity.

In the coming months, I’ll give you a sneak peek at the books, offer some ideas on how you and your children can connect with nature, and share observations about the Salish Sea landscape by my doorstep that might inspire you to explore whatever nature lies at your feet as well. Stay tuned, and in the meantime, sign up to be notified when you can preorder your copy.

What aspect of nature intrigues you?

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Photo credits: Salish Sea, Peter Emery; Nancy Klimp, Erin Walsh