Wild Neighborhood Format: Paperback

An entertaining portrait of the creatures that share our place in the woods.

John Henricksson’s neighbors stop by to chat or to have a bite to eat or just to sit and watch. But in his Wild Neighborhood the visitors are the black bear, gray jay, timber wolf, owl, white-tailed deer, raven, and the moose.

A Wild Neighborhood is a collection of elegantly written essays about these creatures. From kitchen-table gossip about the black bear’s recent attempts to raid the bird feeder, to the retelling of Native American myths about the mischievous raven, Henricksson shows a love and understanding of the residents with whom he shares the narrow wedge of the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota.

Henricksson writes of the personal relationships that develop while living in the woods. He tells of the joy of helping a deer survive a tough winter and the mystery of animals he calls “ghosts”—species that are extinct or near extinct but still have a fleeting presence in the area.

Award-winning artist Betsy Bowen, author of Antler, Bear, Canoe: A Northwoods Alphabet Year, beautifully depicts the denizens of the forest. Her twenty-four woodcuts reflect, often humorously, Henricksson’s respect for and love of northwoods creatures.

This personal account of a vibrant community in the woods will appeal to readers of all ages and make a beautiful gift for everyone who has admired the creatures of his or her own wild neighborhood.

John Henricksson is a writer and editor who divides his time between his home in Mahtomedi, Minnesota, and his Gunflint Lake cabin. He is editor of North Writers: A Strong Woods Collection (Minnesota, 1991) and North Writers II: Our Place in the Woods (Minnesota, 1997).

Betsy Bowen is an award-winning illustrator who lives in Grand Marais, Minnesota. She is author and illustrator of Antler, Bear, Canoe: A Northwoods Alphabet Year (1991), Tracks in the Wild (1993), and Gathering: A Northwoods Counting Book (1995).