I read A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, ? 1949, by Oxford University Press, Inc., for the Biology class book review requirement. A Sand County Almanac is a great book about Ecology, Wisconsin, and society?s views toward nature. I found this piece of non-fiction science to be very interesting, entertaining, and informative.
This piece of ecological, scientific, non-fiction work was an interesting read, and gave me some insight to the smaller things in this world, like nature in middle wisconsin, and the general geography and nature of this country. I believe that our society sometimes overlooks the beauty of nature among our busy lives in metropolitan areas. I used to enjoy going out into the woods and into nature when I lived in a more rural area (North of Appelton, West of Green Bay about 30 miles. Little town called Bonduel), but now I find that I haven?t gone out and just enjoyed nature for a long time now.
I liked this book because it was informative, interesting, and easy to follow. It tought me about nature in Wisconsin, the behavior of some animals, and the history and landscape of our continent. I think I have also learned that if we stop and take the time to think, listen, and look around, nature has many little suprises in store for us. All we have to do is look for them. Mr. Leopold states this about a small flower called ?Draba?: ?He who hopes for spring with upturned eye never sees so small a thing as Draba. He who despairs of spring with a downturned eye steps on it, unknowing. He who searches for spring with his knees in the mud finds it, in abundance.? This just shows how if we do take time to look around for nature, we will find it, in abundance, even in our suburban yards and lifestyles.
Aldo Leopold splits up A Sand County Almanac into a few different sections. The first section is titled ?A Sand County Almanac,? and discusses the history of the counties with the cutting down of a tree, and also discusses many birds, trees, and water. The second section is called ?The Quality of Landscape,? and talks about the ecoloty, topography, geography, flora, and fauna of different sections of our continent (such as Wisconsin, Arizona, Iowa, and Manitoba) using analogies, similies, metaphors, and observations. Leopold?s third section is titled ?A Taste For Country,? and deals with the topics of society and nature, conservation, among other things. His final section, ?The Upshot,? talks about the wilderness of North America, and what conservation is needed in these areas.
In conclusion, I believe that A Sand County Almanac, the informative, non-fiction text that discusses wildlife, ecology, and conservation in North America is a great piece of literature. I would encourage anyone who has a chance, to read A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold.
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