my wilderness
DESCRIPTION
An Alaskan AdventureTRANSCRIPT
SASQUATCH BOOKS1904 3rd Avenue, Suite 710 • SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
206/467-4300 • TOLL FREE 800/775-0817 • FAX 206/467-4301www.sasquatchbooks.com
FOR RELEASE MARCH 3, 2015Contact Haley Stocking, Publicist • 206/826-4318 • [email protected]
Pack your bags and journey to the Last Frontier with an imaginative boy in an adventure inspired by real events! My Wilderness: An Alaskan Adventure (Little Bigfoot; March 2015; $16.99) recounts the 1918 winter on Alaska’s Fox Island from the point of view of nine-year-old Rocky, son of the painter Rockwell Kent II. As his father captures the breathtaking Alaskan terrain on his canvas, Rocky delights in exploring his new island home. He befriends local animals, tastes his first snowflake, and lets his imagination run wild in the thrilling Alaskan landscape. And, of course, his trusty stuffed toy, Squirlie, is always by his side. (Can you spot Squirlie hiding on each page?) With vivid scratchboard-style illustrations, artist Claudia
McGehee brings the scenery and the magic of Alaska to life. Her playful, poetic prose fills Rocky’s story with a wonder and excitement that invites young readers to dive right in. My Wilderness also includes a Common Core teaching guide, so educators can use Rocky’s adventures to make history come alive.
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My WildernessAn Alaskan Adventure
Claudia McGehee
“When I was nine years old, I lived one winter on Fox Island, with my father, an old trapper named Olson, six blue fox, a family of angora goats, and Squirlie. This is what happened.”
About the Author
CLAUDIA MCGEHEE is a Pacific Northwest native and Midwest transplant. An award-winning author and illustrator for three natural history picture books, Claudia became captivated by Rockwell Kent and his family’s story after happening upon his paintings. For more about Claudia, visit her website, www.Claudia-McGehee.com.
SASQUATCH BOOKS1904 3rd Avenue, Suite 710 • SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
206/467-4300 • TOLL FREE 800/775-0817 • FAX 206/467-4301www.sasquatchbooks.com
My Wilderness An Alaskan Adventure
Claudia McGehee
March 2015 • $16.99 • 32 pages • Hardcover ISBN 978-1-57061-950-6
Available wherever fine books are sold.Sasquatch Books • 800/775-0817 • www.sasquatchbooks.com
SASQUATCH BOOKS1904 3rd Avenue, Suite 710 • SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
206/467-4300 • TOLL FREE 800/775-0817 • FAX 206/467-4301www.sasquatchbooks.com
The Story Behind My Wilderness
My Wilderness is based on a true father-and-son adventure. Nine-year-old Rockwell Kent III (Rocky, to his family) and his father Rockwell Kent II traveled to Alaska in the late summer of 1918. Rocky’s father was an up-and-coming painter seeking fresh inspiration. He also wanted to share his love of the wilderness with his eldest son. The pair lived on Fox Island with Lars Olson, an aging frontiersman and the island’s sole human inhabitant, for seven months until the spring of 1919. Rocky and his father wrote many letters to friends and family during their stay. They also kept journals. The elder Kent’s written records were published in 1920 in a book called Wilderness: A Journal of Quiet Adventure in Alaska. Rocky’s father made many important paintings while in Alaska. A few months after returning to New York, these paintings were exhibited at a successful art show. Some of Rocky’s drawings were shown as well.
Rockwell Kent II: 1882—1971Rockwell Kent III: 1909—1986
Rocky outside the Fox Island cabin.
Olson and Rocky, with goats. Rocky’s father, Rockwell Kent II