Things Natural, Wild, and Free

Adventure is waiting just outside the door.

As a young boy, Aldo Leopold didn't just play in the woods—he explored them. With his dog Spud by his side, Aldo wandered the bluffs of the Mississippi River, tracking animals, studying birds, and discovering the secrets of the wild. These early adventures sparked a lifelong passion that transformed him into one of the most important conservationists in history.

In this vivid biography, award-winning author Marybeth Lorbiecki brings "the father of wildlife ecology" to life for a new generation. From his days as a pioneering forester to his work writing the classic A Sand County Almanac, this is the story of a man who taught us to see the land not as a commodity, but as a community to which we belong. Featuring historic photographs and a school resource section, this book inspires young readers to find their own "wild and free" adventures in the great outdoors.

Marybeth Lorbiecki, M.A., is author of more than 25 books for children and adults, most of them award-winners, and she teaches upper level college writing and the study of children's literature as an adjunct university professor. Like her hero Aldo Leopold, her works often explore the relationships of people to each other and to the natural world. Her adult biography, Aldo Leopold: A Fierce Green Fire, earned a Minnesota Book Award and a Distinguished Contribution to History Award from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.