In Blue Mountains: An Artist's Return to America's First Wilderness — Thomas Locker

In Blue Mountains is about the love of nature and the importance of beauty. It tells the story of an artist who sets out to explore wilderness and discovers a new way of seeing. Bewildered at first by the profusion of nature -- There are so many leaves, he could never paint them all! -- Gradually, he learns to see its wholeness and to trust his feelings. As he does so, he embarks on an adventure of learning: about light and shadow, the way color changes through the day, and how looking at nature leads to a new understanding of himself and the world. This illuminated story is set in America's first wilderness, the Kaaterskill Clove in Upstate New York, made famous by the Hudson River School of painters -- many of whose pictures are reflected in this book. Thomas Locker's In Blue Mountains is a personal, deeply moving testament to the power of beauty and art to nurture our children's natural love of the world. Indeed, it can inspire childlike wonder in people of all ages.