Adirondack Almanac

How do birds stay warm in January? What causes meadows to become full of wildflowers in May? Why is August the best time for young animals to develop survival skills? And what is the primary reason brook trout spawn in October? In Adirondack Almanac, Tom Kalinowski chronicles a year in the natural world of the Adirondacks, vividly bringing to life the hidden events that occur there each month. Beautifully illustrated by North Country artist, Sheri Amsel, Adirondack Almanac is both a fascinating introduction to the unseen world of natural cycles and an entertaining account of life among the animals and plants of the spectacular Adirondack region.

Tom Kalinowski is an avid outdoor enthusiast who taught field biology and ecology at Saranac Lake High School for 33 years. He has written numerous articles on natural history for Adirondack Life, The Conservationist, and Adirondack Explorer magazines and a weekly nature column for the Lake Placid News. In addition, Tom’s books, An Adirondack Almanac, and his most recent work entitled Adirondack Nature Notes, focuses on various events that occur among the region’s flora and fauna during very specific times of the calendar year. He also spends time photographing wildlife. Tom’s pictures have appeared in various publications across the New York State.

Sheri Amsel is the author and illustrator of more than 25 nonfiction children's books and field guides. Her work includes books on nature, the environment, human anatomy and "how to draw" guides. She has developed an enormous, illustrated science resource website for schools, museums and families to use: Exploringnature.org and visits schools and libraries nationally with programming about animals and habitats. Sheri works out of her home studio in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York.