The Year Round

Nature study has become an important part of a child's education, especially for the home schooled student and field guides are often the staple of such study. However, they usually are individually dedicated to trees, birds, reptiles, flowers, etc. and not found in a simple and comprehensive format. Clarence J. Hylander wrote and illustrated this classic field guide, first published in 1932. It is timeless in its beauty, accuracy, and detail. While it does not utilize the color plates that are so common today, The Year Round is organized by season, which allows the student to look for and find subjects and specimens throughout the year. In his preface, Dr. Hylander states that the purpose of the book is to assist not only the student, but the parent or teacher who does not possess a thorough and complete knowledge of nature to be able to help the child identify what they have seen in the out-of-doors. However, the book is sufficiently simple that the child can also use it by themselves. While the author has aimed the book at the northeast United States, many of the specimens are common throughout the country in other regions as well. The pen and ink drawings have been re-produced and are amazing in their clarity and usefulness.