{"product_id":"world-of-wonders-in-praise-of-fireflies-whale-sharks-and-other-astonishments","title":"World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Hands-down one of the most beautiful books of the year.\" --NPR\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom beloved, award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil comes a debut work of nonfiction--a collection of essays about the natural world, and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted--no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape--she was able to turn to our world's fierce and funny creatures for guidance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"What the peacock can do,\" she tells us, \"is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life.\" The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world's gifts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWarm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, \u003cem\u003eWorld of Wonders\u003c\/em\u003e is a book of sustenance and joy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Books At Midnight","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48272427352269,"sku":"9781571313652","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0557\/1529\/9533\/files\/9781571313652.jpg?v=1751995809","url":"https:\/\/booksatmidnight.com\/products\/world-of-wonders-in-praise-of-fireflies-whale-sharks-and-other-astonishments","provider":"Books At Midnight","version":"1.0","type":"link"}