Wild Joy in Our Own Backyard
All artwork by Alex Bailey.
The idea for writing the book Wild Sierra Nevada: A Family Nature Guide, began after moving to the Sierra Nevada a decade ago. But really, you could say that it started much earlier, on yearly camping trips to the Sierra when I was a kid. I still remember the sense of elation I felt as we left our suburban life of the San Francisco Bay Area and climbed steadily into the mountains. I’d take off when we got to the campground and find boulders in the woods to climb up, the warm granite a steady anchor as I climbed to the highest point. On those rocks, I felt a sense of connection, freedom, and wildness that I didn’t have access to in the largely human-created landscape of my home city. There, with just scuttling lizards and chipmunks for company, my lifelong fascination with natural history was born.
Natural history refers to the study of the natural world through direct observation. Humans have been engaging in some form of informal natural history throughout all human history. What used to be a necessity for all now often must be carved out of our fast-paced, urbanized lives. When I began writing this book, it was important to me that the book bridged science and art. I wanted to connect with a child’s innate sense of wonder so that when they sat with the book it left them not just with knowledge but with a sense that nature is sprinkled with some magic. As David Sobel writes in the book Beyond Ecophobia, “If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it”. My hope for this book is that it fosters a lifelong connection with the natural world and a drive to protect it.
When I finished my manuscript, I began researching local artists to see if anyone’s artistic style captured that intersection of scientific facts imbued with wonder. I came across Alex Bailey’s work in an article in Tahoe Quarterly and was struck by the first piece of art shown in that article, an accurate rendering of Garibaldi Lake with rainbow exuberance. Her work blended scientific illustration with a whimsical approach that perfectly fit with my vision for the book. Alex describes her process this way: “Spending time in nature has been a lifelong inspiration for me, both as a scientist and an artist. Through my background as a scientist, I learned observational skills that have helped me to better understand the landscapes that I spend time in and their inhabitants. Through watercolor and ink painting, I can process what I am seeing and share my perspective with others. My biggest goal with my art is to inspire people to feel more connected to nature and to take the time to notice all facets of their environment, both big and small”. Since Alex and I started working together our focus has remained in harmony. We both love sharing this book with children during school visits and book signings. We read the book to children with animal puppets, sing songs related to the creatures in the book, lead children on walks in the woods for nature journaling activities, and do crafts.
When Nevada Humanities Program Manager Kathleen Kuo reached out to us to tell us our book was chosen to represent Nevada at the 2026 Library of Congress National Book Festival, I was overjoyed. We would be able to do our favorite thing, which is to host an event with families. Wild Sierra Nevada is embedded in a sense of place, and so it was an incredible honor that the place from which its roots are planted had chosen us to represent the state of Nevada. It also feels fitting and particularly poignant that it is on the 250th anniversary of our country. Nevadans, who live in the state with the highest percentage of public land in the country, hold a tradition of carrying a special bond with wild landscapes. With the quickly changing digital world in which children are raised, it is more important than ever to ground ourselves in joy through time spent in wild lands —which, luckily for Nevadans, is likely right in our backyard.
Joanna Howes (author) has taught in Montessori schools for nearly a decade, and most recently was the primary director for a Montessori program. She has a bachelor’s degree in natural history and ecology, as well as a master’s degree in education. Howes grew up in California’s Bay Area, and her fondest childhood memories include climbing granite boulders and wading in creeks on her family’s annual summer trip to the Sierra Nevada. She now lives in Tahoe Vista, California, with her partner and children. Joanna loves exploring in the woods with her daughters, and you can often find her reading, swimming in alpine lakes, and listening for birdsong. She is also busy working on her next book, about the magic of the stunning Colorado Plateau.
Alex Bailey (illustrator) is a Canadian-American artist currently residing in Reno, Nevada. She has a B.A. in Geology and an M.Sc. in Environmental Geochemistry, and has spent the majority of her professional career working as an environmental geochemist. Throughout her life she has maintained a passion for art, and is currently working full time as an artist and scientific illustrator. Alex Bailey’s art is inspired by her scientific background and her curiosity for the natural world, in addition to her adventures hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, and backcountry skiing.