Missing Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore? You can still marvel—and learn—thanks to this new book.
The new book, The Life of the Sleeping Bear, was created by Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It showcases the popular Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive in lush pictorials and shares high-interest historical and nature stories. It can be purchased at lifeofthesleepingbear.com.
Books purchased from the website in May will include a 5×7 matted photo of the title page image, “Lake Michigan Overlook on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.”
A visual narrative, this book is also a reference guide with self-sufficient chapters that explore eight topics complete with maps, graphics and historical photos. It is the ideal companion for now-homeschooled students and their parent-teachers. There are also complimentary educational resources found at nps.gov, which include ranger program information for ages 5-13, teachers’ resources for linking content to Common Core curriculum standards and the National Park Service’s comprehensive video and virtual educational programming that enhance science, history and artistic subject areas.
Adults will find this gem brings depths to explore from prehistoric geologic times, the First People, immigrants and modern history. It also examines the ecological complexities of the land and seas, economic development and, aptly, a history of the Park’s 10-year-long birth.
Each subject is related to numbered stops along the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, making it a great in-car reference for first-time visitors or locals who want to know more about their secret places in the park.
Have you ever been to Pierce Stocking? Explore each stop here.
The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes’ mission is to protect resources and heighten visitor experiences in partnership with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Created in 1994, the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes has grown into a robust, sustainable 501(c)3 organization with more than 800 members who, in 2019, raised $133,000 in donations and reported 13,689 volunteer hours in direct support of the National Lakeshore.
The Life of the Sleeping Bear is published by Mission Point Press of Traverse City.
Book Reviews
“I’ve been living in the grasp of the Sleeping Bear Dunes all my life and I didn’t know half the information packed in this guidebook. Did I find this book valuable? Yes. Engrossing? Yes. Beautiful? Yes. Full of history and fact? Yes! Congratulations to all involved in creating this book, so aptly called, The Life of the Sleeping Bear. You’ve covered miles and miles and hundreds of years in one excellent book.”
— Bob Sutherland, President, Cherry Republic, Glen Arbor
“I love this book. It has something for everyone, the historian, the environmentalist, the traveler, the photographer and perhaps most of all, the person who has lived or visited here almost forever and never realized the true stories of The Life of the Sleeping Bear.”
— Barbara Reed, Owner, The Bookstore, Frankfort