Our Michigan!: We Love the Seasons

For anyone who has ever dipped a toe in one of its Great Lakes, walked through one of its golden forests, or stood atop one of its sandy dunes, the natural beauty of Michigan is etched in the mind.

From north to south and east to west, the state offers bountiful opportunities for outdoor enjoyment.Written as a read-aloud for families to share, Our Michigan! We Love the Seasons is a nature walk through the state. Child-friendly text follows the four seasons, offering readers "you-are-there" armchair vacations through stunning visual postcard-like scenes. Arts and crafts activities using natural elements are featured in the back matter.

Illustrated by acclaimed Michigan wildlife artist Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (The Legend of Sleeping Bear), Our Michigan! We Love the Seasons is a love letter to the state, celebrating its natural splendors, as well as an invitation to readers of all ages to head outdoors.

Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen was born in the Netherlands in 1951. With his seven brothers and sisters, he grew up exploring nature and his sketch pads were filled with observations from those family outings. Always drawing as a young boy, his father encouraged Gijsbert to make art his career. After high school, he attended and graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in Arnhem, Holland.

Gijsbert, or "Mr. Nick" as many children affectionately call him during his school visits, immigrated to the United States in 1976 and worked as Art Director for the Michigan Natural Resources Magazine for 17 years. In 1995, he illustrated his first children's book, The Legend of Sleeping Bear, finally fullfilling his dream of illustrating children's books.

Residing in Bath, Michigan, Nick and his family share their 40-acre farm with sheep, horses, dogs, cats, turkeys, rabbits, chickens, pigeons and a revolving door of orphaned and injured wild life. The family's nature journals logged 20 years of wild life rehabilitation on the farm and it is through these journals that the popular Hazel Ridge series was created. The farm, the land and the animals make great subjects for the artist to paint.

Mr. Nick travels to schools and conferences to share his passion for drawing--encouraging kids to make their hobby their career.