The Great Alaskan Nature Factbook

A Guide to the State’s Remarkable Animals, Plants, & Natural Features

Second Edition, West Margin Press, 2011

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"Ewing has been affectionately called the Factoid Queen, and this book’s hundred-odd entries prove that out. Each mini essay expresses appreciation and delight for all of her subjects, from the mighty polar bear to humble fungi. In the animal section you will learn that Alaska’s dolphins surf, ice worms are real, loons can dive 600 feet, and there is actually a reason for mosquitoes, having to do with the food web. In the plant section, you will discover that devil’s club is a member of the ginseng family, and that 10,000-year-old lupine seeds found in permafrost germinated within 48 hours of being planted. The final section on natural features lumps together coal, copper, earthquakes, erratics, tides, tundra, and more. 

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Nature writer Ewing delights in the unusual and brings a mischievous sense of humor to transform an overwhelming amount of information into engaging and reader-friendly entries sure to delight anyone with a curiosity about the natural world."

—Alaska Magazine (Editor's Choice)