Meet Jabber, a Steller’s jay born in the spring in a nest of pine twigs and mud. When summer comes, she grows feathers and learns to fly, just in time for the cold season ahead. With beautiful illustrations by Diane Iverson, Jabber the Steller’s Jay takes the reader through the first year of Jabber’s life as she learns to survive along with the other animals who live in the ponderosa pine forest of the US Southwest with her. Includes a pictorial glossary of many of the forest animals that Jabber meets, including a red-tailed hawk, a tassel-eared squirrel, a porcupine, and a mountain lion.

For hundreds of years, the massive ponderosa pine of the U.S. Southwest has left multitudes in awe. After spending nearly three decades researching among these trees, Sylvester Allred shares his wealth of experience in the southwestern ponderosa pine forests with the world in Ponderosa. Ponderosa is the first of its kind to provide an introduction to the natural and human histories of the ponderosa pine forests of the Southwest that is accessible to all who wish to enjoy the forests. The book offers knowledge on elemental aspects of the forests, such as the structure of the trees, as well as theoretical perspectives on issues such as climate change. Included are discussions of biogeography, ecology, and human and natural history, illustrated by over fifty color photographs throughout. Allred presents his observations as if he is recalling his thoughts over the course of a walk in a ponderosa pine forest. His imagery-saturated prose provides an informal and enjoyable approach to discovering the history and environment of the ponderosa pine. Using a concise, straightforward writing style, Allred invites readers to explore the forests with him.