This is not your typical book, it doesn't read like one. It has over 4000 ways nature makes us smile. Some everyone can enjoy, while other items are specific to location. I'm going to take about 100 or so ideas, put them in a bowl and pick at least one a day. It would be a great activity if you had kids, to get them to appreciate nature a little more.

This book might be a good gift book to just flip open when you need a reminder of blessings in nature, but I’m not sure how useful it would be otherwise. I only see it listed as a very expensive (nearly $19) kindle book, and I can’t imagine actually reading this as a kindle.

It is essentially a list of thousands of pretty, poetic, interesting, random and/or cool specific things in nature like the heartbeat of a squirrel, the fragrance of hot sun, and a plant’s common name. There are some black and white drawings and there’s a cloud shape around about one thing per page.

It’s a sweet book and it could be a nice little coffee table book if it was inexpensive and in physical form but I think people may be disappointed if they purchase it without realizing what it is.

I do think it is quite poetic and that the author has made a beautiful thing, but I also think it should be priced much lower and it will be important for readers to know ahead of time what it is and isn’t.

I read a temporary online view of this book for review.

I really enjoyed this title, 4,101 Ways Nature Makes Us Smile, by Barbara Kipfer.

It was one of the books that I could pick up and put down as needed.

It also made me think about some of the more obscure things in nature.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

4,101 Ways Nature Makes Us Smile by Barbara Kipfer

I have rarely found myself so taken aback by a book. It's not at all what I expected although after rereading the publisher's description, that seems to be a user error on my part.

This is a list of 4,101 things in nature, some of which you'll recognize, others that you'll probably have no idea what they are. When I got past my surprise, and read entries slowly, I found myself appreciating and grateful for the things listed. Did I read all 4,101 entries? No. Admittedly, I also think that we could each make our own list of things we admire or value in nature.

My thanks to Falcon Guides for the opportunity to read a DRC of this book via NetGalley. Publication is 4/1/25, All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

This is not for me. I wasn’t really expecting the book to be on long list and I am not sure how I would read it and get the most out of it.