Puzzles, Mysteries, and Reviews

National Geographic's kids guide to America's national parks is a good starting point, but by no means is it exhaustive, and it carries some curious items and omissions.

Cooking delicious camp food can be a challenge, but it's a requisite if you're going to be surrounded by happy campers at the end of the day. If you're up for the challenge, and determined to master a traditional art of cooking over an open fire, invest in a Dutch oven and a matching cookbook.

Nature's patterns can be stark and amusing, stunning, and noble. And when you look at them in black and white, devoid of color, they actually seem stronger, more pronounced. That's the effect of David Gulden's grand new book on African wildlife, a book that captures your eye and starts you dreaming about a photographic safari.

What better way to explore nature than through the eyes of one of its residents? That's what Amy Griffin Ouchley thought when she sat down to write Swamper, Letters From A Louisiana Swamp Rabbit.

If there aren't already enough choices to make when it comes to deciding where to go in the U.S. National Park System, along comes National Geographic with its Guide to the National Parks of Canada. It's akin to rolling out the pastry cart once you've already settled on the Crème brûlée.