At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our authors as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Chris Baker!
About the Author:
CHRIS BAKER is an author, professional mushroom lover, and founder of Chicory Naturalist, a nature shop and community space rooted in Kingston, New York. Baker is also a certified forager and enthusiastic guide to the realm of fungi, leading forays in the Hudson Valley bioregion. Running through all of Baker’s professional endeavors is a passion for reconnecting broken chains of generational knowledge about the natural world. She lives a few blocks from the Hudson River with her spouse, child and two calico cats.
Fast Five with Chris Baker:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I would rather live here in the Hudson Valley than anywhere in the world. I’m in a deep, committed love with this ecosystem and community and plan to live here for the rest of my life. That said, if my family could house swap with someone in France or Italy, I wouldn’t mind spending a year hunting ceps . . .
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
Paying attention to nature always does the trick. Of course going for a walk in the woods is wonderful, but even just taking five minutes to listen to the birds chit-chat and watch leaves dance can really turn my mood around.
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Dinner is my favorite meal because it’s when I get to reconnect with loved ones at the end of the day. In the summertime, we try to eat dinner outside as much as we can, which makes even boring meals feel special.
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
Patti Smith’s 25th anniversary tour for Horses was a pretty transcendent concert experience! But honestly, the best shows were probably the ones I got to see in bars and little venues when I lived in New Orleans. Little Freddie King, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and King Khan come to mind.
What is your favorite mushroom?
So hard to pick just one! But the first mushroom I really imprinted on was the golden chanterelle. I don’t think there’s a better smell in the world, and my heart always seizes up with excitement when I find them.
Books by Chris Baker:
On a Mushroom Day
Written by Chris Baker
Illustrated by Alexandra Finkeldey
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774882580 | Tundra Books
A mushroom day is a day of exploring together and discovering some of the most incredible lifeforms on earth: fungi. In this lyrical, informational picture book structured around a walk through a summertime wood, a child and their caregiver share the sights, sounds and smells of the forest as they observe and identify different varieties of mushrooms. On a Mushroom Day encourages curiosity and a love of fungi in young children and normalizes safe, chaperoned joyful exploration of the fungal queendom all around us. Filled with fun, fascinating fungi facts and a visual catalogue of mushroom species so that kids can enjoy their very own mushroom day in the pages of this book!