Stories about growing up in a family of artists and idealists in Vermont, complete with illustrations and how-to instructions.

Much of author and illustrator Heather Ross's work has been inspired by her childhood spent in a rural corner of Vermont during the 1970s. Her upbringing was defined by stunning natural beauty, innovative living, and daily lessons in self-reliance—but also dysfunction, a self-imposed but nearly inescapable poverty, and little exposure to basic life skills.

When, in her twenties, Ross complained to her mother about a long list of things she had missed out on and that had compromised her chance of ever leading a "normal" life, her mother waved a hand and replied, "Well, you should thank me, because you have a lot of good stories instead."

How to Catch a Frog is a collection of those stories, plus others that show Ross's eventual route to success as an artist, entrepreneur, and mother.

"A very honest coming-of-age tale . . . The book reminded me of the powerful memoir Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and if you loved that book, this one will rock your world as well." —Meg Cox, quilt journalist, author, and instructor