The secret world of weather How to read signs in every cloud, breeze, hill, street, plant, animal, and dewdrop

"It is time to... celebrate the weather signs that few notice," writes expedition leader Gooley (The Natural Navigator) in this ingenious collection of tips and tricks for analyzing and anticipating weather phenomena. Rather than relying on "charts on screens" to predict the weather, readers can look around their surroundings for clues. In a chapter on wind, for example, Gooley advises on how to note wind direction and changes, as "there is a strong connection between wind direction and weather changes." Another chapter covers plants, fungi, and lichens, and encourages readers to feel leaves for their texture, which can determine whether a place has received regular sunshine. Even the human fist, he writes, can help indicate how far away a storm cloud is if "you stretch out your fist on its side" and compare it to the height of a cloud. Gooley's knowledge is highly specialized (he goes so far as to provide the French term for a specific type of cloud, for example), but the wealth of wisdom on offer is impressive. Adventurers in the making will find this worth returning to. Agent: PJ Mark, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (May)