The Keeper of Wild Words written by Brooke Smith and illustrated by Madeline Kloepper.

As you walk along the story trail at Pat & Clint Mauk’s Prairie, follow a tale of a grandmother and her granddaughter exploring and cherishing the natural world.

When Mimi finds out some of her favorite nature-related words, like apricot, blackberry, and buttercup—are disappearing from the English language, she elects her granddaughter as their Keeper. Believing the only way to prevent these words from disappearing is to know them, this book encourages children to connect with nature through language and to experience the world around them. Sparked by the Oxford Junior Dictionary’s removal of over 100 natural words from its pages, the author sought to create a place where these lost wild words could be celebrated.