How to Catch a Frog: And Other Stories of Family, Love, Dysfunction, Survival, and DIY

Much of Heather Ross's creative work has been inspired by her being born into an eccentric family of artists and idealists in a rural corner of Vermont during the 1970s. According to Heather, that environment was defined by stunning natural beauty, creative and innovative living, and daily lessons in self-reliance. It also included equal parts of general dysfunction, a self-imposed but nearly inescapable poverty, and little exposure to basic life skills. When, as a twenty-something, Heather 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 (immunizations, a healthy respect for authority), 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, all animated by Ross's delightful illustrations and how-to instructions.