The Accidental Naturalist: Exploring the Flora and Fauna of Laguna Beach and Beyond

A coloring book by Jo Situ Allen

Laguna Beach is part of what ecologists call the Mediterranean biome, characterized by mild winters, hot dry summers, and moisture-laden oceanic breezes. This particular biome, or community of flora and fauna, is quite rare: it occurs in only five places on the planet. The Accidental Naturalist, a large-format, heavy-stock coloring book, features over forty of this region’s most iconic plants and animals.

101 Things to Love About Laguna Beach

By Sally Eastwood and Helen Polins-Jones

In 101 Things to Love About Laguna Beach, British transplants Sally Eastwood and Helen Polins-Jones have collaborated to create what they call an illustrated love letter to their adopted hometown. This whimsical guidebook to one of America’s most iconic beach communities features Sally’s prose and over fifty of Helen’s watercolor landscapes and motifs.

Writer Sally Eastwood arrived in Laguna Beach in 2000, after eight years of living on the east coast in Maryland and Florida. During her time in the corporate world, she wrote scripts, speeches, presentations and more. She now writes from home with a view of the ocean. Her favorite of the 101 things listed in the book is Laguna’s goats, the four-legged fire fighters who spend all day eating on the job.

Watercolor artist Helen Polins-Jones also lives and works in Laguna Beach. Using pencil and watercolor, she creates illustrations, motifs and patterns that can be found on a variety of handmade products in local gift stores. Her favorite item in the book is the sea birds, which she loves to watch in action while walking along the beach.