Many of Paulsen's writings are thinly disguised autobiographical accounts.

Although they may be profitably read as fiction, the following titles are based on personal experience and the central character reflects Paulsen's own feelings about the events: Eastern Sun, Winter Moon, The Cookcamp, Father Water, Mother Woods, The Madonna Stories, Woodsong, and Winter dance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod. In his autobiography, Eastern Sun, Winter Moon, Paulsen describes the origins of his disappointment with adulthood and sense that his childhood slipped away too quickly. More of Paulsen's boyhood memories are found in The Cookcamp, which praises his loving and understanding grandmother, who helped him deal with the loneliness caused by frequent separations from his parents.

Father Water, Mother Woods is a series of essays about Paulsen hunting and fishing in the North woods as a child.

Some excerpts from Eastern Sun, Winter Moon and The...