Themes Books

The book is fantastic! I traveled to Cuba as a student for six weeks in 2003, and I am always looking for photos and literature that capture today's Cuba in the truest light. This is one of those...
(FYI: It is only very recently that almost all travel for US citizens to Cuba has been restricted, and many people still manage to go illegally. Like I said, I went in 2003 as a student with permission from the US government...and now I search constantly for a way to go back, but so far I have not had any luck.)

Hey, how is it that all the reviewers are from the United States, where it's citizens are not allowed in Cuba? Just curious from someone in Canada who's been there.

I bought this book for a Cuban friend of my, who is very knowledgeable about his country. He loves Cuba but is realistic about it as well. He was so thrilled with the amazing pictures in this book, he still thanks me. An as a photographer, I agree that the life and passion of Cuba is conveyed beautifully. As for a previous review: Just because people currently live in the US doesn't mean they haven't lived and traveled elsewhere.

As a traveler who has been mesmerized by Cuba through literature and film, I am filled with images of the country's idiosyncratic, seemingly incompatible mix of a totalitarian regime and a life-loving people. Editor Terry McCoy has done a superb job of capturing the precarious balancing act pervasive in contemporary Cuban life with this coffee table tome of photographs and essays. She thoughtfully organizes an intensely complex subject into themes relating to the country's art, music, ethnic makeup and local customs. Contributors range from novelist Russell Banks and playwright Arthur Miller to Cuban poets like Nancy Morejón and Reina María Rodríguez.

Some essays are memory pieces, while others are more objective observations. Yet, all add up to a vividly rendered tapestry complemented by the stunning photographs. Among my favorite sections are Pablo Medina's "A Brief History of Exile", in which he discovers his Cuban identity, and Carrie Mae Weems' combination of poetry & photos, "Ritual and Revolution". This book has a particular resonance given the ongoing effects of the U.S. trade embargo on the Cuban economy. For over forty years, Cuba has had to make do with native ingenuity, a powerful sense of life affirmation and a quiet but palpable sense of desperation. All these elements are captured with acuity in this evocative book, probably the next best thing to being able to visit. I recommend reading Richard Gott's "Cuba: A New History" as a complementary piece to give you a fuller portrayal of this endlessly fascinating country.

If you look at something from enough different angles, you begin to sense what it is truly like. That is the overarching strategy of this wondrous book. Multi-faceted Cuba is seen through the eyes of greatly gifted writers and photographers, each with his or her own unique relationship with and idiosyncratic take on the island. The strategy succeeds brilliantly. Paradoxes and trade-offs are subtly explored, for example, between the blessings of free education and health care versus constraints on the ability to pursue dreams. You get not only to understand but also to feel the sensuous physical beauty of the place and the strains of Cuba's love/hate relationship with the U.S.. After spending time with this book, I feel as if I had actually been there and am left with a longing to go.

A Dog Walker/Trainer with a lifetime love for photography, this is my favorite kind of book. For sure. I've picked up many, but Sharon Montrose is my favorite. Every photo is so beautiful and I just LOVE how she captures the personality of her furry subjects. That's the true talent in my eyes. Of all of versions of this kind of work I have perused, this is my favorite one. Lightweights (Sharon Montrose) is a close second.

I also am aslo a fan of "If only you knew how much I smell you." (Photos - Valerie Shaff/Text - Roy Blount Jr.)

Quirky and creative pictorial portrayel of man's best friend. Makes the reader feel warm and fuzzy. A great gift book. Arlene Millman, author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY (The tale of a remarkable Boston Terrier).

After giving a few copies of Dogtionary as Christmas gifts, I am ordering a few more because the book was such a big hit with my friends. These dog portraits are beautiful and yet so simple. Any dog owner who has struggled to get a good picture of their pet can take inspiration from this book. Sharon Montrose clearly knows and loves her subjects well.

As an amateur photographer and animal lover, I'm on the lookout for dog portraits that are something special - this book has them! The photos are divine and the "meanings" of each subject's name are terrific. You get a real feeling for each dog's personality, something which is missing from so many so-called "great" animal portraits. If you love dogs and want to have a great coffee table book, or give it as a gift, this is the one!

This is the sweetest book I've ever bought. When I picked up this book in the bookstore I sat on the floor in the middle of the aisle and just started glowing as I went through the whole book page by page- It truly captures our sweet canine companions at their best. The photos are amazing and the sayings fit perfectly. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a love for dogs. It will brighten your day and make you laugh out loud. It captures our animals true spirits.

It is amazing to see the scope of the body of work he produced during this time period, LIFE was pissed at him Magnum fed up! All the world didn't understand his need to see! This book shows the work in full! wonderful buy.

I purchased Dream Street after reading about the Pittsburgh Project and what it ment to Eugene Smith. I think it's an important book for anyone interested in Photography, Photojournalism or Eugene Smith. The size and quality of the prints is quite allright for the price paid. And the photos are the best part. Great book!

This book was bought for Christmas for my husband who just loves photography. He has had this on his must have list for some time so he was delighted with it.

This book does a great job in documenting not only W. Eugene Smith's four years of extensive research and photographing Pittsburgh, PA but it also reveals a torment man's struggle in trying to capture something that we will never understand since his 6000 photographs of Pittsburgh set a standard for not only documenting a city but he also raise the bar in the artistic expression of black & white photography. The prints of Smith's work in this book are very good and edited quite nicely, included are some of the photograper's letters to his friend and relatives revealing the thoughts of a troubled genius in words that show he could have been a great writer, too.

I'm a Pittsburgh native, though I was born after the pictures were made. Still, I found Dream Street to be an interesting perspective on my hometown. Smith's special gift is looking beyond the typical "beauty shots"- the Pittsburgh skyline, the parks, etc., and capturing images that create a strong feeling of the local neighborhoods and their residents. While the topology of Pittsburgh creates strong local neighborhoods, it's the mix of residents that really gives it character. Local restaurants, the alleys and streets of some of the less glamourous sections of the city, and the sense of history and grandeur of Mellon Bank downtown. This book is a great opportunity to step into the past and feel the grit of a true industrial city. Smith's personal genius - and his demons- heavily influnce the project. We're fortunate to be able to benefit from his views after the fact. Special credit has to go to the editors for wading through the 17,000 images Smith shot to get down to the highlights for this book.

This is now one of the most beautiful books I now own. The photographs are extraordinary. I am a photographer myself and am blown away by the images that truly capture the essence of the elephant. I would have purchased this book in Australia but the $100.00 cost made it prohibitive. Imagine how thrilled I was to purchase it through Amazon for $32.00 including postage!!!! I will treasure this book for many years to come. Andrea.

This is a beautiful book on the life and personality of elephants. The photography is outstanding. I can certainly see why it took so long to photograph the elephants. It is a keepsake for those of us who love and understand this beautiful animal.

This is a magnificent book filled with rich photography. From the ground looking up you can see the majesty of the elephant. The group photos show
their need and love for one another.

My daughter is an artist. When she was very young, she saw her first elephant in the zoo. Her father asked her what she thought. "He makes me feel very deep," she said.

I am a sculptor and toy designer who wanted good photos for my work. This book will fill your eye and touch your heart.

With great sensitivity, compassion, passion, and courage, Steve Bloom has created a masterpiece of words and images about elephants and their habitats and caretakers. His aesthetic, poetic insight helps erase any boundaries between "us" and "them." So it is a look inward as well as outward. Bravo, Steve Bloom

I think that this book reveals both the deep and fun side of elephants. The picture of an elephant swimming shows off the grace and beauty. By using pictures of elephants in human cerimonies, Steve Bloom portrays an elephants life in a very beautiful way! :-)

I've enjoyed all of Ellen Byerrum's "Crime of Fashion" series and I think that they have gotten better with each book, a rare thing among series mysteries! "Grave Apparel" is no exception, I liked it a lot and I think everything about it was well done. The story is set at Christmas, but it doesn't have that "Christmas episode" throw away feel to it. The holidays are integral to the story and provide a funny episode as a start of the mystery plot.

The bit of Lacey's life in this story is set mostly in the newsroom of her paper, the Eye Street Observer. I liked the further development of some of her colleagues that the setting gave. I also was happy for a break from Stella the stylist, who makes only a brief appearance. Vic's Mom looks to be a great addition to the cast of characters too.

I was happy that Byerrum avoided her plot device of Lacey attending a big ball or other high social event as the ultimate "discover and confront" the bad guy venue. It had become predictable. There is still plenty of opportunity for Lacey to dig into her trove of vintage apparel and the Observer's holiday party is a grand event, Lacey just doesn't reduce anyone to a bloody pulp at it!

"Grave Apparel" is a great story and it is very well-written. For genre fiction it is less shallow both in content and in character and plot development than many others on the market. I'd recommend all in the series!

"Grave Apparel" is the fourth book in this mystery series about Lacey Smithsonian, a newspaper fashion reporter who works for "The Eye Street Observer" and who seems to follow her fashion sense nose into some weird and wonderful murder mysteries. Lacy is fortunate, she is an attractive career woman, she has good friends, and she has a glamorous vintage wardrobe, stored in a wonderful old trunk and inherited from her aunt. All this and more: Lacy also has a handsome ex lawman, turned security expert, for a lover, and he is also RICH!

However, Lacy yearns to be a "real" reporter not just a fashion editor, and because of this, she has previously placed herself in situations where she has had to confront cold-blooded killers to solve mysteries. However, after several close calls, she is reluctant to do so ever again.

But...this is the Christmas season and once again Lacey stumbles on a crime. Lacy gets placed in the middle of the battle between mother earth, anti-materialism editor Cassandra Wentworth, and the food editor Felicity Pickles. Cassandra is attacked in an alley during the Eye Street Observer's holiday party and Felicity's Christmas sweater is left at the scene. Lacey comes to Cassandra's help after a phone call from a young child dressed in a shepherd robe who witnessed the attack and who runs away before talking to the police. Despite her reluctance to get involved since she dislikes both women, Lacey is pressured into investigating by nearly everyone at the Eye, and because a child is involved as a witness, and the police seem determed to place the guilt on this young boy, Lacy decides to investigate the crime. Once again, her detective boyfriend Vic, her free-spirited friend and hairstylist Stella, and her lawyer/friend conspiracy theorist Brooke, help Lacey to solve the crime.

The Author, Ellen Byerrum's experience as a Washington DC journalist, shines through and helps to make this a fun and facinating series.

Gaudy Christmas sweaters may be a crime against fashion, but they shouldn't be a reason for capital punishment. However, newspaper columnist Lacey Smithsonian nearly discovers the contrary after she is blamed for an editorial attacking the sequined and glittery fashion faux pas. Lacy gets placed in the middle of the battle between the real culprit, cranky anti-materialism editor Cassandra Wentworth, and the food editor Felicity Pickles, who boycotts cooking her holiday treats until Cassandra recants. Instead, Cassandra is attacked in an alley during the Eye Street Observer's holiday party and Felicity's Christmas sweater is left at the scene. Lacey comes to Cassandra's aid after being summoned by a phone call from a young child, a street urchin dressed in a shepherd robe who witnessed the attack and escapes before talking to the police. Despite her antipathy towards both women, Lacey is pressured into investigating by nearly everyone, from Felicity's and Cassandra's two paramours to her fellow reporters who are suffering from the withdrawal of Felicity's baked treats. Against Lacey's better judgment she's soon interrogating Cassandra's fellow radicals as well as her stalker, all in an effort to discover who has it in for the unlikable woman. Much more important to Lacey though, is the desire to rescue the missing witness whose life may be in danger from the would-be fashion murderer.

The reluctant fashion columnist Lacey Smithsonian continues to be an entertaining heroine in this fifth entry in the Crime of Fashion series. The fashion tips never intrude on the plots, although they do often provide valuable clues. The reader sympathizes with how poor Lacey is virtually railroaded into starting an investigation, but it's her softer side compels her to find the sassy and savvy urchin who is homeless during the holidays. Again accompanied by her steadfast and resigned detective boyfriend Vic, her unique and free-spirited friend and hairstylist Stella, and her other BFF conspiracy theorist Brooke, Lacey shines through with her sharp wit and determination. Author Ellen Byerrum brings in her experience as a Washington DC journalist to reveal the fascinating - and hilarious - side of newspaper journalism to this continually enjoyable series. This is the perfect treat for the holidays or any other time the reader needs some Christmas spirit.

The staff at the Eye Street Observer newspaper had a name for the fiasco that arose when an anonymous editorial (eventually discovered as written by staffer Cassandra Wentworth) disparages the seasonal sweaters worn as fashion statements. They call it Sweatergate.

Food editor Felicity Pickles champions the wearing of the artistic fare and proudly flaunts her seasonal collection of wearable "art." The editorial against her wardrobe choices causes her to stop bringing in her culinary creations to share with her colleagues at the office, and the boss notices.

He calls on fashion editor Lacey Smithsonian, who has a history of dabbling in mysteries, to repair the damage. Smithsonian's cell phone rings and the voice tells her to come outside where she discovers Wentworth on the street, whacked on the head with a huge candy cane, but living, and dressed in the most garish of holiday sweaters. That sets Smithsonian off and running on a quest to discover who did the terrible deed.

If you can get past the contrived character names and skip over the trite romance that adds little to the plot, you'll discover a truly intriguing mystery. Typical of the book's setting of Washington, D.C., you'll find politicians, lawyers, those driven by the latest cause, and even the homeless in the mix of characters. Add the other details of the clothes stolen from the figures in a creche scene outside a locked church, a party where business casual along with Santa hats are mandated, and a filthy apartment that housed the injured editor and her cause-obsessed friends, and the mix makes for an enjoyable quick read.

Be prepared to discover you didn't have a clue about the real mystery in this book until you almost reach the end--the way a fun mystery should be.

Armchair Interviews says: Grab your favorite seasonal sweater and be prepared for a great read.

If any book is positioned at Ground Zero for contemporary Chick Lit, this one is. The canny author, who is a member of a group of authors calling themselves "The Mystery Chicks," for Pete's sake, has hit just about all the points. "Grave Apparel" is a breezy-spirited book about Lacey Smithsonian, the attractive young woman with the glamorous wardrobe, the glamorous job, the (conventionally) wacky friends and the handsome hunk for a lover--a handsome hunk who has just unexpectedly turned out to be a RICH, handsome hunk.

In tried-and-true Chick Lit form, all is not perfect in Lacey's apparently glamorous life. She's trapped in her newspaper's fashion reporting ghetto--except for the odd occasions, that is, when she finds herself, by accident as it were, tackling cold-blooded killers with whatever improvised weapon might be at hand. But not to worry, that hardly happens more than once per book. The glamorous wardrobe may be both terrific and free, but in the four previous books in this series, it has led directly to those intimate encounters with the aforesaid cold-blooded killers, an unfortunate side-effect that some might regard as a definite buzzkill. And about that handsome, rich hunk, of course she's full of angst: Does he love her? Is he faithful to her? More important, should she be faithful to him? How does he REALLY feel about that unspeakable, clingy ex-wife of his? WHAT direction will her relationship with the hunk take, and WHERE will it all END?

Golden lads and lasses must, like chimney sweeps, come to dust. And so it is with mystery series: they must pay obeisance to the holidays. This is Lacey's Christmas Adventure. The holiday season--and tensions--in the District of Columbia make for a pleasing and slightly unfamiliar backdrop. Naturally we are presented with Lacey's chick lit shopping anxieties: how to make time to get to the stores and once there what to get. Can Lacey possibly give a gift to match one which she has received?

And naturally, there are adorable moppets to fire up strong maternal emotions.

Canny Byerrum is not foolish enough to change an effective plot that has worked four times before, so here is the plot of "Grave Apparel" [SPOILER ALERT!]: By a series of coincidences related to her job as a fashion reporter, Lacey stumbles on a crime. Lacey reluctantly, even half-heartedly follows up on the mystery, much to the annoyance of her colleagues who believe that she is poaching on their reportorial territory. Lacey delves into a trunk left to her by a dear departed Aunt that contains a treasure trove of 1940s and 50s high fashion stuff which just happens to suit her perfectly. [Say, how big is that trunk, anyway? It seems inexhaustible.] Almost by accident, Lacey finally confronts an individual of distinctly homicidal proclivity ... and goes into Wonderwoman-mode, stabbing, beating, bonking, bashing or otherwise seriously discommoding the aforesaid antisocial individual.

That is the plot of "Grave Apparel," just as it is the plot of "Killer Hair," "Designer Knockoff" and the rest. Now, before the self-appointed spoiler-police go apoplectic, I'll point out that the value of the story is not in its plot but in its handling and the details. Besides, equally accurate and sweeping generalizations could easily be made about the stories featuring Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Peter Wimsey and Philip Marlowe.

And it is the handling of the story and its details that make "Grave Apparel" a thing out of the ordinary. Ms. Byerrum has set her sights low (although admittedly straight at the hard-core book buying demographic), but I think that deep beneath her glossy exterior she hides the heart and soul of a real writer. Most cozy mystery specialists turn out flat, straightforward prose, seldom venturing on verbal flights. Take a look at this description of Lacey attending a Christmas party in the National Press Club:

"It was a chance for the regular reporters to mingle in a place where they felt they belonged, by right of their profession, but they didn't, by right of the hefty membership dues.... The walls were covered with photos of famous journalists from the ubiquitous Helen Thomas, the reportorial bane of presidents, to Margaret Bourke-White, the glamorous journalist who made her name in the 1930s and 40s and 50s. All the usual famous male journalists were present and accounted for, too, but Lacey's attention focused on her role models, the women of the Fourth Estate. Missing, of course, were dames like Hildy Johnson, played by the fabulous Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday, and the irresistible and in intrepid Brenda Starr from the comics." [Page 40-41]

Consider that transition, from mundane, work-a-day Thomas to distant, historical Bourke-White and then the leap into the realm of those magical dames, Johnson and Starr. (Don't worry, Lois Lane isn't forgotten, either. She turns up in Lacey's thoughts elsewhere in the book.) That's a leap not often found in today's cozy mysteries.

Or take this free flying commentary:

"For most of the year, Felicity wore shapeless smocks in a depressing palette of earth tones and faded floral prints. But when fall kissed the air and the days grew shorter, she suddenly embraced her wardrobe of eye-popping, seasonally themed sweaters with a love that only a mother could bestow on a balky child.... By the day after [Thanksgiving], Felicity's sweater mania was in overdrive. Christmas washed over her wardrobe like Santa's tsunami. Wool, cotton, or one hundred percent acrylic, her sweaters blazed with Christmas bulbs, sang with choirboys, shivered with snowmen muffled in crimson and green and plaid with icicles in gold and silver, ho-ho-hoed with Father Christmas in velvet-trimmed burgundy Victorian tableaus, and on-Dasher-on-Dancered with Santa Claus, the jolly old elf himself, with his sleigh and tiny reindeer. She was a woman possessed." [Page 3-4]

This is Chick Lit, and intentionally so, but it is also at bottom a finely crafted story from a writer who understands her business better than most. Yeah, sure it's Chick Lit but a guy can read it, and like it, too.

This book is one of two Henri's books I have and the best one. The book to go through again and again. Then go shoot some pictures and go through it again. You'll be surprized how many fresh impressions you'll get every time. Very inspiring book. Highly recommended for practicing fotographers.

As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.

As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.

I have many of Cartier-Bresson's books, but this is the one I find myself drawn to.

Time and again I thumb its pages and find something in the photographs that I never before noticed.

This isn't some book full of "pretty" pictures in the conventional sense. One has to look at each picture to understand what inspired HCB to capture it.

I have a few favorites photos from this book, but those that stand out in my mind are of the picnic by the Marne and of the little boy carrying two large bottles of wine.

The Marne photo is so well layed out that, if one didn't know better, it would seem staged. That simply wasn't Cartier-Bresson's way. Although their faces are not seen, I "know" what each of the people look like.

The opposite is true of the little boy. His face is there for all to see and interpret. What is he thinking? Is he happy? Is he proud to be showing off for the little girls in the background?

Many of HCB's photos force us to read his mind and the minds of his subjects. These seemingly impromptu snapshots not only depict what HCB saw, but also depict it geometrically.

To someone like myself who has dabbled in "street photography", HCB epitomizes the genre.

As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.

This was ordered for a friend. I finally let her know I was reading and looking through it before she would receive it. It is just beautiful. These are remarkable women we could all look up to. The photographs are wonderful.

I was fortunate enough to see this art exhibit in a museum and bought the guide after I saw the exhibit. I used this book often when I taught history to special education students. I bought the newer edition to donate to my college sorority house hoping that some of the current women would be inspired by the stories of some of these women.

I order two books (I Dream a World) and received only one book I am still waiting for the second book to arrive. I have sent several emails to find out where the book is and I have not gotten anywhere. Will you please send me my book.

I am willing to sign for the book when it arrive. If I don't receive my book I will not feel safe odering from you anymore. If don't receive my book in the next to weeks I will be pursuing a refund.

The first book was a christmas gift for my niece and the second one was for me. I like the book that why I place a second order.

I was blessed to recieve this book in 1990 as a gift from a dear friend. Throughout the years this book has been a form of encouragement in my daily life through various things. Once my daughter turned ten we sat down together and read through I DREAM A WORLD, She was captivated. I have now passed this book on to my daughter and she proudly displays it in her room with trophies, clay art, pictures, and souviners.

I was given this book when I was a freshman in architecture college. When I saw Ms Sklarek, I immediately wrote the publisher and got her addres and wrote her a letter. To my surprise she wrote back to me and her later inspired me to continue studying architecture. Now...17 years and three degrees later I came across her name again during a conversation and I decided to contact her again and again, she sent me her business card. Since our architectural firm has a committee that procures speakers, I plan to invite her to my firm to give a presentation on Women in Architecture. So, I said all that to say...not only should we find our mentors, but we should also communicate with them whenever we can.

This is a dead on compilation of the most misunderstood segment of our population. Photos are honest and terrific. I have shared the book with many people and they are all capitivated.

Although my teenagers are in their 30's now-I read this with much interest. The photography was beautiful and captured the spirit of these people. You could see that they really trusted Robin and her camera. A wonderful idea. A wonderful book for me to share with my children-who have children and for friends who are wondering who their teens really are! Thanks to Robin and Robert and to Umbrage who let them tell and show their story!

I sat down with this book with the intent to peruse, but found myself totally absorbed for the entire evening. The photographs are amazing on their own, but the coupling with interviews opens up the experience - I found myself wishing I had been in that car with Robin as she explored the teen world. Robin has left me with wanting more... I'll be sharing this book with my teenage daughter to offer perspective on her life in this day and age.

This is such an extraordinary collection. The kind to be viewed over and over again in different moods and for different insights. In particular I recommend this collection for libraries and other resource rooms where teenagers roam - my own high school students have been glued to it since it arrived and I love hearing them reflect on what they see. Thank you Ms. Bowman for providing us with this entry into our past, present, and future, and for those young people who are young right now - for giving them insight into their peers - near and far.

My 15 year old received this book as a Christmas present. It has remained out and open since then. All of her friends have picked it up and found entries that they found interesting and compelling. The book truly represents the cross-section of the teen experience in America. The author's compassion and concern for the teens as individuals is evident throughout the profiles, allowing it to speak to the universal truth about making it through those teen years. "It's Complicated" indeed.

Join Jeff Corwin as he shows us the dry, hot desert of Arizona, the life and death struggle in southeastern Africa, the rain forests of Costa Rica, and the grasslands of the Venezuela. Along the way we learn about life, death, love, and the web of nature. He also pops in facts and short stories, many of which are as funny as you can get without a Nun's outfit, a donkey and a jar of peanut butter.
The book itself is a lovely hardcover, with full color photos and something I would be proud to have on my coffee table if I had a coffee table. And it is so enjoyable to read you could easily finish it in a day if you wanted to.

Jeff Corwin is not only a great tv personality but is also a very good author. I have read his book like three times already and each time I read it I like it even more.The pictures, all of which he took himself, are great and I like how he goes into his life experiences with animals. Also, I like how he sprinkles humor throughout the book. I have learned so much from Jeff Corwin and he is the reason I am majoring in Environmental Science. He has made me realize how important it is to protect the environment and all of the animals in it.

Gives good complex look at the animals in different environments and shows the environmental issues challenging each place. Filled with stories from Jeff Corwin's life and his own encounters with both exotic and extraordinary animals.

This book is great! Altho I am a big fan of Jeff's and the Jeff Corwin Experience, I am still blown away by this book. Jeff describes everything vividly, yet in a beautifully poetic way (i've never heard of so many diff ways to describe the sunset). I was really surprised b/c he isn't like that on the show. I loved that many lesser-known animals are introduced, as well as the more common ones. Also, I loved that Jeff gave us the pecularities/specialties of each animal so I'm not just reading the same old boring stuff that I've read in too many nature books or seen on tv. I've learned a lot of things that I never knew about (ie: the symbiosis btwn strangler fig & wasp) and Jeff describes them all so vividly that it was even better than watching the show. The only complaint I have is that there's not enough pictures. But as I read along, I realized that Jeff already painted the whole scene for me that photos would just be icing on the cake. I totally and whole-heartedly recommend this book to any nature lover!

This is a very entertaining and educational book. I'm a fan of The Jeff Corwin Experience, and this book did not disappoint me. It is very well organized and well written, and I was amazed at the way it managed to drop me right down into the middle of the Costa Rican rainforest or the African savannah. What I particularly liked was the variety of bizarre and fascinating details that Jeff adds. I found myself sharing these bizarre facts (like giant anaconda orgies that can last for weeks and weeks...woohoo!)with all sorts of people who, no doubt, thought I was some sort of animal expert now. But best of all is Jeff's obvious enthusiasm for the subject matter, particularly the topic of conservation. It's hard not to enjoy his stories when he presents them with such passion and humor. I definitely recommend this book to Jeff Corwin fans and any readers who want to take a walk on the wild side.

This book applies to anyone with kids. It is a fabulous tool for first time parents or parents with more than one child. As a former NICU nurse and the mother of three kids, I wish I had had all of the helpful hints and "good- to-know" time saving and organizational tips in this easy to read book. The forms on the CD are great. I have already used the Emergency Contact and Activity Schedule forms. I am sure I will refer to it again and again.

Chaos 2 Calm is a fabulous guide to organizing for not only mom's of multiples but any mom! This essential guide will prepare you and your family for your new baby or babies. Creating the systems that Tomlin suggests is the only way to organize with a new arrival...and you'll be so glad you did.

The book Chaos 2 Calm was such a great guide to read for having just one baby. Thanks for your useful information and all of the wonderful forms you provided in the book. Not only was I able to maintain my household but I was able to print off multiple copies for my child care provider. This is a must have for ANY mom!

This book is chock-full of practical advice, handy worksheets and product recommendations for families with twins and multiples. There's even a CD with the forms, agreements and sample schedules in the book so you can print them out and use them over and over again. You'll learn things like how to set up an efficient nursery, plan a shower, find good daycare, make your house safe for your babies, travel with twins, and even adapt a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Unique bonuses include a sample letter you can send to companies to receive complimentary products offered to families with multiples, a caregiver agreement form, and a schedule for signing up volunteer helpers! It makes a great gift for expectant or new parents of twins and multiples.

Tonia has done an excellent job in taking one of the most chaotic times in a family's life and putting some order into it. The book tells you ways to start great habits for your children and your marriage that will last a lifetime. She has already done most of the work for you by including many forms and schedules that are extremely helpful in keeping your day from becoming a disaster. We have raised our family using many of the same tools that she suggests and it has had a positive impact on our marriage and our ability to enjoy time with our children.