Animal Books

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

Little Eddie the elephant is having a birthday. All of his family have gathered at the lake for an exciting weekend. There will be cake and ice cream and a mud castle contest. Eddie is so excited!

The first night though, poor Eddie can't sleep because his ear hurts. He wakes up his mom, who tries to make him feel better. In the morning, she takes him to see Dr. Hippo. At first, Eddie is nervous, but quickly learns the doctor is kind and funny. Soon Eddie is on the road to recovery and can enjoy the rest of his birthday weekend. He even wins the mud castle contest!

This book is gorgeous! My two-year-old was captivated from front cover to back by the bright illustrations.

Also, the pages are thick enough that he can't rip them out! Even my eight-year-old enjoyed the story. The best part for me was the laminated trifold instruction leaflet in the back of the book. It was filled with all the information every parent needs concerning infections, including when to consult your doctor.

Armchair Interviews says: A book for kids that even helps parents.

Written by pediatrician Charlotte Cowan, The Little Elephant with the Big Earache is a children's picturebook dealing with the subject of ear infections in terms young readers age 2-7 can understand. After young Eddie the elephant spends the day making mud castles with his cousin, he comes down with a terrible earache. His mother looks after him during the night, and Dr. Hippo offers reassurance the next day. Will Eddie get better in time for his birthday party? An accompanying fold-out card "Ear Infections Made Easy: Answers to Common Questions" serves as a useful quick-reference guide for parents concerned about what to do when their children have ear infections. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Cayden (age 3-1/2) and Max (age 20-months) Aures and Mom for Reader Views (4/08)

"The Little Elephant with the Big Earache" begins when all of Eddie the elephant's cousins arrive on Wednesday to help celebrate his birthday. They run down to the river and start building mud castles for the Mud Castle Contest on Saturday. Wednesday evening, however, Eddie wakes up in the middle of the night because his ear is hurting him. His mom gives him some medicine and says that they will see the doctor in the morning. After a visit to the Dr. Hippocrates, the doctor determines that it is an early ear infection and that they are just going to monitor it. By Saturday Eddie feels better just in time to enjoy his party!

Cayden: "His ears hurt!"
Max: "Hurt! Hurt!"

Max: Pointing to the picture of Eddie crying: "Cry!"
Cayden: "He looks sad because he is sick Max."

Cayden: "Why would they sit on the porch in the middle of the night?"

Cayden: "Why doesn't he like to go to the doctor? I like to go to the doctor!"
Max: "Like!"

Cayden: "Why is he wearing his blanket as a cape? Maybe he doesn't want it to fall in the road on the way out to the car."

Cayden: "My favorite part was when the doctor looked in his ears to see what was wrong."

Cayden: "I also liked the pictures of when they were building those mud castles, especially the elephant one!"

My 3-year-old daughter, who is almost never sick, and my 7-year-old son, who has frequent ear infections, both love this story. Although the plot line is simple and straightforward, they seem attracted to its familiarity: Eddie wakes in the middle of the night feeling sick; his mother comforts him; they go to the doctor; he feels better...just like real life, in their view. They also find the pictures extremely engaging. At first glance, the illustrations attract merely with their bright colors and whimsy, but upon further readings, the kids began to notice all the smaller details: the various ages and sizes of the party guests, the giraffes enjoying an outdoor fountain, the placement of the blue ribbon at the end. Almost all kids experience earaches, and almost all parents learn to cope with them; this book provides a soothing reflection of one of childhood's most common events. My kids are looking forward to reading more books by Dr. Cowan.

This classic story carries a message, not only for children that don't want to help with their chores, but for anyone who hasn't quite got into the gardening mood. This book is all about helping, sharing, and making an effort in your own behalf. I bring it along with me when doing presentations on gardening and food security, and the grown ups pick it up read it, and they really get it. Great for families and class rooms . . .

This fable tells about the lazy animals who did not want to help the hen. They let her do all the work, but did not do a thing themselves. Then at the end when the hen reaps of the fruit of her labor, all of a sudden they want to share in that fruit. However, the hen gets it all to herself and they get nothing.

This version is a classic one. The story and illustrations are very inviting for any child. I love the classic moral of the story too.

I purchased this book for my children and did it bring back memories! I had it read to me when I was little. So the story line is cute and teaches a valuable lesson with the moral the lazy cat, dog, and mouse do not get the snack. All of my children from 2-6 love this story, it never grows old.

Her ability to cook empowers this little red hen to motivate her housemates. Help me with some of the housework if you want cake. A final illustration shows all the animals working, sweeping and dusting!

After reading the story as it is written, follow along with Heather Forest's Little Red Hen from the album, Sing me a Story. End on that final illustration with her words, "Sharing the work makes working fun."

Different versions may use different characters. This one uses the traditional Dog, Cat, Mouse.

A MUST HAVE for anyone who owns a wolfdog! After purchasing a puppy (Rocko) not knowing that it was a wolf dog I immediately jumped online and ordered this book through Amazon. I turn to the books often as a resource and have read it cover-to-cover - - twice. I know my family and Rocko owe this author much thanks!

a must have before buying a wolfdog puppy, you will not make it with your puppy if you dont buy this book. loved it.
philippe

"Nicole Wilde, has done it again. She has added new information and guidelines to her already by far, the best book on Living with Wolfdogs. This is a must read for anyone who loves and cares for these magnificant animals. Thank you Nicole"
Michelle Silmon, Founder, Grandmother's Rescue Center, California

Nichole's book can be considered the ultimate primer for those interested in keeping wolfdogs, or even for those who are just interested in these unique animals. This book, and Nichole's other book, "Wolfdogs, A to Z" should be required reading for animal trainers, behaviorists and veterinary professionals. Mike Lehane, Vice President, Wolfdog Rescue Resources, Inc.

There is not a lot of information available on wolf hybrids, and it seems a lot of what is out there is biased either to suggest that they are great pets for anyone, or
that they are evil creatures who should be banned or euthanized. Wilde's book gives straightforward, helpful information without a bias, although you can tell that she loves these animals. She goes over things you should consider before buying a wolf hybrid like containment, commitment of time and money, and legalities in your area. She gives helpful concrete information like how to build an "escape-proof" pen, how to introduce a new member to your existing pack, nutritional requirements, veterinary consideraitons, and so many other things that you will find yourself referring back to. The book is also written in a friendly tone and is quite humorous in places. I highly recommend it, along with her other wolf hybrid book "Wolfdogs A-Z: Behavior, Training and More."

I think I am beginning to become a fan of Shelley Gill. I am a Utah desert girl, but I have always had an interest in visiting Alaska, and her love of the state is truly palpable, especially in this book. Her story is a fairly modern one of a boy who is afraid of the dark--kind of a paradox of his Inuit heritage combined with the sensibilities of the modern world. So Grandpa takes him on a trip back in time to how things used to be.

Gill's writing is lovely, descriptive, and invokes a true declaration of the natural world. The illustrations are bright, detailed, and just cheering to look upon.

This probably did not change my life, this book, but it's enough to keep me reading Gill.

I liked the book Mammoth Magic. Becase of what it was about in Alask.I realy liked it.

The book I read was Mammoth Magic. I liked several things about this book. One thing I liked about the book is it's illustrations. The reason I said this is because the illustrations really bring things out. Another thing I liked is the words. She really uses variety. My favorite part is when Toby faced up to being scared of the dark.

The reason I gave Shelley Gill 5 stars is because she makes her books so interesting and she makes you want to read more of her books. From reading that one book she makes me want to read many others.

I like this book because it's really creative . I also like it because of the illustrations in the book. Another thing is that it's words are creative. what happens is that when there was a tree, well i thought it was, but it wasn't.

I like this book because it is funny and interesting. I think it is cool that Toebuck taught Andy about the mammoth and their great size. That helped Andy not to be afraid of the dark .

This book is so chock full of warm fuzzies and beautiful illustrations, I could not put it down in the store. Even if I did not have children that adore bunny books, I would have bought it for myself for a pick-me-up. There are few books out there to match the soft delights of Marshmallow!

This is a delightful tale about two furry animals from opposite sides of the food chain. Oliver is a cat and the established pet in the house and Marshmallow is a young bunny that Miss Tilly has just obtained. Like all young rabbits, Marshmallow is curious, fearless and nibbles on everything. Oliver at first dislikes Marshmallow and appears to want to make him into a dinner. However, Miss Tilly warns him to never harm Marshmallow, so he obeys, although he is unhappy about the whole thing. However, one day when Miss Tilly is gone for an extended period of time, Oliver opens the door and makes friends with Marshmallow. This makes Marshmallow very happy, as he now has what he thinks is a mother who will snuggle with him and lick him. The story closes with the two of them fast friends, sleeping together cuddled up into a giant ball of fur which is one of the best illustrations you will ever find in a book.

This is a story about a cute little bunny that is brought to a house with a little old lady and her cat. The cat has never seen anything living other than the little old lady. At first the cat is scared of the little baby rabbit but then grows to love it. It takes a long time but eventually happens. This is a great story for rabbit lovers and cat lovers alike. You will think that the end of this story is the cutest thing ever.

Josh

I love this book! Children are captivated by the simple familiar characters so clearly described. The story line is sweet and well written, NOT "dumbed down". There are lots of words on most pages and it takes more than a minute to read which is so helpful in developing attention span. My three year old was taken in completely! ( Not to mention my seven year old!)

The best way, according to the front flap, to describe Oliver, the tabby cat, is that he is "set in his ways". I, personally, would call him a loner. He has never known any real animals(unless you consider a stuffed bunny to be an animal) and lives alone with a woman named Miss Tilly.

When Miss Tilly brings home a baby bunny, named Marshmallow, Oliver's happy world is shattered. He's been thinking that he is the only existing animal. Will Marshmallow and Oliver ever be able to get along? I'll give you two guesses. :D

Newberry's illustrations are classic. I love how she uses only black and various shades of red in this book. Please Parents, look for this book!!!

huge,bottomless,overwhelming as the worlds oceans this awesome tome provides hours of mind blowing eye candy with great educational text.this book uses state of the art photography & excellent graphics.dk are the best when it comes to visual guides.

This book contains stunning pictures, interesting fact and information, information on the most spectacular beaches and ocean crated phenomena, tidal and wave phenomena, weather related phenomena, and information on many, many species of sharks, whales, jellyfish, fish, crabs, coral, etc. A must buy for any ocean/nature lovers, nonfiction coffee table book fans/collectors, or anyone who just love interesting facts and appreciates stunning photography.

This is a huge book packed with information and gorgeous photography. There is plenty of science contained in these glossy pages from how the planets in our solar system formed, to the breakup and movement of our land masses to their current day positions, ocean currents, weather, ecology, glacial periods, and so much more. Most of the first half of the book is devoted to these subjects. The second half of the book gets into ocean life, from the smallest to the largest, how they live, feed, defend themselves. The pictures are breathtaking. This is a great educational book for all family members. Trust me, this one won't just sit around on your coffee table.

This book is not a typical "coffee table" book. Although full of beautiful photographs, there is equal emphasis on educational text. Instead of being a book containing only full-page photos of ocean life, each page is a collage of wonderful photos and short articles that you will want to read. The publisher of this book (DK), offers a variety of books in this format (travel, etc), and the layout of this book is similar. That is not to knock the photos at all - they are great and some are full-page, but this book isn't page after page of full-page photos as some others are.

That said, this is an excellent educational text with so much interesting information to offer. (It made me want to read the book cover-to-cover, which would probably keep me busy for at least a few days!)

The four main sections of the book include:

Introduction
Ocean Environments
Ocean Life
Atlas of the Oceans

The Introduction section takes a scientific look at the earth. A sampling of the topics of this section include "The Evolution of the Oceans", "Tectonics and the Ocean Floor", "Hurricanes", and "El Nino and La Nina". Mixed in with the photos are a number of color drawings and graphs to help the reader understand the concepts.

The section on Ocean Environments includes articles on specific places like San Francisco Bay and Hardanger Fjord as well as general information on habitats such as Salt Marshes, Mangrove Swamps and Rocky Sea Beds. The pages are full of photos of the areas as well as typical species found there.

The largest section is on Ocean Life and focuses on the variety of creatures found in the sea. Exhibited within these pages are a number of amazing photos of plants and animals that I had not seen before (though I'm not an expert on this subject) including creatures such as the Glass Squid, the Blue-Ringed Octopus and the Goblin Shark. I thoroughly enjoyed the short paragraph articles describing unique aspects of the species shown as well as the longer texts on topics like "Echinoderms" that includes anatomy, reproduction, feeding and defense sub-articles.

The last section is Atlas of the Oceans and includes maps of the different oceans and text describing them.

Again, the focus of this book is learning, not just amazing photography, and it does an excellent job of offering a smorgasbord of articles on different topics. If you really want to learn about the ocean and its inhabitants while paging through fantastic photographs, you will thoroughly enjoy this book!

NOT 500 pages and if I had paused to read the item description properly I wouldn't have bought this book! Way too good a price to be true, it is not another edition of the wonderful Cousteau-forwarded book, but a perfectly respectable DK full-color children's book with many very nice color photos. Probably very worth $7.99 and I was just far too greedy to read the fine print.

This book came in a timely fashion and was very well kept. Great book to read when looking for the answers to questions you may have. Awesome purchase.

This series is well worth every penny. You can find a lot of books for less but that is what you are getting. Save yourself some money and get the series that thoroughly do cover every aspect of the hobby in amazing detail. This series is amazing and you will love it. It is a bit scientific but it does not leave anything out.

New hobbyist should read this book for advice, then read it again in 6 months.

An exceptional book on the subject. It is comprehensive but I would not say not complete as no book on this subject could be. Still I believe this book to be the best work compiled in book form. Described by many as "the Bible" on the subject it indeed may be but it is not dogmatic as it offers several options and methods and leaves it for the aquarist to use.
(Note: This volume covers stony corals and not soft corals).
When I started keeping marine aquaria keeping back in 1970 one almost had to employ the skills of a chemist. In those days most people in the hobby  thought it nearly impossible to care for many of the species of coral now commonly kept. It was only through the encouragement of a local public aquarium (the John G. Shedd Aquarium) whereas a high school student I was able to participate in collecting trips that I got the encouragement to experiment. I started out with Robert Straughan's books back in 1970 which both helped to get me in trouble and helped me grow as an aquarist. both In those days there was an awful lot of trial and error. Later in the late 70's I helped to pioneer some techniques when I worked for the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco. In those days in San Francisco I worked for one of the largest marine fish wholesalers in the world. We had a lot of shipments that went off to Germany and now I wonder if some of the species that passed through my hands ended up in the hands of the authors. Somewhat of a revolution went of in the hoby in the 1980 thanks in part to the efforts of the Germans. Thankfully the hobby is now much more of a discipline and a lot more humane. It is quite amazing how far the hobby has come. I am sure the hobby will continue to evolve. This is a pricey book but it is a pricey hobby and this book is one of the best, if not the best, books on the subject available. The best place to start with the hobby is a book like this one.

The good?

This book is truly a comprehensive piece covering probably more than you want to know at times. For example, it explains the chemical reactions that occur during calcification of corals and why additions are necessary.

After reading many other references, I must say I am very happy I purchased this volume. Contained in these pages are insights you won't find anywhere else.

The book clearly explains the setup and maintenance procedures required to be successful in stony coral reef keeping.

The bad?

My main gripe is trivial. Guys, how about a larger font size and pictures? I had to do a lot of squinting.

It could do with a minor revision of some references that are dated (such as collection of live rock from Florida) as the original was 1994, but make no mistake that all information is relevant.

In summary...

Obviously at this price it is unfortunately out of reach of the casual hobbyist, which is a shame. However, one could buy this book instead of various "reference manuals" which might be the same at the end of the day.

Buy it if you can afford it.

I also highly recommend Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals book.

Rover Get off Her Leg (great title, by the way!) is not only helpful for dog owners, it's a must-read for future dog owners who want to get a "leg up" on dog training before Fido comes home. This book is a catch-all of unwanted dog behaviors and how to prevent or "fix" them. It's written in a friendly, down to earth style that everyone can relate to. I have read several other books by this author, and I appreciate her solid advice on all things animal.

Has your dog ever sniffed somebody in a way that wasn't exactly appropriate? What about a dog who likes to hump...again inappropriately? Or perhaps your dog eats things he shouldn't...like used food (aka poop)! UGH! It's bad enough that they do these things, but it can be embarrassing when other people are around to see it.

Rover, Get Off Her Leg, by Darlene Arden takes a light hearted look at some of the irritating behaviors dogs exhibit and gives practical advice on how to work on them. Rather than just writing about how to solve the problem though, Darlene gives a little background on why the dog may be doing whatever it is he's doing. As with most things, if you figure out why something is happening, it's easier to figure out how to fix it. Even with dogs, knowing the `why' can make the solution pretty apparent.

Rover, Get Off Her Leg is a pretty easy read, but gives a lot of practical, easy to follow advice on how to hone your dog's behavior into something a little more acceptable. And all of her advice involves kindness - you won't find any negative training methods in this book! A certified animal behaviorist, Darlene is an advocate of positive training, using lots of love and positive reinforcement. It's her opinion (as well as mine, and many others) that positive training will produce the best results and in the long run make for a happier, healthier, more well behaved dog. It's more fun, too!

There's a lot of info packed into this little book, and it can help you give your dog a bit of a tune-up in the manners department!

With an engaging writing style, hysterical anecdotes and illustrations, Darlene Arden educates owners on solutions for dog behavior problems. From basic training to serious behavior challenges, this comprehensive book presents complex information in an easily understood way. The book's layout also greatly facilitates use as a reference. As a professional trainer and behavior consultant, I'm always looking for ways to make training fun for my clients. While there are many dog training books on the market, it is a true rarity to find one that is entertaining as well as informative. What a great resource this will be for my clients!

Darlene Arden, who usually specializes in giving advice about small dogs, has described some general problems for the average dog owner whose dog hasn't tried to kill the mail carrier, but sometimes may be not so well behaved. She does this with wit and a deep empathy for our quadrupedal friends and their sometimes frazzled owners. This is a small, inexpensive book that should be on dog owners' shelves.

Anyone can write a about the niceties of the human/animal bond(ad-nauseum).
Anyone can write a"how-to" book on animal behavior problems,a-la Popular Mechanix--dull and trite.
But it takes a Darlene Arden-- a special, genuine, confident connoisseur to pull off a bold, informed,and humororous book with THAT TITLE. Just like Smuc kers---"It's got to be good". And indeed it is-- better than we could have anticipated. What a joy to have such a valued authority like Darlene--- a certified animal behavior consultant come forth with such an authoritative book dealing with the dark side of human/animal relationships with such taste and gentility, and with such deep and welcome humor.
I have had the good fortune to know Darlene, not only as a friend and admirer, but also, uniquely, as a client. As such, I have had a rare opportunity to witness her profound feeling and compassion for animals, her deep well of knowledge of their traits, normal and aberrant, and her insightful and intelligent manner of dealing with such pathologies. I know her then from two vantage points--- as a devoted reader, and from a close doctor-client relationship. On both levels, she merits and has earned accolades. She is so good at what she does, so forgive me if I wax enthusiastically--- it is deserved. Who else would discourse about inappropriate behaviors so blithely and a productively.
My hat is off to my very dear friend--- I revel in her achievements and the wonderful receptions she has received. At last, I have a point of a reference I can turn to when an embarrassed client comes to me with noisome problems, and I can refer to Darlene's new book with pride and authority.
I look forward to her future efforts with great anticipation---they are not only good reads, but I have learned so much from them, in addition.

Sincerely,

Ray Russo, D.V.M.
Kingston,MA.

I bought 5 of them to give away as Christmas presents!

Amazing and whimsical illustrations take you and Sam Katz all over the world. This book will delight kids and parents alike. Great gift -- be a hero and get one for every kid and cool cat on your list!!!

Frank Radice was my boss on the East Coast and had sent me a poster Charles Fazzino had illustrated for the Daytime Emmy's in Los Angeles. I loved his artwork and Frank told me to check out the book which I then promptly bought. I really loved the story, especially since I personally know Sami Katz and the pop-up illustrations are amazing. I just recently gave the book as a gift to the daughter of good friends for her birthday.

This pop=up book, beautifully illustrted by Carles Fazzino, is very charming. Using works of art, it tells the stry of a cat named Sam Katz who travels through the house in which he lives. The illustrations, by the well known artist Charles Fazzino, really make this book the charmer that it is. I certainly woild recommend the book to any one who loves cats, art and clean fun.

This book has become her absolute favorite! I have read it to her countless times! Very cute story and bright beautiful illustrations! This a wonderful book to add to your little ones collection! We would love to see another book about Sam Katz adventures!!

I have a friend whose grandson loves dinosaurs. I bought this book and "The Enormous Egg" for him. He will enjoy both. I've read both books to my class and they have liked them.

All throughout elementary school, I took this book out of my school library so many times that the librarian used to make me wait a few weeks between each borrowing so other kids could read it too. All these many years later (I'm 44 now) I've asked my husband to buy it for me for Christmas so I can share this wonderful story with my two daughers. They don't make them like this anymore. A truly delightful and heartfelt story that will make you laugh and cry and be so happy that you read it.

I, too, loved this book as a shy-ish kid and am so glad to see it re-printed so I can share it with my grandchildren. I really, really wish someone would reprint "City Under the Back Steps", also by Lampman.

I had this book in a Paperback Edition when I was in elementary school. That was back in the early 1960's. Unfortunately I lost the book and was never able to find it again. Then I joined Amazon and did some book looking and I found this book. It is brand new and a hard cover edition as well. I am extremely pleased with my purchase.
William Zinner

I got this book when I was a kid (about 30 years ago), but never got around to reading it. I was looking around the bookshelf for something to read a few days ago, and came across it. I figured, well, why not read it? It's about twelve year old twins, Joan and Joey, who discover a stegosaurus living on their ranch. He has been alive for millions of years, and he can actually talk. But he's shy, you see, and doesn't want the kids to tell anyone else about him. I won't give away any more of the plot, but I will say that this is an enjoyable kids book.