Animals Books

This is one of the best books I have read. I am a SD user, but have never used any hearing tasks, and I don't think I will ever need to. The book was incredibly detailed, especially in terms of determing the appropriate temprement of the dog, which is the most important thing for any Assistance Dog. Hence I felt this book is a must read for anyone in the Assistance dog community. The tasks may not be relevant to you but the rest of the book certainly is.

I had a servicedog I am training for hearing help so the first 2/3 of the book were of limited use for me though it was very interesting and would be applicable for choosing almost any service dog. The last 1/3 was very good and I look forward to using them to teach my dog while I still have enough hearing to train her.

Wonderful book. Everything there is to know about hearing dogs is in this book. It takes you from point A to point Z. And has some very informative pictures.

I read Lend Me An Ear specifically for its huge section that analyzes breed
types (as groups, not as individuals) when selecting a dog for service
(specifically hearing) work. I found the training tips to be very helpful,
as they address some of the more obnoxious personality traits found not only
in what the author termed "reactive" dogs but also occasionally in our own beloved
trained service dogs. The book is hilarious at times with many personal
examples of the trials and tribulations of training hearing dogs to alert
their partners to various sounds

This book needs to be appreciated as being far more than guidance for a specialized field. The author's insight regarding the balance of reactivity, intelligence and temperament make this a must read for any serious student of animal behavior. Liberal use of photos illustrate the often difficult job of interpreting canine behavior and further discussion of the system used by the author to evaluate suitability and the successful progression of training are so informative.

I bought this bought in anticipation of my husbands hearing loss and only started reading it after it sat on my shelf for months. It has great relevance to every animal I handle, horse and dog, and I only wish I had read it when I first bought it.

This represents a tremendous synthesis of all the best information in the field and more! Highly recommended.

If you have ever had that special once in a lifetime horse you will relate totally to this book. I sure know I did.

It is A good book to read whether you are into horse or not. It is more of a self help book than training. Worth reading for anyone. Good book on communication between your horse and you.

I am not good at reviewing books, but I will say that if you had a six star rating instead of just five, I would definitely give it a six.
Anyone who is fond of horses or has ridden and/or worked with horses would love this book written by a totally likeable man who looks at training, riding, working and just being buddies from the horse's point of view. This book shows great understanding of the subject. Mark's writing is easy, compassionate, humorous and you just hate it when the book ends. From now on I will buy any book written by Mark Rashid. (TOLD you I was not good at writing reviews)!

a book showing that there is a lot to be learned from our horse if we only care to listen to him/her.

I have read most of Mark Rashid's books, and I had greatly anticipated reading this one hoping for more insight into horse training. If you are looking for training advice in this book you will find very little of it. The book deals mostly with what Mark learned about his own personal behavior through observing his horse Buck. One could take advice from the book I suppose but you have to dig much deeper to come away with useful tidbits. Also, don't expect any of the colorful stories of the "Old Man" that appeared in other books by Mark, there are none of those here, and only a smattering of stories about working with horses other than Buck. It is a good read, but don't expect much in the way of tips on working with horses.

This simple, beautiful book highlights all of the aspects of attachment parenting. It is comforting to babies and reassuring to mommies. This would be a great gift for a new mother (with Papa Papa for the new dad).

This book (and Papa, Papa) are two of our favorites. I now give them for baby shower gifts!!!

I absolutely love this book. The illustrations are so serene, calming and beautiful. The rhymes sound great without risking good content. The message is really wholesome and sweet. My baby really enjoys this book.

This book (along with Papa, Papa) was given to me as a shower gift for my first daughter. It was always one of our favorites, and now my second daughter enjoys it as well. Both girls love the pictures and the rhymes....and I just love the last rhyme, it almost always makes me tear up. I am going to be giving these books to friends and feel confident they will love them as much as I do.
-L

I have never read seven sentences in a children's book, (besides my own) that have had such a powerful impact on me as this one has. It is very hard to find books that demonstrate attachment parenting but this one does it perfectly; a baby cheetah nurses on his Mama, a baby panda and her Mama are co-sleeping, and a koala Mama is "wearing" her baby! Each Mama and baby pictured is experiencing life together, in close contact. This book truly embraces the attachment parenting philosophy. My children love to read this book with me because they still call me Mama and are delighted that my name is in a book. They also like the repetitiveness of the verses and the sweet pictures of the animal babies and Mamas. This Mama and her babies are definitely "attached" to this book!

I really loved this book. It made you laugh and made you sad. I wish I could have the courage to rescue dogs in the same manner as Randy Grim does. Truly inspiring stories.

Mr. Grim is a living saint in the mold of Brother Francis. If you believe that a dog dumped by someone who doesn't want him anymore will end up wild and free like a wolf . . . if you think neutering your dog will somehow affect your own manhood . . . if you think your dog should have "just one litter" because "the kids should see the miracle of birth" . . . read this book and then try to sleep at night. Dogs are not wolves in Snoopy costumes, able to return to the wild at a moment's notice. Dumped dogs die slow and terrible deaths, and dogs born on the street live short and wretched lives. They need us. They can't survive without us. Our ancestors made them that way, and passed on to us the responsibility for their life and death. Randy Grim knows this in his guts.

Read this book, and when you stop shivering, call your local animal shelter and ask them what they need most. And if you see a dog wandering alone, look into its eyes. You'll know what I mean when you're done with The Man who Talks to Dogs.

Randy Grim hates being called a hero. He feels like a fake when people use that term to describe him because, in his eyes, he's a frail and fearful person, full of complexities and issues. It takes all his energy to face life's challenges but, for some reason, it all changes when he's on the trail of a dog that needs his help. Then he's a fully focused, driven machine that will wade through filth, skid along icy, dark streets and face down the roughest, toughest people to accomplish his task. He can't and he won't leave that canine alone on the street.
This book is fast paced and fascinating. I was hooked from word one. The author has managed to weave together the story of a fascinating, though reluctant hero with the graphic and gritty reality of the price being paid by the strays in our midst. The author dissects the various causes and brings the tragic results into sharp focus. It is hard to blink, to look away, to pretend it doesn't exist. Those weary, confused eyes stare back from the pages.
While we witness the dark side of humanity and it's wretched victims, we are also allowed to share the small and great triumphs that result from Randy's dedication. Many are the hurdles that have to be overcome but, step by step, the right people join the battle, sanctuary is provided, supplies appear and donations arrive.
This is how heros and saints come to be. It's the leap of faith that says, "I don't know whether I'm making a difference. I don't know how I'm going to manage but I will. Because I'm not taking my eye off this one, and the next one, and the next one until they're safe." One small miracle at a time creates a haven. For the strays, for the people who care and for the children who see that brutality or indifference are not the only choices.
Thanks Randy, for showing the way and thanks Melinda, for telling the story so well.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. There are few people I have encountered that are as dedicated to a cause as Randy seems to be. His devotion and tenacity are to be commended. He is doing such a great service to the city of St. Louis. There are a lot of us out there that would've never even realized there was such a stray problem in this country. I am so glad to have read this book and to be more informed on the conditions these dogs have to live in. It has been said over and over about this book, but the prevailing message is that one man can make a difference and seeing that proven in Randy's case is a great motivator for the rest of us. For anyone who loves dogs and/or loves inspiring stories, read this book.

A warts'n'all portrait of a man who devotes every spare moment and every spare dollar to rescuing abandoned and abused dogs from the streets of St. Louis. Though numerous stories about dogs tortured and neglected may be upsetting to sensitive readers, this is ultimately a deeply inspirational story about how one man CAN make a difference. As soon as I can, I'm hunting down his address and sending him a check. Makes a good companion piece with Kat Albrecht's THE LOST PET CHRONICLES.

PS: As I write this, the animal shelter in Buffalo may be a victim of budget cuts. One step forward, two steps back.

My children LOVE Max and Ruby, and this one is a favorite. Max really wants that Dragon shirt, and he ends up getting one, in his regular, mischevious way...this one will end up a favorite of your children as well...a great price too!

My husband, son, and I enjoy Max and Ruby stories. When we read the first page of this story, when Ruby comments that Max's pants are "disgusting", all of us laughed. We were hooked.

Rosemary Wells has done a great job with giving her characters such distinct voices without using a lot of text or explanation. This is a short, light-hearted read as are Wells' other Max and Ruby stories.

I love reading Max's dragon shirt to my son, Maxwell. We loved that all these books have his name in them! They are cute and fun, and I enjoy reading them too!

This is another cute story by Rosemary Wells. As expected my daughter who's a huge Max and Ruby fan likes it, but I was surprised when it became he favorite book and is read every night.

At the request of their Mother, Ruby decides to take young Max to the mall to buy him a new pair of pants. However, Ruby quickly stumbles upon a collection of beautiful dresses that she just has to try on. So she heads to the dressing room, young Max in tow. But while she's trying on dresses, unbeknownst to her, Max has wandered out of the dressing rooms and into the Boys Department, where he finds a fantastic green t-shirt with a picture of a fire-breathing dragon on the front. He wants it more than anything, yet Ruby insists that there is not enough money for both new pants for him, and a new shirt. But since Ruby is trying dresses on, Max sees no harm in trying the t-shirt on himself. Soon Max is picked up by two police officers, wearing the dragon shirt, which is now covered in ice cream, and big sis Ruby has no choice but to purchase the shirt for the little rascal.

I have seen the MAX AND RUBY television show on Nickelodeon on numerous occasions and had found it extremely cute, but had never read one of the books. So when I came across MAX'S DRAGON SHIRT, I decided to check it out, and I am happy to say that it was utterly adorable. Rosemary Wells captures the essence of how young children think when they are in department stores with her wonderful prose, while her illustrations show the numerous cute expressions that cross their face as they experience something new. This is an adorable new children's book that will be quickly loved by both parents and their young children. Especially if those children are fans of the MAX AND RUBY television show.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

When I was a working librarian, I read this books (and the others)to my storytimes. When I retired I started to volunteer in an inner city school. I was not certain how the children would react to the book. I am now in my sixth year reading to Preschool, Kindergarten and First Grade. They hear the first four books each year and they always ask me to repeat the books. The line about "no one had ever asked him to come in" always gets a great response. I think everyone should read these McDuff books. So many classes can't be wrong!

Dear old Rosemary Wells. If you've ever read her books about that famous bunny Max or classic titles like, "Morris' Disappearing Bag" then you know that her stories, while disjointed, can often be truly charming works of preschool art. So when I discovered the McDuff books (written by her but illustrated by someone else entirely) I was ill at ease. I mean, Wells draws such cute little bunnies. How could anyone else adapt to her words? On reading the first book of the McDuff series, "McDuff Moves In", I was amazed to find myself suddenly on the oposte side of the fence. The pictures in this book are really quite charming. From the cute little Scottie named McDuff to the 1950s setting, visually this story's a charmer. But strange as it may seem, Wells's words are out-of-place here. Though a brief tale with little in the way of plot, somehow this book is not as direct or understandable as it might be. A pity.

On our first view of little white McDuff, he's sitting in the back of a city pound truck. After a providential bump in the road and a quick escape, the solitary doggy goes down a nice suburban street in search of food and shelter. Door number one at the first house growls at him. Door number two at the second house hisses at him. But door number three at the third house is just right. There, a friendly couple take him in, feed him, give him a bath, then decide they haven't room for a doggy. Fortunately an attempted car ride to the pound proves that maybe this couple has grown a bit attached to their shaggy new friend. Happy ending and shortbread biscuits for all.

The book bears a striking resemblance to Lyn Rossiter McFarland's subsequent similarly plotted picture book, "Widget". The difference, however, is that "Widget" is the stronger story. Though I was with "McDuff" through the beginning, about the time he stumbles on the kindly couple I found my eyebrows slowly beginning to lift. For example, when McDuff appears outside the third home, the book says the following: "Somebody opened the door and asked him to come in. It was Lucy. 'This is Fred', said Lucy". Looking at the picture of both Fred and Lucy staring at the pup on their porch, I naturally assumed that now the dog was named Fred. Not so much. The text and the pictures don't mesh particularly well either. When the book says that Fred checks McDuff's collar, the picture shows Fred sitting on a chair with McDuff hiding underneath. Plus the language is oddly stilted. It ends with the words, " 'How happy we are!', they said in their dreams", which is half an inch shy of hokey and a sneeze away from outright saccharine. I don't think I'm conveying the book's inability to tell its story convincingly to you. Nevertheless, I strongly urge you to flip through this story long before you decide to buy it. Long before.

Which is not to say that the pictures don't almost make up for its narrative flaws. Illustrator Susan Jeffers has a Caldecott Honor Award under her belt and it shows. From Lucy's painted toenails and felt hat spotted bathrobe to the image of the three new friends happily munching on McDuff's shortbread biscuits at the tale's end, this book seeks to enchant. Seeks and, were it not for the words, would succeed. I loved the fabulous 40s-50s decor. I liked the scared little McDuff turning into a confident happy pup in a loving home. I liked how realistic these images were and how original the setting became. Obviously if Rosemary Wells had illustrated this tale herself she would've done it in an entirely different way. It's just her own bloody good luck that she found herself paired with such a supremely talented artist.

So it's entirely up to you. "McDuff Moves In" has much in its favor and much against it as well. Personally, I suggest that if you are looking for a tale of a cute little white Scottie finding a home then you should seek out "Widget" by Lyn Rossiter McFarland forthwith. If, however, you're a fan of the period picture book genre and you like Susan Jeffers's work, "McDuff" may be a great choice for you and yours. It is not Rosemary Wells's best writing and the story is pretty touch n' go. Still, there are things to recommend it. Definitely give it a trial run.

I am a 2nd grader. My name is Ashleigh. I have been reading books by Rosemary Wells. My favorite book is McDUFF MOVES IN. I like this book because it makes me feel happy when McDuff finds a home.

I am a 2nd grader at Anna Merritt Elementary School. My name is Ashleigh. I have been reading books by Rosemary Wells. My favorite book is McDUFF MOVES IN because it makes me feel happy when McDuff finds a home.

I own this book, as well as others in the series. They are just great! My mom owns a Westie, perfectly named Duffy(he got the name before we new about the books), and the illustrator captures the essence of the Westie. Every picture is perfectly drawn to show the character of a Westie. I love the author as well. I have been a teacher and have always read Ms. Wells' books to my students and the McDuff series is loved by all. McDuff moves in is just a fun book to read and I recommend it to all ages.

These books are great fun. the move very fast with great action.
I have read all of them and do not know how many books the series will have and i do not like this! The web site does not have it and the books read very fast so now I am waiting for Mouse but starting to tire of this.
B

I'm a librarian and I started purchasing this series for my grandson about 3 years ago. Everytime I asked him, he hadn't read them yet. I was sure if he started them, he would like them. This fall he had to have a book to read in school that represented his interests so he took the first one, reluctantly (hates to read). He was about halfway through the book when he called me and said,"Grammy, would you mind getting me the rest of the Five Ancestors books? They're awesome!" He's now reading the second one and looking forward to the rest of the series. He's 11, turning 12 in May. I would reccomend this series any time for boys who think they don't like to read.

I think the book was better than hope for. You need to read the frist book first than you will get the story.

The Five Ancestors series by Jeff Stone is an exciting series about five young monks from an ancient Chinese temple called Canghzen, or, literally, Hidden Temple. The books are the same story, but from different views, because they split up. I think these books are a great adventure, and I also liked Tiger.

Book 2 of Jeff Stone's 'Five Ancestors' series, Monkey really deserves a reading of Book 1 for a smooth transition - and be aware, this is a projected seven-book series - but the action- packed martial-arts story set in 17th century China will win fans wherever they begin. Five young, orphaned monks specializes in a different style of kung-fu reflecting his personality: here Malao faces his temple's destruction and an encounter with a band of wood monkeys who save him and introduce him to a wilder side of his soul.

No one comes colose to sapolsky in having fun with genetics and evolutionary science. This set of essays is just a blast.

It should come as no surprise that Monkeyluv, as with all of Sapolsky's books, is a masterpiece. There is no better science writer of our day.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I read it very quickly and had trouble putting it down. It is fascinating, educational, funny, enjoyable and well written about complex issues.

Sapolsky, who is the author of A Primate's Memoir, The Trouble with Testosterone and Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, is a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford and a recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant. I found his genius not only to be in his insight and ability to frame questions and pursue their answers, but also to be able to write about it in a way that is accessible to a "nongenius."

This book is a collection of previously published essays that are updated for this edition (the updates include notes for further reading and on source materials). Sapolsky divides the book into three parts ("Genes and Who We Are," "Our Bodies and Who We Are" and "Society and Who We Are") and introduces each section with cogent current thinking on the issues addressed. For example, to introduce the first section, Sapolsky writes about how the nature-nurture argument is a red herring; genes contribute to personality/behavior when the environment interacts with them in ways conducive to gene-induced behavior! For example, in "Of Mice and (Hu)men Genes," Sapolsky writes about genes that may indicate a proclivity for depression, but only in certain environments, and summarizes that the reader should be wary of simple expanations. (And, he asserts, as humans we may have more responsibility to create positive environments that interact benignly with risky genes than to understand which genes cause what.) In the second section's "Why are Dreams Dreamlike?" Sapolsky illustrates how answering some questions about how the brain and psyche function just brings up other, deeper questions.

Sapolsky's illustrations of his points are fascinating and enlightening (and often funny!). In "The Genetic War Between Men and Women," he writes about how the genes from the father of a species have one goal ("greater, faster, more expensive growth") while genes from the mother have another ("countering that exuberance"). The success comes in nature's ability to balance these goals: "The placenta is ... the scene of a pitched battle, with paternally derived genes pushing [the placenta] to invade more aggressively while maternally derived genes try to hold it back." He lists other examples of this balance in humans and other species. This view of nature and how reproduction is nurtured fascinated me and helped me to see things in a new way.

Sapolsky's topics are wide ranging, and the book reminded me a bit of Freakonomics in its tendency to turn its problem-solving focus on whatever issue crossed its path. For example, in the final section, he writes about the differences between the
religions of desert peoples and the religions of tropical peoples -- the former tend to have a single god with miltaristic iterations and few rights for women while the latter tend toward pantheism and matrilocal marital residence. "Most evidence suggests that the rain-forest mind-set is more of a hothouse attribute, less hardy when uprooted." I guess that's evident, but Sapolsky's writings on the topic, again, gave me a new way to look at something I hadn't considered before. In this book, he addresses game theory, gene mapping, musical tastes, gender-communication issues and neurogenesis with wit, clarity and insight.

I recommend this book if you're the least bit curious about your brain, your body, the natural world and the society in which you live.

This guy knocks my socks off. Read him just for pleasure and learn loads while your at it. I find this truly fascinating.

I have never read anything by Sapolsky before. Now that I have he goes right to the top of my list with Richard Dawkins and Desmond Morris.

I'm 23 years old now and thinking about this book just makes me smile. It was my favorite book growing up along with The House That Jack Built. I could read these books OVER AND OVER again every day of my life and be content. It's a great book to not only learn to read, but a good lesson in accepting differences among each other. And that's a great lesson to learn at that age!! If you're looking for great book for your youngster, THIS IS IT!! (along with the whole series!!) :)

This book is absolutely wonderful. I remember loving to just look at the pictures before I could read! I cannot say enough about it. My favorite book of all time.

I use this book every year to introduce ACCELERATED READER to my students. I introduce it as a "read-aloud" and we discuss the text and pictures as I read. Students "act out" the various things that Morris does and students even sit ON their desks when Morris does. There is always a lot of laughing and giggling as Morris learns many things on his first day of school. Morris Goes to School is a great book to show your children how involved they can become when reading.

THEN....... they get to go take a short 5-question AR test on the computer. It's a great book and a great introduction to AR.

My 6-yr-old son loves Morris the Moose and this book was just as funny as the first one. Morris gets confused because he can't read or count, so he goes to school. My son can read it himself and always laughs out loud at Morris' silly antics. Highly recommended!

I picked up this book to read with my son, and I have to say that we didn't find it particularly funny. Certainly not as funny as the other Morris books. We had about two chuckles in 64 pages. Which is not to say that the story is bad. It hangs together well and provides some very good kid-friendly examples which show why it's good to attend school. Morris, for example, is shown fumbling around town, not knowing which store is the candy store because he can't read. And Morris is also stumped when it comes to figuring out how many gumdrops he can buy, because he can't count.

The publisher suggests this book as a practice reader for those in first grade or younger. My experience convinces me that this book is a little too hard for most children in this age range. For one thing, there are 64 pages of text, which is quite a bit for newbies to sit down and read at one time. And the vocabulary is fairly advanced with words like: wrong, sting, meant, interrupt, couldn't, sandwiches, cream-cheese, piece, fruit, hamburgers, arithmetic, antler, count, make-believe, and forest. And in fact, the Accelerated Reading designation for this book is 2.0 -- which means that those experts feel that the book is suited for entering 2nd Graders.

[The AR designation is a general "guide" that rates books on a relative scale of difficulty. Children can certainly read at levels above or below their group range, so that this number should only be used as a aid to help choose books that are appropriate and not frustrating.]

Three Stars. This is an okay book which shows why learning is necessary. In my and my son's opinion it wasn't as funny as the other Morris books. The Publisher suggests this reader for ages Pre5 to Grade 1. The 'official' Accelerated Reading (AR) designation, however, is 2.0.

The author really gives the cat in this story a voice, not to mention the cat is just like mine. Great story and pictures. I read it to my fourth grade class and they enjoyed it.

This is a humorous look at an imaginary life of Merl the "special" cat. He has his cat people and when they bring a puppy into the home, Merl begins an adventure. Kids love to hear it over and over--the illustrations are also very lovely. I love to read this out loud.

"My dish. My sofa. My chair. My mouse. My Bed." These are the words uttered by Merl, a very special cat and above each two word sentence is an excellent illustration. Merl, who always seems to have his pink mouse toy in his teeth by the tail is a happy, content cat, until his owners bring home a puppy. The puppy dog licks and slurps Merl to no end, apparently not aware that cats and dogs aren't supposed to be friends. Merl does everything he can to discourage the puppy, but in the end finds that nothing he does will shake this dog's love, so he leaves and seeks out a new home.

However, everywhere he goes he has problems, first a lady dresses him up like a show cat, children fight over him and he winds up sleeping in a box on the street until this dog comes by and guess what, that dog is the puppy all grown up and he takes Merl home and Merl decides to be friends after all, but there are a few rules he lays down and they are, "My dish. My sofa. My chair. My mouse. My bed and My Big Dog."

This is wonderful book for children just learning to read. The illustrations are simply beautiful. Your child will just love this. I know my girls did when they were learning to read. Five stars from me for "My Big Dog."

Awesome book! Only thing that I didn't really like so much were the grey people (they seemed to be photographs) that were inserted with the animals) Merl certainly is a very special cat, and I can't think of a reason why any child wouldn't love this book. I'm especially fond of Merl's pink mouse toy.

That aside, the writing is great and the illustration (Aside from the grey people) fit the mood of the whole thing fanatsticly. The 'i'm so irritated' cat face is just perfectly captured.

Our class thought this book was funny! We laughed when the cat, Merl, got dressed up as a girl. Our favorite part was when the kids played tug-of-war with Merl. You have to buy this book! It is excellent!