Kangaroos Books

We bought this book because we had heard bits of information about permaculture and we didn't want to spend heaps of money learning about something which might not interest us.

Earth User's Guide to Permaculture has inspired us to get into permaculture in a big way. The information presented gives enough in the way of ideas to get the brain ticking over and to think how it can be applied in your own situation. We will buy another, more detailed book than this one, but this was perfect as an introduction to permaculture and to guide us in the direction we need to go.

I'd recommend this book to anyone with an interest in permaculture who isn't sure if it's for them. There's enough to get you thinking and to let you know if permaculture is for you.

Morrow and Allsop offer an amusingly illustrated and practical response to other intellectually overwhelming tomes available on permaculture (e.g. Bill Mollison's "Designer's Manual"). For those readers who want an easy-to-follow and get-to-the-point manual for designing their property according to permaculture principles, this book is it.

The author breaks down the complex material in simple layered concepts, building each successive chapter on the previous, and gives the reader practical "labs" to help apply the concepts--even if you are just dreaming about property and don't own any yet.

About 1/3 of the book is foundational material on earth science: air, weather, soil, plants, etc. Starting with the basics, like observation and note taking, the author guides us step by step to help us understand the macro (the earth) and the micro (our backyard) world around us. The next 1/3 of the book helps you to start planning your own property based on the principles uncovered in the first 1/3. Photos and cartoon-like illustrations help flesh out the concepts.

My only complaint is that the latter chapters are too brief. The author does such a good example of explaining the material in the first 1/3 of the book that I was disappointed to find the material lacking on how to build a natural forest. The reader will need additional books (like Patrick Whitefield's How to make a Forest Garden) to fill in where the author is sparse here.

Despite what a previous reviewer has written, this book is neither preachy nor impractical. The notion to get rid of your car was briefly suggested in one place, about 3/4 ways through the book, and certainly not presented as an imperative--merely one idea among many possible solutions to pollution.

To suggest that the author expects us to emulate Vietnamese poverty is misleading and unfair. The author presents several excellent agricultural examples currently employed in Vietnam--if good examples of permaculture exist there, why not use them to illustrate your point? The author in no way implies that we must adopt the Vietnamese lifestyle as a whole to fullfill the permaculture ideal. Rather, we can take their best examples and adapt them to our own situation.

By the way, as a policitally conservative reader (to the "right"), I can confidently say the tone of the book is NOT leftist. Sound ecological principles are not "leftist". Good stewardship of the earth is a biblical and conservative notion.

Anyway, this is a fun, informative book, with LOTS of practical ideas that have inspired me and enlightened my dreams for my own permaculture homestead.

What a pity that a science which has as much to offer as permaculture should be so degraded by the radicalism of some of its proponents as to make it unsaleable to the mainstream of potential users, who will be turned away by its political philosophy. This book, while it offers some good ideas about design and planning, is tinged throughout by its greenie fringe. eg. what is the solution to weeds caused by vehicular pollution? Get rid of your car!

I bought this book to learn about sustainable agricultural practice, but found myself enmeshed in a diatribe of leftist sentiment. For those of us who do not wish to wear biodegradable clothes, or who do not believe that corporate profits are the result of greedy and unethical conspiracies, it is too tempting to disregard the entire subject of permaculture.

The proponents of this science need to accept that the majority of those citizens of the planet who have become accustomed to living in personal circumstances better than that of the "third world" are not going to go back to that lifestyle. While it might be a romantic ideal for some to live like a Vietnamese villager, not all would want to accept the poverty, short life expectancy and high infant mortality, to mention just three factors, which brand that country "third world". Permaculturists should abandon their politics and concentrate on promoting their science.

This is an excellent first read on permaculture. It covers nearly all the bases that Mollison's intro does (the daddy of the discipline) but brings the somewhat heady concepts down to a tangible, 'here's how you can do it' level. One of the things that I liked so much about this book is that the author doesn't assume (like many PC writings seem to do) that you live way out in the bush somewhere, with acres and acres to work with, no infrastructure, no other job, and heaps of people working alongside you. She has ideas for those folks, but also for the rest of us who maybe have a small yard, a deserted lot, a community garden space, or just a stoop and a lot of creativity. this is a good book. I recomend it highly.

Rosemary Morrow lives in Eastern Australia and has taught permaculture design in India, Africa, Thailand and Cambodia. As a result of her considerable skill and experience she has written a first-rate, practical and informative guide to sustainable living. Permaculture was first developed by Bill Mollison and Dvid Holmgren and has since spread exponentially around the world. This book is a very practical guide to help you get started in your locality. While it has an Australian perspective, I have found the vast majority of it entirely applicable or easily adaptable to a Northern hemisphere temperate context. I bought The Earth User's Guide to Permaculture because I wanted to learn about Permaculture but was intimidated by the price and sheer weight of the key textbook, Permaculture: A Designer's Manual, by Mollison. I was also unable to participate in a hands-on design course at the time due to work and family committments. What I found was inspiring. I have since completed the design certificate and am now teaching a university course in environmental ethics. There are several strengths to the Earth User's Guide. First, there are plenty of excellent illustrations by Rob Allsop, so you can see as well as read about the process and principles of permaculture design. The twenty well-chosen colour photographs compliment these. Secondly, the book focusses on two different real-life examples, a small suburban house and an eighty acre farm. Seeing permaculture in action in real places is very helpful. Third, the book avoids duplicating material that can be found elsewhere and instead focusses on the practical. There are project ideas here that could take a morning or a lifetime to complete. As Rosemary Morrow writes in the preface, 'start now and let your life be enriched'.

I Am Leaper by Annabel Johnson is a boring adventure book that I wouldn`t recommend to anyone. The story happens when this boy named Julian gets a job at a laboratory. Then two men have a machine that can translates animals voices into words. Meanwhile Julian starts talking to the kangaroo rat named Leaper. And now julian has to go to this desert to find food this rat. In one of parts Julian has to defeat the deserts most deadliest snakes. One of the funny parts is when Julian thinks this tortoise is a rock and he sits on it. And on top of that, Julian has to defeat a monster,that kills and hurts things in the desert. Will he survive?
Leaper is a bossy kangaroo rat who has brown fur and a really long tail and he can talk to only Julian. Leapers feelings are hurt because he's stuck in a cage all day long. Leapers a really smart rat, [if he give can directions to his home all the way in the desert.] to a 12 year old kid . Leaper gets really excited, when Julian does what Leaper says. Like I said he's bossy.
All in all I Am Leaper is boring in some parts, but in other parts it`s exciting. You should spend some time reading this fantasy book.

STUDENT REVIEW
The novel I Am Leaper is the most interesting book I have ever read it held my interest and touched me in many different ways. Between the risk taking moments and heart taking moments Annabel Johnson catches your attention and makes you want to keep reading.

In the novel, the characters were so believable that you felt you could under stand and to relate to them. That is one of the reasons why I liked this story so much. One of my favorite characters is Julian. Though he disobeyed the bosses, Julian was a kind-hearted kid who liked to help animals.

The novel I Am Leaper was not a boring story at all. The author Annabel Johnson was able to hold the interest of the reader thought the story. The description of scenes was all so well done, you could picture them in your head. There were funny moments and some scary moments. One of my favorite scenes was when Julian and Leaper was in the cave looking for food and the high schoolers scared them and they hid under the rock. This scene was so well described I could see it in my head. After reading this book It has been so joyful I would read it every day.

If you are a fan of deserts, animals, and laboratories, this is the book for you! I am Leaper is about rat who has the gift of tongue and has come to a laboratory to save the desert from the horrible monster. The scientists are too excited to help Leaper, so it's up to Julian X. Jones to save the desert.

I Am Leaper is written by Annabel Johnson. The way she writes makes it seem as though she is an animal lover. She acts like she cares for the animals, like when Leaper won't eat her seeds, Annabel makes Julian go get seeds from the desert for Leaper.

We rate this book at three to four stars because it is very beneficial. We would suggest this book to any one who loves animals. I Am Leaper is a good book.

I think this book was a pretty good book that was well written by Annable Johnson.I liked how they described where they were and the vocabulary was well done. They described the characters speech and behavior.

THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK. IT HAS PROVEN TO BE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS. CHILDREN GET BORED SKIMMING THE PRETTY SIDE OF LIFE OVER AND OVER BECAUSE ADULTS DON'T HAVE THE PATIENCE AND ANSWERS IT TAKES TO BE HONEST. CHILDREN KNOW THAT THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN WHAT THEY ARE SHOWN. KANGAROOS ARE SOME OF THE MOST COMPLEX ANIMALS IN THE WORLD (POUCHES AND HOPPING ARE THE LEAST OF IT). THIS BOOK SHOWS THAT IN A WAY THAT IS NOT "GROSS"; BUT, REAL, HONEST AND EDUCATIONAL.

The beauty of this series is the slightly gruesome nature of the photographs. While adults may wrinkle their noses and say "Ick," elementary school children find them very appealing. Kids especially enjoy knowing their elders are "grossed out" by the pictures!

Although this book contains incredible photographs I am reviewing it unfavorably based on the age range (4-8). I bought it to use in a Kindergarten classroom. The pictures are too explicit revealing internal organs, stomach and undigested food, the womb, leg muscles and tendons. Luckily, I looked at it before putting it in the classroom. I feel that the students would have been frightened, not only by the graphic nature of the pictures but also by wondering how the pictures were taken. Akin to a dissection book. Definitely for older children and even then, for those not squeamish.

Packed with some great stories. Be better if they were true. He explains little. Ben Franklin invented the harmonica. He doesn't explain it is not the mouth organ but an instriment that didn't catch on. The largest prime number is... He gets it wrong in the title but gets it right in the body of the story. The Tower of Brahma. A legend used to sell a toy (Tower of Hanoi) that Ripley beleived as a fact. Cute. Never corrected in the reprintings and never re-released in paperback because of the massive numbers of corrections needed.

Robert Ripley keeps your interest for 100s of pages of interesting and weird,odd facts. Learn about the fire walkers, south-african neck strainers, and a sneeze that murdered 2000 people!

After looking through Jean Foleys book I can see how difficult it can be to see what one has experienced as part of one's life when it is viewed by someone else, as they necessarily can only give limited attention in the broad examination this book gives to the subject.

The book is a useful insight into part of the history and as such it omits most of the human side of the place, BUT, as someone who spent the first 23 years of life in Quarantine Stations in Australia (Brisbane, Darwin and North Head), its difficult for me is accept that so much of what one witnessed and experienced first hand in such places has been lost, not written about, ignored and or just plain destroyed.

It irks me that so much of the carvings made by 19th and 20th century Quarantine immates at North Head, outside the current Q-station site, are now being degraded and or lost forever by possible neglect. The numerous sites which were previously so carefully looked after by dedicated Commonwealth Quarantine Staff for decades are now without evident protection.

If one would like to hear something of the forgotten people who did so much to maintain this unique site, including the now Q-Station location, as well as the adjoining areas of the former Quarantine Station now controlled by NSW Parks and Wildlife, one should consult the article in the 1975 Commonwealth Deparment of Health Journal 'Health', Volume 25, pages 31-37, "Quarantine: counting the costs".

Fortunately, for me I can recollect what few others know about eg how difficult some immates were about their 14 day stay in Quarantine and the management demands of Head Office and Canberra - how many times one went looking for people who had placed themselves in danger around the cliff faces at North Head, the time spent running the steam laundry so that other staff could keep the place fully functional, the number of phone calls one answered at our family staff house when I was studying for University exams, and yes the times when the station was under full emergency mode with closed gates and no contact with the outside world (except for those of use who lived at the gatehouse S7).

Most of all I have fond memories of the village atmosphere of all the fellow staff members and their families, warts and all. The greatest thrills I had were of looking at all the antiquated tools, machines, steam boilers and the engines which were left over from another age.

Fortunately my father (Herbert Lavaring BEM, 1917-98)as Officer in Charge of the Station (1963-75) spent a lot of time and effort to save these and other items of historical interest - some have survived the passage of time and are now to be found in the National Museum in Canberra and the National Archives at Chester Hill in Sydney.

Unfortunately, Jean Foley has few accounts of the experiences of the staff and their families who had the opportunity of living in this museum of human history when it was fully functional. Luckily I am one who can say "I lived there!" and in similar places which have since been destroyed through 'progress' or outright neglect. I hope whats left at North Head is properly preserved, particularly the rock carvings outside the Q-station site.

Those were interesting times, even if it was when one was much younger.

Dr Ian Lavering BSc, PhD, MBA, MAHons, GDMgmt, GDAdmin, GCREcol
Quarantine Station Lytton Brisbane 1952-58,
Quarantine Station Darwin 1959-62, and
Quarantine Station North Head 1963-75.

In writing the first definitive history of the Quarantine Station in Sydney's North Head, Foley has gone to impressive lengths to track down seemingly every historical record, reference and recount related to the Station's 160-year history and weave them together into an engaging read. Written chronologically and structured according to the Station's varying management and function - the events, diseases, people and (often poor) decisions that affected the development of the Station are conveyed succinctly and articulately. From the Station's hasty beginnings in relative isolation from the emerging British colony in 1837, to bungled attempts to contain smallpox in 1881, through to the bubonic plague and pneumonic influenza in the early 1900s, the book charts the development of not only the Station, but developments in medical knowledge in the prevention and treatment of infectious disease. The Station is also portrayed as an immigration facility as well as a health concern, documenting the disillusionment felt by many a once hopeful immigrant arriving at what was for many their first and last contact with Australia. Concluding shortly after the Station's closure and inclusion in a national park in 1984, the book remains very well-researched and factual, and therefore does not wander into the paranormal realms that most 'ghost tour' visitors to the Station today may associate with it.

This book contains over sixty quilling projects for creating gifts, paintings, and cards in categories such as "Easy Floral Designs," "Weddings & Anniversaries," and "Christmas Cards." If you're interested in Victoriana or folk art, "Practical Quilling" will explain a simple decorative technique that was at one time referred to as 'paper filigree.'

Supplies include quilling paper (which you can buy pre-cut into strips), quilling tools which resemble small long-needled awls, blank cards, scissors, straight pins, and glue (I suggest paper glue). Another very useful piece of equipment is a quilling cork board marked with circles where you can pin your petals, rolls, leaves, and hearts into (say) a Christmas wreath before gluing the individual pieces together. An optional piece of equipment is a fringing tool ($50 at the quillingsuperstore.com). You might also want a paper crimper. Both of the latter items are needed for any fancy flower creations.

Unfortunately, this Aussie author has not created very clear, easy-to-understand diagrams to work from. Her drawings are filled with mysterious X's O's and spirals which are not shown to scale on a grid, which would have made them easier to copy. There are some very cute projects in "Practical Quilling" including a jaunty frog, and some very beautiful flower cards, but I would recommend Malinda Johnston's "Paper Quilling" Weekend Crafter manual over this book for ease of use.

This is an excellent book for quillers of all skill levels. I've been quilling for over 45 years and this is one of my most worn books.

She has 8 pages of basic instructions including how to create fringed flowers and roses. She also has information on using metallic papers, sealing your project and crimping.

She has both drawn patterns and color pictures. There are very clear instructions on what each mark on the drawings mean. In one the x denotes fringed flowers. At the top of the instructions is a ledger that explains what each mark means. The instuctions are easy to follow and explain the steps in creating your coils and joining them to create a design.

with over 70 projects this book is a very good value.

What a complete disappointment. I love lace knitting and have been doing it for decades, but this is a travesty...a waste of time. For having been printed the first time in 1997 (11 years ago), just think about your grandma's house from the 1950s and that is what you will get...everything dripping in lace.

Now, don't misunderstand me, there is nothing wrong with towels, pillowcases, napkins, or placemats having a little bit of hand-made knitted lace attached. But I draw the line at doing all of that work for a wine bottle cozy, lace clothes for freaky looking dolls, or preserve jar covers. It's just too over the top.

There are better lace books out there. Barbara Abbey's "Knitted Lace" being one of the best. "Heirloom Knitting", "First Book of Modern Lace Knitting", and a few others. If you really want to look this book over check it out of your local library before spending the money.

I love this book, it is full of creative and beautiful patterns that can be adapted to make many other things. My favorite are the 4 lace hanger covers! There are a lot of edgings for tablecoths, napkins, hankies, towels, sheets, pillowcases, curtains and more. There is an amazing bedspread, a pomander, preserve covers, doilies, a basket cover, and so much more I can't remember it all. A lot of the table covers and even doilies, could be adapted to make baby blankets and shawls! It's just such beautiful lace, I love looking through the book again and again. The materials for the projects are easy to come by as well.

This is the first novel by Ukranian-born Iryna Bennett, who now resides in Texas.

Having been expelled from the FBI for questionable practice, Aya Morell takes a career move into the private security sector. Hired by a pharmaceutical giant in Arizona to investigate a recent case of industrial espionage, Aya plunges head long into the task at hand.

It does not take long before she is delving deep into a world of deceit and betrayal, where nothing is as it seems. Soon, it becomes clear that the information that was stolen could have much greater significance in the world of human science then she could ever have imagined.

Unfortunately, this is all that I can write about this book, without giving away the ending, as I found that the book only touched on topics and ideas, and did not explore them as much as I would have liked.

The novel is a very short 211 pages, and has a wide margin to the top and bottom of each page. I feel that the novel was too short, leaving many unanswered questions, which is very confusing to the reader.

Armchair Interviews says: Heed the reviewer's comments.

Being one of those people who never seems to have enough time for the things I have to do and the things I want to do if a book doesn't catch my interest in the first few pages it goes to the boring pile. Not a problem with Whoever Fights Monsters, a fast read I didn't put down until I had finished. Iryna portraits characters you like or dislike, sympathize with or would like to kick in the [...]. She takes you through a story with unexpected, surprising and shocking twists and turns of coincidence (or fate) that lead to the end. Aya could easily become a lead character in a series, but I won't spoil the story by telling you if you'd love or hate her. Read for yourself and enjoy the suspense.

Nice pictures but not much discussion of the plants. Teaches you little about them.

A far, far superior book is THE SAVAGE GARDEN by Peter D'Amatao.

Although there are better books detailing the cultivation of carnivorous plants, I don't think any can match the amazing and beautiful color photographs of the plants in this volume. The photos alone are worth the cover price. For content I give it 3 stars, but for photos it gets 5, so I guess I'll have to give the book a 4 rating as an average!

Nice pictures but little information about the plants and all their varieties. I rate it a 2 for content.

A far, far superior book is THE SAVAGE GARDEN by Peter D'Amato.

This book gives general cultivating instructions for carnivorous plants, and is a good book for beginners. The book is worth collecting for the incredible color photos alone.

I was having problems comprehending in my classes. This simple way of locating what I didn't know really hit the spot! I now look up the words I don't know and I find that I can study without, as Don says, "tuning out." This is a great and SIMPLE method that works for me.

What is his so-called method? Learn the meaning of words and their origin. Learn the word "focus" and its origin, and you will be able to focus better. If you believe this, spend your money on a dictionary and skip this tape.

I think that all readers of your books, should be interested in Don Woodruff's Kangaroo Method. How should we read ? How should we study ? As Woodruff puts it: ` You either know something or you don't know it.' But all too often, we fake our way through material we do not understand. When we reach a confusing word or meaning we may be `thrown for a loop', but we keep going.

Instead of pretending to know, we can choose to question. Every question mark can become a hook, stimulating our curiosity. The defintion of each word can open the door to new knowledge and greater clarity.

It's just common sense to focus on what we do not know, until we know it. But common sense is not so common. Listen to the Kangaroo Method tapes over and over for increased comprehension and motivation, as you study. Hey. These tapes may be just the thing you need to become an A student or a real scholar. It's certainly worth a try.

I now know why I couldn't find this in book form (available only on cassette tape).....it's because it would be less than a good chapter long! He cousels only to know the origin of words - that's it! As helpfull as this would be, it does not constitute the subject of an entire treatise on "a shortcut...
to accelerated learning" as he promotes.
Skip this one and save your money...