Wildlife Books

I cannot encourage anyone who is even slightly interested in wildlife or butterfly gardening strongly enough - READ THIS BOOK! Along with Noah's Garden, Stein's first "eco-gardening" book, this is a great read for anyone who finds endless lawns boring, or has driven past a wooded lot daily, only to wake up one day and find it has been flattened to make a strip mall. I have read both books several times and used the advice in both to build an beautiful butterfly and bird garden (on a patio outside an apartment, no less) and I can't wait to apply it to a full-sized yard. This book doesn't just encourage you to make a difference - even if it's just a dent - it actually shows you how. I loved it, and I plan to give it as gifts in the future.

I bought this book because I have two children and one of the other reviewers spoke about how the author views children as part of the "mega fauna" of a landscape and gives her suggestions on how to make an interesting outdoor "habitat" for them, so to speak. In addition, I've always tried to take an ecologically sound approach to landscaping in my yard by gardening organically.

Truth to tell, I never really thought about whether or not it's ecologically sound to plant mostly exotic plants in my yard versus native ones. I congratulated myself that I let a meadow emerge in my back yard when I moved in. I never gave much thought to exactly what was growing in it. I've always believed that it is just plain wrong to collect plants from the wild...but are there times when it is not only justified but perhaps actually beneficial? If so, when?

In any case, the book definitely stretched my perceptions and gave me a whole lot to think about in terms of my own typical, "newly developed" suburban lot. I felt like the chapter about the author's niece, also about such a suburban lot, could have been about my own.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in gardening or ecology...and even those not currently interested could probably benefit! Worth every penny I paid...not just an enjoyable read, but a very informative one.

This book is totally enchanting. When I first read "David Copperfield" I told myself that I would read it again in a few years and it would read differently. And it has."Planting Noah's Garden" has exactly the same feel. I have spent the last six months recommending this book to my naturalist friends. I have often though of passing my copy on, but have decided not to. I buy another copy instead. I have the feeling that this is a book that I will want to read again.and again.Sara states that "Children are part of the mega-fauna of every landscape." She writes about the basic need of children to look under rocks and logs, to climb trees..to discover the natural wonders that await them there. And, or course, she tells us how to make this happen.

If you enjoy planting things, if you enjoy your yard, your children and your grandchildren, buy this book. It is a masterpiece.

Stein's way with words allows her to provide a huge amount of information in entertaining narrative form to the degree that one just can't put the book down. This is the appeal and value of her "Noah's Garden" and continues in Part 1 of "Planting Noah's Garden." Part 2 is something extra: direct instructions, charts, and everything a reader wants to know about how to follow in Stein's footsteps (or spade holes). She provides a wealth of information on everything from how to get started with the complex process of eco-gardening to precise information on specific plants and projects. This is really Stein's answer to the hundreds of letters and questions she has gotten since "Noah's Garden" and what an answer it is!

Like a good naturalist or interpreter, this guide provides not only a concise way to identify the most common flora and fauna, but adds interesting facts and folklore. It will surely make the living things in and around Rainier very accessible, and provide even the most knowledgeable biologist/naturalist with enjoyable new information. Illustrations are detailed and beautiful, and the general information and references are an added bonus. And it all fits into your pocket! Great!

An excellent guidebook to the Mount Rainier area. As a former Mount Rainier Ranger, I would recommend this book to anyone considering a visit to Mount Rainier National Park. The illustrations are beautifully rendered and the accompanying text is accurate and insightful. The book is small enough to fit in a daypack or take it along for a backpack along the Wonderland Trail.

Excellent field guide with great illustrations

The problem with most field guides is that they've forgotten they are field guides and not coffee-table art books.

Not so with Joe Dreimiller's POCKET GUIDE TO THE PLANTS AND ANIMALS OF MOUNT RAINIER!

Sure, this book has plenty of pretty color pictures made by its three illustrators, but they are diagnostic illustrations, just like Roger Tory Peterson emphasized in his bird books. So, you have something pretty to look at but you also have something that will help you identify the common plants and animals to be seen in Mt Rainier National Park.

Pictures are nice, but after you've used the illustrations to identify an Elephant-head pedicularis, Golden-mantled ground squirrel, a Varied thrush, or a Mountain hemlock, Dreimiller tells you the field marks so you'll know what makes these things different from their closest relitives. That way, if you don't have his book next time, you've learned what distingushes each plant or animal from every other plant or animal.

And the help you get from this little gem doesn't stop there. Let's say you've used this pocket guide to identify a False hellebore [Veratrum viride]. Next time you're in the Park, hiking with a friend, and you spot it, you can say, "Oh! Look at that False hellebore! Did you know its botanic name means 'green plant with the black roots?'" And so you look at the roots and, "Wow! They're black."

For all the organisms in this book, there are not only field marks but an extensive list of notes to help you remember why each is so important to know.

Not only that, but there are descriptions of all the groups so you'll learn why mammals are different from birds which are different from amphibians. There is an extensive bird list for the Park including accidentals. And, unsual for this kind of book, there is a mammal list too. And to top off the list catagory, each habitat has a list of common plants as well as suggestions for places to walk.

Did I mention that Dreimiller's book is also pocket sized? How many field guides have you bought in recent years that don't even fit in the pocket of your daypack?

I also liked the short reference list at the end of the book, referring me to other helpful resources. The index is short, but complete.

Evidently Dreimiller worked as a ranger at Mount Rainier for a number of years and it shows. He knows his plants and his animals. All in all, I would reccomend this little gem to anybody who wants to know more about what they see while in the Park. And the best thing about this field guide is that it teaches you things that can be used elsewhere in the Cascades.

I write for a number of newspapers in the Seattle area and I'm pretty sensitive to writers who wastes my time trying to copy the prose of Muir, Leopold, Pyle, and all the other good nature writers. I liked this book because it tells me what I need to know without the usual cumbersome "awesome beauty of nature" rhetoric that encumbers so many field guides. Leave the literature for the coffee table. Take Dreimiller's book into the field.

This is probably one of the best book available on these amazing, intelligent, beautiful creatures. Don't believe most of what you read or hear about bears because they are not the killers that people have made them out to be. The reviewer "Howard Tuttleman' is an idiot! How you coud claim to know anything about these amazing creatures and then make a comment about the weapons and tools that it would take to bag one is beyond me. Just read "Polar Bears: Living with the White Bear" to better understand how peaceful and safe these animals are. Howard I wish someone would 'bag' you and I get so tired of stupid people like you even opening their ignorant mouth. I've spent alot of time observing brown bears and researching them so I have to deal with all the hype and myth surrounding brown bears as well. I've stood feet away from numerous brown bears and have never had a problem. It's all about knowing how to talk "bear". It also helps if you're actually more intelligent than the bear and as people like Howard have proven that isn't very common these days. Howard go back in your cave and keep you uneducated opinions to yourself. Stop the agressive ignorance!

This is a truly outstanding book. It is extremely well written and the photography is world class. The reader will come away with a broad outline and understanding of this magnificent animal.

This book is truly fabtastic, a recommended read to anyone. Just pick open the pages and read, nothing complicated with it as it is written extremely well.

Enjoy.

I really enjoyed this book. I originally bought it for research on a project but i was soon reading it for my own enjoyment. Polar bears are my favorite animal and this book gave me some amazing information and beautiful pictures. I would definately recommend this book to anyone.

This volume continues the saga of Ray Metzker as one of the 20th century's premier photographers. His change of subject from urbanscape to landscape will startle those familiar with his opus. However, Metzker's focus on shape and design, and his darkroom mastery, bring us home. This volume leaves us wondering what will be next.

Metzker is a modern experimental photographer well known for his city photos. Landscapes departs from his tested realm into landscapes, collecting rarely seen works - most of which have never been published - and packing in black and white full-page images made around the world. Landscapes accompanies a traveling exhibition but also stands well alone.

One of the best photography monographs I've seen in years. Metzker continues to be a visual innovator in the vein of Harry Callahan or Aaron Siskind, exploring prosaic landscape subjects as a rich fodder for abstracting. His approach to a dense, 'all-over' composition has been seen in numerous other contemporary landscape photographers work (such as John Gossage or Robert Adams), but rarely with such an other-worldly romance and glow. I've been a fan for years of Metzker's more familiar series of abstracted street scenes, but these landscapes were a complete surprise. Beautifully printed volume. I'll be sure to make it to Philadelphia to take in the museum show.

Ray Metzker is an experimental photographer whose work in the 1960s transform black and white landscape photography into a fine art. Ray K. Metzker: Landscapes showcases twelve series of his photographs. Evan Turner's informative essay on Metzker's life and work places this master photographer with an art-historical tradition spanning the contributions of such innovators as Boucher, Monet, Klimt, and others. An enthusiastically recommended addition to any personal, academic, or community library photography collection, Ray K. Metzker: Landscapes was flawlessly designed and based upon a major traveling exhibition of his work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (November 18, 2000 through February 11, 2001. Thereafter the exhibition will travel the length and breath of the country.

Riding the Tiger is a fine conservation book. It gets into the technical part of conservation which few see. If you are interested in becoming a zoologist this book is a must.

This book is excellent for biological conservationists. It is written in the language of science and may be slightly difficult for the non-scientist to comprehend. Otherwise, it was a great book, and I would recommend it for everyone.

If you want to explore the present state of knowledge about tigers in the wild and their real prospects for survival, this is the best publication available. It's attractively illustrated with photos of wild tigers, current range maps, and useful treatments of their history, habitat, populations, prey relations, conflicts with people, and conservation status in various parts of their range. The book's chapters are well organized and written by well informed scientists.

I couldn't put the book down and have only been surprised that it has received so little publicity beyond the professional ranks of conservation biologists. It's useful also for those considering a visit to areas where tigers still occur.

An excellent and thorough composition of research of the tiger and its conservation. A must have for ecologists or wildlife biologists interested in studying or working with the big cats. Very informative, written with a lot of data, statistics, maps and references - most informative for those with a scientific mind. Highly recommended.

All 3 of Lichen's "Uncommon Field Guide" series are uncommonly delightful to poke into. One can read them chapter-by-chapter or just open the book anywhere and delve in. Even if it is an animal or plant you are familiar with, there is a good likelihood that you will discover something new about it in her description. Reading the books is somewhat like the joy of discovering an animal or plant for the first time or in an unexpected place. My only complaint is that there is not one of Feltner's detailed illustrations with every single chapter.

Made me want to go straight out for a hike in the mountains! Now I know a lot more about the plants and animals out there!

Pat Lichen weaves fascinating scientific information with humor, personal experience, and heartfelt tenderness for the natural world. Linda Feltner's drawings gently accentuate the essays. I'd recommend all three of Lichen's books: River-Walking Songbirds and Singing coyotes, Brittle Stars and Mudbugs, and Passionate Slugs and Hollywood Frogs as good reading and good reference for any household in the Pacific Northwest.

This book was great fun to read! I especially liked the author's sense of humor and obvious connection to the natural world. Interesting details about how different plant and animal species live their lives.

A terrific book for all types of nature-loving readers. If you like pictures, they're here. If you want the best information available about African Wild Dogs and efforts to save them, it's definitely here. All people who are fascinated by wild animals will find this book to be a treasure. The photography is beautiful...It's the next best thing to being there. Leave this book on your coffee table and I guarantee that every guest will pick it up.

These animals truly are in trouble. McNutt does a good job explaining exactly why these dogs are endangered (or should be classified as such).

Like most books published under Smithsonian, this one is a keeper.

This is an excellent treatment of the ecology, behavior and endangered status of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). For the past several years, the authors have studied African wild dogs in one of their last remaining strongholds, the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

The well-written text and superb photography provide important insight into the natural history and the current plight of African wild dogs. This species has been maligned and persecuted by humans, partly because of unfortunate myths about them. The authors address and dispel these myths, they examine the causes of the drastic decline in African wild dog numbers, and they discuss possible approaches to save this endangered species.

Are you fascinated by wolves? Do you dream of going on safari in Africa? If you answer yes to either question then this book will be of interest to you.

I had the good luck to see a pack of 10 wild dogs while on safari in Botswana in September of 1998. Being a wolf enthusiast, I was very interested in the similarities and differences between the American grey wolf and the African wild dog. This book was in the library of each safari camp I stayed in so I had the pleasure of studying about the wild dogs while in their native habitat. As you'll learn from this book, wild dogs are extremely social, even more so than grey wolves, and very efficient, successful predators.

The photographs in this book are fantastic and the text is well written, well organized, and aimed at the general public rather than the scientific community.

The author continues his African wild dog research in Botswana. The fate of these fascinating predators is very precarious due to their small population and the relentless persecution by people, similar to that experienced by the grey wolf in America earlier this century.

Hi, I'm an OAC biology student (that's grade 13 in Ontario) who is doing my ISP on African wild dogs. This is the best book I have ever found on wild dogs and probably the best ever written. I could not believe my luck when I found it. It is an excellent, coffee-table-type book with lots of beautiful pictures that you would like even if you were not specially interested in wild dogs. You will be surprised at how similar the dogs look in the pictures to your own dog.

I was apprehensive that a book ostensibly written by a teddy bear would get sneers from my teen aged son, however, despite a few pages of cuteness at the start, the book was so well done in art work and content, and mirrored our own safari experiences so well, that Nick loved it. He even, abeit a bit sheepishly, liked the teddy bear humor. If this book succeeds so well with a cynical teen, it should work for everyone. Read this book before you go to East Africa, then re-read it (and get a little misty-eyed) after you return.

This delightful book tells the story of the bear Reggie, who travels to Africa for a safari with his owner. His handwritten account records everything he sees in a journal/scrapbook format that is accompanied by beautiful illustrations. A wonderful book for any age. Also check out the follow up, Journey Up the Nile.

An absolutely charming book, "Safari" is the journal of Reginald Oliver Smythe, a vintage Teddy bear who was taken along on a trip to Africa by his owner (and travel companion), Susan. I've read lots of books on Africa, but none like this one--told entirely from the toy bear's perspective. It is filled with interesting facts and suffused with "Reggie's" endearing personality. Written in the form of a travel journal, the book is as lushly illustrated as an artist's sketchbook. Reginal Oliver Smythe's "Safari" is perfect for reading to my young nieces and nephew. A great gift!

I have been on a safari with each of my daughters and am going on another with my son, his wife and 3 young grands this summer. Mailed them Reggie's book which was so beguiling I had to get another copy for my daughters to share with me. Needless to say I love the East African experience and this book gives some useful information in a fun, easily accessible and creative way.

This is about the most interesting book I have ever read! I started reading and I couldn't put it down! The pack of wolves takes you to daring moments when the pack mobs Lakota or quiet times when two wolves rest together. They are not the horrid creatures imagined in stories, but beautiful creatures that this book explains.

This is an intimate look at the wolf, quite possibly one of the most misunderstood creatures on Earth. So often depicted as evil in lore and legend, this book shows another side of this beautiful animal. Instead of the red-eyed, drooling monster of myth, we see the well-organized society present in a wolf pack, full of nurture and play. The qualities of the wolf that seemed to prove its place in history are shown instead to be merely the means for its survival. The expressive photographs and rich text work well to dispel the myth of the wolf as just a savage beast.

This book is awesome!! I have sponsored the pack for nine years now and never get tired of looking at the book. The photography is exceptional and for anyone who loves these majestic wolves they have to buy the book!!

THIS PACK MEANS SO MUCH TO THE FUTURE OF WOLVES! THE EDUCATION & NEW FOUND KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM THIS PACK, ALONE, IS THE FOOT IN THE DOOR FOR WOLF RECOVERY IN THE LOWER 48. NEVER HAS A WOLF PACK BEEN SO CLOSELY STUDIED WHILE STILL LIVING A NATURAL LIFE. THIS PARTICULAR BOOK IS NOTHING SHORT OF AWESOME! THE PICTURES ARE AMAZING, AS IS THE ENTIRE BOOK! A TRUE INSPIRATION! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ALL, THAT MANY MORE WILL UNDERSTAND THE TRUE LIFE OF THE WOLF.

P.S. From before - I am eleven and found this book great! It also had some hard terms. No way is this a book for 4-8 year olds! More like 6-13 year olds! :)

I read this book really fast because it was so good - you know like when you can't put it down? well, it was that good. it helped me a lot on my non-fiction summer reading. i also liked how there was a story you could relate to about saving sea lions and putting them into a rescue program. Sea Lion had great pictures and I really got a great amount of information from this book. I mean, who knew there were only 5 types of Sea Lions and only 35 species in the Pinnipedia family (the family sea lions belong to)??? Well, now you know and I know! YAY!!! Anyway, who knew that there were eared and earless seals??? And that the female only has one pup each birth??? Well, now you know some more!!! So click the mouse and buy this book and you can find out a little bit more about these great animals. I LOVE SEA LIONS!!! :) LOL

I liked this book a lot. It had good pictures, pretty easy terms, and really cool fun facts about sea lions. Plus, in the beginning it started out with a little story about rescuing sea lions at the Marine Mammal Orginization. It was a great book. I think everyone should buy this book. You should too! I loved this book. My sister read it for 6th grade summer reading and it was a great report. :)

I really liked this book. The pictures were great and the information really helped me on my 6th grade summer reading report. I highly reccommend this book!