Birds Books

I purchased this thinking it was going to be different from the other one titled similarily but smaller...but most of the information was the same. THere was however, additional information - like birds, grasses, etc. than just Shells. GOod book.

I took this book to North Captiva Island and was amazed on how much info is in it. We went with a group of 17 and any questions anyone had we could look up. Anything to seashells, birds, fish we caught, trees turtles, and more. I love this book!! It's a must have for anyone looking for info on Florida!!!

If you've picked-up shells off of Florida's beaches and wanted to be able to identify them, then this book is for you! It offers great descriptions and photographs to assist you in being able to easily identify the shells and other things you find on the beach. I highly recommend this book! It's got a wealth of information "...for the curious beachcomber:)"

A great one-for-all book. The photography and information are outstanding. No need to haul around multiple books.

I recently spent lots of time beachcoming on Florida's gulf coast and found this to be an invaluable resource for identifying a lot of the shells, corals, fossils and other fun stuff that washes up on the beach there. I checked it out of the local library, and then decided that I definitely needed a copy of my own. Great book for a serious beachcomer!

This book is fantastic. Not only is the story itself great, but it is also great for bringing up a multitude of topics for discussion with your child; bullying, prejudice, intolerance, low self esteem, fairness, etc...

My children both loved this book. While the book carries a message, it is not dry or hard to read. On the contrary, the book flows beautifully and whether or not you choose to make the book a discussion piece, it is well worth reading just for the wonderful book that it is.

This book is about a bad kid and he is a bulie and a teacher whow show's him
to be a good person. This book is realy amosama it will keep you thinking
all day will that really hapen to me or someone ellsa.

Ms. Spinger's Fourth Grade Class

Mr. Lincoln is a nice and playful principal. There is a bully in the school who doesn't like the principal, children and teachers. Eugene is the bully; he likes birds. If you read this book, you won't end up like Eugene. Mr. Lincoln was helpful to Eugene by helping him be nice to other people.

Mr. Lincoln was the greatest principle ever. He dressed cool and he acted cool. He would do all sorts of things with his students. He seemed to really light up his school. Well not so much to mean gene. Gene is mean and he is not afraid to show it. He doesn't like people that are different from him. He picks on them and even calls them mean names. All the teachers felt as if they have had enough of old gene. Well Mr Lincoln thinks different of this kid. He brings him under his wing and soon Gene is a normal nice kid again. He introduces him to the atruim that needed new birds in it and it opens up a new world for Gene. He just needed to be shown that all people are different but we all share many things also.
WOW!! I have never read a book like this. Race was a big issue to this kid Gene. He went home and his father would tell him mean things about other races and he would come back to school and say them out loud to all his fellow classmates. I was so amazed at the way Mr. Lincoln handeled this situation. He slowly turned Gene onto other things that he liked and got away from the race issue. Gene was not a bad kid he just was copying what his parent told him. All kids do this everyday. I was so shocked to read this book. I have never read a book like this in elementary school. I feel left out in a way. Like my teachers tried to shield me from the bad books and give me only the good ones. I really liked this book a lot. It was GREAT!! It told the truth, made the characters come to life and had it's own twist. This book had great qualities that make up a GREAT book. There are many ways that you could use this book. If you wanted to talk about discrimination you could use this book. You could bring up many topics on discrimination with this book. If you wanted to talk about differences you could use this book also.You could have your whole class draw or paint somebody of a different race that they really admire. You could have you students come up with all the mean words that they have heard from other people and put them on a big piece of paper in front of the room. Then you could tell them that these words will no longer be used in my classroom or by any of my students. This book had it all lessons, great pictures, and a great read. Mrs. Polacco just like Eleanora Tate, and Christopher Paul Curtis, and Mildred Taylor all write books about change and people's differences. This book was great and it will help all students to see race and people in a new light.

My teacher read this book to us in class. It was the usual case of a white person disrespecting people of color and the people of color being peaceful and understanding. I'm so sick of reading books about how mean white people still can receive love and understanding. Why aren't white people nice to blacks if they're mean. It's just one more book telling people of color to continue to let whites walk all over them.

It is a great book. It is very informative about a lot of birds. We do a lot of camping and Iam sure that it will be with us. Thanks

Out of the 3 birdwatching books I purchased... the other 2 were well known names in the animal/avian world, this was by far the best! With full color photos, not illustrations, and all the information you need to identify your birds, I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

A long-time birder who carries this book on all his outings recommended it to me (a photographer) so I could look up the occasional species I would come across on field trips. It's very easy to navigate, it is colorful with short informative descriptions and, so far, it has had every species I have needed to know about. Flipping through this book is a pleasure and an education in itself; for example, I have spent my life admiring Common Grackles, Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds and until I got this book I did not know that the female markings are quite distinct and different from those of the male. I was especially interested to learn more about the Whip-poor-will species and their range of territory. The Contents section is colorful and simple, yet precise. The Index is straightforward and all-inclusive - something I always look at first when buying any book. Highly recommended.

I got a bunch of bird books and haven't checked them all out yet. But this is the one my mother will not give up she really likes it.

I like this field guide much better than Audubon. The raptors, for instance have a page that shows how they look in flight from underneath...how we most view them...which makes them much easier to identify. Also, I found birds in this guide, such as the Eurasian Collared Dove, which are not in the Audubon Guide. Would recommend this guide as a must for every birder's library.

This book has the most awesome animal drawings I have ever seen. The fact that they are wood engravings is more than remarkable!

A present for my daughter-in-law and the illustrations were incredible. She is an artist and will make good use of this book.

Wow - the enormous numbers of animal life is astounding and the book clearly shows this. Unfortunately the images are quite dark and the book is very thick (you get your money's worth - image-wise), so scanning them for use in various artistic media is difficult. Therefore, I bought two of the books and plan to cut one of them up (that hurts to say for I treasure books of all types). This way I can control the scanning and modification using software to bring out details and highlight an image to my satisfaction. And finally, the classic images are impressive and I applaud the author for his selection of animals from all realms of life on earth.

Used several of these drawings in projects. Books like this are great for those of us designers who aren't the best freehand drawers.

This is just packed full of brilliant illustrations of birds frogs fish girafee spiders butterflies you name it , throughly recommended for any one who loves botanical illustrations or engravings , really good source material for artists or designers.very nice book but rember it is a paper back not that that matters to me.

This book is great for those with short attention spans. :)

It's an A to Z format of topics from Acorns to Zinnias. Individual little sections focus on food sources (i.e. acorns, berries, cherries, salvias, suet), common individual backyard birds (bluebirds, cardinals, swallows, etc.), procedures (banding, feeding, first aid), and more. The topics are logical and easy to read and provide lots of little useful tips and tidbits for attracting birds to your yard.

The sections on individual birds generally include getting to know them information and a brief summary of how to attract them as well as some brief information on various types and where they are found.

As an example of the plant sections, the ornamental grasses section gives a short overview of gardening with grasses and best grasses for birds with a chart that includes the plant name, bird attracted, plant description and culture.

The back of the book includes sources, recommended reading, a USDA plant hardiness map and a zone map.

The information is not in-depth (most of the sections are 0.5-1.5 pages long), but it's fun to read and filled with ideas for creating a haven for birds. A few of the more popular sections are given a little more space (water gardens have six pages for instance).

I like this book. I'm a new bird watcher and this book has many good hints.

This is a great beginners book. It lacks some types of birds, for pros, but for backyard bird lovers like me, it's perfect. I love the tips and heads up on how to train, feed and attact all types of birds in my area. It even has a page on building a birdhouse!! Lots of homemade treats to give you feathered friends a big smile...LOVE IT!! JK

This book is worth its weight in gold. It is loaded with tips on gardening and attracting birds. Good for novice and old timers. Once can never know enough and new ideas are always welcome.

I really like the way this author writes: clear succinct explanation scattered with vivid personal anecdotes. This is a sturdy oversized trade paperback that will stand up to years of thumbing through it and carrying it outside.

It's stuffed with beautiful color drawings, side-bars, tables, and landscaping plans. The table of contents is a huge, comprehensive list of topics from A to Z, touching upon everything from bird anatomy to different types of feathers to the coloration and shapes of eggs to project lists to attract birds in all four seasons.

If you can have only one general book on birding, I would recommend this one. With its clear writing and all its illustration, it would be suitable for motivated fifth-graders on up. It also covers so many different common birds that it's not limited to just one American region. Highly recommended. Longer review at OrnateBirdGarden-dot-com.

Singer is a terrific researcher and is genuinely interested in Spira; however, I think Singer spends too many pages on Spira's background. Chapters 2-6 are excellent, though. Great information for new animal activists.

Being persuaded about animal rights for some time now, I have been looking for ideas on how to get active. This book provides lots of ideas and is an inspiring portrait of an attractive and committed person. It is also very readable - I read it early into the morning until I finished it.

Spira's activism was highly intelligent, practical, strategic and committed to the long term - he is a hero of the animal rights movement.

I stumbled across a glowing recommendation for this book within a blog entry posted by a fellow vegan. I was intrigued, given Peter Singer's name on the dust jacket -- his book on Animal Rights, which is written in such a memorably concise, levelheaded and rational fashion, ranks right up there as one of the penultimate reasons I decided to go vegan, myself.

That little sense of intrigue was more than well rewarded by what I found in this book. Henry Spira's story is downright inspiring (to such an extent, while reading this slim bio, the bad punster in me couldn't help toying with the subject's name: "Henry Spira's in-SPIRA-tional". If you're not groaning, you should be).

The practice of veganism can raise discomforting questions -- how does a compassionate individual with a strong sense of personal ethics grapple with a profoundly careless world in which cruelty is commonplace to the point of mundanity and concern for the disenfranchised may seem alien to the point of provoking fear, even open hostility in others? What happens when a compassion for the voiceless develops into an inured hostility toward those who are careless? How can an ethical individual work toward reducing unnecessary suffering while continuing to extend compassion even to those who create that selfsame unnecessary suffering?

Henry Spira responded to such open ended questions by focusing on action. How could he, as one individual, work to bring about the greatest cessation of animal suffering possible? His answer -- via a mastery of relentless focus, indefatiguable optimisim, careful planning and a ceaseless upwelling of drive -- made him a matchless force within the movement toward animal rights.

I noticed, as I reading this book, that Mr. Singer's writing style seemed a bit rough in some places. Initially, I chalked this up to the notion that philosophy and storytelling, though similiar, are fundamentally divergent if equally challenging forms of communication. The real reason for this narrational shakiness, however, is revealed towards the end of the book and works as a spurringly poignant denoument.

I'd recommend this book to anyone -- vegan or omnivore, activist or armchair guerrilla -- because, at heart, it is more than the story of one lesser known hero from the folds of the animal rights movement; it is a roadmap to dynamic compassion, the pinnacle win-win.

The story of Henry himself is amazing enough, but this wonderful book is even more than that. Weaved into the life story of Henry are the stories of so many other people.

There are those who are not as famous but nonethless critical to all the achievements, like the donors who supported Henry, like the volunteers who handled the daily work, like Henry's advisors who turned his idea into concrete actions, like the numerous individuals who gave followed his call to write letters or picket or take any other action.

Then there are also those sincere and good people who is not in the "movement". There is Senator Lombardi who gave Henry a fair hearing, and Roger Shelley from Revlon who believed there is a win-win solution, and Susan Fowler of 'Lab Animal' who interviewed Henry the anti-vivisectionist.

And then there are also those who are apparently on the side of the "movement" but cared more about themselves. There are the researchers who abuse money donated by people and industry, and there are groups who seem to care more about getting people's donation and their personal glory than helping victims.

And then there are people who seem to really believe that everything on earth are just for their personal gain. From the hideous boss of NMU to the cat-vivisectionist Aronson, from "tough" guy Frank Purdue to the more scheming Leon Hirsch.

There is such a rich spectrum of people in this book, it is worth reading even if you don't agree with anything else from Peter Singer.

There are also many hilarious stories. The visit of congressman Koch to the cat experiment lab, the "biological fluid collection units", and the story about the super comdom for the chicken-in-a-comdom ad.

This book is definitely worth reading, and not just once. Each time I turned the pages and got to the part where Henry told the author that he's got the cancer, my heart sank like a rock. Oh, no, not him, not so early, please. I really wish Henry is still with us today, the whole world might be a different place.

This book is truly amazing. It is a very exciting book to read, and the enthusiasm of Henry Spira can not help to rub off on your own life. Peter Singer has done an excellent job of giving the reader an easy to access look into the life of a man who inspired thousands of people to think more about all forms of suffering for all types of animals.

Thank you for such an amazing book! It is a must read for anyone involved in activism. It shares a lifetime of wisdom. Enjoy!

I absolutely love "The James Bond Lifestyle Seminar," but this audiobook fell short. The plot was decent, but nothing better than you'd expect based on the synopsis. The main character is supposed to be 33 years old, yet his voice sounds like an old man. He sounds very unsure of himself. Also, a lot more could have been done with the sound effects. They did not immerse me in the scenes, as another reviewer claimed.

Wow! My sister pointed me to this audio book and I couldn't believe my ears. I just relaxed on my bed to listen and was absolutely delighted with the movie-quality of the sound effects. Not only is this a masterful, well-written plot, it's also a quality production. The best I've heard.

And those stars that the magnificent author/director Paul Kyriazi lined up for this special version of his book!!! Well, all I can say is that I remember swooning each time I saw any of them on the big screen. (I hope my hubby doesn't read this.) But when I saw Rod Taylor--who narrates this story, with such a come-hither voice--starring in The Birds with that gorgeous Tippi Hedren, I almost fainted. Yes, he was that much of a hunk ... and still is, according to my sister!

Incidentally, people used to say I looked like Tippi. Ah-hhh, memories ... But getting back to this audio book, I loved it to pieces.

Keep up the excellent work, Mr. K. You're terrific, and almost as handsome as the great Rod! Ciao, baby ...

Mr Kyriazi's production of Hard Rock Lovers was just fantastic! I was on the edge of my seat on a daily basis! I put the audio book on my iPod and listened while I jogged. I gotta say it motivated me to get out there and I am so sad it is over! I cannot wait for his next Audio production!

The story is fantastic, gripping and sexy. I absolutely loved it!

Bravo!!!!

The "Hard Rock Lovers" audio book was not at all what I expected, but what a wonderful surprise! It's a twisted, tangled web of events played out by a handful of multi-leveled, intertwined characters. The story is well written, beautifully told and convincingly enacted centering on the heights of a successful rock star and the terrible costs that are paid when that success is abused. People and events are manipulated by all the characters to satisfy their own needs and agenda.


"Good" and "evil" are blurred. "Life" and "death" are blurred. Relationships are blurred, but the irony of fate is boldly presented and it's made abundantly clear that our "next" existence offers another chance to hopefully do better. The inevitability of change, the subtle and sometimes dramatic interrelationships between cause and effect as well as the ever-present, ever-looming scales of divine and poetic justice are persistent threads. A beautiful blending of drama and melodrama are used to develop both the story and the characters. The audio presentation is top-notch entertainment, particularly when you consider that all acting is accomplished solely through vocal artistry. The actors do a fantastic job of inviting the listener into their world and moving you effortlessly through the story.


I really enjoyed listening to this audio book. It is wonderful from start to finish and my congratulations go out to all involved. It's a winner on all levels.

From the moment Hard Rock Lovers comes on ... it takes you by the hand and mind, and immediately draws you into this intriquing story, narrated by the imcomparable Rod Taylor, of revenge, love, lust, cold reality and spiritual enlightenment.

Robert Culp kept me laughing with his perfect low-life agent performance, always the best! James Darren was the perfect rock star, mean, talented but sad, his performance was # 1. Ishtar Uhvana was great as Medusa, she added the sweetness to keep some reality in the rock world and her ending dialoque brought tears to my eyes. Loved Russ Tamblyn, George Chakiris was brilliant as the evil Reynaldo, and Nefta Perry as Connie played the perfect Rosie Perez.

The ending gives you hope and leaves you with happy feelings. You will want to play it again and again; it only gets better each time you listen.

Paul Kyriazi is my hero. I am his BIGGEST fan.

Thank you Paul for the fun and exciting adventure!

Owning large parrots I found this book to be a wonderful explaination for younger children. It's colorful images and simple wording make learning about parrots fun and interesting for the little ones. Great book !!

How can I have lived this long and never noticed that two of a parrot's toes are on backwards? This playful and original book about life as a parrot is as entertaining as it is educational. My view of parrots is forever changed!

This fun 330-word picture book encourages the young reader to enter a fantasy world in which he imagines himself to be a parrot. Parrot behaviors are pictured, often with the child in the story imitating them.

I like the Creative Minds page cautioning people to think carefully about the work, expense and inconvenience before one gets a parrot for a pet. I thin the page with the black and white world map could have been color-coordinated to help the child determine the different regions where the various parrots are from.

I think children would love making their own beaks.

Overall, this is a delightful book suitable for young children who love parrots and like a good time.

What would it be like if you were a parrot? This enjoyable book tells you just how it would be to be a parrot throughout your day. You would even eat a popsicle, stick and all!
Author Katherine Rawson writes about parrot behavior and preferences in an amusing, informative way. Sherry Rogers illustrations enhance the text with dramatic scenes showing parrot behavior by painting children with beaks, claws, and the abilities to climb curtains and imitate phones. Young children will have so much fun imitating the parrots and parrot-children in this book. There is even a fact sheet in the back that tells children how to care for a pet parrot. This is a fun book for children ages 3 - 8.

Absolutely fabulous book! This book incorporates personality information along with being a very realistic view of companion parrot care. You are able to get a real sense of what it is really like living with a parrot! My business deals with companion bird owners 100% and I am definitely going to add several copies to our "library" and encourage anyone thinking of getting a bird to read this first - for fun and education.

This book is a keeper and I'll probably read it several times. I have already ordered another for my daughter and am thinking of sending this book to others as well.

When I first saw this book I felt a little bit like a kid again--and that's exactly where this book took me--Every Sunday I would go into our sun filled living room and sit down and read a chapter in Julie's book--Every one of her outdoor "Nature" experiences took me back to the unencumbered days of my childhood --seeing nature through her eyes made me feel at peace while learning more and more about the things in nature that I would have liked to understand years ago--I just wish she would write another one just like this one--Have you ever read a book you wish would never end?? This was one of them--Thank you-

This is a wonderful little book. Julie Zickefoose is a writer, illustrator, and contributor to NPR. In this book, organized by the seasons of the year, she shares her experiences living on her 80-acre farm in southern Ohio. She brings a sense of wonder to seemingly mundane things such as squabbling starlings and the wreck of her vegetable garden.There are sad points, such as euthanising a little opossum caught in a steel trap, but most of the book is devoted to happier topics. I really enjoyed reading it.

Experience the seasons with Julie and her family on their wildlife sanctuary in the Appalachian foothills in southern Ohio. A gem of a book, if you love birds and other animals... very real and full of the wonder of everyday happenings - if you keep your eyes open.

I loved Ms. Zickefoose's little book. It's a publication one reads in small doses, enjoying her comments and her art. The style is like having a really good conversation with an interesting, accomplished naturalist. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys nature.

My husband and my mother love to read the Little Quack books to my son. My son is very interested in the pictures and it's the only books he'll sit through.

This is a well-written book for toddlers--a fun story, with interesting language, that they can easily understand. It's got a good message, about not being afraid to try new things, and the illustrations are very cute and interesting. My 2-year-old is madly in love with Little Quack, and my 4-year-old likes to listen in too!

My 13-month-old generally has no patience for books, but she pulled this one off the shelf at the bookstore and squealed with delight. There's something about the illustrations that holds her interest, and the story has a nice rhythm for reading aloud.

This book is perfect for kids. It uses simple words, which lets you imagine everything the characters do. It uses what every children books should have. And as i say, it is Perfect!

With characters named Widdle, Waddle, Piddle Puddle and Little Quack you know that your pre-schooler is bound to love this book. It's a cute little story about the ducks leaving the nest for their first big swim, and how Quack builds up the courage to leave the nest with lots of love and encouragement.

There are wonderful lessons here for little readers, but the best and most amazing part of this book are the fabulous expressions on the faces of all these little ducks! I didn't think it was possible to make ducks look all that different and show real emotion, but it's all here in this wonderful, entertaining book that will win raves from the kids and parents.