Pets Books

I bought this book from the gift shop at the Texas State RR in Rusk because of the "Goat" story assoicated with Boggy Slough. The book has kept me up at night. Richard, you did a great job of detailing a trip down the river alone and telling the history of the river as you go. The war on the land is still going on in places. The way this book is written takes you along the trip too.

Great job!

ITEM WAS RECEIVED IN A VERY TIMELY MANNER, EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED...VERY PLEASED WITH PURCHASE AND PROFESSIONALISM OF SHIPPER.

Shortly after moving to E. TX, a new friend strongly recommended Mr. Donovan's book and even got me a copy personally signed by Mr. Donovan. Being interested in the Neches itself, and also the region in general, I thought this book was an outstanding resource. Mr. Donovan does a great job relaying personal experiences and history of the region as he paddles his way down the river.

I have currently only paddled about 26 miles of the river (from Anderson's Crossing to Route 94) in the month I've lived here, but this book added many must-see destinations to my list. I'm also going to be packing a limb saw just as Mr. Donovan did.

Save the Neches, and I too hope that black bears eventually return to the area.

I read this book with great interest. Born and raised in Angelina County in 1927 I relived many wonderful adventures on the Neches river. I only wish Richard Donovan every success in this venture which he has undertaken, to see the Neches receive the coveted Wild River designation.

Some buddies and I have been paddling or climbing over log jams on the Neches River from Lake Palestine section at a time and eventually will go as far as the river will take us. If you are planning to paddle the Neches river this is the definitive book. The river float milage maps are extremely helpful in planning your trip.
The author also tells the story of the Neches River and how important it is to the environment, wildlife and history of the East Texas region and even down to the coastal areas of Texas. If you enjoy a true well written entertaining outdoor adventure this book will suffice.
Unfortunately, are threats facing the wild Neches River. There are interests that are attempting to dam and have plans to further harm this unique natural resource. The author wrote this book for public awarness of the importance of the Neches River and not for personal profit. In fact, proceeds benfit the Conservation Fund for the purchase of Neches River bottomland.

Paper Or Plastic is filled with excellent, detailed and inspiring examples of innovative ways to reduce environmental impacts of packaging. But the principles discussed in the examples extend beyond packaging, and as someone involved in product design, I found many ideas that I could apply to non-packaging efforts also. If you are in the realm of product development, this is a top-notch book to read.

It has its share of doom and gloom statistics, but for the most part the book is action and solution oriented, giving solid advice and approaches backed up by success stories. Many of these examples are from large, mainstream companies, and not the same old chestnuts that we hear about all the time at sustainability conferences or in magazines about niche companies -- valid ideas, but often not scalable to large companies.

The authors have clearly done their homework digging around in the bowels of large company supply chains. Some of what they talk about is not attention-grabbing headline-making stuff, but it is the necessary nuts and bolts of making steady improvements toward less environmental impact.

Since innovative thinking on ways to balance packaging and the environment is always in short supply, I was curious to see if Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World by Daniel Imhoff would contribute something new. Though the book did indeed start out as a polemic against packaging, it quickly changed into a more productive--and provocative--course.

Imhoff, Executive Director of Watershed Media, reports on what is realistically possible in terms of the latest technology, from a new generation of zero-effluent mini-mills to the latest thinking in natural capitalism, eco-intelligence, design, and biomimicry, all as applied to packaging. (The biomimicry section alone will spur many ideas for the creative package designer.) Imhoff also covers the newest generation of bioplastics from a variety of suppliers, reviewing pros and cons of each material. Case studies show green packaging done right.

Also included: a comprehensive checklist for assessing the environmental impact of packaging before the designer makes a selection decision. The list includes attributes designers should keep in mind when selecting materials.
This is a well-written, fairly reported, attractively put-together book that deserves a place on the bookshelf of any designer or materials specifier. The 168-page trade paperback is available for $16.95.

Capsule review by Dave Newcorn, Vice President New Media, Summit Electronic Media.

There are environmental causes that stir the emotions--the plight of whales and baby seals, the fate of redwoods, or the metastasis of suburbia. But Daniel Imhoff would point out that the most pervasive and fastest-growing environmental problem is so commonplace it's invisible: packaging. Styrofoam containers from a fast-food meal, the anti-theft blister packaging that encapsulates retail electronics, or the common aluminum can and plastic bottle are all part of a waste stream that composes some 300 pounds of garbage per person per year, headed straight from the shelf to the landfill.
Apparently mindful of the fact you can read only so much about polystyrene peanuts and polyethylene bottles, Imhoff has organized his book into punchy little essays, short case studies, and colorful charts that survey the extent of the packaging problem, along with a range of solutions that some companies are trying.

Imhoff points out that packaging is increasingly the product itself--a method corporations use to market feelings of familiarity, uniformity, or purity. To illustrate, he would have you consider evolution of the egg: It is nature's perfect packaged food source, with its container, the shell, being durable yet entirely biodegradable. For years, eggs came in molded paper pulp. Now the most expensive of them frequently come in molded plastic trays, derived from petroleum products. (Nature's Promise, which markets eco-friendly eggs, requests on its tray that you recycle the plastic packaging, even though few municipalities take such containers.) And lately eggs come as pre-scrambled "pasteurized real egg product," in capped cartons at premium prices--far removed from the simple egg. The packaging will be with us decades, maybe eons, after the egg has been cracked, scrambled, and eaten.

As its title implies, packaging choices for environmentalists are dilemmas, with few simple solutions: Would you rather bag your groceries in the products of clear-cut forests or petroleum? He holds up companies such as Aveda, the Minneapolis-based cosmetics company, as pioneers. Aveda worked to eliminate toxic or less-recyclable plastics from its packaging line, and strove for 100 percent recycled plastics in its containers, risking profit margins in the process. Other companies are experimenting with novel products, such as biodegradable plastics.

But even these are merely "less bad" solutions in a world full of packaging waste. Imhoff concedes that packaging offers a good deal of convenience and that making upright choices involves giving up some of that convenience. He recommends carrying a mug and a reusable water bottle, eating in instead of getting takeout, buying in bulk (which reduces packaging waste), buying from local farmers and farmers' markets, and toting around cloth bags. When the cashier asks the question in the book's title, Imhoff suggests, hand over a cloth bag and say, "Neither."

If every person in America understood the energy, chemicals, natural resources and money that went into creating packages, it's likely our consumption habits would dramatically change. Imhoff does a great job of detailing the hazards and challenges of packaging, without being preachy - he lets the statistics and facts tell the story. This book informs, amazes, and startles the reader.

This book is excellent and a very easy read. It does a great job of breaking down the different products and their impact on the environment. There are great examples of companies that are doing their part to help reduce the negative impact on the environment.

This biography of John Muir begins in Scotland, carries us through his
early years in Wisconsin, to his pilgrimage to California and beyond.

An explanation of his Philosophy is well done.

Fundamental reading for all us who have a passion for nature.

The Bibliography to this book is superb.

I must admit that I have never been a fan of John Muir. Besides his description of the wildflowers in the San Joaquin valley when he first crossed in 1867, I found his flowery prose too romantic, i.e. Wordsworthian, for my taste and some of his physical feats unbelievable. If we take him at his word, in his youth he was indeed a super athlete. But then again, many of us have climbed trees in storms while others have crossed glaciers at night subsisting on crusts of bread. If Muir according to his own word climbed into a Douglas fir to experience a gale because he knew it was stronger than nearby shallow rooted ponderosas (p. 226), and thereby safe (i.e. he claimed that if you understand nature there is little risk), he was wrong. Although I have little experience with the fragilities of ponderosa. I have seen many a Douglas fir flattened in the wind after rain has loosened the soil around its very shallow roots. A friend lost her house to one in her yard: splat, and, I eye the ones over my house with temerity hoping the laurels in between will act as a break. Despite this possible inaccuracy, there is no question that Muir was a monster of a mountain hiker but then many of the trappers in the Rockies 35 years before him lived a life in the wild continuously on the edge and not just as visitors.

When I began to read Don Worster's book I rebelled against the frame he was constructing for Muir: I have great reservations about the sociobiology he tentatively puts forward at the beginning of his text which claims humans have a genetic predisposition to be awed by nature. This fits nicely with Muir's beliefs in the healing of human wounds by associating with benevolent nature. Drawing on Wordsworth, Bobby Burns Muir saw nature as a godlike fountain of human regeneration from the wounds of society and industry. If Don Worster had stopped with this, my doubts about Muir would have been confirmed. In the early chapters Worster even seems to write like Muir. But as the book unfolds the subtlety of Worster's presentation becomes clearer as do the complex aspects of Muir's life and I no longer felt I was reading just another Muir groupie. By the end of the book I really appreciated the contribution that Worster made to understanding Muir's life and his place in the environmental movement in the United States. I no longer feel so judgmental even though I am not drawn to reading more of Muir's work.

Worster's book is a cultural, political, and psychological biography. Because I am interested in natural history, I expected an examination of the botany, geology, geography, and zoology of what Muir observed in nature, how he understood his observations and how they fit into science. I get no sense that Muir had a struggle like Thoreau's between the early transcendentalist and the later taxonomist, a struggle which only came to light after Thoreau's death. Nor do I really understand how Muir interpreted the theory of evolution. Worster says he was thoroughly absorbed in Darwinian science only taking exception to the struggle for existence, "nature, red in tooth and claw." Well certainly by the 1880s natural selection had come into question. Even Darwin's Bulldog, Thomas Huxley, would have liked evolution without it. For Muir: "All was beauty. All was God." Nature was benign and nurturing, somewhat akin to the ideas of the then popular nature writers William Long and Ernest Seton whom both Burroughs's and Roosevelt felt were "nature fakers." And as Worster points out, the two were disappointed with Muir's bird identification skills. He excuses that by saying Muir was more of a botanist. I wonder how good a botanist or geologist he was. Worster says he contributed to the theory of glaciation, ideas put forward by the elder Agassiz (who was discredited because of behaviors stemming from his blind opposition to Darwin c.f. David Dobbs, Reef Madness). I would have liked to have more of Muir's science in the biography. Muir was prescient believing that artificial selection of cows and sheep was a poor imitation of natural selection and that farmers should turn to the wild as a source of hardiness. Sheep are dumber and more destructive than mountain sheep, etc. But it is the glory of things in nature fitting together better that leads him to think this way, not any of the later Darwinian understanding of the process of domestication (which leaves humans also mostly inadequate in wild nature). Going through the bibliography I couldn't find references to evaluations of Muir as a natural historian. He seemed a bit like me, loving to be out of doors looking at flowers, recognizing say 85% of them but incapable of, say, identifying complex members of the sunflower family or recognizing an obscure rarity. What are in all those notebooks of Muir's? He was still looking at flowers and glacial scrapings late into his life.

Well, that is enough of my reservation about Worster's book. The one he did write rather than the one I would have liked him to write paints an interesting picture of the religious world into which Muir was born, a harsh Calvinism but a father who would have no one rule his beliefs. Muir's childhood was hard, his father unrelenting, but unlike Hamlin Garland, in "Son of the Middle Border" and so many other farm children, Muir did not flee the farm to escape its slavery. His father paid for his higher education. Despite the fact that Muir was opinionated, he had a series of, mostly female mentors, who inspired and supported his nature lust. In contrast to that, early in life he acquired inventive mechanical skills which played so much a role in the development of American manufacture and supported him until nature writing and guiding began to pay. Fleeing to Canada during the Civil War, he returned and walked through the devastated south bound for South America to imitate von Humboldt. The trip both reinforced his egalitarian instincts but also his Calvinist distaste for filth and poverty. It left him with complex feelings about blacks and native Americans which he never really resolved. They played only a marginal role in his thinking. He sometimes idolized the latter but never understood them. Though people liked him and patronized him for his knowledge and story telling, human nature was not one of Muir's strong points. Malaria interrupted his attempt of follow von Humboldt and he headed west where in the Sierra's he found his heart's home. There the mountains and tall trees reinforced he reverence for nature. His life unfolded as sheep herder, mechanic, guide and then nature journalist. The latter became the way he supported his adventuring, gave public statement to his nature romanticism and began his efforts to save the environment. Writing for magazines and newspapers paid his way to Alaska where he seemed to skip along glaciers, but he sometimes disappointed his editors by focusing on the wonders of nature avoiding the social conflicts and exploitation around him. While climbing Glenora mountain on the Stikine River to view hundreds of square miles of glaciers, Muir's companion, a minister, falls and dislocates both shoulders. Muir binds his shoulders and carries (?) him down.

But it is in his marriage, managing his wife's family's extensive estates that Muir finds a place in society from which to give authoritative voice to what becomes a political cause. He came to the defense of nature, but not a wild unimpacted nature rather a nature in which people could tour and be renewed. He even supported roadways to bring people to the mountains although he is aware of the contradiction. He would have liked everyone to hike off into the mountains like he but its was viewing the mountains undamaged by exploitation for which he settled. He also becomes patron of his kin and a man of means who entertained both scientists and other sympathetic men and women of means. He dies rich but Worster presents no evidence that his used his wealth to support his causes or worthy explorer/scientists. Although I taught history of the environment, I don't know the history of the environmental movement well. It was therefore of interest to me that the Republican William Henry Harrison coming between the two terms of the Democrat Cleveland who was the real father of national parks. And that in ways Muir would have preferred McKinley's support to the Social Darwinist Roosevelt's and Gifford Pinchot's both of whom he felt compromised nature with development. Although Muir disliked politics, he was used strategically by Sierra Club activists as a respected voice for nature to move issues. They brought him out to save Kings Canyon and again in the lost battle with the city of San Francisco over the damming of Hetch Hetchy. Worster's treatment of all of these issues shows the complexity of Muir's personality and ideas. He was not opposed to development but rampant destruction. He became more comfortable with men of power, accepting their largess and hoping their appreciation of nature would bring them to support his causes. In this he was often disappointed.

It is also interesting how after the death of his wife and the unexplained aloofness of his daughters that Muir becomes a bit of a misanthrope. Muir escapes from a lonely life at home heading first to Europe and points East with Sargent from Harvard and the Arnold Arboretum but they don't get along. It was as much from clashing personalities as Muir's more causal tourist bent making him impatient with Sargent's thorough taxonomic interests. In his seventies when others of his age where disabled or dead, he traipsed to South America and Africa filling notebooks with notations about flowers and observations of rock scrapings. For all of my reservations about Muir's nature romanticism, I found Worster's biography opened my eyes. It is a very good book.

Charlie Fisher author of Dismantling Discontent: Buddha's Way Through Darwin's World

Here, Donald Worster has delivered the most extensive and well-researched biography to date on the great conservationist John Muir. There are already several biographies on Muir available, not to mention his own partial autobiography. But here Worster digs deeply into Muir's personal correspondence, published and unpublished journals, and other period sources to place Muir in the social and political context of his times. Worster intertwines his biographical research with an engaging history of the conservation movement, Muir's complex relationship with it, and his enduring influence on it. And more than any previous biographer, Worster has conducted research into one crucial aspect of Muir's life - the evolution of Muir's religious beliefs and the integration of his complex belief system into the type of conservationist philosophy that he invented almost singlehandedly. Worster also delivers robust information on Muir's progress as a journalist and author later in life and how he pretty much invented grassroots environmentalism in his last battle - the unsuccessful fight against the Hetch Hetchy dam.

John Muir is deservedly revered for introducing his fellow Americans to the spiritual fulfillment to be found in natural beauty, as well as founding conservation as we know it today. But as expertly illustrated by Wortser herein, Muir was also a very deep thinker and spiritualist with a complex belief system built during a lifetime of outdoor sojourns and philosophical inspection. This more intricate side of his personality shines through in this biography, and Worster's book will soon be acknowledged as the definitive work on John Muir, his outdoor achievements, and his enduring philosophy of natural appreciation. [~doomsdayer520~]

This biography by the eminent historian Donald Worster is nothing less than magnificent. Clearly the most authoritative account of America's founding conservationist, it is painstakingly researched, thoroughly pondered, brilliantly imagined, and luminously crafted.
From the backdrop of nineteenth century Scotland where John Muir was born to a world torn by the Great War and an unstoppable avalanche of social and economic upheaval, this story reveals the life of a renowned American in the context of his time, his place, and his own personal triumphs and failures. With a brilliant talent for storytelling evident on almost every page, Worster takes us on the journey of Muir's life with a special focus on why--and how--he became the man he was. The people, ideas, events, and powerful geographies that influenced him are explained, the incongruities faced, the ironies, humor, and personal limitations recognized.
I found Worster's story gaining momentum toward an ending that gathered many elements of today's environmental movement and set the stage for my own reflections on where we have been, where we are headed, and what we ought to be doing. As this great biographer concluded, "Muir was a man who tried to find the essential goodness of the world, an optimist about people and nature, an eloquent prophet of a new world that looked to nature for its standard and inspiration. Looking back at the trail he blazed, we must wonder how far we have yet to go."
Donald Worster has given us a gift that will inform, inspire, and perhaps rekindle in others a new passion for nature.

Reviewed by Tim Palmer, author of Rivers of America and other books

Well done. Thorough. An overview that has been long in need. A nice addition to all my other Muir books (including original first editions with dust covers). We have much to learn from Muir in his personal and public life.

Book was adorable for 1st grade! I bought it to go with Stefanie Harvey's Comprehension Toolkit for Grades K-2.

I used this book to introduce writer's workshop and help my students see that they can write about anything!

Patches Lost and Found tells the story of Jenny and her pet guinea pig, Patches. Jenny, who loves to draw, is assigned to write a story for school. She's nervous about the assignment because she isn't very good at coming up with ideas for stories. When she gets home from school that day, her mother tells her that Patches has escaped from his cage and is missing. They put up posters around town and Jenny draws pictures showing all the things that might have happened to Patches. Luckily, a neighbor finds Patches, but Jenny still hasn't written her story. Later that day her Mom comes into her room and shows her that she can add words to her pictures of Patches to tell a story.

I would recommend this book for ages 6 and 7. Most children in this age group will be able to identify with being nervous about an assignment for school, and they will be reassured that Jenny was able to overcome her difficulties and succeed in writing the story. There are a variety of ways this book could be shared with children in a school setting. It could be read as part of a section on writing stories, with the children later drawing pictures and then writing stories to go along with them. These stories could possibly be the children's own ideas about what could have happened to Patches. Another idea would be to teach the children about guinea pigs, possibly having a real guinea pig in the classroom, and then follow the lesson with this story. The artwork in the book was prepared digitally. Jenny looks like she could be a character in a cartoon on Nickelodeon. Children would find this very appealing. Kids would also enjoy the pictures Jenny draws of Patches because they probably look similar to pictures they would draw themselves. The artwork does a good job of telling the story, showing each picture Jenny draws along the way and then displaying Jenny's story about Patches with the pictures.

This is the perfect book for a teacher to use in the classroom. It helps children understand that when they have to write something, they don't always have to write then draw a picture to go with it, they might do better drawing first then putting words to it later!! The story is realistic and very fun to read with great illustrations!!!!!!!

When Jenny is assigned to write a stroy for school on anything she wants, she doesn't know what to do. Jenny likes to draw, and writing has never been easy for her. When Jenny comes home from school, and her mom tells her Patches is missing, Jenny draws pictures of Patches, and they hung then up all over town. When Jenny is in her room, she draws things that might have happened to Patches. Three days later and still no Patches, and Jenny still has no story.
On Saturday morning Patches is found, but Jenny still has no story. Jenny's mom goes in her room that night while Jenny is cuddling with Patches. Jenny tell her mom she still has no story. Jenny's mom looks on the wall and see's all the pictures she tells Jenny that can be her story all she has to do is add words. So Jenny does and she does a very good job. I would recommend this book for children ages 4-9.

Bill Mason and son Paul really get down to basics in canoe and paddling technique in this revised soft-cover paddling manual. This book is geared to those who want to learn everything there is about flat-water and white-water travelling. It's the most definitive guidebook on the market.

This is an almost perfect book - Bill Mason's love of the craft shines through homey but well-written prose, while his descriptions of canoe technique and rivercraft are generally clear and easy to follow. He obviously writes from a wealth of experience, which translates into solid advice without becoming needlessly dogmatic. As a technique book, I much prefer this to Jacobson's series of canoe texts (although those are reasonable in their own right); I especially appreciated his series of river scenarios and discussions of how to handle them.

I would really liked to have rated this 5-stars. However, the production could have been much improved. The b/w pictures accompanying the text are often poorly reproduced, with insufficient greyscale to allow them to be clearly interpretted. Additionally, a bit more editting might have spotted some inconsistent terms as well as other undefined terms. But all in all, this is one of my favorite canoe books. It certainly should have a place on the shelf of every serious paddler.

Path of the Paddle provides more than an instructional text, it introduces the reader to the art of canoeing. Mason infuses the practicality of the subject with a respectful dose of philosophic underpinnings that anyone who has ever slid a canoe onto the water's surface and experienced the joyful dance of boat, paddle and water will appreciate. There are many "how to" canoe books, covering the basic stokes and safety concerns, but this book conveys that information in a form that demonstrates the author's love for his craft.
If you want to become a canoeist, not only do I recommend this book, I recommend finding and getting the video of the same title.

Best canoeing book on the market. Not only is it a great how to guide on canoe handling, it is an excellent read for those long winter nights for the canoe enthusiast. The book imparts Bill Mason's love of the canoe. Written by a true legend in canoeing and wilderness film making.

I own both "Path of the Paddle" and "Song of the Paddle". These are the best books I have seen on canoeing, written by one of the best canoeists ever. They cover all facets of the canoe and how to use them properly. The "step-by-step" photos and the diagrams help teach proper techniques and the text is both informative and entertaining without becoming confusing or boring. Bill Mason and his son Paul have done a splendid piece of work and these books are a cherished addition to my personal library.

This is my son's favorite book(he is 13 mo.). We take it everywhere with us. He likes the Pets better than the farm animals (the other touch and feel book we have). It has more variety than the Farm. He loves the cat's whiskers.

The book is good because it has various textures. My 8 month old son loves the cat's whiskers and the bunny the best, but isn't so interested in the other animals. I guess he isn't old enough yet? It holds up over time too because I've had it several months and the bunny's fur is still fluffy and the cat's whiskers haven't come out of the book.

My daughter really loves animals, so she loves this book just for that aspect. But she also loves to touch their fur, feathers, whiskers, and everything else. I think this book is great in teaching about different animals, treating them nicely (gently touch the cat's whiskers), and textures. I got several other books in the Touch and Feel series and my daughter loves those as well.

My 14 month old likes the pictures more than the 'feel' parts. :)
I like it all.

This is one of the better "Touch and Feel" books. Like all of the books in the series, the book contains different textures like "scales" for the fish and fur for the dog. My daughter loved the photographs of the recognizable animals. Reading this book also facilitated her speech, as she was soon able to say the animal names.

Each image in this book is so rich. When I read it to my daughter, I always get sidetracked looking at all the detail and the amazing colors and the way the artist conveys so many different moods. I love the section in the back that talks about the paintings referenced in the book too.

Picasso's growth as an artist reaches young readers through his beloved pet. The illustrations are beautiful, playful. The plot: A kind act changes Picasso's perspective; painful adversity is overcome. My child clamored for repeated readings, and was transported by its scenes of a French circus. You'll be proud to have it on your child's shelf; an irresistible intro to fine art.

My four-year-old daughter was fascinated by this story and wanted me to read it to her at least once a day while we had it from the library. I took the opportunity to check out a few other books of Picasso's art to show her that this was a story of someone real. The entree the book gave us into the world of Picasso's Blue Period was a genuinely enjoyable educational experience for her. It was a lot of fun to match the reproductions of Picasso's paintings with the pictures of the real thing in the books we brought home!

The story also opens possible discussion for other topics--poverty, artistic pursuits, caring and friendship. This is a rich and well-told story.

The stunning illustrations make this book a must-have for both children and adult art-lovers.

Budding young artists and adults will be drawn to this touching story of Picasso. Set in Paris during Picasso's Blue Period when the artist struggled to sell his paintings, the tale is part fact, part fiction.

It's true that these paintings were deemed sad by many and did not sell. It's also true that Picasso lived in a garret in Montmarte where he took in a street cat he called Minou (French for kitty). The rest comes from the artist's imagination.

Our story opens with Picasso so poor that he cannot buy enough food for both Minou and himself. So he sadly returns Minou to the streets where the poor cat is booted from a restaurant and finds only stale bread in the trash.

Minou's luck changes when he wanders into a part of Montmarte that is new to him and finds people dressed in colorful clothes. To his amazement these people jumped, twirled, juggled and did all manner of wonderful tricks. Soon, a little girl found him and brought him a plate of bread and stew. Minou made short work of that, so she brought him a sausage. However, "Instead of eating the sausage, Minou held it in his mouth and ran toward Pablo's studio."

Of course, Picasso was delighted to have some food and also happy to see Minou. Eventually, Minou led the artist to the people who wore all colors of the rainbow and Picasso was so enchanted that he decided to paint them. He used colors of pink and rose, signaling the beginning of Picasso's Rose Period.

The author's note includes a photo of the young Picasso and Minou. Artist Pau Estrada prepared well for illustrating "Picasso and Minou" by visiting the Museu Picasso in Barcelona and the Musee National Picasso in Paris. Estrada's watercolor illustrations are rich with the colors Picasso used during his Blue and Rose periods, adding authenticity and vivacity to this charming story.

- Gail Cooke

Sometimes the vet does not have time to explain in detail the medications they are prescribing and sometimes you just for get to ask or think of someting after the fact. The book is a good source of information and it its written in plain enlish so you dont have to be a DVM to understand it.

A good reference. I have only had it a month and have already made 4 reference searches and pleased with each result. If you have pets, and if you have more than 2 or 3 pets, this can be a great help to talk to your vet about. Puts you in the know.

Pills for Pets by Debra Eldredge, D.V.M.
Dr. Deb Eldredge is not only an award-winning writer and columnist on veterinary issues, but she is my friend and a fellow Belgian Tervuren owner/trainer/competitor. Deb works in an animal hospital outside Syracuse, NY and is a volunteer consultant for Canine Working Companions.
Her book, Pills for Pets, is truly an A to Z guide to drugs and medications for your animal companion, from dogs to horses, from iguanas to cats! This book was awarded the Muse Medallion for Best Health and Care Book for 2003.
Pills for Pets is a comprehensive, easy to use listing of prescription and over the counter drugs - including cautions, possible side effects, and drug/food interactions. Deb Eldredge makes it very clear that the information in her book is to allow pet owners to supplement their knowledge about veterinary care, not replace it.
Dr. Eldredge gives advice and cautions about homeopathic remedies, herbal treatments, vitamin and nutritional supplements; all of which are becoming very popular with pet owners. Her book also helps pet owners in choosing the right veterinarian and pet insurance. She also touches on emergency first aid and how to provide long-term nursing care for animals, as many of our pets are living longer.
Of interest to anyone who wanted to save money by buying medications and fad diets on the web, a must read is chapter 7 which makes you aware of the dangers of Internet purchases. Emphasis in Dr. Eldredge's book is that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Pills for Pets is an excellent resource and a "must have" for any pet owner!

Awarded by the Cat Writers Association of America, Pills for Pets was voted the best health and pet care book in 2003. This essential book for every pet owners shelf was called,
"An extremely useful reference book that covers the ground. This is a book that pet owners want on their shelf when health questions arise."

Whether you own an iguana, dog, cat or horse this book arms you with the information you need to ensure that your pet is getting the best medical care possible. The book includes prescription and over-the-counter meds, homeopathic remedies, herbal treatments, and a guide to emergency care and first aid.

This book is a well written and clear guide for pet owners. The information is timely and thorough and covers a wide spectrum of topics beyond medication that every pet lover will appreciate. It's also a great help in resolving those questions of "is this serious (requires a trip to the vet) or should I wait a day and see if he gets better?" The author has packed a wealth of knowledge into a small package! I think this book should be sold in veterinarians' offices everywhere!

Great book for both photography and natural history reports of the North American pitcher plants. Wonderful photos of these plants in their natural habitats. Detailed reports of the natural history of all species, especially Heliamphora. This book's focus is on these plants in their evnironments and includes detailed range maps for all species.

Finally - a book that introduces the genus Heliamphora in all its glory. This is really the first book to do them justice. It includes dozens of stunning photos, morphology and habitat descriptions, fascinating analysis of trapping mechanisms, speculation about the environmental conditions that lead to the forms and the distribution of present day species, as well as some tentative discussion of the relationship between the three genera. Two minor disappointments - no mention of the new fossil discovery of an ancient member of the Sarracenia family from China (Archaeamphora), and no photos of Heliamphora sarracenioides, which it seems might be one of the more important species discovered in the last decade. I suspect both discoveries occurred too late to be incorporated because the book is otherwise quite thorough (and these new discoveries leave me hoping for a revised edition in the future). "Pitcher Plants of North America" is now by far my favorite carnivorous plant book ever.

Pitcher Plants of the Americas by Stewart McPherson is a very nice addition to any carnivorous plant enthusiast's library. It is very well written and easy to understand. The photography is spectacular. This book will give one a better understanding of the pitcher plants native to North and South America.

British geographer, researcher, and conservationist Stewart McPherson presents Pitcher Plants of the Americas, a lavish overview of the five genera of carnivorous pitcher plants in North, Central, and South America. Featuring stunning color photography of virtually every species, enhanced by the high-quality paper of the text, Pitcher Plants of the Americas describes species, their ranges, and their unique features in clear language that is not excessively technical. A first-rate field guide and welcome contribution to natural history reference shelves, sure to fascinate both general readers and horticulture specialists.

I've been waiting for years to get my hands on a book that covers Heliamphora more than superficially. This was it. Very in depth info on specific habitats for each species, full descriptions, amazing photos. A great mix of science and personal observation/commentary by the author.

Definitely recommend it!

I have found this the best book for much more than the Tahoe Basin. It is better than any Yosemite guide for even south into the Ansel Adams Wilderness. It is actually fun to sit down and read, it is small enough to take back packing, it has trees, shrubs and flowering plants, and the photographs are clear. My only suggestion is for a more comprehensive index.

If you are looking for a specific nature book (on the flora (plants) of the Lake Tahoe (California) area, this is an excellent choice.

WHile there are a number of flower books for the Sierra available, I found this one particularly useful because the plants are arranged by family so you can learn how to identify plants that are not in the range covered by the book. THe introductory section was also really informative and interesting.

Without a doubt, this is the best plant or flower book I have ever read. The author clearly knows Tahoe Basin vegetation and natural history like nobody else. The key is masterful in its simplicity, the pictures spectacular and the text brilliantly concise (and sometimes witty!). You can leave your tent, cell phone and coffee mug behind, but you must not forget Mr. Graf's book when going to Tahoe.

Weekends in Tahoe are tons better with this book in tow. It is way cool to know the names of the gorgy plants and flowers with whom you are sharing your away-from-work time. I especially like being able to answer my two-year-old's question, "What's dat one momma," as he begins to take an interest in the names of the plant life surrounding him. A great gift for parents of children who go to Tahoe from time to time...or for anyone still young at heart/inquisitive enough to want to know more about Tahoe vegetation.