Pets Books

I purchased this book for my husband after the loss of his/our dog that he had adopted 15 years ago. The book is a beautiful look at why older dogs are the best and hardest to lose. I designed a page identical to those in the book with a picture of our dog and a list of a few of the items that made her life so great. It is a great book for dog lovers.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves dogs, especially people who understand the true beauty of older dogs. Asher's photographs are emotion provoking as they seem to capture the essence of the dogs' personalities. I bought this book as a present for someone and one for myself. I am going to buy at least 2 more as gifts. :)

good pictures of the dogs; I liked the captions for the pictures. another good book for dog lovers as our doggies get older.

If you are a dog person, you'll love this book. The pictures and short "sayings" from the dogs match perfectly. I've given this as a gift to friends who love dogs, and they have all loved it.

Mark Asher has captured, in a series of haunting photographs, the rare beauty and vast wisdom that old dogs give to those of us fortunate enough to love them unconditionally. If you have ever loved an old dog, this book is for you. Nothing here but fabulous pictures of old dogs and the secrets of their longevity expressed in brief but memorable phrases. This book makes a beautiful gift for the dog lover in your life.

I was explaining this story to a friend and actually got choked up just thinking about it! I read this every year to my students and every year I am moved by it. It details an old woman's life and how she has learned to attach herself to inanimate things rather than living things because so many people in her life have died. Ultimately she finds companionship in a dog. The most poignant part of the story comes when she looks back at her life and realized her human interactions have enriched her life and she decides to name the dog and claim him as her own! Ah, see, I'm tearing up again! What a sap!

We bought this book for our 5-year old son after reading a positive magazine review of it. Still, when we received it, it surpassed our expectations. This is a great book! Our son has read it over and over with our family and he even asked to bring it to school for the "hundredth day" of school. It also was timely because our family had suffered some losses this past year and the book provided a good reason for us to talk about why the old lady may have been reticent to name something and how her feelings changed by the end of the book. It's a somewhat silly (in a good way) book to read yet it still has a wonderful message. Our 8-year-old daughter loved it too. We all did, actually! Great book - buy it and enjoy!

Ten years after first reading this aloud at circle time, Rylant's lovely story of the old woman who has to decide to, once more, take a chance on love and loss, has become a beloved old friend to me. Brown's quirky illustrations are quite memorable--especially the joyous spread near the end of the story in which the dog, with his tongue hanging out, happily sticks his head out the window of the old woman's car that is driving him home. Cynthia Rylant has won a Newbery for MISSING MAY, and has authored HENRY AND MUDGE, the greatest easy reader series ever published. THE OLD WOMAN WHO NAMED THINGS is absolutely right up there with the best of her work.

Cynthia Rylant has done it again-- this story tells of an elderly woman who has outlived most of those she loved and doesn't want to risk a new attachment-but but a nameless stray dog changes her mind. The story is done with a wonderful blend of humor and poignancy. It is a favorite in one pre-K classroom I know--wonderful way to positively approach those tricky issues of aging and death with young children.

This book is so emotionally satisfying. Cynthia Rylant brings the universal struggle of choosing to risk love and loss to a child's level. I never tire of reading it to my daughters (ages 5 & 3). They love the book, as well.

Very good book and it has a lot of info that you need to know it has most the info I already knew but a very good book for someone who needs some Questions answered.

great service very fast delivery and acurate.

This book is everything that you ever needed to know about a sugar glider! I am thinking about buying a glider and after reading this book i still do. It will be difficult, especially since it is nocturnal, but i bet anyone who tries can.
This book says the nutritional needs and even a few mixes. It says EXCACTLY what you need if you're a new owner.

A very easy to follow book that indeed covers a large basis on what it means to care for sugar gliders. This book helps to combat some of the myths surrounding diet concerns and offers many wonderful pictures. Detailed and enjoyable to read.

There is some information in this book that is outdated, particularly the part dealing with Sugar Glider nutrition. We know a lot more about the nutritional needs of Sugar Gliders than we did when this book was published in 1997. For example, MacPherson suggests it is fine to feed cat food to Sugar Gliders. That idea has been debunked for some time.

It's an OK book to start with if you know absolutely nothing about Sugar Gliders. And it's only good because no new books with updated Sugar Glider information have been published recently. There is, however, a ton of solid, up-to-date information about Sugar Gliders available on the internet.

I stayed up all night reading this book, not only because the info was so good but it is extremely humorous and entertaining. I recommend this book to anyone who cares about their dog.

Thank you Joy! I have been recommending this book to everyone I know who has a dog or is just thinking about it. If I had gotten it first I wouldn't have wasted money on any other dog books. Joy explains why dogs act the way they do and how their behavoir can be changed. I have seen many people mistreating their dogs in an attempt to disipline them. Or using strange, ineffective training techniques or no training at all. Simply the best there is...as the owner of a young Border Collie I don't know how we survived until we got this book.

I bought this book as a last resort on how to deal with my GSD/Malamute. She was a horrible mannered thing..lol. Now she is better behaved and minds. Three HUGE cheers to Joy Tiz for her awesome book and understanding of what makes a dog tick!!!! I also keep on on her websites for more info as I go along..going to write another book Joy?

I have 2 adult stubborn Bichons that I adopted as adults. They were never obedience trained as pups. This book addresses all of the issues I have with them. I'm currently in the process of following Joy's instructions and I'm amazed at the results. They are a work in progress but I see light at the end of the tunnel.

**Citywulf - Dogs don't think like humans. Joy only recommended grabbing the muzzle or scruff on the neck as last options. She also recommends increasing the confidence of timid dogs. She has advocated posturing and looks - hence the ALPHA***

I have mixed feelings about this book. She debunks many old ideas, and that's good. But using "Alpha" techniques on a dog has its risks. We do not want to raise wolves, we want to raise household companions. "Alpha" training includes using the hands to deliver such reprimands as scruff-shakes and muzzle holding. This can lead to a hand-shy dog more apt to use wolf-life reprimands on other dogs or even children considered subordinate. For timid and small dogs especially, I would recommend hands-free methods that rely on vocal tones, eye contact, and rewards.

Not only does this book explain the "what" and "where," more importantly, it answers the "how" and "why" of so many bird species around the world starting with their first discovery. The amount of information presented is astounding and well worth your time!

I have recently reviewed The Life of Mammals, also by David Attenborough, and I liked that book so much I had to go out and find this book, in which the author tells us about birds.

I have always thought that David Attenborough was most fascinated by birds, judging from this item and his television series. As usual, his enthusiasm comes across as honest, concise, and illuminating (no slogging through dry texts here; this is fun).

Beautiful color photographs are not only a nice bonus here, but are detailed and large (certainly there has gone as much care into them as the rest of the book). The Life of Birds is structured in 10 chapters that each in turn handles a separate item (example: The Demands of the Egg is about, well, eggs). But the whole spectrum of bird-life is treated here: feeding, all kinds of behavior, etc., etc..

Good reading.

Sir David Attenborough, veteran of many major book/television series combinations, has knocked them for six again with 'The Life of Birds'. This book is the perfect companion for learning more while watching the series, and yet stands alone admirably for those who haven't seen the series.

Sir David examines all aspects of the diversity of the community of birds. He begins with a discussion of what is considered the prime difference between birds and other animals -- flight. He starts by examining the archaeological record, and then proceeds to examine reasons why flight might have come to be developed in the first place. One of the early fossils of flying animals is the Archaeopteryx, which Sir David states 'could not have been the first backboned animal to have taken to the air. Its feathers have such a complex structure that they must be the product of a long evolutionary process...'

Of course, flight is not a requirement of birds. 'Giant flightless birds, however, do still stalk the earth,' says Sir David, who then proceeds to examine flightless birds and the reasons why they abandoned flight. 'Flying is very expensive in terms of energy and birds do not travel by air if it is safe for them to do so by land.'

Sir David examines the life cycles of several species of bird, from egg to death, which includes the feeding habits, the mating habits, and the limits of endurance. Here you will learn the different nesting and parenting problems. 'Most birds of prey lay more eggs than they can raise, feed the eldest preferentially and allow it to harry its younger sibling so unrelentingly that it dies. The winner will then usually eat the loser, so the nutriment invested by the parents in the extra egg and the food they have given to the nestling it produced, is not wasted. The macaroni penguin has a strange variant of this practice. It also lays two eggs, but the first is smaller than the second, hatches later and seldom survives.'

You will learn about different feeding patterns, including those birds which nose-dive into water to catch their dinner. 'Entering the water in order to find food clearly presents greater problems than making brief dips with the beak. Because birds are warm-blooded, they run the risk of getting seriously chilled.'

The European dipper relies upon oils and air pockets between feathers to keep itself warm during such dips. Of course, many birds live on or in the water. This points out the diversity apparent in birds. Obviously penguins, ducks, geese, etc. have no problems in the water, even very cold water.

Mating habits include such things as bright plumage, interesting movements and feather patterns that change, songs and signals, and even intricate dance/flight patterns. For instance, the blue-footed booby of Galapagos tends to display and dance to attract a mate (very human of it, in fact!). Some mate more easily than others -- 'The male European wren expects to provide her with a nest and a male may build up to a dozen nests in different sites before he produces one that convinces a female that he will be an adequate partner.' The photographs in this section of the book are very interesting, many are humourous and some even romantic.

The limits of endurance show that birds have adapted themselves to every climate on earth. Emperor penguins have no trouble with the antarctic cold. The sandgrouse has adapted itself to desert climates. And of course, several birds have adapted themselves to the environments of humanity, thriving on the food production methods and refuse of our society.

A fascinating tale, a great life to be read. 'The Life of Birds' is essential to any armchair birdwatcher, and anyone interested in nature, and will be enjoyed by many more.

LIFE OF BIRDS is a gorgeous journey into the evolution, behavior, and unique characteristics of hundreds of species of birds, varying from Antarctic-dwelling Emperor Penguins to amazing little hummingbirds (and everything in between). The photos are striking, and almost all the birds in the photos are discussed individually in the reader-friendly text. The author knows how to make bird facts fascinating. Every once in a while, I had to put down the book just so I could share with others whatever amazing bit of information I had learned about birds.

I'll be honest and admit I didn't find LIFE OF BIRDS as engaging a read as LIFE OF MAMMALS, which is also by the same author. But I think that's because I'm a big cat and wolf type of person, not a bird person at all. I've never been particularly interested in birds, and only bought LIFE OF BIRDS because I thought LIFE OF MAMMALS was fantastic. Though I did thoroughly enjoy LIFE OF BIRDS, it took me longer to read it (discussions about aerodynamics are not my thing). The best thing I liked about LIFE OF BIRDS were the photos, many of which were pretty gross, showing birds eating monkeys, snakes eating birds, birds eating poop, etc. Everyone loved gawking at those.

LOVE IT! This book is not merely a supplement to the phenomenally interesting and educational TV series (available on DVD or VHS and worth every penny and then some), it stands on its own. EVERYTHING a bird lover, casual or professional, might ever have wondered about when observing these graceful creatures is in this book: how birds evolved; how they adapted and often specialized depending on their habitat of choice; evolution of color and "male fashion"; mating rituals; and breeding details. The reader learns not only HOW birds do certain things, but also WHY they do them. The How is fascinating: how birds sing, how an egg is formed, etc.; but the WHY is just as interesting and often mind-boggling, i.e., why birds sing at dawn... You can't get such detailed information anywhere else that I know of. (Bird identification guides do not cover these topics because that's not their purpose.) Sir David Attenborough has a style all his own, and his voice jumps off every single page. I didn't merely READ this book, I ABSORBED it! Although scientific in nature, this book is so entertainingly written that the reader hardly notices how much knowledge is conveyed upon him. I am a devoted fan of Sir David Attenborough and am presently reading some of his earlier books which are just as beautifully written and presented. I also just received his latest books (Blue Planet and Life Of Mammals) and am eagerly looking forward to reading them as well!

It is rare that I find a book that I cannot put down - and I read this book in one sitting. It teaches the reader about life in an animal shelter through the short stories written about the animals the writers came to know during a week at a shelter. It gives you pause, describing shelters from the animals' perspective, as well as from the perspective of the humans that interact with the shelter (volunteers, shelter staff, adoptive pet parents, and pet owners who resign ownership). It gives interesting and surprising statistics. It talks about foster parenting shelter dogs, and it touches on visiting pet programs (for nursing homes, etc.). It gave me ideas that I might use the improve my local shelter as a volunteer. I thought I knew everything there was to know until I read this book. It is so well written, and it opens your heart and your mind to the realities of life and death for shelter animals.

I purchased this book as I have done many other books about shelter dogs,abandoned dogs etc. I love animals-all animals,but especially dogs.There were some wonderful stories in this book, there were also stories that totally broke my heart, seeing two large bins full with little bodies that the sanctuary found it necessary to euthanzise. ,I didn't expect to see a photo like that,but as much as it broke my heart,people need to be made aware. Animals are precious, they are like children, I have a daughter and I have three dogs, I love them all equally,my dogs are part of my family and are treated as such. People seem to think they can pick animals up and toss them out when they get fed up with them- it makes my blood boil.There was one story in particular that really got to me where a dog named Kelly had been so let down, she just gave up, she wouldn't even lift her head, the sanctuary- rightly or wrongly-decided that she could not be re-homed so they put her to sleep,there is a photo of them doing so, with a young guy holding up the her beautiful head and she is looking straight into the camera, the sadness in her eyes will haunt me forever, I just wish I had known about her, I would have given her a home and worked with her to help her to trust again.,and to show her boundless love.
There are many atrocities in this world, to me, cruelty to animals is one of them.
If anyone reading this is thinking about getting a dog, please think carefully before you do- they take a lot of your time and commitment but the love they give you in return is immeasurable.If only people were more responsible,these poor animals ,who only ever wanted love from someone, would never end up in this situation.
I hope that particular little dog is in Rainbow Bridge, and is healed now.
God Bless her, and all the other animals that have suffered and are suffering the same fate through no fault of their own.
It just isn't right.

This is a must read for everyone who has had a pet, has a pet, or is thinking of getting a pet. The authors do a wonderful job of revealing the plight of animals in shelters today. I bawled the whole way through the book, but it's because it's the truth. And something needs to be done.

It's such a good book. Many stories are sad, but it also offers real hope as to what we as individuals can do. Highly recommended. You'll go back to it when you find you need inspiration.

As someone who has adopted 3 animals from a shelter, I appreciated this book thoroughly. This book puts names and faces together while also educating the reader about the importance of adopting from your local animal shelter. The theme of this book is you can actually save a life. There are heartwarming stories alongside tragic ones. If you want to learn more about the animals at the shelter and their stories this book is for you.

I am a fist-year English teacher serving in a low-performing high school (based on states tests scores)in an inner-city public school district. I struggled to teach on-level text to below grade level students. Once I found this book, I felt like I had a master teacher standing next to me as I taught me students how to use strategies to create meaning from text. The title of this book is befitting of its content because when my students lacked comprehension, I had specific strategies to aid their understanding. Direct instruction of these strategies is based in cooperative learning. Hands down, this warmly written book equipped my students with the ability to comprehensively read any text that any teacher gives them.

Main contents of the book covers reading strategies, vocabulary, fluency, phonics, literary discussions, the reading process, philosophy on direct instruction of reading strategies, and cooperative learning.

This book is an excellent resource for teachers in all grade levels. The strategies can be used for elementary students and the book has helpful charts that direct you to the information you need if a student has difficulty with comprehension, vocabulary, word recognition and fluency, or spelling. One of the best resources I have ever used in 27 years of teaching.

I love this book, I attended a workshop with Kylene and her ideas were wonderful, my original burnt in a fire so i had to replace it! I think it would be a great addition to any classroom.

This book provides excellent practical advice for teachers and specific strategies to help middle and high school students who struggle with reading. Most teachers will find this book easy to understand and apply to their day work of endeavoring to get kids into literature, regardless of whether or not the students are independent readers.

This book has a lot of ideas to help teachers of middle school and high school. It contains examples of many strategies for phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

If you are stuck on a particular student and can't figure out what to do to help them, read this book and find help.

This book is also good for content area teachers who need help with their struggling readers.

One of the more informative photography books i've purchased yet. Aside from giving great techniques , it actually gives settings of photos in the book (much easier). GREAT BUY!

Zen of Watering Your Garden

This book is what Tony the tiger would call Greaaat!!!! It really teaches the basics off nature photography. I found it very useful even though my interest is in flora and not fauna and in flowers plants and gardens rather than landscapes. It helped with composition and technique. i would recommend it highly to anyone ready to jump head first into the digital portal to Mother Nature. Matt cohen

I like this book, learned a lot from it, it will help you take better pics! Some parts maybe a bit to much for absolute beginner but if combined with another reading or class you will appreciate it. Contains valuable info to any photographer.

This book is very nice, it has beautiful pictures and very clear techniques of how you can take amazing photos. In it, you can find how to take great landscape photos, macro photography, wildlife photography and much more. It's a book for begginers and for professionals as well. I think i made an excellent decision on buying this book

I am in the process of reading about 20 guides and books related to Nature Photography (Landscapes, Macros, Wildlife, etc)...everything from the older Shaw books to new digital books such as this one.

This book has a lot of good information. I enjoyed the mentoring style of the book and thought the LCD (Lighting, Composition and Digital(Eposure) approach to each of the sub topics was well presented. There are good ideas for assignments also.

I only have one fairly minor flaw with the book and it is a rather subjective one...while the photos in the book were good examples of the topics being discussed, not a lot of them were jaw dropping and inspiring to me personally. Obviously this is a subjective point and others may disagree. After reading the Shaw and Audubon and acouple of digital nature books prior to this one, the photos in this book just didn't wow me as much as the others I have read.

I don't feel the above is enough for me to knock the book down to a 4 star so I am still giving it a 5 star rating although if there was a 4.5 star option, I would probably select that.

Don't get me wrong, though, I still feel this is quite a worthwhile book to buy. The approach is friendly, encouraging and refreshing and the author obviously knows his stuff and has produced a good book.

One further note...I also liked the fact that this book is definitly about nature photography and doesn't spend an over-abundance of time on generic photography priniciples that one has more than likely picked up from other general photography books. Some nature books are general photography books with a splash of nature thrown in. This one is a nature photography book with just the right amount general photography thrown in. An honest approach to a nature photography book.

This book has helped me tremendously from everything to tank set up to introducing ideas such as hanging a coral on a fishing line to taking advantage of space and flow. Even after years of experience I can still go to it and learn some more information. I believe Calfo is releasing an updated version of this soon so be on the look out for it.

John M
http://www.lareefs.com

very excellent book. for the pros. maybe too much for casual aquarists

I know I am not the only person who sees a nice corals and wants it. Either the person selling it tried to assure me 'oh it'll do fine in your tank' OR they try and sell 100s in equiptment I don't need. Before making a coral purchase I consult this book, will it -really- do well in my tank? Sometimes the answer is no, sometimes yes, BUT since consulting this book I've never had a coral witheraway and die. From reading the articles on the various types of corals, I have better possitioned my tank, and ended up with happy corals growing and spreading in my tank. The money for this book has saved me time and and again from throwing away money on the wrong coral or the wrong equiptment It has also saved me time in doing things right the first time.

This book is very readable and not dry at all. Its actually a good read which is rare in a truly useful book. The style and organization of this book make it a book that is never on my book shelf, it's most often on my nightstand becasue it always seems to have another gem of wisdom to impart.

Calfo goes into minute detail with humor. As expected he hit the nail on the head with this one, again.

Remember all of those mundane questions on the reef forums?

431 Pages packed with the answers and advice that we all seek. From newby grommets to advanced marine aquarists, Anthony Calfo has suceeded in putting his knowledge into the words that are understandable to all of us. And, that's without glossy photographs!

I couldn't put the book down and read it cover to cover.

Get this book and read it ...

This book is a childhood favorite for my three grown children. We cherish the one copy we have so I set out to order copies for all three children. This book is short and sweet with a cute story and great pictures. I treasure the memories I have of reading this book to my children.

Even with our children now in high school, college, and beyond, this book is still quoted at family gatherings. At the dinner table when someone is asked if they would like more roast beef (or salad, or whatever) a frequent response is "well, OK, but no elephants!" I recently purchased this book for my college-bound son as a graduation gift because he has such fond memories of reading it and having it read to him as a youngster. If you haven't read it, you're missing out on a real gem.

A favorite book of mine when I was child, Happy to have found it available on Amazon so I could buy a copy for my daughter. Of course when I was a child this book was a hardcover. This release is a softcover, which I was aware of when I purchased. However, with the stapled binding, etc. it seems rather flimsy, I don't expect it to have the lasting longevity of the original hardback I owned. But none the less, it is a great book to add to any child's collection.

This book deserves our first ever review. We literally have hundreds of books in our home. We read at least five books each day. And this classic is the one that our boy reaches for day after day. His "elephant walking away with the house book". The pictures are fun to look. There is not too much text so that mom and dad can persevere through all of the readings. We love this one!

I love "But No Elephants"! Jerry Smath writes the kind of stories you want your children to think about and remember and carry with them always. Theres nothing complex about them they are the kind of stories you imagine a really creative kid would cook up if they had the writing skills and thats the beauty of Smath there is no loss of imagination!