Scott Books

Via the medium of magical realism, Klepach presents us with familiar themes of love, grief, and racism, yet his presentation is so forward and acute that those themes are all the more striking. Klepach's astute observation of racisim in Washington's Yakima valley is particularly spellbinding and compassionately communicated. His storytelling, mostly presented through flashbacks, creates sympathy for his main characters, who are exceptionally realistic. Throughout the novel, Klepach draws attention to the symbolic importance of every detail without seeming false or hackneyed--even the symbols and archetypes fit perfectly into the realism of this piece. Stylistically, Klepach reminds me of Hemingway or early Camus, yet he seems to write with more compassion for his characters and his themes. His plot was so engaging and the ending so unexpected that as soon as I finished, I immediately wanted to read it all again--a mark of a good book. Overall, this piece was a supurb first novel. I hope to hear more of Klepach's distinct voice in the future.

Captures your mind and body in a tornado of thought and wonderment, this is one excellent adventure!

There is not one wasted word in Klepach's Back To This Land. Klepach's way of storytelling allows you to be intensely involved in each moment and engaged with each character. The story is adventurous, sometimes hilarious, heartwarming, heartbreaking, highly spirited, full of symbolism, and addictive. You won't be able to put this book down from beginning to end. And you will want more.

A fantastic inner adventure dealing with an extreme loss. I experienced anger, joy, and sorrow throughout, and a heart full of compassion at the end. Klepach's work entails an interwoven design of conflicting relationships, current social prejudices, and true love which leads to an introspective look at one's own heart.

A must read! An mysterious and emotional journey that takes the reader through many different topics of life. It's unique mix of magical elements in a realistic setting makes this book stand out strong among others. It's fast paced, exciting and hard to put down. I highly recommend this book!!!

Originally published serially in "The Saturday Evening Post," Fitzgerald's "The Basil and Josephine Stories" was probably underappreciated in its time--the late 1920s. Fitzgerald's mastery of prose and storytelling shine, however, in this collection of short stories. The book is divided into two halves, the first dealing with Basil (a fictionalized version of Fitzgerald as a young man) and the second with Josephine (a fictional young woman in America in the early part of the 20th century). We follow Basil through the adventures and misadventures of his early life as he searches for acceptance and meaning. Josephine searches for love and friendship, among other things. Both meet with success that can only be described as questionable. Beautifully written and suprisingly deep, this collection offers profound insight into the psyche of the Lost Generation. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in modern American literature.

this charming collection of stories written by f. scott fitzgerald follows the physical, emotional, and social growth of two characters at the turn of the century. Basil, the typical rebellious child, struggles to find some understanding of life, school, friendship, and, most importantly, women. fitzgerald details a number of episodes in basil's life starting with his childhood and following him through his entrance into school. i don't know if basil ever entirely grew up or learned as much as he desired, but he came as close as any man can. the josephine stories follow roughly the same time span, but tend to focus more on her relationships and her place in society as a young woman at the turn of the century. all of the stories are masterfully told and it is obvious why fitzgerald became such a well known and respected writer. his storytelling is unparalleled and his descriptive language and imagery transports the reader to a different place and time. i highly recommend this book to any fitzgerald fan, whether an experienced one or a not-so-experienced one. i think it a shame that this book does not get more recognition than it does, recognition that it most definitely deserves.

I found the Basil stories to be much better written than the Josephine stories. Basil's stories are fun and full of irony and satire. The reader sees definite growth in Basil. The Basil stories are excellent and worthy of great praise. As for Josephine's stories, I often found myself loosing interest in the stories. They tended to be bland, and I found it much more difficult to connect with Josephine than with Basil. The four star rating is largely based on the Basil stories, which account for about 2/3 of the book, and for the one Josephine story I really liked.

Pure genius! Only Gatsby is better. Basil and Josephine are lyrical, magical; everything good that can be said about writing can be said about this book. It's great. Genius.

I really liked this book. And this isn't coming from some super-articulate adult. This is coming from a 14-year-old High School Freshman. It really shows you what life was like back then in the early 1910's, and how teens back then deal with the same stuff as we do, such as popularity, dating, cars, etc.

"The year's steamiest most thought-provoking gay sex writing...¶ The best-selling gay erotica series in America! ¶ 'In sex, I can communicate dreams, fears, and parts of myself that I cannot fully express any other way. Sex is the closest experience we have to sharing consciousness, becoming united, and experiencing the essence of someone else. Much like writing.'--D. Travers Scott"--© zebraz

Being only a casual reader of gay erotica over the years, I was surprised to be taken in by such a strong anthology. I commend Scott and Labonte for highlighting indie literature, particularly the excerpt taken from Henry Flesh's "Massage." This excerpt provoked me to read the novel, which I haven't put down since. It's nice to see Scott and Labonte provide a breath of fresh air to an increasingly stale genre by providing a platform for new writers and smaller presses. I look forward with renewed interest to the next Best Gay Erotica.

I'd gotten pretty burned out on gay anthologies, erotic orotherwise, but this one really renewed my faith. Scott and Labontehave put together a diverse collection of top-notch writers, both familiar and new. The book has many fresh voices and unusal narratives, something I can't say for many gay anthologies. High quality and consistently surprising.

If elegant can be used to describe erotica, then it can fit more than well, in describing this latest selection of passionate writing from the more than skillful editorship of Richard Labonte. From reclaiming homoeroticism during the frontier life of America in Michael Jensen's first novel excerpt, to the Ferd Eggan's durge "About Rapture" and Lawrence Ytzhak Braithwaite's written grievous angel like drawl in "Bonehead", we have not only slow, careful and attentive seductions and yearnings but a glimpse of the future of homosexualism in literature. The stories often center themselves in the place of the working-class and empower the voices and desires of a class of masculinity often ignored or exploited for fetish sake. Along with these patient recollections are crisp and metred tales from Ishmael Houston-Jones and Andy Quan. Not only is the word elegant more than appropriate for this collection but the title has never been more fitting. It truly is the Best Gay Erotica 2000 (Cleis Press). It is an anthology which contains stories that go beyond gay or queer and take brave steps forward to capture the subtly of masculine gestures of pleasure, if not masculinity itself, for a new millennium.

Labonte and Scott have brought together an impressive range of voices by including writers from beyond the mainstream gay press. Most notably, from the alternative press, Henry FLesh's selection from his novel "Massage" is strong stuff. Since this was my favorite novel of the year, I was very glad to see it included here. Labonte's and Scott's adventurous and risky selection is the most interesting anthology of its kind I have seen.

I love all the Jonathan Scott Big Cat Series Books. This is an excellent book for anyone who loves big cats. Plenty of info on habitat, biology, and great pictures!

I was watching big cat diary from the TV last week, and found out this program is just exactly the book I hv ordered from Amazon in Oct. I am exciting when receive this book. It has many beautiful cheetahs pictures. It worths to be one of your collection.

Being my favourite big cat doco, I had to buy the books to compliment Big Cat Diary.
I was not disappointed. The photos in this Leopard book are entirely unique and often include extremely rare images.
The writers/film makers have experienced some amazing things over their years of filming but most of it isn't covered in the TV series. This book goes into a lot more detail of the lives of certain Leopards and you really become attached to them by name (can be sad when you discover one has died).

Spectacular photos and highly engaging stories make this a winner.

Love the book and the fast service. I love all of the books that Jonathan Scott has written. I just wish in the US that we could still see the Big Cat Diary Series.

I love this book! Leopards are my # 4 favorite animals of all time topped only by jaguars, tigers, and of course lions. I think they are both cool and beautiful. I loved all the ones in here, most definitely the female ones. They were the most cool and beautiful. The only bad part was any of them getting hurt or killed, but other than that this book rocked! The cubs were cute, also. And boy, did I ever learn a lot about lions and hyenas as well as leopards. Like I said, this is a terrific book. I own it at home and will own it until my dying day. I highly reccomend it to anyone over the age of 12. Man, oh man, Amazon.com, you keep up making books like this.

this was bought as a gift for a child....but I would have kept it myself...the book was in perfect condition and arrived very quickly....

Look out for the world's most spirited horse; because here comes Black Beauty, with the most ongoing spirited that never ends. In this book, Black Beauty suffers in many ways. But he does not stop living his life the way it takes him.

The book Black Beauty by Anne Sewell is about a horse that's forced to live in horrible ways with kind and loving masters or cruel and mean masters. On his way of meeting masters and friends, Black Beauty he comes upon one master who would whip and break Black Beauty's knees. Alfred Smirk. Alfred did not care what happened to Black Beauty, he worked Black Beauty hard and that's how he broke his knees. He let all horses suffer in pain and would not take care of Black Beauty. But he also met Joe Green; Joe was very kind and loving. He never ill-used Black Beauty or hurt him. He brought Beauty apples and oats. Many events happened in this story but this one was the worst, they got separated.

So will Black Beauty still have his high spirits at the end of the story or will the masters break him? To find out more read Black Beauty by Anne Sewell. It's one of the most moving horse stories by Anne Sewell.

I like horses and the color black and Black Beauty is my favorite book and one of the best novels by Anna Sewell. He is a beautiful black animal with a white star on his forehead and one white foot and in the novel of Black Beauty, Black Beauty's white foot was usually always on the back in the left and another second best of Black Beauty's white foot was on the front in the right and that's where I like to see Black Beauty's white foot and it's perfect for the best on the front in the right, and the two hind legs on the left and the right and that's how you like Black Beauty and the best choices.

My favorite character in this book is Joe Green, because at the end of Black Beauty, Joe becomes a man and one lucky day, he finds that horse he used to care for and gets excited when he said he had almost killed him so many nearly ten years ago at Squire Gordon's farm after coming back from the Doctor's. This is the best one illustrated by Scott McKowen because there is five black and white illustrations in this book of Black Beauty as a colt with his mother Duchess, Rob Roy or a differnt horse either on a hunt or Lady Anne on Black Beauty, Black Beauty getting shoes for the first time, A kind man leads Black Beauty to his new home and Black Beauty as a cab horse and if there were some other 2 illustrations for this book that would be part of in with illustrated in black and white by Edwin John Prittie and 4 color illustrations by Edward F. Cortese and Going for the Doctor by Percy F. Spence of 7 black and white illustrations and 5 color illustrations in this book, that would make it the best but...

there would be like some of the best seven Full Page Illustrations that would be best for the Scott McKowen part of in with some of Edward F. Cortese and some of Edwin John Prittie and Percy F. Spence are:

One of the riders was getting out of the water, covered with mud the other lay quite still color illustration by Edward F. Cortese
"The children did not know when they had enough, so I just pitched them off backwards" black and white illustration by Edwin John Prittie
Safe in the yard, he slipped the scarf off my eyes and shouted, "Here, somebody! take this horse while I go back for the other" color illustration by Edward F. Cortese
Going for the doctor color illustration by Percy F. Spence
With scarcely a pause Lizzie took the leap, stumbled among the rough clouds, and fell color illustration by Edward F. Cortese
"My dear master was cheering on his comrades when one of the balls, whizzing close to my head, struck him" color illustration by Edward F. Cortese
My groom began patting me as if he were quite overjoyed at seeing me again black and white illustration by Edwin John Prittie

That was talking about two of the black and white illustrations by Edwin John Prittie, the four color illustrations by Edward F. Cortese and Going for the doctor by Percy F. Spence and that would make it just for the perfect book illustrated by Scott McKowen if you imagined it in your head to make it go with the book, plus this Black Beauty book is very much easier to be in of Scott McKowen of the five black and white illustrations of Duchess the white horse with Black Beauty the colt in a red background, hunter or Lady Anne in a black top hat, white shirt, brown riding jacket, black leather gloves, brown dress and tall black leather riding boots on a different horse or Black Beauty in a blue background, blacksmith in a light blue shirt, light brown apron, brown pants and short black leather boots shoeing Black Beauty in a pink background, A kind man in a brown cap, white shirt of his sleeves pushed up, plaid vest of green and black, black leather gloves, brown riding pants and tall black leather riding boots leads Black Beauty to his new home in a yellow background and a driver in a black derby hat, white shirt, black vest, black jacket and black pants and probably has a blanket over him driving Black Beauty with two passengers of one of a man in a white shirt, black bowtie, black suit jacket and black pants and a girl in a black hat, green shirt, and grey pants are in a purple background, as for out of this book just to tell you of what clothes they would wear and they are John Manly the coachman in a brown cap or a black top hat, white shirt, black vest, brown riding jacket, beige riding pants and tall black leather riding boots, then James Howard the stableboy in a green shirt, brown vest, brown jacket, light green scarf, grey pants, spats and short black leather boots, then Lady Anne in a black top hat, white shirt, brown riding jacket, black leather gloves, brown dress and tall black leather riding boots, and then for the final in My Last Home when Joe Green becomes a man, Joe would be in a brown cap, white shirt, black vest, beige riding pants and tall black leather riding boots with brown tops when he recognizes its Black Beauty and that that's very perfect for some of the best seven black and white and color illustrations that would've been great if it was in the Scott McKowen book and thank goodness it is part of it and I am using my imagination as I read the book for the few favorite characters of John Manly the coachman, James Howard the stableboy, Lady Anne and when Joe Green becomes a man at the end and that's what it always means a lot to me for this best book of Black Beauty illustrated by Scott McKowen.

This book of Black Beauty - Illustrated by Scott McKowen reminds me of DVD movies on Bonanza, Vol. 7: Silent Thunder/The Last Trophy/The Hopefuls/The Spanish Grant, Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again, Disney's The Pacifier, Virginia's Run, City Slickers, Jeopardy!: An Inside Look At America's Favorite Quiz Show starring Alex Trebek because of episode 3. Ultimate I: Anyone's Game in Ultimate Finals, and the 2006 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (Wrangler NFR), for this year in Las Vegas, Nevada and that's what this means to me, a lot. I loved and enjoyed this book of Black Beauty and it's the best book ever to look at over and over again and live with that easy one by Scott McKowen so you'll have great effort into this book and this Black Beauty book illustrated by Scott McKowen also goes with the DVD of an animated version of Black Beauty with actors David Gregory and Barbara Stevens.

For this book of Black Beauty illustrated by Scott McKowen (where Beauty's white foot is on the front in the right) to make this go good and great with the animated DVD version of "Black Beauty" (Hanna-Barbera Productions) with David Gregory, in this Black Beauty book illustrated by Scott McKowen, Black Beauty is Anna Sewell's beloved story of a sweet tempered horse born and raised in the English countryside. Taught by his mother to always be a friend to man, Beauty lives happily with his master Squire Gordon and the stableman John Manly. Beauty soon learns that the world can be a harsh place when he becomes the property of several owners who use him as a job horse, pulling cabs and heavy loads through city streets. Beauty endures this through his unyielding courage and lives out the rest of his life in meadow where he was born. At the end of the book, Black Beauty comes into the care of Joe Green with three kind ladies and Joe Green is proud to be home with him again.

My other favorite Black Beauty books with the one Illustrated by Scott McKowen is the other best eight are Illustrated by Neil Reed: Published by Prospero books in 2001, Illustrated by Ian Andrew, Adapted by June Brigman and Roy Richardson, Retold by Lisa Church and Illustrated by Lucy Corvino, Illustrated by William Geldart and Illustrated by G. P. Micklewright and that's my best new favorite eight books of Black Beauty to live and read with but, the real ones I would be in for the ones I like are Illustrated by Neil Reid published in 2001 by Prospero books, Illustrated by Scott McKowen (which is the easiest one to live with, because of the five black and white illustrations which are great and good and much easier), Illustrated by Ian Andrew, Adapted by June Brigman and Roy Richardson, Retold by Lisa Church and Illustrated by Lucy Corvino, Illustrated by William Geldart and G. P. Micklewright and that's the best seven books to be in of Black Beauty.

Another two favorites of Black Beauty I like are his white foot on the back in the left and three white feet of one on the front in the right and the two in the hind right and left and that's three different favorites I like of Black Beauty and where his white foot will be.

Examples of my favorite horse of Black Beauty in different ten books of his white foot are:

Black Beauty's white foot on the back in the left in the five different books of Adapted by Laura F. Marsh, Illustrated by Neil Reed: Published by Prospero books in 2001, Illustrated by Ian Andrew, Adapted by June Brigman and Roy Richardson, Retold by Lisa Church and Illustrated by Lucy Corvino. So that's where I would like to see Black Beauty's white foot on the back in the left.

Black Beauty's white foot on the front in the right in the different books of Illustrated by Scott McKowen and Illustrated by G. P. Micklewright. So that's where I would like to see Black Beauty's white foot on the front in the right.

Black Beauty with three white feet of one on the front in the right and the two in the hind right and left in the specail book Illustrated by William Geldart. So that's where I would see Black Beauty with three white feet so his you would want it on the front in the right, back in the right and the back in the left and if you see one white foot because of the three, you would say the one on the back in the right.

Black Beauty is my favorite horse and he would be a great horse for roping and bulldogging as if he could be a perfect rodeo horse.

Here's how the Black Beauty books will work out for the two favorite DVD's I like of Black Beauty are the ones by Sean Bean (1994) and directed by Caroline Thompson and the animated one with David Gregory and that's the best two to watch over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Black Beauty (1994) starring Sean Bean DVD is like the novel with the three of the books on three different Black Beauty books of Adapted by Laura F. Marsh, DK Readers: Black Beauty (Level 4: Proficient Readers) (Paperback) adapted by Caryn Jenner and illustrated by Victor Ambrus, and Illustrated by James Needham and because those three different books of Black Beauty would go great with the movie as the three matched up and go. The one illustrated by James Needham for sure goes great with the movie because of his white foot on the back in the left.

Black Beauty with actor David Gregory in the animated DVD is like the novel with the two of the books on two different Black Beauty books of Illustrated by Scott McKowen and Illustrated in colour by G. P. Micklewright would go great with the animated DVD version as the two matched up and go. The one illustrated by Scott McKowen for sure goes great with the animated movie because of his white foot on the front in the right and that's how it would be for the animated version.

Well, I gotta say, now that I love the best eight Black Beauty books, instead of ten which was way too much, I wanted to find a way just to live with eight and that was a better well mount and that's how I could make my living by some of the Cortese and Prittie and Spence for the Scott McKowen book by imagination and that was the best book I ever read which showed me how to treat horses with respect and kindness.

This book should be perfect and great for the 2006 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas, Nevada to show how cowboys in the NFR should treat their horses with respect to train roping horses how to rope and wrestle calves or steers.

I loved, liked and enjoyed this book.

It is a GEM, I loved it and it's the greatest novel of all times of the greatest horse story ever told.

What a great book I ever read if some of the cowboy art of paintings of "HH "Slim" Hill circa 1920 Calgary Stampede" by artist Gail Guenther as if on the front cover of a book, "Caught in the Open" by J. Swanson, "Bronc Rider" by Colette Pitcher, "Jerkin' The Slack" by Rick Timmons and "Steer Wrestler" by Colette Ptcher and one pencil drawing of "Calf Roping (6)" by Virgil C. Stephens and that's how those cowboy art go good with this Black Beauty book by Scott McKowen of rodeo events of saddle bronc riding, team roping, steer wrestling and calf roping. For the roping, the two cowboys of one is on a ranch as they are team roping to catch a steer for branding as the header ropes the horns by three swings and the heeler ropes the hind legs by four swings, then the two different calf ropers at rodeos, one cowboy ropes it by one swing and ties up the calf with two wraps and a half hitch and another second cowboy ropes it by two swings and ties up the calf with two wraps and a half hitch and that's how cowboys must learn to rope by treating horses right by reading the book of Black Beauty.

Again cowboys and cowgirls, I loved, liked and enjoyed this book.

It is a GEM, I loved it and it's the greatest novel of all times of the greatest horse story ever told. Best book ever:)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the first book of considerable length I ever read. (I first read it when I was under ten years old.) I remember each detail as vividly today as I did after I first read it - it is that outstanding. I love this beautiful horse. He taught me honor, justice, fortitude, and, most of all, compassion.

Okay, I remeber back in like 5th grade when IU bought this book at my local book fair. Then I could not read very well, and I was still having troble. When I got into six grade and got a whole lot better at reading, I read this. I shall the movie ten thousand times, and the book was even better! I loved it! It's a heart warming story about a black quarter horse, with a white star on his forehead. There Ginger, the abused bad temperd mare, now owned by John. And learns, with king treatment and love, becomes better and becomes a good companyion for black beauty. And the small white pony named Merrylegs. Black Beauty is warned when young by his mother that a horses life can be hard. He doesn't relize this till he comes to Earlshall where they have the bearing rein, a device to making the horses hold there heads high, and are very hard on there backs. After about five times of being strained back more, Ginger bolts, and break the cart, and in the process runs the men over. And starts choking on the reins. It sad, for then they are no longer in shape, and finaly Black Beauty is sold for his knees are open and would not heal because of the stupid thing! Life becomes even harder for him, till he comes to Jerry a cart driver in the busy streets of London. But once again is sold and comes to caring a cart up a hill loaded with sacks of grain. When a woman one day comes up to the man and says to him, to lead him up the hill, besides yelling and flipping the reins and smacking the rip. But the job destroys him till he goes to a sale and brought by a old man and his son, and comes back to health. Then sold again and comes to Joe Green. And fianlly has a home to live in for the rest of his life. This book is one of the best horse books I ever read, and my most favorite. Set in England from a horses point of view of old life back there. If you want a book about a horse, well this book is for you! I adore it, and I hope you do to!

This is an excellent book for children ages 10 & under; the whole series is equally excellent.

These were my favorite books in grade school!!!!!! The Billy and Blaze books I had read over and over and over. Nothing is like them. They are the dreams of horse lovers: this partnership between horse and human. I had wished I was like Billy when I was young (even though I was a girl).

If you have a child who has a love for horses, learn about horses and encourage your child to get involved despite the expense. There are opportunities to work for riding lessons. That is a good thing. There is also sponsership/lease available for part-time riding (3days a week) which helps both the owner and the sponser.

My favorite books from childhood. I dreamed about horses and learned to draw them from the very realistic illustrator of these books. Highly recommended for creative learners.

First a comment about the review on above: That review from Publisher's Weekly has nothing to do with this book. I don't know what book it has to do with.

Billy and Blaze books are a wonderful series about a boy and his horse and the adventures they find while out riding. I think any child could appreciate these gentle stories. They are a nice break from the commercialized books usually marketed to boys that are based on cartoons and toys and movies.

This is a great book for young readers, especially those who love horses. This is a refreshing story about a boy named Billy and his pony named Blaze.The two have a very special bond and care very much for each other.One day they go for an outing and events happen which put them in danger. Readers are kept in suspense as Blaze and Billy struggle to get home. I would recommend this book to all young readers.

This is a favorite children's book! Our kids love it and when my husband reads a book to them, this is the one he chooses.

Why would all manner of bugs hold a talent contest? Why, to see which would be voted the "bugliest bug," of course. In Carol Diggory Shields' charming tale, children will hear about click beetles clacking, crickets singing, and ladybugs doing a tumbling routine. Children will love the way each bug shows off doing what it does best. Even a plain little bug, young Damselfly Dilly, participates - and hers proves to be the most important role of all. Because what none of the other bugs notices is that the contest judges are spiders - who invented the contest merely as a way of getting a good night's supper.

When Dilly points out that the judges are frauds, the bugs band together. Each bug, the quick-thinking Dilly declares, must do what it does best. And so the "mantises prayed," the "army ants marched," and "bombardier beetles took to the skies." When the malodorous stink bugs join the fray, it will come as no surprise to readers as to who wins the day - and who consequently wins the Bugliest Bug title. The tale is charmingly told in verse form, with bold and inventive illustrations. Written by a children's librarian and illustrated by an artist who lives on Bug Island (true!), The Bugliest Bug is sure to captivate young children.

[...]

Bugs galore fill this playful fantasy. Set in the undergrowth world of insects, the bugs decide to hold a contest to determine the bugliest bug. During the contest the insects are acknowledged for their particular attributes by the judges who turn out to be arachnids in disguise. The arachnids have ensnared the bug "snacks" in their web when Dilly Damselfly comes to the rescue. Dilly reminds the bugs that the only way to save themselves is to do what they do best. "The army ants marched and the mantises prayed...Then the stink bugs united, gave off their worst smells. 'P.U., we give up!' the spiders all yelled." In the predictable, but satisfying ending, Dilly is proclaimed "the bugliest bug of us all!"
Nash's colorful, cartoonish illustrations are paired perfectly with Shields' delightful, rhyming text. The bugs have distinct personalities and characteristics which are cleverly portrayed in word and art. The illustrations virtually fly off the pages as the insects are described in humorous vignettes in which they perform their particualar talent.
The added bonus of tear-out trading cards will delight young readers. Each card features one of the book's colorful characters, with a clever anecdote and a simple scientific synopsis.
This is a great book for bug lovers of all ages, but particularly those ages 4-8.

This is such a fantastic book-I cannot rave enough!! It is a story of a bug contest to determine which bug is the "bugliest" of them all. Of course Dilly, our heroine, is filled with self-doubt and low esteem but she attends anyway. Well, she proceeds to save the day but I won't reveal how it ends.

The story is a great learning tool about the different types of insects and their characteristics. Moreoever, it is filled with self-esteem and basic character education.

In the back of the book, you get free bug trading cards loaded with information on the various insects featured in the story. This book is thoroughly entertaining and educationally sound!

I stumbled upon this book while doing some lunchtime shopping in a kids book store in Portsmouth, NH. The owner highly recommended it. I brought it back to my office and started to read through it. My chuckling outloud caused my colleagues around me to look at me funny :)

The story of an introverted bug turned hero flows from page to page with a cadence that keeps the attention of both child and parent. There are amusing quips that make parents grin and their kids smile while wondering what's so funny ("the mantysis prayed" is a simple but amusing phrase given the context). At the same time, there's plenty of humor and excitement that the child will understand and enjoy.

Beyond the written word, the illustrations are amazingly colorful and fun. The pages have a depth to them that need to be seen to understand.

My son loves all the bugs and asks questions about nearly every one. It has quickly become a bedtime staple. Highly recommend. A welcome diversion from Bob the Builder and Arthur!

I've just completed my first deck project, and it would not have been a success without this book. Not excessivly wordy, but to the point on every aspect of construction. Given patience, common sense, the right tools, and this book, you have everything you need to build a great deck. Other books give you some standard methods of construction, which are helpful as a reference, but this allows you to create something more than standard.

I will be building my first deck in the near future and have purchased several "how to" books on the subject. This book is far and away superior. For starters, it has construction PHOTOS where most books have only drawings. It's so much easier grasp the techniques when looking at a photo. Also, when reading the other books, I always seemed to have many unanswered questions. This book answered them all. Don't make my mistake - buy this book first. It's the only one you'll need.

Used this book several years ago on my first and only deck. It was recommended by someone at work, and since has made the rounds with all the people at work building decks, with positive reviews. I still get complements on my deck, in no small part due to this book. Highly recommended.

After successfully completing a bookcase I decided I'd tackle a bigger project - a 500 sq. ft. second-story multi-level cantilevered deck. It took me a long time by myself, but I did it and every single thing I needed to know was in this book. Design issues, code requirements, foundation work, hardware, and clearly illustrated instructions for each procedure. I spent about a month reading this book, walking the space, and sketching designs. I frequently referenced the book during the construction and always found solutions I needed. The guy delivering the French doors commented that my "contractor" was doing a very professional job!

As a side note, the author presents a variety of railing designs but prefers a "porch-style" railing. This was MUCH more time consuming than I expected, but is my single favorite feature of my deck.

The gallery of deck photos was good, though many of the exotic design elements could not be built with the information in this book alone. In my opinion you can't look at too many design photos while preparing your own, and I did browse a number of other books and magazines for this purpose. But for the technical details, this book was my bible.

This book proved invaluable when my wife and I built our second-story deck five years ago. The design tips on layout and construction techniques turned what could have been just an ordinary rectangular deck into (if I may say so) a work of art. Although we are both engineers, it was still very useful to see the photos and diagrams describing exactly how each step should be completed, and also how to add the little touches that noticeably increase the professionalism of the finished job.

This is a great resource for identifying butterflies. Species that resemble each other and are often confused are located on the same color plates for easy identification. Plenty of good life history information too.

I really appreciate owning this book. It has a huge number of pictures and allows for much more specific identification than the typical field guides. The arrangement of the book, however, makes it a little time-intensive to use. For this reason, and it's a little large, I would not recommend it as a field guide. It is a great book to have when you are pinning, or to really indentify down to the species level, or to nail-down regional variations.

Probably the most valuable feature of this book are its colour plates, which depict a huge amount of subspecies and variations. As the colour plates are made up of photographs and not drawings, the species have certain natural defects and thus make it easier to identify species caught in the wild. The text is also exceptional, pointing out minute differences between species and describing in great detail their natural behaviour. Another extremely useful feature is the maps, which point out the exact distribution of species throughout North America. This is a wonderful book and belongs in the library of any naturalist, scientist, or entomologist, both amateur and professional.

By far the best single volume covering the North American butterflies. I have only one reservation. I don't know if this is a cultural thing, but US guide books tend towards colour photos instead of drawings. For a foreigner (UK) who hasn't been brought up with the American fauna, it is nearly impossible to tell from a photo which marks on an insect's wing are characteristics of the species, and which are that-own-specific-individual-in-the-photo's unique birth marks, imperfections etc. The better of the European butterfly guide books, and most of the world's better bird books all use high quality generalized drawings/paintings.

Superb overall quality and an absolute must for anyone with the slightest serious interest.

This book is a superb natural history. The author has obtained information from studies in scientific journals and from experts in the field. He consulted 700 sources for information on how butterflies overwinter. There is a wealth of detail. For the Spring Azure alone, he describes four subspecies and six forms, giving appearance, range, and flight periods of each. 56 of its host plants are listed, the most common ones marked with an asterisk. There are 10 photographs of the forms. Host plants for all butterflies are listed in alphabetical order in the index with the species numbers on the same line.

There are better books for use as a field guide. This book is too big (8x10) to carry in a pocket or binoculars case. I would be afraid of damaging this large, relatively expensive book. The sheer number of photographs makes a quick tentative identification harder.

This is a book that any butterfly enthusiast should add to his library. However, he should start his library with one of the smaller guides, such as Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East, the Golden Guide, or one of the regional guides.

This is my favorite Christmas present to all the little ones in my life! This book is a must-buy!!!

This book has the feel of a classic Christmas story that can be read year after year without it ever growing old. The illustrations are fun, the characters are cute, and the story is a good one. I've purchased multiple copies to give as Christmas gifts over the past two years. Truth be told, I enjoy the book just as much as the kids.

This book is simply wonderful. The illustrations are fantastic and full of FUN. It's one of the BEST Christmas stories ever-revealing the TRUE meaning of CHRISTmas. We'll make it a tradition to read to our loved ones EVERY season.

This uplifting story is precious and should be included in every child's personal library. "Sampson" should be read by every ADULT as a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. The story reinforces a child's self esteem and demonstrates how everyone has importance in this world. The characters are adorable and the illustrations are classics to be cherished by generations to come.

This cleverly written and illustrated book is sure to touch the hearts of children and adults alike, as well as teach amazing truths of the value of oneself and the love of giving. A wonderful story that is fun, endearing, and delivers a powerful message of the meaning of Christmas.