Canada Books

I am intrigued by the intimacy of Ricki and the young minds in her ethnographic experience. Capturing these moments on video preserves the developmental sketches of their time. Often time, the points of view of children are ignored. However, Josh, an inciteful child,who queries the elements of his environment, brings both the mundane and obvious into an asynchronous focus that creates constructivist dialogue.

The author formulates a community in which you share the learning of two seperate and diverse schools. She invites you into the thinking of the children through digital media and takes you with her as you watch these children develop their understanding of the world around them. Watching this constructivist approach captures the inquiry of the reader and brings out the importance and significance of this type of learning in education.

This book takes a unique view of documenting a classroom setting through the use of video. I found the interplay between the descriptions in the book and the web site videos an enlightening experience. Ms. Goldman-Segall takes you into the Hennigan school (among other places) and lets you feel what is happening in this experimental educational setting. Her observations of the MIT project give a new and different perspective to the roles of the students and teachers in these settings. This is a book that takes full advantage of the tools of technology that we would like students to be using. This will give teachers a better understanding of their role in implementing technology and how it can make them more effective educators.

Goldman-Segall addresses issues and concepts relevant to today's new generation of educators. The context for her research focuses on two very different schools in British Columbia and Massachusetts. Her role as a video ethnographer uncovers some of the social-historical and ethical issues both students and teachers must address in today's post-modern era. Goldman-Segall documents these issues through the use of video and the Internet. In doing so she offers a refreshing medium for discourse and understanding.

We all enjoy the book. I liked to know what to do about the insects in our garden. Turns out most of the insects are just fine and no threat to any plants. Our kids like the book to just snoop around and be able to learn more while having fun.

The book is a refreshing approach that combines gardening and natural history. I like the balance. A useful guide but also a good read on its own. The best part is having a book written about the prairies by authors who garden on the prairies. Too many books miss the mark for our region but this one is on target for the insect questions I've had. I hope more garden writers in our region pick up the torch as this book does.

It's great to find a book that is actually of practical use. I like the mix of gardening info and Nature info. I've already identified a few critters in the garden and figured out which ones (there was only one) to keep an eye on for problems. The illustrations are top-notch. I like books that aren't dumbed-down but the average gardener can still use. I hope there are more books written by people who garden in our climate and don't just rehash info that is more relevant to warmer zones.

Everyone who gardens, especially those who live in the prairies of Canada or the Northern USA, should read this book!

It not only has great information about entomology and the individual bugs but also details about how to live with them. The illustrations are wonderful too!

As a teacher, I suggest that it would make an excellent resource for school libraries as well because it's not only dry facts but is written in a manner that is easy and fun to read.

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Whether an a railfan for decades or just getting into the hobby, this is a great book. Copy is informative and not overdone. Photos and graphics are outstanding. Although my interest in railroading in the Northeast, I found the collection of schedule graphics, promotional pieces, etc. very interesting and, simply, just fun to look at. I lent my copy to a few of my buddies and was happy to see they didn't glance over the pages, but were caught by photos and info. (Hats off to the graphics people). And these are former railroaders and modelers who are "rivet counters," so for the book to get their attention says something about it. A few commented on the price, and thought the book was a real bargain.

Train travel enthusiast and photographer Claude Wiatrowski is a member of the Colorado Midland Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society; the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society; The Colorado Railroad Museum; The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad; Friends of the East Broad Top; the Nevada Northern Railway Museum; the Pikes Peak Historical Street Railway Foundation; and the Lexington Group in Transportation History. He is therefore in a particularly knowledgeable position to create a profusely illustrated history of American railroads, and has done so with "Railroads Across North America: An Illustrated History", an amazingly informed and informative 256-page compendium of information and images ranges from the first steam-powered locomotives of the 1800s down to the high-speed commuter trains of today. Enhanced with a descriptive listing of historical societies and other railroad organizations, as well as a section devoted to preserved railways, museums and historic sites, ""Railroads Across North America" also includes a bibliography and a comprehensive index, making it an ideal and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Railroading reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

As a general book on railroading, this is an excellent book. The photos are excellent, and it covers all the major railroads (and most minor ones) across the USA. There are many chapters on various aspects of railroading, and it is very informative for those who are learning or new to the hobby.

Railroads Across North America is a unique book in this field. it illustrates in great color the historic rail lines that made America great. It also shows the breadth of railroad activites that were a part of operations. This book is just plain fun!

Bill Lock,
Founder Friends
of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

I have just completed reading the Kiska Trilogy. A must for every cat lover, child through to adult. The last book (Rain City Cats) made me cry. I loved the insights into the cat world and even find now that I talk to my 3 cats a little differently - I tell them more things! Thank you Pamela for some wonderful reading, I look forward to completing your other books.

the very discriptive writing,capturesmy intrest and paints a beautiful picture in my mind.I really love this book.CANADA,is the very perfect place for Kiska and Jasper to be.This book is great, and I hope that there are more to come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In my 76 years I have had many cats and as one cat lover to another, I certainly enjoyed your insight into the inner workings of a cat's mind.

Mrs. Frank Koran

Pamela Bauer Mueller understands cats better than anyone I know of. I read the book in two sittings and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved Kiska's first book, "The Bumpedy Road," which made me cry with pleasure! This second part of the trilogy has a little more cat philosophy, which we can all benefit from. I like the quotes at the end of some of the chapters, too. I wonder what actress could do Kiska's voice for a "books on tape" version? Just a fun thought.

Very handy on a road trip as it has both road condition and tourism phone numbers. It has a driving miles chart and also an estimated travel time map. The city maps are good and will do for most situations when passing through and making a brief stop. If you are going to be in a city for a long time and taking in all the sites then you will probably want to purchase a city map.

Spiral binding is great and we keep it on the page of the state we are driving through.

Typically clear and easy to read maps you'd expect from Rand McNally. I like the spiral format as it saves wear and tear on the binding. This edition contains additional pages that spotlight each of the 50 states. Not necessary for navigational purposes, but as a home schooler I appreciated this feature.

This atlas is very large and spiral bound for easy flip-through. I especially love the travel highlights by state at the back. I agree with the other reviewer that it is an ideal travel guide for the arm-chair traveler.

This Atlas is a great resource tool when planning long distance or short distance travel. Plus, it's great fun to just open up at random and follow the highway. Armchair traveling? You bet -- don't knock it till you try it!!

A very strongly recommended instructional reference and resource, The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guidelines, And Procedures Handbook: With CD-Rom by expert librarian Rebecca Brumley is a precise collective reference for students of the library sciences and administration roles in library systems. The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guide-lines, And Procedures Handbook addresses every intricate detailing of a library's constructs, including management, personnel, selection and evaluation resources, circulation and interlibrary loan, query categories, resources and Assistance offered, in-person patron assistance, and an exploratory virtual reference on disc. The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guidelines, And Procedures Handbook is the ideal reference and study for all library systems from small community libraries to multi-branched urban libraries searching for a guide to the overall betterment of the flow in their working system.

A very strongly recommended instructional reference and resource, The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guidelines, And Procedures Handbook: With CD-Rom by expert librarian Rebecca Brumley is a precise collective reference for students of the library sciences and administration roles in library systems. The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guide-lines, And Procedures Handbook addresses every intricate detailing of a library's constructs, including management, personnel, selection and evaluation resources, circulation and interlibrary loan, query categories, resources and Assistance offered, in-person patron assistance, and an exploratory virtual reference on disc. The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guidelines, And Procedures Handbook is the ideal reference and study for all library systems from small community libraries to multi-branched urban libraries searching for a guide to the overall betterment of the flow in their working system.

A very strongly recommended instructional reference and resource, The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guidelines, And Procedures Handbook: With CD-Rom by expert librarian Rebecca Brumley is a precise collective reference for students of the library sciences and administration roles in library systems. The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guide-lines, And Procedures Handbook addresses every intricate detailing of a library's constructs, including management, personnel, selection and evaluation resources, circulation and interlibrary loan, query categories, resources and Assistance offered, in-person patron assistance, and an exploratory virtual reference on disc. The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guidelines, And Procedures Handbook is the ideal reference and study for all library systems from small community libraries to multi-branched urban libraries searching for a guide to the overall betterment of the flow in their working system.

A very strongly recommended instructional reference and resource, The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guidelines, And Procedures Handbook: With CD-Rom by expert librarian Rebecca Brumley is a precise collective reference for students of the library sciences and administration roles in library systems. The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guide-lines, And Procedures Handbook addresses every intricate detailing of a library's constructs, including management, personnel, selection and evaluation resources, circulation and interlibrary loan, query categories, resources and Assistance offered, in-person patron assistance, and an exploratory virtual reference on disc. The Reference Librarian's Policies, Forms, Guidelines, And Procedures Handbook is the ideal reference and study for all library systems from small community libraries to multi-branched urban libraries searching for a guide to the overall betterment of the flow in their working system.

A wonderful womans book. Softly written and poetically expressed, it delivers the ancient Chinese way of nurturing and caring for the female body. It explains the energetic flow of the female systems in terms that everyone can understand and appreciate. A book to be appreciated women of all ages from maiden to crone.

Dr. Zhao wrote a delightful, compelling and highly personal book that gives us another point of view in creating health physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is empowering and has a uniquely feminine voice. Having faced serious health issues myself, I am more convinced than ever that, while western medicine has an important place in the total health picture, very often there is need for other, more wholistic points of view. This book has certainly pointed me in that direction.

Some of the previous reviews questioned Dr. Zhao's credentials. My impression is that she is both a western medical doctor and a traditional chinese medical doctor. However, this is an easy problem to solve... just ask her publisher for her credentials. Random house would certainly have checked this out after all the problems in the states. This would end any potentially damaging speculation.

Thanks for a beautifully written book and a wonderful resource for me as a woman looking for a more wholistic approach to my well being.

For those who doubt Dr. Zhao's credentials, I can say that she is the real thing. I've been a patient of hers for many years and am familiar with her background. She has extensive training in both TCM and Western medicine. I hope those who are interested in TCM ignore the false comments posted in other reviews and read this wonderful book. She offers a transformative vision of health care and I think you'll be inspired by her vision.

According to the review guidelines as set out by Amazon it is considered inappropriate to comment on the reviews of other readers. With this being stated it is important to set the record straight. In China there are educational institutions of Chinese medicine as well as Western medicine, and corresponding hospitals that practice these respective disciplines. Within hospitals of Western medicine there is a department of Chinese medicine, and conversely within hospitals of Chinese medicine there is a Western medicine department. These are two distinct and different methodologies each with their own respective scopes of practice. When one attends medical school there are elective courses available to students in each discipline. Being trained as an abdominal surgeon is distinctly a Western medicine specialty. During the cultural revolution one may have been honored with receiving a higher education. As such, one may study and specialize in only one area and not be a physician in both disciplines. Dr. Zhao is unique in the fact that she grew up and was educated in China as a physician trained in Western medicine. Her area of strong interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) however does not qualify her as a TCM physician. Her book is unique as it provides a blend of personal insight, experience, gender and a strong interest in TCM. However, gender & ethnicity & personal interest does not transform ones' credentials from Western medicine to TCM. This book is accurate, personal, highly readable - but undeniably the truth is that her expertise is in Western medicine. In the West, people are all to eager to both innocently and ignorantly embrace the exotic. Rest assured that a simple case of credential documentation review will prove this point- & yes I have read this book and did receive a true and accurate transmision as well as a personal account of TCM in relation to womens' health & do recommend it to my patients. However, the fact still remains that a Western physician does not equal a TCM physician and vice versa. This is from a Chinese-trained TCM gynecologist......a good read....but a book written not from an authoitative voice or background !

I probably wouldn't have purchased this book if I didn't know the author. That would have been my loss. This is an enjoyable book for anyone who likes adventure, is interested in Jack London, Alaska, the Yukon and its gold rush history. The book is well researched and the author's enthusiasm for Jack London and Alaska and his search for London's cabin in the Yukon makes for a very enjoyable read. Dick's style reminds me of another participatory journalist, George Plimpton.

This is a great book... author Dick North actually trod the same trails as the immortal Jack London, found Jack's old cabin in the Far North, and introuces us to many of the men who actually worked and suffered with London. Complete with many stunning pictures, this is a remarkable story of one of the world's greatest writers (who, incredibly, lived only to age 40). Thank the Lord that author North has lived a bit longer than that! Long enough to bring us this intimate review of London and his works...

2006 is the 100th anniversary of the publication of Jack London's White Fang, but few may realize many of his masterpieces about the gold rush stemmed from a pioneer who envisioned making his own fortune in the Klondike in 1897. SAILOR ON SNOWSHOES: TRACKING JACK LONDON'S NORTHERN TRAIL is indispensable for any who would understand London's world: it surveys his gold rush experiences, his search for riches, and also chronicles a search for the Yukon bush cabin where London lived. Northern historian and journalist Dick North retraces London's footsteps and adds plenty of historical background and literary reference to bring his times to life.

Dick North is a veteran Jack London researcher and a fine former newspaperman in the U.S. and Yukon Territory. This new book is an excellent companion volume to Franklin Walker's Jack London in the Klondike (1966).

The subtitle is actually Tracking Jack London's Northern Trail.

This is an amazing book that is riveting in its account of the bloody brutality of the seal slaughter, and the author's incredible bravery and intelligence in trying to end it. Confronting drunken mobs of angry sealers, braving the dangerous ice floes of the gulf of St. Lawrence and "The Front", the baby seals nestled on the ice pans, the sealers crushing their skulls and sometimes skinning them alive while they bleed and scream in terror.

The political and economic underpinnings of the baby seal killing business are explained, as well as the background and history. It's an ugly spot on humanity and on a country that prides itself on being humane.

The author learned early in life about how animals are treated with cold indifference, and the violence one is at risk for when one saves animals from humans. The author's own father beat him cruelly for saving animals, and he learned to be tough and fight back for the creatures of nature who were his friends.

I feel so foolish after reading this book. I thought that all it would take to end the barbaric and cruel seal "hunts" is join along with millions of others who are against it, let it be known in a letter or an email and wait to see what happens. I guess I could never fathom a good people, a good government that would allow animal cruelty and to allow it as a proud tradition, a heritage, a right. Yet the world has not seen even a inkling of what really happens come March every year. Cameras aren't allowed. Videos aren't allowed to record the cruelty. If by chance cruelty is recorded, it is a fake, a lie, made up.

I NEVER IMAGINED A GOVERNMENT THAT WOULD ALLOW SUCH CRUELTY. I never imagined a government that would defend brutality to animals and to people! I never imagined this country - the country that allows all this - would want a person who defends an innocent animal, because of what he was witnessing, because of the horrible pain he saw year after year after year, because he couldn't sit back and do nothing, a government that would rather see him dead or imprisoned because of it, yes the government! What an eye opener. How any man could take the most gentle creature on the face of the earth and torture it is beyond my imagination. These people have no compassion, not an iota of mercy. IT'S HAPPENING! AND A GOVERNMENT THAT CALLS THEMSELVES A GOOD PEOPLE IS ALLOWING IT AND PRAISING IT!

Paul Watson's title "Seal Wars" is right on. This book is about a war to protect the seals. Mr. Watson will take you year by year into his life as a Sea Shepherd to the harp seals. He has fought valiantly throughout the years to protect the harp seals and he himself has suffered, but he has never given up. The war still rages on today.

These creatures, very gentle and trusting of people, are living their lives on the ice as they were born on this earth until March of every single year. The seals don't expect it, they don't know it, they trust humans, and then a man comes at a baby seal with the bottom of his boot hard to the face then skinned while still alive, its mother can only watch helplessly as it is squealing in pain, or a club to the head before being skinned (40%+ seals are skinned alive!) or a hakapik into another baby, the heartless fisherman dragging it across the ice while it is still alive, the seal crying in pain - it is only a few days old; a ship - a Coast Guard ship at that - who run the little animals down on the ice purposely, out of spite for those who are trying to protect them; baby seals can't swim, or even a bullet to a mother seals head, for one vain and unnecessary thing - fur.

These animals suffer and they suffer for vain. They will continue to suffer until more people become angry and more people get active. Read this book! READ IT AND DO SOMETHING!! DO WHAT YOU CAN! I guarantee if you have a heart in you, you will want to after reading this! There are several causes on the internet you can find to join. Paul Watson's Sea Shepherd is one of them. Not enough people are speaking up and doing something. There's simply not enough people who care. It is discouraging to read, but we should never let discouragement keep us from speaking for those who can't! Read this book and pass it on and DO SOMETHING!

I was deeply touched by one part of the book in which Mr. Watson describes a peaceful visit, yet another campaign to save them; he says "Looking into those huge, dark, innocent eyes reminded me again of why we had to champion these creatures. The seals were indeed the little lambs of God, their vulnerable innocence in such contrast to the raw, mindless cruelty of the ice floes, a cruelty dwarfed only by the merciless, mindful cruelty of man. I loved them every one. And what we love we defend."

Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society are true heroes, and this book will inspire you to help end the barbaric Canadian seal hunt once and for all. This book is a great story - and very hard to put down.

I am 3/4 done with this book but couldn't wait to post a review on Amazon. This is a great story about a great man who has courage, vision, compassion, a sense of justice and humor, to boot! It is hard for me to put this book down. Sometimes I can't wait to see what will happen next and other times, I am cracking up from their antics! (ie. pie filling in their cannons...hysterical!) They are so funny while on such a serious mission....the best way to be, I guess. There is everything in it....politics, travel, adventure, culture, sabotage, suspense, and silliness. The story is interesting on many levels. I learned alot about the history of sealing, the beauty and danger of the ice floes, Newfoundland, the tensions between the English and French of eastern Canada, the corruption of the Canadian government and what it is like to be the only ship among 80 sealing ships out there in the bitter cold trying to stop the slaughter of these innocent beings.
But this book is more than adventure and interest. The virtues of Paul Watson and his crew come thru on every page. These are selfless, dedicated, just, brave men (and a few women) who are risking their all to save innocent seals from being hacked to death. I feel in reading this book I am picking up on the greatness of these people and it feels wonderful - especially living in a world where most people do everything for their own interest only. I felt inspired to be "great" and do more - and I have done more. My hats off to Watson and all others who work to protect the seals. They are the best and I don't know what this world would be like without folks like him. I kiss the ground in thanks that there are people like him. I especially enjoyed Watson's commentary throughout the book that is emotional and often spiritual. Thank you Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd for all you have done. I am with you in spirit all the way. Bless you many times over.

In the past year I have read several books concerning the subject matter of bears and Mr. Payton's is not just a good book on bears, it is a well written book period. However, he is passionate about the subject without being overly sentimental. He travels the world seeking out encounters with endangered bears and their disappearing habitat. Many of the stories about bears are not first hand. The narrator is passing some of them along from the people he encounters in his quest. This only lends to the mystique that these creatures have.
Brian is also respectful and knowledgable of the different cultures that he encounters, giving the book a very exotic quality. There is enough focus on the bears and their plight to increase one's concern for these animal's and their habitat, which is after all, along with poaching and hunting, one of the biggest problems.
If you only read on bear book. Read this one. It should be a classic one day helping to define where we go right or wrong from this point.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to others. For the past 10 years I have been involved with a bear education program focusing on the American Black Bear. Black Bears are the one species of bear that can live in close proximity to humans. I have read it more than once and have leant the book to others.

Shadow of the Bear brought to light the plight of all bears and the impact it has on our lives.
For me it was a quick read and quite informative. The way Mr. Payton told the story it was both entertaining and enlighting. As I read I felt like I was with him through his adventures. As he discussed each species we also learned about the culture of the geographic area where that species can be found. Politics also plays a role in bear survival and how bears are dealt with. Mr Payton demonstrates his book just how much human actions has contributed to the endangerment of wildlife. This book should be read by those interested in bears, travel, environment and life. Hopefully as more read the book, they too will understand the importance of conserving these beautiful animals.

Bears have had many, many books written about them and have been long celebrated: so why the need for yet another? Brian Payton here travels the world in search of the eight remaining bear species, from Asia and Canada to South America. His blend of natural history and travelogue examines human interactions with and beliefs about bears at all levels of society, offering up a warm interaction of bear and human encounters. "Shadow of the Bear" is especially recommended for school and community library Pets & Wildlife collections.

A very entertaining and interesting book on bears. As the owner of a large bear library, I really appreciate when a new bear book comes along that tells me things that I do not know. I was especially fascinated by the sloth bear section. The sloth bear's scientific study pales in comparison to the grizzly or black bear, so I really appreciated Mr. Payton's insight into these sometimes very aggresive and violent bears. The author also did and outstanding job of giving a sense of adventure to the book with great tales from remote parts of the world. On the serious side of things, the author points out correctly, that habitat destruction is the main cause of a decreasing bear population in much of the world, while poaching adds to the losses within some bear populations. Great book and an interesting read!