Book Description

Entertaining and educational activities focusing on the ocean and its creatures… The Ocean Book Aquarium and Seaside Activities and Ideas for all Ages This activity book on the world of the oceans and the living things that inhabit them is filled with experiments, investigations, puzzles, games, and all sorts of fun things to do and learn. The activities were created and contributed by the leading aquatic centers in the United States, including the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, Sea World in Ohio, and many others. The activities are designed to teach by doing, and each one has a high entertainment value. Just a few of the topics covered in The Ocean Book include: Whales Seals Sharks Tides Camouflage Fish Sea Turtles Coral Reefs The Ocean Floor Sealab All the activities are ideal for grades K-6, but older children and adults may just learn a thing or two as well. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

GREAT book for ocean studies!
I'm a homeschooling mom, and I'm always looking for activities for our various units.I stumbled upon this book while looking for other ocean books at the library.It really is great "for all ages."Whilesome of the quiz material is a little difficult for the younger set, theexperiments, maps and various word finds and crosswords could be done bychildren as young as five.It covers everything from the water cycle toocean ecology to sea animals.The experiments and card and board gameswork very well with visual learners.A VERY comprehensive study of theocean!Two thumbs up! ... Read more

Book Description

Think of all the rocks there are-the skipping rocks, the splashing rocks, and the chalk rocks. Whether the found treasures are climbing rocks or wishing rocks, children can't help collecting them.

With joyful text and luminous photographs, If You Find a Rock celebrates rocks everywhere-as well as the mysterious and wonderful places they are found. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Terrific Inquiry-Based Lesson Starter!
This wonderful book is a great way to begin a lesson on rocks and minerals! It's imaginative and beautifully written. My third grade class loved it! I will use it every year to begin our inquiry-based science unit on rocks and minerals! The creative way to classify rocks was a very nice way to begin the topic of rocks and minerals with the students! We even started our own collection, using Christian's unique way of classifying them!

This rock book's a gem!
Wonderful prose, invitingly tempting pictures of children and rocks...my rock-crazy toddler loves having this book read to him. Who wouldn't love a book about the wonder of rocks? ... Read more

Book Description

Modern fantasy novel that inspires young people to pursue faith, courage, and love, to dig deep within to find their God-given strengths no matter how difficult the circumstances. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Raising Dragons raises the bar
Excellent fantasy. Captivating. Fast-paced. Well-written. My thirteen year old could not put it down and either could I. Can't say enough good things about this book. Buy it. Read it. Pass it on.

A THRILLING piece of literature! (...)
We were at a homeschool conference and we were asked to review this book. I started it the next day and I finished both books in the series in two days. I couldn't put them down.
I love all of the characters! Billy, Bonnie, Walter, the professor....it's beautifully written and very exciting. I can't wait until the next one comes out! (...)

Late Night Reading
In Raising Dragons, Bryan Davis has infused fantasy into every teenager's normal high school experience. The result is riveting. The adventure mixes believable characters with heart-thumping suspense. Readers will be furiously reading late into the night.

Haunting and Heroic
Dragons in Our Midst takes the reader into the world of Billy Bannister, a regular kid who goes to school, has friends, and lives in West Virginia. The one odd thing about Billy is a rather unusual quality, his breath is hot. I don't mean a sunny day at the beach, I mean blistering heat. He tries to keep this a secret, but he can't. He lives like this untill he learns the truth about himself. The truth will change his life...

I loved this book because it was a captivating story that was both haunting and heroic. The writer has also not forgotten the elements of entertainment and humor. The writing is very clever and in my opinion is Davis' masterpiece, and remember, this is just the beggining... ... Read more

Amazon.com

From pygmy shrews to bandicoots, this book will remind you it's not just Dr. Seuss who created strange and wonderful creatures!Is a Camel a Mammal? discusses myriad mammals in the entertaining rhythms that made Seuss famous. While the Cat in the Hat is the central narrator of this fact-filled tale, count on Thing One and Thing Two for supplying the actions that accompany such tidbits as "Their hair can be soft, like the fur of a kitten, or the wool from a lamb that you knit from a mitten."While the author forced some of the rhymes, the book still makes a great starting place for early readers with a serious interest in unusual animals. A sure hit for post-zoo story time. (Preschool to early reader) --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Educational and Entertaining
My children, ages 5 and 3, and I love this Dr. Seuss style educational book. It is filled with lots of facts about mammals and distinguishs between mammals and non-mammals. The beginning of the book tells the reader that mammals breathe air, are warm to the touch and grow hair. The rest of the book illustrates these three characteristics. I particularily liked the page which shows that mammals can live in different types of environments, "Mammals live on cold mountains and hot, burning sand, down deep in the oceans or out on dry land." The ending is delightful as the child learns that she is a mammal, too. Finally, I enjoyed this book because it included a glossary of terms and suggestions for further reading on the subject of mammals. ... Read more

Book Description

When Ralphie imagines that he's a superhero named Weatherman, the Magic School Bus becomes a glider riding an updraft into the storm clouds. Then the kids become part of the storm - turning from ice crystals to rain. It's a science lesson they'll never forget! ... Read more

Book Description

Look up. Have you ever wondered about the clouds that roam the skies?

Cloud Dance takes readers on a journey up to the heavens, through thick cumulus clouds that bring snow, wispy cirrus clouds that flutter in the wind, and wide stratus clouds that blanket the sky. Basic scientific information sheds light on the altitude, shape, and color of clouds, and Thomas Locker's luminous paintings and poetic text create an inspiring and enlightening book for everyone to enjoy.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Cloud Dance
Thomas Locker creates an interesting way to learn about clouds in this beautifully illustrated book. As the reader turns the pages of this book, they encounter numerous types of clouds. The first illustration shows the many different sizes and shapes clouds can assume, from the light and wispy cirrus cloud to the puffy cumulus cloud. With each turn of the page, clouds are seen in different seasons and times of day, under various weather conditions. The illustrations are eye appealing oil paintings. As you view each picture, it is like you are standing on the ground and seeing the vast sky with the clouds creating a mosaic of lights, shapes, and colors. You can almost feel the rain hitting your face when you look at the painting depicting clouds in a rain storm. The painting of the clouds that "shimmer in the moonlight" gives the reader a sense of calm. Each painting in this book causes the reader to feel some emotion--from the suppressed anger of a developing thunderstorm to the warm peace of a sunset. At the end of the book the author includes factual information about clouds. The scientific names are given for all the clouds along with a description. Answers are also given for such questions as "How are clouds formed?" and "How high does the sky reach?" This book would be a good way to introduce a science unit on clouds and weather. The illustrations would stimulate a student's imagination and could be a starting point for them to begin thinking about what clouds look like at different times and in a variety of conditions. Cloud Dance would be a valuable addition to anyone's library. ... Read more

Book Description

"In the trademark Simon style, carefully selected color photos, drawings, and a clear and informative text tell the story of Earth's mountains: their formation, relative sizes, ecology, and influence on weather....Simon may have done more than any other living author to help us understand and appreciate the beauty of our planet and our universe; ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Book
Great book, containing quality photos. If you have interest in photography and nature scenes ( mountains ) buy this book. The hardcover have a lot of quality , a must buy !

Incredible Photos
This book is very very good, striking photos of mountains, very good quality paper and some dazling scenes. If you have interest in photography and in nature scenes ( mountains ) buy this book ! ... Read more

Book Description

Sharkabet: A Sea of Sharks from A to Z is a thrilling, chilling book for children of all ages. Featuring Ray Troll's spectacular fishy art, this book portrays sharks both living and extinct, swimming throughout the pages. Troll's colorful, eye-popping images draw readers in, while catchy, fun factoids are offered for the different fascinating shark varieties. In back is an info-packed field guide featuring everything you didn't know about these weird and wonderful creatures.

A self-described a-fish-ionado, Troll's edgy, amazing murals, posters, T-shirt art, and paintings have been shown in galleries nationwide, featured on the Discovery Channel and in numerous publications, and seen at museum venues including the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the California Academy of Arts and Sciences. An exhibition of Troll's shark art will travel nationally in 2002-3. His books include Life's A Fish and Then You Fry by Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company. "SHARKABET is a fun, unique way to look at the world of sharks and the alphabet at the same time! Ratfish Ray covers some of the most amazing of the 400+ species of shark on the planet-and some extinct sharks, too. The illustrations are brilliant and every shark fact is clearly among the most fascinating of all shark facts known to humans!"-Chris and Martin Kratt, TV hosts of Zoboomafoo and Kratt's Creatures ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The ABC's of Shark Evolution and Diversity
The time has come for a terrific book like this. Sharks are the subject of widespread and abiding public interest, an interest spurred on by (often sensationalist) media portrayals. As author Peter Benchley writes, "(The) long term reaction to Jaws has been not hatred but facination," while Time magazine in response to an apparent spate of shark attacks last year, pronounced summer 2001 "The Summer of the Shark". Despite the prevailing fascination with sharks, the animal -- like science as a whole -- continues to be shrouded in misconceptions, and these misconceptions, in turn, have placed sharks in great peril. Ray Troll's engaging art and essential text present the little known depths of shark diversity with a hip whimsical flair. Beautifully designed, this very high quality printing from WestWinds Press does justice to Troll's delightful, yet scientifically accurate, rendering. A quick shout-out to the scientists whose research Ray has brought to life, especially the paleontologists. Ray has given flesh to the bones of their long gone critters. Hopefully, this "back to basics" book will offer a more balanced view of those endangered predators still with us in Earth's oceans today.

A Sharkfeed of Fun!
I find myself coming back to this book again and again to study the brightly-colored illustrations and tasty chunks of spellbinding sharklore. As a teacher of native English in Japan, I can testify to SHARKABET's popularity with children and adults alike; it even cuts across the language barrier with its visual wonders. In addition to pictures of unusual sharks in their native habitats, there are also fanciful but realistic scenes that leave my students gaping, such as sharks swimming in the air (for comparison with we earthbound types). Although I find the extinct prehistoric sharks to be the most fascinating -- some with mouths that look like power tools -- the little-known living sharks give their predecessors a run for their money (look for the Cookie Cutter Shark). The colors are vivid and lifelike, the facts seem like something out of God's own Sci-Fi Playroom, and even the experts find new treats to chew on in this excellent, amazing wonder.

Fintastic!
If you, like me, LOVE sharks but are tired of all the ordinary shark books on the market, this is the book for you! Ray Trolls funny, yet biologically correct fish paintings are always a joy, and this book is no exception. Although my favorite is the goblin shark on Halloween, it has tough competitors among the threshers as well as all the prehistoric species that are described in the book. Buy this! You won't regret it.

26 spectacular sharks, one amazing book
Sharkabet takes the reader on a delightful dive past 26 of the coolest sharks and rays ever assembled. Each colorful page bristles with "Ratfish" Ray Troll's trademark mix of eye-popping art, sly humor, and scientific accuracy - resulting in an alphabet book that is a joy for children and adults alike. In addition to sampling the 1000+ species of sharks and rays alive today, Sharkabet contains highlights from over 400 million years of shark prehistory - bringing to life sharks that have never before been illustrated! Highly recommended for all ages. ... Read more

Book Description

A flock of birds was moving toward me along the river, hovering over something floating on the water. It drifteddownstream, closer and closer, until finally it bumped up against the dock. Though it was covered with leaves and branches, now I could tell that it was a raft. I reached down and pushed some of the leaves aside. Beneath them was a drawing of a rabbit. It looked like those ancient cave paintings I'd seen in books--just outlines, but wild and fast and free.

Nicky isn't one bit happy about spending the summer with his grandma in the Wisconsin woods, but them the raft appears and changes everything. As Nicky explores, the raft works a subtle magic, opening up the wonders all around him--the animals of river and woods, his grandmother's humor and wisdom, and his own special talent as an artist.

... Read more

Reviews (11)

Raft Revelation
The Raft is a book that captures the heart of the reader with its great illustrations and vivid details of na-ture. It is a story of a boy who travels to his grandmother's house for the summer but really does not want to go. Her house is by a river where Nicky discovers a raft and a love of nature. He soon realizes the raft attracts animals, encountering many he hadn't seen in real life. Animals that would normally be frightened by a human seem calmed by the raft
During the summer he falls in love with drawing nature like his grandmother, who is also an artist. It is a story about a series of events that probably wouldn't happen, but the reader might wish they could.
The colorful illustrations by the author are some of the most delight-ful I have seen. He makes objects look exactly the way the reader might envision them.
The author had a cabin by a river near Lake Superior, and in his childhood memories he did not actually find a raft like this, but he did dream of it.
This book would appeal to chil-dren between the ages 6 and 8, or younger as a read-aloud. It is a great story for older children, teens, and adults as well.
If you like books about nature and animals this is your book.

Wonderful images, flat story
As a native of Wisconsin, I had much interest in the story of a boy, his grandmother, and wildlife on a Wisconsin river. The illustrations, admittedly the author's strong suit, were strong indeed. The images were of such excellent quality that they almost made the book worthwhile. The beginning of the story held promise, but ended up spending beyond its means into imagination. Either a story of the boy visiting his grandmother for the summer and experiencing adventure on the river, or an imaginary tale of prolific so-close-you-could-touch-it wildlife would have been good. Neither was completed, and the resulting combination left me feeling flat. The experts, my two and five year-old grandchildren lost interest before the book was halfway through. Maybe for children a little bit older? I wish hope Mr. LaMarche to continue to illustrate, and a story-teller to author the books.

The Raft
My daughter is 5 and loves this book, as do I. As we got to the last page, she said, "Read it again!" The illustrations are so beautiful and what a great way for children to see the beauty of nature. Another great thing about this book, is showing kids(and adults) that you don't need tv to have an amazing time.

The Raft
"Dad grinned. "Well, She's not your normal kind of grandma... calls herself a river rat." and with that Nicky blinks back tears at the prospect of spending the summer with her. There is not even a TV. What's a kid supposed to do? Well it's not long before Nicky discovers a raft, an old raft with pictures drawn all over it. I suspect Grandma had something to do with the discovery. As the days go by the raft becomes a haven for more than a boy and his grandma, 'hitchhikers' in the form of birds, racoons, turtles and even a family of foxes are viewed from the raft. Nicky soon finds himself drawing his own pictures of the animals he meets and discovering a hidden talent. This is a warm wonderful book that makes you absolutely long for a summer like Nicky spends with his grandma.

I was hurled back to the summers of my youth
As a young girl, I loved summers in upstate NY with my grandmother. This book - from the first illustration to the end - hurled me backward in time. I loved it. I used it as part of a group of river-related books in my Reading program for 3,4 and 5th graders. I loved reading it aloud to the students time and time again and they loved listening to it. Some of them chose to read it again by themselves. We put together a wonder mural of river life after reading this and all the other river-related books. It was a wonderful read for us all. My students were amazed at how the little boy could have any fun without a TV. The theme of enjoying nature was evident from the get-go and the illustrations gently reinforced the message. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

C'MON KIDS, IT'S ADVENTURA ANIMALIA!
Written with the collaborations of capable advisors, this is the book, which any kid who wants to journey into the animal kingdom would appreciate.
Essential for both primary and secondary school children, the coverage of this book is good: just as its details are moderate. It is colourful, well-illustrated, and embraced a wide variety of species.
In addition to its complementary cladograms, this "National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia" included habitat details of each animal; as well as their simplified taxonomies. It is a carefully arranged atlas, whose outlook is educative. A good insight into the Kingdom Animalia!

Great Animal Book!
I bought this book as a gift for a friend's daughter (haha - even though giving a kid a book in this day an' age is considered as tasteless and square as giving your dad a tie), but of course I sneaked a peek at it myself and was thoroughly delighted with it. The layout was great and the information concise enough, yet not too overloaded, so as to keep kids interested.

National Geographic has done (as always) a great job on this one!

National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia
From aardvark to zebra this volume is an excellent introduction into the world of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, fish, insects,and other invertebrates. It is informative, concisely written,and beautifully illustrated for the 8 to 13 year old child. Consultants for each animal classification are among Britain's and America's top scientists and teachers. In all, it's just what you'd expect from the National Geographic Society ... Read more

Book Description

Trees are beautiful. They fill up the sky. If you have a tree, you can climb up its trunk, roll in its leaves, or hang a swing from one of its limbs. Cows and babies can nap in the shade of a tree. Birds can make nests in the branches. A tree is good to have around. A tree is nice.

Reviews (10)

Create Tree Envy by Planting One!
The best early readers are those that focus on a subject that a child can easily understand, use simple words, and have illustrations that perfectly capture the words. A Tree Is Nice easily passes those tests. The book is a Caldecott medal winner for its illustrations.

The book explores all of the many benefits that trees bring us. They "fill up the sky," and "make everything beautiful." "Even if you have just one tree, it is nice too." The book goes on to describe the beauty of leaves, the fun of playing in them, and even bonfires with them in the fall when they are at their most beautiful. You can climb the tree, lean things up against the tree, enjoy the shade, be protected from winds, use the sticks for drawing in the sand, and hang swings and flower baskets in the branches. Trees make perfect backgrounds for picnics, too.

My favorite part of the book is the section about planting a tree. Ms. Udry points out that you can put a tree in, and watch it grow. Then you can tell others that you planted it, and they will want to plant one, too. I remember planting some trees as a cub scout, and revisiting them as a middle-aged man and taking great delight in seeing them become a large, leafy oasis in what had been a barren field.

The illustrations are terrific. The book's designer has created a vertically elongated page shape that accentuates the graceful trunks of trees. Half of the illustrations are in color (using watercolors with inked outlines and details) and half in black-and-white. The choices for full color are good ones (fall leaves, being next to a house, and with a picnic). The pen and ink ones with grey washes are very poetic in their simplicity. The design also minimizes the words, which appear almost like a memorial plaque at the base of a tree in an arboretum. The style is very reminiscent of the best simple drawings of the fifties, and provide a nostalgic feeling.

In addition to reading this book to your child, and having your chld read this book to you, you each must plant a tree!

Where else does nature provide well for us, where you can help nature along a little? Perhaps you should consider a bird feeder or bird bath (if you have a yard).

Enjoy the natural sculpture and art all around you!

Sheer Magic
This is a beautiful book. It describes all the joyous experiences that trees provide for us including shade for a picnic, a place to tie a swing, a place for cows to rest in the shade on a hot day. I have read it many times and never tire of it. The words are like poetry. A must for any young child.

The giving trees
Evocative. In this simple 1957 Caldecott winner, the author and illustrator take a little time to give their full attention to the glory of trees. In simple easy to understand sentences we hear about all the wonderful things trees do for us. From protecting houses from dangerous winds to shading us from the sun's strong rays, this is all about the wonders of foliage and greenery. Written in 1956, it's definitely lacking in the minority department. You might be able to make the case that some of the kids are Asian, but on the whole there are a ton of children in this story and they are white white white. Then too, even in a book about the timelessness of trees, there are dated elements to the story. In one section the author revels in the wonders of autumnal leaf piles. She then goes on to say, "We build playhouses out of the leaves. Then we pile them up with our rakes and have a bonfire". Accompanied, of course, by a shot of a kid standing next to a smoldering pile. Better explain quickly to your children why setting huge piles of leaves on fire, as the child in the picture is, probably isn't the best of ideas in this day and age.

Altogether though, I've few complaints. The pictures are truly stunning and the story a nice quiet read. I was a little baffled by the gargantuan apple tree the kids climb at one point. Where the heck do they grow apple trees that TOWER over the land like this one? But this is a great tale to read in terms of environmental consciousness. The story ends by telling the reader that if he or she plants a tree of their own, their friends and neighbors will see how much fun it is and suddenly wish that THEY had a tree to plant as well. So the cycle continues. Consider bringing this book up on Earth Day. It's a nice compliment to a simple staid message.

A Tree Is Nice
This book is a good book because it teaches kids how important a tree is to the world. It also teaches them how much fun they can be. Young kids will enjoy the pictures while parents enjoy reading the story to them. I strongly suggest reading this book to someone you love.

sweet and simple
This is a nice book...it tells you about many of the reasons that trees are nice. The only part I didn't like was the part about burning leaves. Not environmentally cool. ... Read more

Book Description

Discover the intriguing world of reptiles -- their natural history, habits and lifestyles.

Here is an original and exciting new look at the fascinating world of reptiles. Stunning real-life photographs of snakes, crocodiles, lizards and turtles offer a unique "eyewitness" view of some of the world's most curious living creatures, their intriguing characteristics and unusual behavior. See a snake eating a rat, a lizard in mating display, a crocodile's pantry, a baby snake hatching from its egg, and a turtle defending itself. Learn how crocodiles look after their young, how snakes measure the size of their prey, how lizards store fat in their tails, and how chameleons swivel their eyes. Discover how baby reptiles are independent from birth, how snakes are charmed, how geckos walk upside down, how crocodiles swallow stones so they sink under water, how a snake is milked of its venom, and much, much more. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great for toddlers/preschool
My 3 year old son loves these books,and they have really helped get him excited about animals and nature. Now when we go for walks he can name every bug, bird, snake etc. that we see and tell me a little about them.

A very intresting book with every type of reptile.
This is a very good book and is my second favorite Eyewitness book coming after Eyewitness SHARK. This book tells about every reptile: Snakes, Allogators and Crocidiles, Lizards, Turtles and Tuateras.I love this book because it tells you very intresting facts about reptiles. You should buy this book because it is awsome! ... Read more

Book Description

From the time she was a girl, Jane Goodall dreamed of a life spent working with animals. Finally she had her wish. When she was twenty-six years old, she ventured into the forests of Africa to observe chimpanzees in the wild. On her expeditions she braved the dangers with leopards and lions in the African bush. And she got to know an amazing group of wild chimpanzees -- intelligent animals whose lives, in work and play and family relationships, bear a surprising resemblance to our own. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Excellent autobiography for young people as well as adults.
My 8 year old was assigned to do her monthly book report on a biography. She wanted to read about Abraham Lincoln... until she found out she had to dress up as the book's subject! Regrouping with a week to go and a driving vacation looming, I rushed to ...to find a children's biography available in audio download... and stumbled upon this gem. We all listened to the (abridged) audio version on the trip, and I do think that hearing it read by the author added a great deal. My daughter read the unabridged book with fascination when we got home, though I suspect she might have had more difficulty relating to the book had she not heard Jane Goodall speak her own words first. At any rate, the report (outfitted with khakis, a notebook, and a velcro-handed stuffed chimp) was a great success, and my daughter has met a role model of determination, compassion, and wisdom.

A Heart-warming Adventure
An excellent book! Reading about the extraordinary life Jane Goodall has led is fascinating in itself. Add to it the personalities of the chimps you get to know as you read the book and the adventures Jane Goodall has experienced, and you have a fascinating read. Other reviews recommend this book to children, I recommend it for adults as well. I am thirty-something years young and cried when I read parts of this. Dr. Goodall's love for these animals really comes through.

Boring!
This book was so broing I couldn't even get through the whole thing. She was putting me to sleep!

never forgotten!
This is a beautiful book, grasping your atention and holding your hand thru a fantastic journey into Africa, and into the chimpanzes of the Gombe. You will get to meet all of them, and even see how they are like, observing the individual diferences of their behaviour. Parents: please purchase it for your kids! Kids: get your parents to buy it for you! Inspiring! I am now 22, but I must have been 10 when I first read this book (not this edition of course!). I still purchase Jane Goodall's books...and I'm following the dream she helped inspire: to go to a place no one can pronounce to study an animal few people care about...

Captivating read for children
My daughter is 6 and we have read a lengthy excerpt every day since she received this book for Christmas. She is enthralled. Ms. Goodall is a wonderful, true-life role model for young girls. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The author of GoodnightMoon wrote scores of poems for children in her short lifetime, many ofwhich were left unpublished until now. In this collection of 24 poems, MargaretWise Brown's virtuosity shines through with verses about simple childhoodpleasures and sorrows. Days later, readers young and old will find themselvesmuttering: "Hark to the sound / Of the sea-slung gong / Ding Dong Dong / DingDong Dong" or "Jig Big / jig little / jig little / Jig Big / Jig like a big PIG/ dancing a jig." Some poems are clearly more refined than others; if Brown werealive, she undoubtedly would have smoothed the rougher edges in "Pussycat andthe Pumpkin," for example. Teri L. Weidner's watercolor and colored-pencilillustrations in "Spring Madness" and "Colors" are sweet and natural, although"The Monkey Man" and "Christmas Song" are less appealing. When all is said anddone, though, fans of the legendary Margaret Wise Brown will be pleased atanother glimpse into her talented, imaginative world. (Ages 4 and older)--Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Poems perfect for the very young
Written with Margaret Wise Brown's uncanny knack for the ear of the youngest listeners and readers, these previously unpublished poems have found a match for their eyes with Teri Weidner's gentle, quietly glorious illustrations filling each page.For the title poem, a child looks wistfully out a rain-flecked window."Never has the grass been so green" is more cheeringly adorned with smiling leonine dandelions."Pig Jig" is genuinely funny in text and drawing.Adults won't be bored by the poetry or the pictures.The poems are short, set in short lines, not unlike "Goodnight Moon," comfortably reread often;the drawings are all a pleasure to view again;the size of the book (8 1/2 by 11) seems ideally suited to be held in chair or bed with children of the intended age -- "the very young."From our household, this charming volume gets an unqualifiedly favorable recommendation. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

Inside information from author Lynne Cherry
When I began writing Flute's Journey, I was going to put Flute in the woods at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center where I was then artist-in-residence. However, an ornithologist friend said, "put Flute in the Belt Woods!" "What's the Belt woods?" I asked. She told me it was a forest that had been owned by Seton Belt and he had willed it to a church if they agreed to never cut the trees or sell the land. But after he died, the church had the will overturned and put the land up for sale to a developer for $9 million. It's a long story, but many children wrote letters to the bishop of the church asking that they respect Seton Belt's wishes and save the land. And, I'm convinced, that it was their letters that saved Flute's home, the Belt woods. Their letters, like the following one, came from the heart: "Seton Belt trusted you. How can you go against him?" Our campaign to save the woods was covered by CBS Morning News with Charles Osgood and they mentioned Flute's Journey and the children's letters. They asked me what kids could do. I said, "they can write to the church." And so many more letters were sent. Now Belt Woods is preserved forever. Children helped to save Flute's home and children, in many ways, can make a difference in the world. Lynne Cherry

This book is soooo good!
It tells how hard the life of birds can be. I especially liked how it told about the cowbird who came and took one egg away because that tells the way cowbirds are. I liked how the children gaves names to the woodthrushes.

Every child and even most adults should read this book
This is a beautiful book! It provides ecological information that a child can understand. It has a strong message and is entertaining as well as educational. It has beatiful watercolor paintings and a compelling storyline. Enjoyable for parents and children. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

The inspiring story of the River with the Pebbled Bottom
What I like most about Lynne Cherry's environmental history of the Nashua River is that it is not only the story of the death of a river, but also of its rival. "River Ran Wild" begins thousands of years ago when Indian peoples first came through the Nash-a-way River Valley. Cherry tells of the history of the river, surrounding her text with smaller drawings representing the changing cultures of the various times depicted opposite full-page pictures. The two most telling pictures are basically "before" and "after" shots of the same scene: an aerial view of the Nashua River winding through a factory town where the river changes color from blue to green to brown as factories dump their waste into the water, and a final shot of the river restored to health today. Cherry, who has devoted her life to environmental issues, includes a timeline and an introduction that covers in more detail how the ecological death of this river came about, and the various community efforts and governmental laws that resulted in fish and game finally return to the Nashua. All too often book like this can only mourn the loss of another part of our environment, so it is nice to see something that that celebrates one of the all too few instances of success in getting back to what we once had.

This book is fantastic for third graders!
I used this book with my third grade class when they were studying the effects of water pollution on a large body of water. They had already studied Native Americans in second grade and this book just blended the two subjects together. The step by step portrayal of man's harm to the Nashua River helped my children learn about how they were harming the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Lynne Cherry is a fantastic author and presents two great subjects that are highly interesting to children. Any teacher that teaches either Native Americans or water pollution should include this book in their lessons!

This is one of the greatest books ever written.
This book was given to me at age 12. I am now 17 and it is still my favorite. I will never outgrow the beautiful pictures, or the very important lesson it teaches. Every page is expertly laid out, with exquisite paintings depicting the river and the era being discussed. The message of environmental conservation and protection is inspiring. Lynne Cherry makes this vital part of our existence understandable to young children, and even adults, often the harder group to reach. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who wants their children to appreciate the world around them and learn that they can, and should, do their best to save it.

Scenic AND educational!
This is a beautiful book! The illustrations are breathtaking and it follows an almost "illuminated" type of text structure, similar to that found in "The Mitten" by Jan Brett. Each page is bordered by illustrations of items pertaining to the period in history that the page is depicting - the implements used by Native peoples, animals that live by the river, inventions of the Industrial Revolution, etc. There is much more to talk about on each page than just the environmental theme of the book. This book would fit well in units about Native people, progress/inventions, ecology, water habitats, etc. A must-have for classrooms, homes, and teachers ... Read more

Book Description

The history of America at sea is presented through the travels of Seabird, a carved ivory gull. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Seabird a journey through time
I first read this book about thirty years ago, and would regularly re-visit it and other titles by this author, until I grew out of so called picture books. That I can still recall the pictures from Seabird, and the images that the cast in my mind testify to the quality of the writing. The journey from coastal whaling off Nantucket, to Greenland, the Pacific and the Yankee clippers that have forged their way into Legend, ending with one of the protaganists and his grandchild on a steamship in the 1920s will never leave me. Books like this should never die or be forgotten. You owe it to your children to make sure they read it.

Beautiful illustrations and unforgettable story
I haven't forgotten it in the 20 years since I last read it. I'm ordering it right now to read it with my sons. This is a lyrical book that can survive a post-politically-correct viewing without losing any of its character.

Age of Discovery
From its inception in the 1940's, Seabird has offered children of all ages a rich blend of New World nautical history, from tall-masted ships to steamships, all woven into an adventure of global exploration by sea. Highly recommended.

To this day Seabird evokes sights and sounds of whaling days and early coal-powered ships. I smell the greased hemp lines and the rendered blubber, the sulphurous fumes of steamers, kelp, and the sea itself.

The early youth, perhaps reading alone or read to, becomes a lean young sailor, develops character, and passes into old age through four generations -- a most remarkable transition when one knows so little of aging or history. Holling was a master author, first of Paddle to the Sea, later of more land-based novels, each rich in full-page color images. ... Read more