Book Description

Reviews (5)

Evolution???
Indeed, a culture so in love with huge smoking pieces of metal thinks it's "evolved" to the point of no return -- producing this book. Dispeakable in every aspect.

Sick and Disgusting
Our culture is killing the planet. Car culture is incredibly destructive of the natural world. Cars, for example, are the main cause of death for the gravely endangered Florida panther. And Knutson makes jokes about cars killing wild animals. Only a culture that has absolutely no respect for the natural world could produce someone who would think roadkill is funny, and would write a book about it. Knutson had a wonderful opportunity to meaningfully explore the horrifying effects of car culture, and chose instead to write this disturbing and disgusting book.

"The" field guide for the naturalist in a hurry
Roger Knutson, a biologist at Luther College, IA, has put together a truly ingenious little book. A guide to the "really most sincerely dead" animals one often sees along streets, roads, and highways. While some may dismiss this book as a parody of other field guides, it is full of accurate, meaningful biological information about animals that frequent roads and roadsides, and that often find themselves smashed into two dimensions.

Is this book funny? Yes! Is it a parody on other field guides? Perhaps.

So, what is this book about anyway? This is a guide to the animal remains left behind after most carrion feeders and decomposers are done with a dead animal. EEEeeewwwww. OK, OK, perhaps it is a bit grotesque, but there is meaningful biological information to be had there.

The book is well written, it is fun, and can be used throughout much of North America.

It makes a great gift for the natualist on your gift list. After all, let's face it, most of us spend more time on the road than we do out "in" nature.

As a biologist myself, I give this book 5 stars for biological content and for the tongue in cheek approach to this somewhat unsavory topic.

Give it a try! Or give it to someone else.

Unique idea, beautifully executed...
This book should be translated in Finnish, so all my fellow countrymen could enjoy it. In spite of all the gore, the overall idea is to bring the miracles of nature closer to the man on the street.

A fairly good reference, and funny!
This book makes a great gift for the person who has everything! It certainly gets people's attention....and actually, you can identify the "flattened fauna" spotted while hiking with this book. I liked it. ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com

What is your cat thinking when she scratches at the door? What goes through Koko the gorilla's mind when she signs? For that matter, what goes through our minds when we think about animals and intelligence?Science writer Stephen Budiansky explores the difficulties of comparing intelligence between species in If a Lion Could Talk and takes a strong stance against measuring other animals using human standards. (The title is part of a Wittgenstein quote that ends "...we would not understand him.")

The book shows how the most basic principle of evolution--that all living things are related--has been misconstrued by well-meaning scientists to imply that all animals possess intelligence that differs from ours only in quantity. This leads to comparisons of near-equivalence between such intuitively likely pairs as adult gorillas and human children, comparisons that Budiansky suggests are misleading and more descriptive of our own minds than those of our distant cousins. What evolution should be telling us, he says, is that each species is equally well suited to its niche and should be examined for what it is, not how similar or different it is from us. How is it that chimpanzees can perform such remarkable problem-solving without language?

If a Lion Could Talk will not make anyone lose interest in animal minds, for that is not its intention. If anything, it inspires a real sense of admiration for the billions of living things that make it through each day despite the seemingly terrible handicap of not being human. Budiansky tells us that if we want to learn about our planet-mates, we have a lot of unlearning to do. Luckily for us he is gracious enough to provide an introductory unlesson. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Fascinating, Challenging, and Counter-Intuitive
If you like having things you think you know challenged by a rigorous scientific thinker and expert debater, you'll like this book. You'll also learn a heck of a lot -- not only about animals and how they evolved, but about humans and how we evolved. As well as about how some of the advantages evolution has given us actually fog our thinking on issues such as animal intelligence.

If you're not a rigorous scientific thinker, or can't stand to risk having a sacred cow gored (if I may use a term redolent of speciest violence against animals, or some such claptrap), don't bother reading this book. You'll only wind up giving it a one-star review and shrieking tediously about your violated sense of oneness with the Earth.

Laugh and learn
Budiansky performs a valuable service in this book: he casts a skeptical eye on a lot of very enthusiastic theorizing. I enjoy his sense of humor, and wish he had kept it up. The book bogs down. I got bored reading about the umpteenth clever experiment in which some animal presses, or does not press, a lever at some stimulus. Bored and envious: while I'm working for a living, these people are raking in good grant money for playing with chimpanzees? I should have studied biology!

The last chapter's attacks on evolutionary psychology didn't sit well with me. Budiansky has deliberately chosen the more untenable theories to attack, and ignored the field's provocative contributions. He could have down without a lot of the shouting.

As to Budiansky's central arguments, he would have profited greatly from the on-line, off-line thinking Derek Bickerton put forth in "Language and Human Behavior."

Discussions about animal language and consciousness miss a point: language is first and foremost a tool, and even trained apes don't use that tool. They miss the first criterion of language, that it is something to be used. I have never read an account of Chimp A using ASL with Chimp B, or transmitting it to Chimp C. Human language is the most efficent communcation device in the animal kingdom. If gorillas and chimpanzees do grasp the concepts of language, why don't they use it with each other?

In closing these random remarks, let me comment that I for one am just as happy lions can't talk. Little could be more disconcerting than walking across the savanna and hearing a voice from behind some bushes saying, "Oh goodie, just when I was so hungry, it's one of those delicious hairless things that can't run very fast."

Misrepresents study findings
On page 108, Budiansky writes: "[Birds]can fly reliably in a preset compass direction...but many such birds have no mental map or spatial memory to go with this compass. If shifted laterally off course, they do not adjust their direction to keep heading toward their habitual wintering spot, but instead continue to fly on the same preset magnetic compass bearing--and they wind up displaced laterally from their destination."

This does not represent the findings of the largest bird migration study ever conducted, that by Dutch biologist A.C. Perdeck. Over the course of several years, Perdeck captured 11,000 migrating starlings at their autumn stopover sites in Britain and France. He ringed them and transported them by aircraft to Switzerland, 375 miles to the SE, where they were released. Perdeck found that juvenile birds that had never migrated before continued to fly on their original directional heading and ended up in southern France or Spain. Adults who had migrated before, however, reoriented themselves and flew via different headings to their normal wintering grounds in England and northern France.

Perdeck repeated the experiments with migrating chaffinches captured in Holland and released in Switzerland. Again, juvenile birds continued on with their original directional heading, SW, but adults reoriented and flew NW to their traditional wintering grounds in Britain. (In nature, the birds fly in mixed flocks of adults and juveniles.)

Budiansky doesn't footnote his statement and in the chapter notes only cites the general popular reference work, "The Oxford Companion to Animal Behavior," not even pointing to a specific article in this work. In other words, the source of the information for his statement is effectively obscured.

I am sympathetic to Budiansky's point of view, but I am very, very disappointed in the way he has presented his arguments. In short, his book is not a reliable report of research findings on animal "intelligence."

Much better than its reviews would indicate!
It's very sad that a lot of readers who have reviewed this book have been unable to get past their beliefs to give this book an honest review. If you are an animal rights type, who believes that dogs are "fur people" or that chimps experience life the same as humans, this book is not for you. If you have a genuine curiosity for interesting research and theory, and aren't totally blinded by animal rights rhetoric, you will love this book!!

Muddled logic to prove a point
The point of this book is to "prove" that only people think. Anything a non-human, be it a bacteria or a gorilla, does that looks like thinking actually isn't. It's all programmed by evolution. He cites study after study to prove his point, even when the study appears not to prove it at all.

Some examples of anthropomorphism, of course, are clearly erroneous - the famous example of the counting horse, and the way evolution seems almost spooky in its apparent "intelligence." Certainly he's right in saying that it's hubris on our part to compare animals intelligence solely in terms of ours. And it's not very accurate either; at a wolf refuge in Washington state, called Wolf Haven, they tell you that researchers have determined that a German Shepherd dog is as intelligent as a 4-year old child, but a wolf is as intelligent as a 12-year old. There are very few four-year-olds, or 12-year olds, for that matter, who could survive and thrive in the wild, hunting their food successfully and finding safe places to sleep, avoiding predators and hunters along the way.

But then he jumps from those errors, with a few bashes at Decartes along the way, to the conclusion that only people think. There is little difference, he says, between the behavior of a simple computerized model of a cricket and a real cricket.

And, by extension, there's little difference between that computer toy and a chimpanzee, at least in terms of its behavior. Bernd Heinrich, in his fascinating book Mind of the Raven, discusses his frustration at being unable to publish articles with results that appear to demonstrate raven's abilities to figure out problems. It didn't matter how carefully he was able to construct the studies, and how accurate the results appeared, the scientific community doesn't want to hear it.

Certainly it's accurate (apparently) that only humans use language in any real sense, and much of what separates human behavior from the behavior or "lower" animals is that language and what it enables us to do. But that's not enough for him, he wants to have people be the only animals that think at all, and he goes through study after study to demonstrate this fact, whether the studies show that or not.

One example: a study had chimpanzees, pigeons, and college students look at a series of pictures of birds, to learn to pick out the kingfisher. Once they could do it, they got a second set of different bird pictures, from which they were supposed to identify the kingfisher. All three groups did very well on the test (80-90% right) but on interviewing the human participants, the researchers learned that they had simply been picking out the most colorful bird, rather than correctly identifying the kingfisher. So they reran the second part of the test, using brightly colored birds with the kingfisher pictures, and the scores of the apes, the pigeons, and the college students all dropped by about 10%. This proves, apparently, that animals can't think the way people do.

It's unfortunate, because he does make some very good points. For instance, the things which set apart human brain function from other animals: language, planning, playing chess, the ability to do mathematics, are precisely those things which computers can do well - in fact, far better than we -- while the things that "even animals" can do, such as recognizing a face, or navigating across a room without bumping into anything, computers have so far been almost perfect failures at. Although he doesn't say it, it seems pretty clear to me that this is an indication that we understand things like mathematics and language much better than we do our own ability to recognize faces. What you don't understand, you can't program.

So, if you want to be reassured that the "Tenko the Robotic Puppy" your child wants for Christmas this year is just the same as a real puppy, but without the walks and the droppings, this book is for you. ... Read more

Book Description

Designed to help readers more fully understand how animals live and survive in the wilds, this guide is a must for every nature explorer. Detailed line drawings and text reveal clues found in an animal's tracks that help identify it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This is a very good book, cool illustrations
I fount this a very well Illustrated book, the pictures are incredible, and I liked the way to find the tracks they are located int the top corner of the book so when you move quickly among pages you can easily find any track...

Considering that this is a pocket guide, it is very complete, I found it very well for beginners, because it is not complicated to locate and identify tracks.

tracker
I found this small inexpensive book a worthwile purchase. The drawings for tracks were't very informative, however pictures of the species are excellent. With the brief descriptions of the animals reads more like a pocket field guide than a tracking manual. ... Read more

Book Description

Kids like knowing things that adults don't always know. Zebras will equip them to be young field scientists, able to identify one species from another and to share little known facts-such as the fact that foals have manes that run all the way from their heads to their tails!

Zoobooks, the 59-book animal series - the "everything you wanted to know but didn't know who to ask" guide to the world's most fascinating creatures. Each exciting edition of Zoobooks is packed with current scientific facts, striking photography, beautiful illustrations and unique activities that teach children about animals and the habitats in which they live. With innovative publications and products, Wildlife Education, Ltd. has enriched the lives of children, parents, and educators nationwide for 20 years. All titles are offered in library-bound hardcover and soft-cover styles.Zoobooks, ideal for the knowledge-hungry 4-11 year old! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great book for animal loving kids!
I got this book from the library for my 3-year old sons who love zebras.While the text is clearly for older kids (9 and older or so), the book is full of illustrations and photograhs and lots of information even younger kids can enjoy.One son sleeps with this book and never tires of looking at the pictures.He points to parts of the text near the pictures he likes, asks me to read, and he sits captivated.

We've also gotten other books in the Zoobooks series from the library and they are always a big hit! I finally bought the zebra and the gorilla (two favorites).If your kids are interested in animals, they'll love any of these books. ... Read more

Amazon.com

What's the oldest subject in art? It's not lily pads or naked maidens, but animals. They were depicted in Paleolithic cave drawings, in Egyptian tomb paintings, and in ancient Roman and Egyptian art. Compiled by art historian Edward Lucie-Smith, Zoo, with reproductions of more than 300 animal-centric artworks and brief chapter introductions by the author, offers a colorful, compelling introduction to this enormous subject.

In chapters such as "In the Jungle," "Creatures of the Air," and "Microcosmos," Lucie-Smith brings together similar animal subjects, revealing how disparate cultures and artists have viewed and mythologized other living creatures in radically different ways. He places, for example, ivory Inuit carvings of polar bears near an image of a polar bear in a 16th-century Dutch illustration: in the carvings, the bears embrace; in the illustration, the lone bear is a dangerous predator.

The smaller-than-average format of Zoo, seven-by-five inches, means many of the reproductions here are details of a larger piece, or are larger works that have been reduced to fit into a small space. This may frustrate some serious art viewers, but the average reader will appreciate how much terrific art has been fit into this lively, manageable volume. --Maria Dolan ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Frustrating
This book is as annoying, frustrating, and disappointing as it is beautiful. So many of the images are reproduced in postage-stamp size or, if larger, only as a detail. I just can't imagine why anyone would chooseto torture us by presenting an incredibly splendid variety of work, half ofwhich can't be seen. The design, layout, and sumptuous color all contributeto the visual beauty of the book; however, it is at the expense of the artitself.

Amagical bestiary tour for art lovers
Zoo is a small-in-size book, but it is brimming over with cleverjuxtapositions of styles, periods, techniques of making art about animals. We are again indebted to Lucie-Smith for spicing this beautifully designed,written and illustrated treatise with works by contemporary artists who areperhaps not yet known to the world at large in the company of their famouscolleagues.How often are we allowed to discover new images as we leafthrough pages of old favorites from the masters, from antiquity, fromestablished 20th Century artists? The unifying element is in the chapterdivisions; each chapter studiesa different animal group. This little gemis a perfect book for art afficiandos who think they've seen it all, aswell as for animal lovers and scholars, and people who simply love fine artadmixed with erudite writing. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Super book!
This is such an incredible book. I came across it after going through the National Wildlife Federation's Habitat Steward program (which was enlightening!). This is an incredible book. It covers all sorts of different habitats - each type of habitat is profiled (e.g. Sandy beach, salt marsh, lake and pond, river and stream, cattail marsh, sedge meadow, bog and bog forest, northern floodplain forest, southern floodplain forest, grassy field, transition forest, appalachian forest etc etc.) In each ofthese chapters it talks about howthis particular habitat was formed, characteristic plants, what types of wildlife you're likely to see there and why that habitat is beneficial to them, signs to look for to see if that wildlife has been there, and where to see that habitat. There are great drawings and handdrawn tables throughout. Its just packed with interesting facts - its hard to write a review of so much variety ind interesting info. If you're looking for a book that will give you a great understanding and appeciation for the different types of habitat and how hte web of life weaves together then this book is a good one for you! Highly recommended. Lots to learn about from justthis one source.

an amazing find for the naturalist in all of us
This book is a useful tool for all people who love the outdoors. This book has insightful discriptions and lovely drawings that make you crave an outdoor adventure. It is very easy to follow and the tables are useful as well. I would reccomen this book to any teacher or person willing to gain more knowledge about the world around them ... Read more

Book Description

About the African Baobab--the tree of life. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent teaching tool!!!
As a third grade teacher I must say that this book is an excellent addition to a classroom. It works perfectly with the themes of the African Savannah and interdependence! A MUST HAVE. ... Read more

Book Description

With over 1,500 color photographs, this is the indispensable field guide for every hiker and naturalist exploring the vast wildlife of North America. A handy volume that covers woodland, meadow, mountain, and shoreline encounters with all common and not so common flora and fauna, HarperCollins Complete North American Wildlife is organized taxonomically with each species grouped by natural relationships and similarities. Birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, spiders, mollusks, wildflowers, trees, and shrubs are all easily identifiable here with stunning photography and clear descriptions.

Book Description

The management of biomedical research using animals has become increasingly complex due to new technology, increased regulatory oversight, and recognition of the need for animals free of disease and distress. Within this changing environment, individuals charged with the management of laboratory animal facilities have a substantial responsibility to the institution, the public, and the animals. Management of Laboratory Animals Care and Use Programs provides both factual and theoretical information drawn from the substantial experience of authors who are noted experts in the field. This book will provide individuals with the basic knowledge and information necessary to meet typical professional challenges. A co-publication with the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, this valuable book serves as the text for the Certified Manager Animal Resources (CMAR) exam. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

You'll never mistake a newt for a skink again
Michigan is not a state that is well-known for its reptiles and amphibians, but if the whole drainage basin of the Great Lakes is taken into account, as it is in this book, we host a total of 33 amphibians (mostly salamanders!) and 42 reptiles (mostly snakes).

"Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region" starts with a preface on how to use this book, followed by a brief 34-page introduction to Herpetology. Most of 378 pages are taken up by descriptions of the 75 species of reptiles and amphibians that might be encountered by those of us who live near one of the Great Lakes. The color photographs and distribution maps are well-suited for species identification. I was able to recognize a pair of snakes that rove through a swampy area near our driveway as Northern Ribbon Snakes (Thamnophis sauritus septentrionalis), a handsome species of garter snake. The frogs that are currently hopping through the lawn are Wood Frogs (Rana sylvatica), not a brown variation of Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens), as I had originally thought.

Each of the species narratives is divided into the following sections: "Description;" "Confusing Species;" "Distribution and Status;" "Habitat and Ecology;" "Reproduction and Growth;" and "Conservation." The author stresses 'nonconsumptive' observation of these interesting creatures in their habitat, since many of the species are in decline. Newts seem to be especially vulnerable to degradation of their habitat and the author suggests conserving and protecting them by "creating ponds that are close to woodland habitats." I've lived in Michigan all of my live and have never seen any form of salamander, including newts, so I'll have to start looking more closely in and near the local woodland ponds. They are not for picking up, though. The author states that all members of the Salamandridae family have skins that "are well supplied with poison glands that help discourage predators."

"Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region" is a well-organized, well-written, and well-illustrated guide for all budding herpetologists or for those of us in the region who are curious about our natural surroundings.

The Best
Mr. Harding is fairly well known in Michigan. When he does public speaking about his loved amphibians and reptiles, people respond well to him. This book shows the depth of his love for the natural world and his knowledge of these underappreciated creatures. Since there are relatively few amphibians and reptiles in the Great Lakes area you don't have to know 100s of different species. That alone makes identification easier. The high quality color photos and excellent descriptions in this book make identifications even easier.
Mr. Harding's text includes general biological information about the various creatures described in the book--frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, turtles, lizards and snakes. So, in addition to helping with identification, this book also helps the reader understand the biology and ecology of the animals. Though most people have little love for these animals, Mr. Harding's book will help us appreciate their places in the ecology and their biological functions.

Since there are so few books dealing with the amphibians and reptiles of the Great Lakes (is this the only one?), we are lucky that this one is truly excellent. Highly recommended to all people wanting to further their understanding of these creatures. Thanks to Mr. Harding for an exceptionally fine book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Remarkable Guidebook
The Animal-Speak is a remarkable guidebook. Even if some readers do not feel altogether comfortable with the idea of telepathy with animals (much less humans), The knowledge about animals author Ted Andrews shares nonetheless is invaluable. Andrews has written more than two dozen books (including ANIMAL-SPEAK and ANIMAL-WISE). Andrews says wild animals have much to teach us and that through our bonds with pets or domesticated animals, we can become more aware or and tie into the intelligence that binds all nature. Animals can help us become more human and less mechanistic.

Each of the book's 10 chapters explores different aspects of the relationships of human to animal and animal to animal. If you are a skeptic about the depth of communication possible with the animal kingdom, personal stories such as Andrews' encounter with a barracuda show there are eminently practical aspects of such interactions. The chapter on animal communication and telepathy offers common-sense insights, and Andrews' also covers shamanic quests, spirit masks, shapeshifting and medicine shields.

Andrews does not try to be cute in his exploration of human-animal relations. While the book is not rich in children's stories that are understandable by the very young, there is no doubt that even preteens can benefit enormously from key chapters, such as "The Power of Domestic Animals", because most children have direct experience with pets at home or with animals on a farm. Andrews' rich insights and deep respect for the natures of our animal friends will serve members of that young audience well as they grow up to become Earth stewards. The book includes an excellent reference-guide appendix to the meanings of birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and sea creatures to assist readers in utilizing the wisdom the text contains. ... Read more

Book Description

A fun exploration of one of the most interesting eco-systems in the North America. With delightful full-color illustrations and lively descriptions to help in identifying wetland types (swamp, marsh, or pond), plants, and animals, America’s Wetlands becomes an enjoyable family learning experience.

*Learn to distinguish animal tracks and sign
*Provides a list of common and scientific names, detailed species information, maps, resource list, and a glossary
*Also includes information on wetland areas open to the public ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lively, fun, interesting
For a youngster this is the perfect introduction to an ecosystem found almost everywhere in the country. (Actually, I'm no youngster and I found the level was just right for me too.)

The illustrations are a delight--and accurate; the text quirky with sound science and bits of fun entertaining trivia.

If you're one of the few who doesn't have a wetland nearby, then you'll find some other books in this series that might cover your area (Prairies, Mountains, Deserts too) ... Read more

Book Description

An Abrams favorite, now available in a new, fun format!

When Yann Arthus-Bertrand's astonishing book of photographs of domestic livestock and their breeders first appeared in 1999, The New York Times Book Review hailed this remarkable treasure as "a curiously appealing blend of art with kitsch...drama tinged with comedy." Now this wonderfully whimsical book is being rereleased in a fun new format. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Marvelous photographs of magnificent animals!
Arthus-Bertrand displays the most amazing photographs of breeding quality livestock that I have ever seen. Anyone who appreciates animal husbandry, agronomy, or farm animals in general will love this book. The photographs of bulls are exceptional!

A compelling book of portraits -- animals and their keepers.
This is the only photography book I've ever purchased, simply because I couldn't put it down in the bookstore. Since buying the book, I've passed it around to several friends -- some who are familiar with livestock -- and some who are not. Makes no difference. It's impossible to look at this book without going through the whole thing, page by beautiful page. The animals look strangely like their owners (or is it the other way around?). Each portrait is stark and simple, drawing your eye to the relationship between animal and handler. Buy this book. You won't regret it. Outstanding gift! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

If you love animals, you'll love this book!
What animal lover wouldn't like to hear true stories from Paul McCartney, Anita Roddick, and Maneka Gandhi?This is a must-read for anyone who appreciates the roles of animals in our lives.Or to quote Jane Goodall:

"...this collection of inspiring tales is so important.They are true tales about individuals who have dared to take positive action against cruelty to animals and won, individuals who have made a difference."

When you've read this book, you'll be inspired to make a difference yourself.Don't miss this opportunity!

Does have some good stories, but it's slow to start...
On the whole, Speaking Out for Animals by Kim Stallwood is written in a hopeful and progressive style - certainly it's worth a read. But as I read the heartwarming stories, I definitely felt mixed emotions. On the one hand, it is good to hear happy endings. On the other hand, it is terrible to think that humans could be responsible for so much suffering and cruelty.

This book's greatest fault, in my opinion, is the first 24 pages. I found myself nearly in despair, thinking 209 more pages, what if it's all like this! Fortunately, it is not all that bad. After I got through the relatively short and somewhat dull interviews, I finally reached something good. The interview with Sergeant Sherry Schlueter was just the first of a series of ten interesting and varied stories. I especially enjoyed reading how animal rights are viewed abroad, in the interviews with Maneka Gandhi of India and Tatyana Pavlova in Russia.

To often, it seems, I hear terrible stories of animal suffering. All this bad news can become quite overwhelming. That's why I like section two of this book, all 31 of these stories are strictly happy endings. From Ginny, the dog who rescues cats to Butch and Sundance, two runaway meat pigs, this section will leave you feeling good.

Section three is titled "Unsung Heroes," and I also found it to be interesting and inspiring. Tony and Vicki Moore who fought against Spain's blood fiestas, the Buffalo Field Campaign fighting for the wild buffalo and eight-year-old Amanda Walker-Serrano, alerting others to the truth about circuses. These three stories are among 21 true tales of animal heroes. --Reviewed by Starlynn Clarke

I agree with Mr. Strumboldt
I feel that, while their intentions are good, many of the people in this book have views so extreme that they defy common sense.I found Peter Singer's views on human-animal relations disturbing and troubling to say the least.Also, while I agree that animals are treated terribly here and all over the world, these people have no scientific basis upon which to state their views. They seem to rely on the hearsay of others who share their views.While I was reading this, it seemed to me that the entire book had been written for the purposes of fund-raising.Overall, the people described in this book, all taken together, seem to have developed a very detailed philosophical approach to the cause of animal rights.It's too bad that they don't do a better job of implementing it.There were numerous factual errors I found in this book.Whoever edited it doesn't seem to have done a very thorough job of fact checking or proof reading.

'Speaking Out For Animals inspires with success stories"
I think Mark S. missed the point of this book.Showing abuse cases of a wide variety with happy endings not only exposes the abuse but shows there can be a favorable outcome.Too often, we are overwhelmed with the depth of animal abuse issues.This uplifting book shows the wisdom of movement leaders along with courageous stories of ordinary people making a difference in animal lives.I bought a copy for my parents who read it cover to cover and have a better understanding of the animal issues I am fighting for. Is it just a coincidence that they now are doing volunteer work at a shelter in their area?

Not recommended
As a long-time animal rights activist, I can say that this collection of self-righteous interviews and melodramatic anecdotes adds little to the literature on the subject. A more serious discussion of animal rights advocacy would focus less on celebrity banter and mawkish rhetoric, and more on the entrenched cultural attitudes and public policies that perpetuate, and subsidize, the victimization of animals. This book is about people, self-important people, not animals. Sadly, I expected more, especially from such a reputable source. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

make a plant person happy
I gave this book to my husband. He is a rangeland management major and he is in love with the book. I do not know anything about plants, but he seems to love it and find it extremely useful. Compare to the expensive "weeds of the west" this book is relatively cheap for the amount of plants it has.

North America Range Plants
As a Range Conservationist in WA State a great book for all range mgrs, range techs., however, I was surprised to see Thurber needlegrass taken out of the most recent issue.

Great Field Guide
North American Range Plants is a great book for any beginer, taxonomy student, layman, and expert alike.It is easy for the novice, because it's not in a key format, which may disappoint some more serious plant collectors.It contains 200 of the most common, and important plants found in the United States, Canada and Mexico.I have had this book for sometime now, and it has become an invaluable resource in my studies at Texas A&M University, where I have come to know one of the co-authors, Stephan Hatch.He has an unparralled knowledge of plants and a dedication like no other to put forth a good product, so i know from experience that this book was written by folks who are the top in their field of study.Being from Texas, i have worked internships in the plains of central North Dakota and the desert "outback" of eastern Oregon and have found the book to most useful, oftentimes referring to it before trying to "key out" a plant in a more technical publication.It just doesn't get any better than this.

Excellent Resource for Students
This book contains 200 of the most common range plants in North America.Each entry contains a detailed illustration, range maps, scientific and common names, complete written description, growth habit, origin, livestock value, and medicinal uses of the plant.I found the illustrations to be the best I've ever seen, especially the detail included in the grass spikelets.This is an excellent reference for anyone trying to familiarize themselves with common range plants.

Excellent Reference Book
This is a great reference book for North American Range plants. It includes a detailed description of each plant along withsketchs and a maps to show distribution. Grasses, forbs and shrubs are included. This book also closely follows the lists for university range plant identification team contests. An excellent reference or study book for North American plants. ... Read more

Amazon.com

From the pugnacious pup on the cover to the sad-eyed sweetie hiding on the back side, I Am Puppy, Hear Me Yap is a book guaranteed to melt the heart of even the grimmest Cruella de Vil impersonator. Valerie Shaff's photography showcases our four-legged friends in many of their finest moments--chewing on slippers, rolling in the clover, and shaking the water off their fuzzy puppy fur are just a few of the classics captured here. With the combination of close-up shots and gentle sepia-toned images, the unique details of each pup's face are shown to advantage. From sleepy newborn retrievers to sophisticated poodles, personality shines through in these portraits. You're sure to at least entertain the thought of inviting a new canine companion into your life. The poetry of Roy Blount Jr. is the perfect companion to such delightful photos; in every case, the master wordsmith manages to sum up the emotion in the picture in just a line or two, as in the photo of two snuggling pups paired with

Each small sigh serves to reiterate
Nobody fits quite like a littermate.

With pieces like that, it's clear that Blount enjoyed creating his rhymes as much as we enjoy reading them. The pintsized beast from the cover makes another appearance inside the pages, this time next to a poem that begins with the title of the book:

I am puppy, hear me yap
No, I won't sit in your lap
I've got other things to do
For instance, bark at you.

Whether you prefer pooches sweet and cuddly or fiercely attacking your ankle, this lovely little book is sure to show you the doggie of your dreams. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Cute book that everyone will want to get their paws on!
I bought this book for my wife, who loves dogs and artistic photographs. It's got lots of pictures of puppies (and adult dogs too) and great little poems/writings next to each photo.

Guaranteed to make you smile! Order this fine coffeee table book today!

A must buy for dog lovers
This book was really cute. The poems were terrific and the pictures matched perfectly. It was really funny. There were poems like: I'm a big puppy, these are my slippers. Neither one is this little nipper's. I'll chew these up and and then chew him limb from limb from limb from limb. The picture was a lab eating leather slippers next to a stuffed lion. I loved this book!

I only wish there were more pages!
Rarely do people capture a puppy's playfulness, spunk, and strong personality with such clean elegance and coherence. There are no prissy, smoochy sayings and no sappy mushy talk (thank goodness), but the spirit of the puppy is captured quite nicely with the gorgeous, full page black and white photos. A reviewer thought of the book to be written in a child's point of view and wouldn't appeal to adults, yet I think that it was written with a youthful pup's point of view- which naturally is from a young perspective. One just can't associate seriousness with an image of a puppy destroying your slippers, basking in all that is naughty and mischievous. It's a coffee table book that lightens the mood and celebrates youth.

Outstanding canine photo collection
Outstanding photo collection of the most adoreable canines, paired with witty captions and poetic verse. Some amazing close ups that are "chicken soup" for the eyes. A must read for every dog fancier. Arlene Millman, author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY (The tale of a remarkable Boston Terrier).

Nice Pictures
There are alot of nice pictures in this book. Not really written for adults. Mostly child like content. ... Read more