Panda Puzzle (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

Book Description

P is for Panda. . . .

There’s pandemonium in Green Lawn! The town is building a new park for a panda and her baby. But as soon as the pandas arrive, the baby is stolen! All the panda-nappers want in return is a million dollars. . . . Can Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose collar the culprits before Green Lawn has to cough up
the cash?

Customer Reviews:

They have done it again!.......2005-12-27

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose have done it again!
Only this time someone or something has captured poor Winnie, the zoo's main attraction and it's up to someone to find these thieves.
The kidnapper wants 1 million dollars or Green Lawn will never see Winnie again.

Will Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose be able to find the kidnapper or will they be too late to save her?

This book was awesome!.......2004-12-28

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are at it again. There are theives who stole baby pandas. This book was great. I give it five stars. It was good, really good. I am an eight year old boy.

Among Stone Giants: The Life of Katherine Routledge and Her Remarkable Expedition to Easter Island (Lisa Drew Books)

Average customer rating:

Thoughtful illuminating biography
Interesting and EXCITING!
Inspirational adventure
Elegant and Compelling!
Enjoy with care

Among Stone Giants: The Life of Katherine Routledge and Her Remarkable Expedition to Easter Island (Lisa Drew Books)
Jo Anne Van Tilburg
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 074324480X

Book Description

Katherine Routledge is a central figure in the history of Easter Island, one of the world's most remote and mysterious locales. Born to a wealthy and prestigious English Quaker family in 1866, Katherine rebelled against their strict Victorian values, becoming one of the first female graduates of Oxford University and the first woman archaeologist to work in Polynesia.

At the age of forty, Katherine married a charismatic Australian adventurer, William Scoresby Routledge, and they built a ninety-foot, state-of-the-art yacht, christening her Mana, the Polynesian word for "spiritual power." From 1913 to 1915, Katherine and Scoresby led the Mana Expedition to Easter Island, where Katherine conducted the first-ever excavations of the island's world-famous stone statues. Katherine collected vast quantities of new information, which she faithfully transcribed into her journals and field notebooks. Through interviews with dozens of elderly men and women, she was able to save the history of the island, whose population was struggling back from the brink of extinction. Without Katherine's extraordinary efforts, Easter Island's traditional beliefs and customs would have been forever lost.

Katherine's hard work came at a terrible price. A family history of schizophrenia and a deep sense of spiritualism brought her under the spell of an old mystic named Angata, who led an Easter Island rebellion in which Katherine played a central role. After her return to England, she heard "voices" that precipitated a separation from Scoresby and nearly destroyed her ability to write and to publish her fieldwork. Her family blamed Angata, the Easter Island "witch doctor," for driving Katherine insane. With Scoresby, they kidnapped Katherine from her lavish London home and isolated her in an asylum, where she died seven years later.

Many of Katherine's papers were thought to be lost until they were discovered by Jo Anne Van Tilburg, the contemporary world's leading authority on the Easter Island statues. In this compelling biography, Dr. Van Tilburg brings her unique expertise to Katherine Routledge's discoveries and to her turbulent life. The result is an exciting personal story, set against the drama of Katherine's remarkable exploration of one of the most intriguing archaeological sites in the world.

Customer Reviews:

Thoughtful illuminating biography.......2007-05-16

This is a thoughtful and revealing biography of the woman who did the first major study of Easter Island in the early 20th century. Van Tilburg gives us insight into Katherine Routledge's life, passion, and personal struggles as well as providing an indepth sequel to Routledge's own important book. Anyone who has read THE MYSTERY OF EASTER ISLAND, indeed anyone who has been thrilled to walk among the island's magical statues--as well as anyone who has done so in the pages of a book--will find this biography compelling.

Interesting and EXCITING!.......2004-06-11

This book should top your list of Summer reading. I found that I had to keep reminding myself that this was a true story- it is amazing that all of this actually took place in Victorian times. I commend the author for taking the time to do such in-depth research. I can't wait for Van Tilburg to come out with another book!

Inspirational adventure.......2004-05-26

This is a fascinating account not only of Katherine Routledge's journey to Easter Island, but her journey through life. For a Victorian woman to graduate from Oxford, live in Africa, organize an expedition to one of the most remote places on earth, and ultimately succumb to schizophrenia is truly a remarkable story. This is a compelling read, full of interesting facts, as well as wonderous parallels. It is a story of determination and frustration, success and failure, love and loss. Great summer read!

Elegant and Compelling!.......2004-05-10

This book is a MUST READ! It was very informative and well researched. I was impressed by the obvious depth and care the author took to portray her subjects in a fair and impartial light. She explored all her character's strengths and weaknesses equally, and this made for a compelling read. The author obviously had a great deal of empathy for her subject.

I would love to see this book made into a movie! The author's beautiful word pictures would translate VERY well to the big screen.

I would recommend this wonderful book to anyone who might be planning on traveling to Easter Island or who would like to learn more about this magnificent place!

Enjoy with care.......2004-04-26

This book scores highly for the length of its footnotes and its bibliographies - and van Tilburg is to be congratulated on bringing a great but overlooked story into print - but how much do you trust a biographer who mistakes the dates of both the birth and marriage of her subject?

Knowing a little of Katherine Routledge and her times, I found van Tilburg's narrative unconvincing. Perhaps it would be unfair to expect an author working from America to understand the absurd and divisive nuances of British notions of class, though class was a key factor in Routledge's life. I bridled, however, at the author's repeated insistence on Routledge's mental illness. Has van Tilburg seen evidence for this, perhaps from Routledge's surviving family (tracking down descendants, even establishing the fate of the ship Mana, is something van Tilburg does well) that she is not prepared to publish? The suggestion that Routledge's life and work were profoundly affected by schizophrenia is a major charge. It needs more substantiation than this book presents: what we have does not rise above gossip.

The book is also curiously thin, coming from an author with much experience of Easter Island archaeology, on what makes Routledge's Pacific work so special. There are many details here, and much useful material to inspire and aid further research. Too many minor errors, however, warn against taking it all on trust. Read and enjoy, but keep your critical faculties about you.

(For the record: Katherine Routledge was born on 11 March 1866 [not 11 August, though the author has corrected her previously published error over the year] and was married on 8 August [not 6 August] 1906 - she was over, not nearly, 40 on her wedding day. Nit picking? These dates are easy to check. The reader, though, cannot check facts that van Tilburg quotes from inaccessible or ungiven sources)

Average customer rating:

An all-around fun story for young readers
Pirate Pete's Giant Adventure
Kim Kennedy
Manufacturer: Abrams Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Pirate Pete

Roger, the Jolly Pirate

Shiver Me Letters: A Pirate ABC

Do Pirates Take Baths?

How I Became a Pirate

ASIN: 0810959658

Book Description

Ahoy, mateys! Pirate Pete and his trusty parrot are back for a rollicking good time on the high seas.

Yo-ho-ho! I wish I'd a ship,To sail to islands yonder,
I'd do anything for this wish,
Who could grant it, I wonder?

What's a pirate without his trusty ship? A sea-fairy promises Pete a ship of his own if he can return the Sea-Fairy Sapphire to the sea. The only problem is that the sapphire is on Thunder Island—and it isn't alone!

Pete must face danger, intrigue, and a particularly unfriendly nemesis as he tricks and sings his way to safety. With a yo-ho-ho and avast ye and a few scurvy dogs, readers will love to see their favorite pirate back in action and still in rare form.

Customer Reviews:

An all-around fun story for young readers.......2006-09-22

Pirate Pete's Giant Adventure by Kim Kennedy and featuring the illustrations of Doug Kennedy is a remarkable tale of a pirate named Pete and his ultimate journey to take hold of the Sea-Fairy Saffire in exchange for his very own ship. Encountering a multitude of treacherous enemies, including a quite frightful giant, Pirate Pete's Giant Adventure carries young readers through an engaging picturebook story of wit and intrigue as Pete's expert cunning and creative approach to piracy brings to his prize despite a rather gullible giant. An all-around fun story for young readers, Pirate Pete's Giant Adventure is very highly recommended for school and community library picturebook collections.

Easter Island: Giant Stone Statues Tell of a Rich and Tragic Past

Average customer rating:

Good Pix Boring Text
Outstanding book!

Easter Island: Giant Stone Statues Tell of a Rich and Tragic Past
Caroline Arnold
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618486054

Book Description

In about A.D. 400, a group of seafarers reached a small, isolated island in Polynesia and founded a new settlement. They developed a rich and complex culture that lasted more than a thousand years. The population eventually declined, and soon all that remained were a few inhabitants and hundreds of mysterious giant stone statues in varying stages of disrepair. Caroline Arnold explains how archeologists and other scientists and scholars have pieced together a history of Easter Island by studying its natural resources, listening to family stories and Polynesian legends, and examining the statues and other clues the people left behind. Photographs, taken by the author, provide a stunning visual accompaniment to this clear and concise account of one of the most remote--and fascinating--places on earth. GLOSSARY, BIBLIOGRAPHY, INDEX.

Customer Reviews:

Good Pix Boring Text.......2002-07-08

Easter Island is one of the most interesting places in the world, but you would never know it from this text that is so much like geography textbooks of old that you don't want to even turn the page. What does keep you turning the pages are the pictures which are quite beautiful and, in themselves, illuminating... A worthy effort, with solid information...

Outstanding book!.......2000-11-01

An excellent informational book about Easter Island and its mysterious past. Schort chapters break the book into easily managable sections. The vocabulary is appropriate for the intended age group. Factual information is clearly separated from theories. When applicable, multiple theories are presented. Crisp, clear photographs throughout the book serve to clarify the narration. A glossary, complete with pronounciation guide, is included along with an index.

Arthur Schopenhauer: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

Average customer rating:

Sufficient Rational?
Excellent summary of Schopenhauer if you can track it down

Arthur Schopenhauer: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)
Mark Stone
Manufacturer: Knowledge Products
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0786169400

Product Description

Arthur Schopenhauer was the most articulate and influential pessimist in the history of human thought. He was convinced that the space and time of ordinary life is an illusion, that the world consists of two aspects: representation (visible appearances) and will (hidden reality). Will is a unitary, blind, irrational force underlying all nature and expressing itself throughout it. Since human actions are blindly propelled by this will, not reason, prescriptive ethical rules have little force. We flourish only at each others expense; evil, pain, and suffering are not aberrations, but express the inner nature of the world. Our will to live is a continuing cycle of want, temporary fulfillment, and more want. New desires replace any satisfied ones, so no lasting happiness is possible. There is no overall end or purpose of life; our will to live is doomed ultimately to fail, and we die.

Customer Reviews:

Sufficient Rational?.......2006-10-29

Schopenhauer's discussion of the organic nature of our humanity, is exciting, up-lifting, and scary. He swept away many of the cobwebs of human thought and meta-physical mysteries. To him, the brain, the limbic system,(although his concepts pre-dated modern brain theory), are really what's at the heart of human reason. He helped me to understand, the nature of truth, which is sufficient rational, based upon very human perception. Why is art beautiful? Why are entire people's irrational? Schopenhauer's work opens doors that modern psychology, in Freud and Jung stepped into.

Heston's narration is very pleasant, and this treatment, although academic was very approachable for the dilettante.

Gare Henderson

Excellent summary of Schopenhauer if you can track it down.......2001-12-15

This is the only audiobook exposition and analysis of Schopenhauer's works I've encountered (if you know of another please e-mail me!). It was done in the mid-1990's by Knowledge Products, and I've gathered that many of these titles (I believe there are 12, each one an approximately 2.5 hour affair covering major philosophers from Plato to Sartre) are going out of print. They are all narrated by Charlton Heston, but don't think you'll be stuck with the gravelly-voiced Moses for the entire two cassettes. The producers utilize a revolving cast of actors to bring to life the thinkers themselves-- in this one we hear them "play" Kant and Nietzsche as well as the anonymous reviewer in Britain who brought Schopenhauer to the public's attention in his piece on Arthur's final publication, _Parerga and Paralipomena_. You will think the vocal imitation (including heavy accents) of history's greatest minds either cheesy or effective; I am of the latter. There is a biographical portion, to my mind heavily borrowing from the opening chapter of perhaps the finest book on Schopenhauer in English, Bryan Magee's _Philosophy of Schopenhauer_, followed by an exegesis of Schopenhauer's thought. Schopenhauer was that most darkly cast of philosophers, despite being highly influential on artists, poets, and musicians of every sort. Many believe (and I among them) that his adaptation and extension of Kantian philosophy outclasses Hegel's, Fichte's, and Schelling's. The background and context to Schopenhauer's work is well represented, and the presentation is liberally peppered with selections from his writings. There are also reactions to Schopenhauer and a short criticism of his work to wrap things up. If anything, the reading of the final lines from Schopenhauer's central work, _The World As Will and Representation_, are worth this audiobook alone-- not to mention Heston's voicing (via the scriptwriter I assume) that Schopenhauer's view of life as purposeless touches on the "appalling." (!) (hilarious!)

Competing With the Retail Giants: How to Survive in the New Retail Landscape (National Retail Federation)

Average customer rating:

Retailers can do the good stuff the big guys forget.

Competing With the Retail Giants: How to Survive in the New Retail Landscape (National Retail Federation)
Kenneth E. Stone
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0471054429

Book Description

Written by an economist who has been tracking the impact of superstores on small businesses for five years. Stone has conducted more than 200 seminars on his research for community groups and trade associations in 46 states during the last three years. In this superlative guide, he offers practical advice on how small retailers can survive and thrive in the age of giant discount stores. Provides strategies for small businesses to compete effectively by improving four major areasâmerchandising, marketing, customer service and customer relations.

Customer Reviews:

Retailers can do the good stuff the big guys forget........1999-01-15

Kenneth Stone has the seal of approval, he "walks the talk". While not actually having been in retail (big black mark) he has been sufficiently close and "walked in their shoes" to have a credible list of suggestions and yes, big guy beater ideas.

Angelic Renegades & Rephaim Giants: An Epitaph: In Visions and Stones

Average customer rating:

The Poetic Tale is Pulitzer Prize stuff.
A Reviewer
Very Bad Investment
Where is the Follow up?
Understanding the Genesis Angelic Connection/a novelita

Angelic Renegades & Rephaim Giants: An Epitaph: In Visions and Stones
Dennis L Siluk
Manufacturer: Writer's Showcase Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Devils and Demons and the Return of the Nephilim

ASIN: 0595209866

Book Description

The story can be considered historical fiction, a spiritual journey. Whatever you chose. But Nostradamus would call it a visionary legacy of ancient mankind, as handed down by none other then the leader of the angelic beings who cursed God, to be worship by man. Whose genetic code transferred to Nimrod, Nero, Hitler, Stalin, and to the terrorist we see in the infected world today. Their names are in this book, as well as some being in the Pseudepigrapha, and hidden in the Kabala secret society. They started the secret society of the Serpent people. One may be awaken to assist the coming world dictator. If you dare read this book, it might be wise in have God on your side, for the Demons of nightmares have little mercy.

Customer Reviews:

The Poetic Tale is Pulitzer Prize stuff........2002-07-12

I was in New York a few weeks ago, and hearad the book was an entry for a Pultizer Prize in Letters, for the Poetic tale inside of it. I read it, and it was great, the tale that is, although the rest of the book did not interest me. Someone asked me if the facts are true; how would I know, go ask the author, it was a poetic tale with angelic beings in it for god sake.

A Reviewer.......2002-07-12

I was reading the reviews, and noticed one by gaibear2 who
was quite disturbed by the book, or so it seemed.He should
learn how to spell if he is going to proclaim to be a scholor
of sorts. But for us who do not know much about such things,
I thought the book was fine. Especially the poetic tale in
side. As far as the giant stuff goes, oh well, so be it.
And I did see that one word he was talking about mispelled.
But I'm no perfectionist, so no big thing. The book was not
Shakespear, or did the author proclaim it to be I think. Keep the good work up, it was most interesting.

Very Bad Investment.......2002-07-05

I rate it one star because there is nothing lower; about -10 would better reflect with respect to relative literacy. The message of the book is not clear and its premise not supported. As a practioner of the English language I was dumbfounded by the author's total disregard for literacy, especially spelling. One can only assume that iUniverse did not edit the book for some unknown reason. A example of what one finds between the covers is on the back cover where 'perish' should have been used: "And they will walk the earth and kill at will, then 'parish' in the sands of time." To me the book was a total waste of my time and money. Redirect your resources and buy some other book as I think this book is [poor].

Where is the Follow up?.......2002-04-09

I read and re-read the book. I was hoping for an attachment, the reason being, it was most interestng, and I wanted it to continue. It made you think if anything, maybe about where we got some of our traits, our dispostion. I often wondered who taught us this and that. It had to come from somewhere. And why not the Angelic Renegades, and the Giants. The Author talks about visions, and I do believe we are living in the latter days of mankind, so printed in the Bible. And therefore, it maybe even makes a little more sense for me. It was all put into a story form.

Understanding the Genesis Angelic Connection/a novelita.......2002-02-27

I do not need 1000'words, it was great! I now can understand a little better what happened with the angelic force that inhabited earth some eaons ago. The author puts this into a story form, and real or not, it sure is convincing. Steven King or Ann Rice should do so good to make it come alive. The author takes you through a vortex of images and an encounter with the angelic force that ruled the world so many thousands of years ago. It makes one wonder and think. I think it is quite refreshing, and somewhat of a discover.

Mammoth: The Resurrection of an Ice Age Giant

Average customer rating:

Mammoth-size information . . . Minute-size conclusions
Mammoths, Mammoths, everywhere...
Excellent, Quick Read
A Shaggy Elephant Story
Mammoth: The Resurrection of an Ice Age Giant

Mammoth: The Resurrection of an Ice Age Giant
Richard Stone
Manufacturer: Perseus Pub.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

The Fate of the Mammoth: Fossils, Myth, and History

ASIN: 0738202819
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Amazon.com

Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park introduced readers to the once improbable notion that, thanks to advances in genetic science, dinosaurs could be brought back from the grave. Richard Stone's Mammoth offers a kindred scenario: the establishment of a "Pleistocene Park," in which long-extinct creatures like the mammoth, saber-toothed tiger, and woolly rhino could be resurrected and given sanctuary.

This is not a science-fiction vision, we learn from science journalist Stone's absorbing journey into recent prehistory. Already, scientists from Russia, Canada, the United States, and other nations are studying the possibility of restoring a stretch of northern Siberia to its Pleistocene condition, thereby creating what they call a "mammoth steppe" populated by bison, Yakutian horses, and elephants--and one day, perhaps, creatures such as the woolly mammoth, genetically "summoned from the world of the dead." The materials are readily available, Stone writes, in the form of DNA-bearing "muscles and ligaments and fat" found in mammoths now buried in arctic permafrost. Whether those remnants can be made to bring back to life what Siberians call the "rat beneath the ice" is another question, but it's one that many scholars are busily exploring.

While looking into what he calls a "watershed in efforts to study lost ecosystems," Stone provides a lively natural history of the mammoth and evaluates conflicting theories on its extinction. His book makes for a memorable journey into unknown scientific territory--and a glimpse at a possible future that is surpassing strange. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

The true story of a daring band of 21st-century mammoth hunters and their fascinating search for the long-extinct beast.

No fabled creature of the Pleistocene Era has a more powerful hold on the imagination than does the woolly mammoth. Cave paintings of the giant beasts hint at the profound role they played in early human culture-our Ice Age ancestors built igloo-shaped huts out of mammoth bones and even feasted on mammoth tongues. Eager to uncover more clues to this mystical prehistoric age, explorers since the time of Peter the Great have scoured Siberia for mammoth remains. Now a new generation of explorers has taken to the tundra. Armed with GPS, ground-penetrating radar, and Soviet-era military helicopters, they seek an elusive prize: a mammoth carcass that will help determine how the creature lived, how it died-and how it might be brought back to life.

In this adventure-filled narrative, science writer Richard Stone follows two teams of explorers-one Russian/Japanese, the other a French-led consortium-as they battle bitter cold, high winds, supply shortages, and the deeply rooted superstitions of indigenous peoples who fear the consequences of awakening the "rat beneath the ice." Stone travels from St. Petersburg to the Arctic Circle, from the North Sea to high-tech Japanese laboratories, as he traces the sometimes-surreal quest of these intrepid scientists, whose work could well rewrite our planet's evolutionary history. A riveting tale of high-stakes adventure and scientific hubris, Mammoth is also an intellectual voyage through uncharted moral terrain, as we confront the promise and peril of resurrecting creatures from the deep past.

Customer Reviews:

Mammoth-size information . . . Minute-size conclusions.......2006-09-12

This book contains valuable references to and quotations from across the tundra of perspectives of how/why/when the mammoths died off. Like so many Evolutionists, the author stands firm in the mire of peers who keep finding more and more physical evidence of the immediate death and preservation of mammoths (and their environments). Yet, Stone and his peers remain united in their scoffing at a literal interpretation of the Biblical account of the Flood in the days of Noah.

The reader must wonder why the Biblical, "young Earth," account is not treated as a valid explanation, after the author debunks contrary theory after contrary theory.

For example, Stone only makes passing reference to the many mammoths which have been unearthed in Florida. The reader must realize on her/his own that this fact alone refutes almost all of the variations of Evolutionary postulating that gradual climate changes killed off these magnificant creatures.

The thinking reader will wonder how the theories ever get past the mammoth-size problem of herds of mammoths having been found under what is now land too far north to produce the food supply needed for even one of them for a day, let alone herds of them for life-times. The eons of gradual change required in the theories of Evolution cannot account for the repeatedly-found evidence of healthy, well-nourished, gluttonous, quick-frozen mammoths. Stone discusses this evidence, but stears clear of giving serious credence to that 40-day dumping of rain and ice as claimed in the Bible.

Stone never addresses the cellular evidence in these mammoths which conclusively shows that they were quick-frozen at temperatures far below any temperatures existing on Earth. This fact demands an explanation which includes the injection of temperatures found only in outer space, (or in substances such as liquid nitrogen).

Nor does Stone discuss the problem of lack of evidence of internal decay. Mammoths killed by slow starvation would die and decay on the inside while their outer layers froze, if dropped in current-day arctic regions. Once the blood stops pumping, this process of inner rot happens far quicker than a huge beast would freeze to its core. Yet, mammoth after mammoth has been found in these northern regions frozen entirely.

Most glaringly absent is discussion of a mammoth found in the far north with sub-tropical vegetation found still in its mouth. That discovery should have narrowed the amount of valid theories by enough to make this book a lot shorter. (Hint: they did not find a chewing tobacco can in its back pocket.)

Stone's recounting of the 1887 writings of Sir Henry H. Howorth are more formidable than Stone admits to. Stone admits that Howorth's cataclysm theories have been vindicated more and more during Stone's professional career, yet that bias against a literally accurate Biblical account is treated like laughing-stock material.

My suggestion is that if the mammoth fits, wear it!

As for the presentation of the book, it is not a heavy-read. Stone's writing style is understandable, even to folks like me who simply want to think and learn.

The pictures are a bit of a letdown. I had hoped for more pictures of mammoths and their body parts. You can find more such pictures on ebay than in this book.

Overall, a valuable resource for the thinking descendant of Noah.

Mammoths, Mammoths, everywhere..........2006-02-26

The Woolly Mammoth, long gone from the world but not yet forgotten, was a major source of food, fuel and material for our early ancestors. Our early culture must have understood them but to us are still, in some way, a mystery.
How did they die, was it overchill or overkill? Did we do them in or did a germ do it? How come they lived through so so much to finally die in what seems a blink of an eye? This book is the tale of trying to find out the answers and, maybe, just maybe, find a way to bring them back to life. Yes, maybe if we could find a frozen body to get undamaged, useful, Mammoth DNA from we could do more than just understand them - we could clone them.
This book has many tales. The Mammoth Hunters trying to find a whole creature, the Scientists who want to understand the myster, the Discovery Channel trying to get a story and the Russians just trying to make a living and a quick buck.
Fun, but the ending was clear before I opened the book. As there is no baby Mammoths running about I know that they failed to clone them. Yet the book does give you a good overview of the history of Mammoth research and our knowledge of them. And some of the ideas, like bringing Canadian bison to Siberia
and African rhinos and elephants to North America are both amazing and risky.

Excellent, Quick Read.......2005-04-03

This book is a very interesting discussion of three topics:

1) Why did the mammoths go extinct?
2) Is it possible (and desirable/ethical) to bring back the mammoths via cloning or interbreeding with modern elephants?
3) How did the demise of the mammoth and similar large mammals affect the vegetation and climate of the areas in which they lived (in this case Siberia). Russian scientists theorize that when the mammoths no longer grazed and churned up the ancient grasslands, the vegetation changed completely, into the tundra-wasteland that it is today.

Overall a very enjoyable short book that does not try to puff up the page count with hundreds of pages of irrelevant material.

TMR

A Shaggy Elephant Story.......2004-01-25

This fascinating little book is about a large and extinct creature, the mammoth. Evidence of this creature, which last walked the earth 37 centuries ago, seems to be scattered all over the place in North America and in Siberia. This book describes the work of a mixed band of mammoth enthusiasts as they search for mammoths frozen in the tundra of Russia's Far North.

There is an international cast in this story-a French arctic travel guide, Russian academics, Japanese experts in reproductive science, a Dutch amateur with a house stuffed with mammoth bones and, of course, the folks at the Discovery Channel trying to make this all into Good Television or, at least, Show Biz. Unfortunately, this book comes a bit too early--biotechnology has not advanced to the point where a mammoth might be cloned from scattered remnants of DNA and a superb specimen, frozen in the ice with useful bits intact, had not been found by the time the book went to press. Instead, author Richard Stone does an admirable job in sewing parts together to tell this story.

We learn that the inhabitants of Siberia believe that digging up the bones of mammoths brings bad luck, but there is nothing wrong with taking tusks when they are found. Huge numbers of tusks, estimated from 50,000 animals, have been shipped out in the last century. Scientists made arduous journeys trying to discover more about mammoths and our strong interest in them continues to this day. The book details how mammoths probably lived and alternative explanations about how they became extinct--through climactic change, being hunted or wiped out by disease.

This is quite interesting and the sections about cloning mammoths are highly imaginative and entertaining. Mr. Stone has done good research and writes engagingly of his voyages beyond the beyond. And he does not shy away from commenting on the ethical question of cloning extinct species. But at the end of the day, one has to wonder about the resources invested into the quixotic expeditions he details when there are pressing issues in habitat conservation today, including the protection of that much-loved and much-decimated relative of the mammoth, the elephant.

Recommended for those with an interest in science on the fringes...

Mammoth: The Resurrection of an Ice Age Giant.......2003-01-20

Mammoth: THe Resurrection of an Ice Age Giant written by Richard Stone is a book about adventure, but not just your oridinary adventure. The Adventure here is about the unearthing of giant animals from the Pleistocene Era... Giant Wooly Mammoths in the permafrost of Siberia. This is a very provocative book as the science is beautifully clear.

The Wooly Mammoth roamed Europe, Asia and North America and grew to huge proportions, but later became extinct and all that we know of their existance is being uncovered by some very good scientific research. Now, a new generation of explorers has taken up the challange, to find out more about the mammoth and the life and times that existed during their lifetimes. Armed with ground-penetrating radar, GPS, and helecopters the large expanse of Siberia is begins to yield some interesting finds and the clues that go along with more and more information.

There is promiss in this book that once again the mammoth may live... how you say can this happen... well through DNA and cloning. This book takes you on a rigerous adventure through frontiers of science. Yes, theoretically it can be done, but this book examins both the profound philosophical questions about the risks and morality of executing these efforts. Liken to "Jurassic Park," you say.. and you would be correct.

Theories exist as to why the mammoth did out and became extinct... one of which is the overchill theory as the Earth became increasingly cooler the food supply for the mammoth became less and less forage for the animal, next the psychological change of being penned in by dense forest and glacier. Mammoth were used to living in the Northern cooler climates as is evidece in the finds of today. So much so, as there are finds in the small islands of the Arctic Ocean.

Customer Reviews:

Prequel to "The Elfin Ship".......2006-04-22

"The Stone Giant" turns James Blaylock's other stories about the notorious rogue Theophile Escargot and the nefarious wizard Selznak (aka Sikorsky, aka Abner Helstrom) into a trilogy. In the process some earlier information gets reinvented, and explanations are provided for things that really didn't need much explanation. It's a bit of pleasant nonsense set in a vaguely steampunk fantasy world.

Theophile, a lazy rogue, loses his wife and family after stealing his own pie. Infatuated with a sympathetic barmaid he becomes a small part of the giant plot of the fiendish balding dwarf, uncle Abner. A series of absurd misadventures follows as Escargot stumbles through the machinations of evil innkeepers, murderous merrymakers, pompous pirates, eccentric elves, and other assorted oddities.

The tale is fun and whimsical but I prefer Blaylock's two previous fantasies, "The Elfin Ship" and "The Disappearing Dwarf."

Early Blaylock Hits The Spot.......1999-12-16

This early James Blaylock novel introduces the world of Theophile Escargot, Twombly Town and the evil dwarf, Abner Helstrom, all of whom then show up later in Blaylock's The Elfin Ship and The Disappearing Dwarf. Escargot chases off after a beautiful serving girl he barely knows, but when she is threatened by the evil dwarf Escargot manages to steal a magic submarine and the race is on. The dwarf's intention to use her as a sacrifice to arouse sleeping giants for his evil purposes. In his effort to save her Escargot falls in with an a group of elves in a flying three masted galleon and about 10,000 little men who are 2 inches tall. It all comes to a G. Smithers' style conclusion. (You'll find out who G. Smithers is when you read the book.) Like other Blaylock fantasy it is full of elves, goblins and mystery and stars an unlikely hero. A very good read for everyone and for Blaylock fans it's an absolute must.

Great submarine fun.......1999-07-22

Wonderful quirky book full of Blaylockian humor, amazing characters, octopuses, submarines, underwater grotoes and just a pinch of magic. Demand that your bookstores finds you a copy. Demand that Del Rey brings back this great series in print.

My all time favorite fantasy novel........1998-12-13

This novel is without a doubt the best fantasy novel I've ever read. Read it and you'll find yourself re-reading it and enjoying it many times! Mr. Blaylock, If you're out there, PLEASE give us more Balumnia books. They make my world a better place.

Average customer rating:

Giant Pandas (Nature Watch)
Lynn M. Stone
Manufacturer: Lerner Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1575053438

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