Book Description
Feast your eyes on these amazing creatures before they disappear. This stampede of wild animals, from Chinese Alligator to Grevy’s Zebra, are so rare, they're all endangered. David McLiman’s bold and playful illustrations transform each letter into a work of art, graphically rendered with animal characteristics. Scales, horns, even insect wings transform the alphabet into animated life.
Once you take this eye-opening safari, you'll never look at letters or animals with the same way again. A striking work of art and a zoological adventure, Gone Wild is sure to be loved by children and adults alike.
Customer Reviews:
My baby loves the book.......2007-10-10
My 16 months old really enjoyed the book. She likes the graphics - which is done in black and white. We adults enjoyed the actual reading portion. The information is very educational. I can see my baby reading this book with a different perspective when she is older.
Beautiful Book.......2007-09-29
A truly beautiful and creative book that reminds us of those great typography designers such as Aldus Manutius, Nicolas Jenson or Claude Garamond. My child loved discovering wild (and sadly endangered) animals through the pages of Gone Wild.
Boring to children.......2007-09-11
This book was totally uninteresting to my grandchildren. It's a book that adults think will catch the interest of little ones and does not.
wild and wonderful.......2007-05-22
this is a wonderfuly illustrated book that manages to incorporate the many species of endangered animals names with the letters of the alphabet.While I bought it for my grandson(2) he is too young to appreciate it, so I have put it away for him to enjoy in the years ahead. I recommend it for the art work and for all the information that is on each page.
Worthwhile addition to the home or school library.......2007-04-13
Ostensibly about the alphabet, this book teaches so much more. Through clever illustrations, McLimans introduces children (and adults!) to a variety of endangered animals. Each page contains a stylized black-and-white illustration of the animal in the form of a letter along with a separate stylized red illustration of the animal. For instance, the head of the bald-headed Ukari is integrated into the shape of the letter U, while the entire animal is portrayed in red next to the letter design. Each page also contains facts about the animal (such as its natural habitat and potential threats).
Students, teachers, and parents interested in exotic or unusual animals or becoming more aware of environmental issues will find this book worthwhile. This book is appropriate for families or classrooms of mixed ages since younger children can practice their letters while older children can learn about these unusual and endangered animals.
Amazon.com
Even at his most irate, Jimmy Carter projects cool, communicating with a poise that commands attention while gently signaling to opponents that they better do their homework before mounting any sort of debate. Perhaps that's why the former president, Nobel Peace Prize-winner, and bestselling author ranks as one of the planet's most respected voices in the areas of human rights, diplomacy, and good government. And when a clearly agitated Carter suggests America is on a slippery slope, globally speaking, as he does throughout Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, it's wise to pay heed even if the book's overriding Christian perspective may trip cautionary bells in secular readers.
More a set of loosely connected essays than a single, precise argument, Our Endangered Values outlines Carter's worldview while pondering what he posits are key problems looming in the 21st century. Thematic touchstones such as the war, environmental negligence, civil liberties, the rich-poor divide, and the separation of church and state form the book's backbone, with Carter filtering each through the prism of his own vast experience. He doesn't much like what he sees. Though much of the data Carter presents to support his arguments is familiar, it's worth repeating that "the rate of firearm homicides in the United States is nineteen times higher than that of 35 other high-income countries combined." That "In addition to imprisonment, the United States of America stands almost alone in the world in our fascination with the death penalty, and our few remaining companions are regimes with a lack of respect for basic human rights." That when it comes to sharing the wealth with poor nations "Americans are the stingiest of all industrialized nations. We allow about one-thirtieth as much as is commonly believed [or] sixteen cents out of each $100 of the gross national income." America: land of the free, home of the brave? Try global bully with a bad attitude and reckless sense of entitlement.
Carter spends significant time contextualizing his own spirituality, as if to underscore the urgency of his message that fundamentalism in any form is bad, especially when it encroaches on government. Indeed, Carter persuasively links fundamentalism to harmful policy, the subjugation of women, general xenophobia, and a host of other ills occurring all around him. And while George W. Bush in particular and the current administration in general take fewer clips on the chin than might be expected, Carter's arguments for common-sense change are deeply resonant nonetheless. --Kim Hughes
Book Description
President Jimmy Carter offers a passionate defense of separation of church and state. He warns that fundamentalists are deliberately blurring the lines between politics and religion.
As a believing Christian, Carter takes on issues that are under fierce debate -- women's rights, terrorism, homosexuality, civil liberties, abortion, the death penalty, science and religion, environmental degradation, nuclear arsenals, preemptive war, and America's global image.
Download Description
"President Carter has written importantly about his spiritual life and faith. In Living Faith, a huge bestseller, he recounted the values and experiences that shaped his personal and political life. In his companion book Sources of Strength, also a bestseller, he meditated on fifty-two of the favorite Bible lessons he has taught. In Our Endangered Values, Carter offers a personal consideration of ""moral values"" as they relate to the important issues of the day. He puts forward a passionate defense of separation of church and state, and a strong warning of where the country is heading as the lines between politics and rigid religious fundamentalism are blurred. Now, he describes his own involvement and reactions to some disturbing societal trends that have taken place during the last few years. These changes involve both the religious and the political worlds as they have increasingly become intertwined, and include some of the most crucial and controversial issues of the day -- frequently encapsulated under ""moral values."" Many of these matters are under fierce debate. They include preemptive war, women's rights, terrorism, civil liberties, homosexuality, abortion, the death penalty, science and religion, environmental degradation, nuclear arsenals, America's global image, fundamentalism, and the melding of religion and politics. Sustained by his lifelong faith, Jimmy Carter assesses these issues in a forceful and unequivocal but balanced and courageous way. Our Endangered Values is a book that his millions of readers have eagerly awaited. "
Customer Reviews:
Rescue us from fundamentalism.......2007-09-13
This book is warning against fundamentalism and the in-human lack of compassion that seems so deeply rooted in the American sub-culture that holds sway over Bush's White House. Are you a Christian who is concerned about poverty? The USA's policy of pre-emptive war? Gleeful disregard for nuclear proliferation? Torture? The environment? Carter lays out a passionate case that those concerns are in line with Christian values. Carter does not cede the definition of `Christian' to the pro war, pro death penalty, pro torture, anti ecumenical crowd who insist that they alone can articulate what it means to be a Christian. This is a courageous book by a very thoughtful man
CARTER: SUPER HUMANITARIAN/HUMAN BEING!.......2007-08-03
Another refreshing and great book by former President Carter. Carter gives one a true feeling of hope, especially now, in this strange time in our country. It's as though President Carter is looking out for us. God bless you Mr. Carter, and please, keep on writing, writing and writing!!!
We truly need more Jimmy Carters in this world.
Wonderful!.......2007-07-04
Great book. It is terribly refreshing to read a book that treats logic and common sense as important values in our personal, public, and political lives. Shows very clearly that religious views and opinions can be separated from the political arena simply by deciding to do so. The parts dealing with the politics of dealing with the rest of the world are especially good. The world would be a far better place if we could just follow the live and let live philosophy.
Wonderful.......2007-07-03
I'm an absolute fan of President Carter on a multitude of levels - and this book further supports my endearment of him. He accurate and thoughtfully discusses the crises occuring in the U.S. - particularly because of the current administration and educationally analyzes how to solve/correct these problems. He is my hero...
(P.S. for anyone with any doubts as to Carter's greatness, they need to read some history and see his Presidential Library to gain some insight as to what he actually did and accomplished while President for both the U.S. and the world as a whole.)
A moral challenge to Americans.......2007-06-27
In this book, Nobelist and former President Jimmy Carter asserts that Christian fundamentalists have taken control of the American government. Although he is a devout Christian himself, he outlines charges against fundamentalists and neoconservatives that reiterate many oft-aired criticisms of the current administration. He also decries fundamentalist control of the Southern Baptist denomination, which may be of less interest to business readers. However, one need not agree with Carter to be drawn by his political philosophy and sincerity, nor disagree to be bruised by his self-righteous tone. This is more sermon than essay, for it has a pronounced religious focus, but we find that it provides a heartfelt portrait of the value judgments of a historic figure who never hesitated to provoke debate. Readers seeking a liberal focus on issues about which conservatives and liberals disagree will find this to be a passionate touchstone, as will those alarmed by what they perceive as manifestations of fundamentalism in U.S. public policy.
Amazon.com
Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Robert "Buzz" Patterson was a military aide to President Clinton from May 1996 to May 1998 and one of five individuals entrusted with carrying the "nuclear football"—the bag containing the codes for launching nuclear weapons. This responsibility meant that he spent a considerable amount of time next to the president, giving him a unique perspective on the Clinton administration. Though he arrived at the job "filled with professional devotion and commitment to serve," he left believing that Clinton had "sown a whirlwind of destruction upon the integrity of our government, endangered our national security, and done enormous harm to the American military in which I served."
Dereliction of Duty is not a personal attack on President Clinton or a commentary on his various scandals; rather, it is a "frank indictment of his obvious—to an eyewitness—failure to lead our country with responsibility and honor." Lt. Col. Patterson offers a damning list of anecdotes and charges against the President, including how Clinton lost the nuclear codes and shrugged it off; how he stalled and lost the opportunity to launch a direct strike on Osama bin Laden at a confirmed location; how the President and the First Lady, and much of their staff, consistently treated members of the military with disrespect and disdain; and how Clinton groped a female Air Force enlisted member while aboard Air Force One, among other incidents large and small. A considerable portion of this slim book is devoted to the myriad ways in which President Clinton undermined the military, and hence the security, of the nation. He seriously questions Clinton's decisions to send troops to Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, and Bosnia to accomplish non-military tasks without clear objectives. Having participated in each of these engagements, Lt. Col. Patterson personally "experienced the frustration of needlessly wasted lives, effort, and national prestige" as well as the alarmingly low morale that Clinton inspired.
This is certainly not the first anti-Clinton book, but it is different in that Patterson does not seem to have a political ax to grind. In fact, at times, he appears apologetic about having to write about his ex-commander in chief. Yet, in the end, this retired soldier felt his last act of service should be to share his experience with his country. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
Here is the ultimate insider's account from the highest and most sensitive levels of the Clinton administration, revealing how the irresponsible use of power can lead to a terrible price paid by all Americans.
Customer Reviews:
No Lies Here.......2007-09-25
I bought and read the book at the behest of a friend I worked with, who served as a USAF security officer (NCO) aboard AF One. He is the one who told me about Col. Patterson's book, and said he was surprised to find himself portrayed in it. You see, he was the person who broke the news to Maj. Patterson (at the time) that Bill lost ...oops, MISPLACED, the nuclear launch codes. Folks, I know this man to be a man of Honor and Integrety, something that neither of the adult Clintons that occupied the White House ever had, nor ever will have, IMHO. Read the book. It is all true, according to my friend.
Larry
Sour Grapes?.......2007-08-18
Why would any self-respecting Air Force officer give up a flying career to be a liveried factotum for a couple of power elites? Answer: political schmoozing on this level is a virtual guarantee for a fast promotion. That this cocktail party warrior somehow buffooned an easy shot at full Colonel perhaps best explains this unmitigated rant against all things Clinton. Egregious overstatement of this sort gives cause to wonder whether or not the author dropped the `football' a time or two, perhaps on Bill's toe. Although I can fully appreciate why many people have a negative opinion of the Clintons as a matter of prerogative and political persuasion, vicious slander of the sort one finds in this book does not seem to be the product of sober reflection, no matter how biased. To paraphrase a dead-white-guy philosopher, `insincerity protests too much!'
As 'Insider' as It Gets.......2007-06-27
Robert Patterson was Clinton's top military aide. He was at the presidents side whenever he was on duty.
Read this book before you make a decision on Hillary.
Wow Refreshing Read.......2007-06-10
For once a book about Bill Clinton that has some basis in reality. So many books out there are written based purely on politics and ideology but this book seems more based in facts.
If you want to learn more about Bill Clinton but can't stand all the typical Left wing defenses and Right wing attacks this book is for you
Truth Can Hurt and Is A Stubborn Thing.......2007-05-21
Ron Marlar (a retired USAF officer, college professor, school teacher, living currently in Florida)
I checked Robert (Buzz) Patterson's Dereliction of Duty out of our local library and read it shortly after it was published (2004). Then I bought copies - one each for self-admitted liberal and conservative friends. The copy for the liberal friend was a housewarming gift. It certainly warmed his house and more. At his instigation we have hardly spoken since his warming. Conclusion: Liberals take great offense at criticism no matter how well documented and by eyewitnesses of their favored people.
One of the many incidents - this one personal - Buzz Patterson reports may have been a major factor prompting him to write a book with such a telling title and so full of failures and offenses to civility by the Clintons and their staffers. Bill Clinton hit on Patterson's wife according to Patterson. Should anyone be surprised by that, given the other revelations so far about the Clintons, especially Bill, his own confessions and apologies?
Should anyone be surprised by the Clintons demeaning, misusing and harming the military? Unlike George H.W. and George W. Bush who served at least in some capacity in the military the Clintons have not done so. Indeed Bill evaded military service by deceiving the University of Arkansas ROTC commander.
Those who attack the messenger rather than the message often do so because they cannot attack the message. Despite the ad hominem attacks on Patterson his message rings true as consistent with other reports on the attitudes and actions of the Clintons, those whom they gather around themselves, the supporters of the Clintons and other Democrat politicians, both past and present. Together with that consistency in reports, attitudes and behavior patterns the attackers of Patterson lend credibility to him as the messenger.
Be careful when selecting Dereliction of Duty for buy. The main title is the same as another book (by H.R. McMaster, 1998) recounting the dereliction of duty by Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert Strange McNamara and those that they appointed as top military leaders. Did I not say something already about the consistency of attitudes, behavior patterns and misuse of the military by Democrat politicians, both past and present?
Average customer rating:
- Great, whether you get to the rain forest or not
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Tropical Rain Forest
Donald M. Silver
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
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Similar Items:
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Nature's Green Umbrella (Mulberry Books)
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A Walk in the Rainforest
-
Arctic Tundra
-
One Small Square: Woods
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Cactus Desert (One Small Square)
ASIN: 0070580510 |
Book Description
Bats and big cats. Armies of ants. Squawking parrots. Strangling figs. From the ground up to the tree tops, the tropical rainforest teems with life. Stunning drawings, step-by-step experiments, fun-to-do activities, and fascinating facts abound in this magical exploration of an essential ecosystem, in danger of disappearing forever. Tropical Rain Forest is a new edition to the One Samll Square Series not previously published in hardcover.
Customer Reviews:
Great, whether you get to the rain forest or not.......2002-03-14
The One Small Square series is wonderful: the concept is that you take a hypothetical square foot of an environment- woods, seashore, arctic tundra, rainforest, etc.- and explore it at all levels, from underground to the sky. Each book is extensively illustrated with all of the inter-connected layers of life- from fungus to megafauna- in the Square. On the margin of most of the 2-page spreads are activities that you can do, no matter where you live. Food chains, life cycles & seasons are explored, and the back section has an identification guide to all of the life forms presented in the book.
We took One Small Square: Tropical Rain Forest with us on a trip to the Brazilian rainforest with our 5 & 7 year olds. The book was great- for the grown ups & the kids! We used it as a guide to identify many of the animals & plants we saw, as background to help the girls understand what they were going to see, as reading on the long trips up the river. We did many of the activities- some before, some during, and some after the trip. Our guide was so impressed with it that he ordered a copy for himself, saying that it was hard to find something with so much information that was both accurate and interesting to people at many different levels of knowledge. Highly recommended!
Book Description
"Very funny and moving...The glimpses of rare fauna seem to have enlarged [Adams'] thinking, enlivened his world; and so might the animals do for us all, if we were to help them live."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
Join bestselling author Douglas Adams and zooligist Mark Carwardine as they take off around the world in search of exotic, endangered creatures. Hilarious and poignant--as only Douglas Adams can be--LAST CHANCE TO SEE is an entertaining and arresting odyssey through the Earth's magnificent wildlife galaxy.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing.......2007-08-23
This book is extremely hard to find outside of Amazon which is a real shame because this is definitely one of Adams' greatest, one that is not only absolutely hilarious but that reveals his own amazing character and interests in a profound way.
If you are an Adams fan at all or just liked the Hitchhiker Guide you really need this book, I'm thinking about becoming a zoologist after reading this but I expect they are not as funny.
Great read!.......2007-08-20
Great and witty read as only Douglas Adams seems to be able to. Really sad that he is no longer around to write more gems like this!
Ignacio
A Favorite For Many.......2007-01-17
The publishers of this book were brilliant to get Douglas Adams (RIP) to accompany zoologist, Mark Carwardine, to "document" their journey and experiences visiting animals in danger of extinction. He gives you a good laugh and lots of fascinating information. This is a great book for young and old alike. I can't recommend it enough.
So long, Baiji (and Douglas too).......2006-12-19
Being a fan of Douglas Adams, I picked up this book right away...and I personally consider it to be his best work. The world of conservation is not often viewed at from a light-hearted perspective, and this book allows readers to ease into serious topics with an infusion of humour. The people they meet, th experiences, the descriptions of the animal kingdom all point to a world that is quirky and loveable.
It was announced in the newspaper a few days ago that the Baiji dolphin has been written off as extinct...I would love to read a follow-up to see what happened with the sanctuary. Unfortunately Douglas has passed on as well, so an update is unlikely.
I can't recommend this book enough.
Goodbye, Baiji Dolphin.......2006-12-14
I just finished reading this book last night. As I went to sleep I thought, "I should really check up on these animals tomorrow and see how they are doing." Today they announce that the Baiji Dolphin is functionally extinct. I'm too sick for words.
It's a wonderful book, probably my favorite of Douglas Adams' collection.
Amazon.com
The image of salmon battling upstream through whitewater cataracts to spawn in their birthplace is integral to any happy vision of the Pacific Northwest. Sadly, because they face more insidious obstacles than swift currents, few people today actually witness this remarkable spectacle. Armed with exhaustive research and an ability to synthesize his findings into a concise, readable indictment of the status quo, Jim Lichatowich, a fisheries scientist for 30 years, traces the sudden decline of Northwest salmon populations following the onset of Euro-American settlement. He points a finger at the usual suspects: logging, mining, damming, grazing, irrigation, commercial fishing, and development. Moreover, he cites the political establishment for a failure of nerve. Since the shift from a Native American "gift" economy based on sustainability to a profit economy based on self-interest and short-term financial gain, the historically resilient salmon have met one adversary after another, with little or no help from the legal apparatus charged with their protection. In fact, federal and state governments have responded to the deepening crisis mainly by building fish hatcheries up and down the West Coast. Contrary to the beliefs of entrenched bureaucrats and sport fishermen, says Lichatowich, hatcheries have merely diluted the gene pools of wild stocks while allowing resource extractors to continue their multifarious operations and politicians to shirk their responsibilities. In 1960, for instance, after decades of declining runs, the Washington Department of Fisheries reported, incredibly (and characteristically), that new advanced management techniques would soon result in "salmon without a river"--more welcome news to those who would continue to exploit these iconic fish and their habitat. At the dawn of the 21st century hundreds of hatcheries still operate, yet Northwest salmon populations have decreased 95 percent.
Lichatowich is a learned and persuasive advocate for wild salmon. He's also eloquent, as in this description of his first visit to the Columbia River's Grand Coulee dam:
As I sat there wondering and swatting mosquitoes, the face of the dam lit up. It was the start of the nightly laser show.... Appropriately, the lasers sent a series of large green dollar signs floating through the darkness. Then a series of laser salmon swam across the face of the dam. Here were the ideal salmon, I thought, the fish that fit perfectly into our worldview. We have complete control over them--press a button and they appear; press another and they change from green to red; press another and they swim over the dam. Salmon and dams are compatible--as long as you are not particular about the kind of salmon.
So what to do? Lichatowich opines that we need a new "worldview," one that places natural resources within a context of respect and sustainability. He looks to state and federal governments to enforce the protections already granted by laws like the Endangered Species Act. And he sees evidence that public perceptions may be changing on such issues as habitat conservation and biodiversity; breaching four dams on the lower Snake River to aid fish passage would have been unthinkable even in the early 1990s. Whether this new worldview can save salmon in time is another question. --Langdon Cook
Book Description
"Fundamentally, the salmon's decline has been the consequence of a vision based on flawed assumptions and unchallenged myths.... We assumed we could control the biological productivity of salmon and 'improve' upon natural processes that we didn't even try to understand. We assumed we could have salmon without rivers." --from the introduction
From a mountain top where an eagle carries a salmon carcass to feed its young to the distant oceanic waters of the California current and the Alaskan Gyre, salmon have penetrated the Northwest to an extent unmatched by any other animal. Since the turn of the twentieth century, the natural productivity of salmon in Oregon, Washington, California, and Idaho has declined by eighty percent. The decline of Pacific salmon to the brink of extinction is a clear sign of serious problems in the region.
In Salmon Without Rivers, fisheries biologist Jim Lichatowich offers an eye-opening look at the roots and evolution of the salmon crisis in the Pacific Northwest. He describes the multitude of factors over the past century and a half that have led to the salmon's decline, and examines in depth the abject failure of restoration efforts that have focused almost exclusively on hatcheries to return salmon stocks to healthy levels without addressing the underlying causes of the decline. The book:
- describes the evolutionary history of the salmon along with the geologic history of the Pacific Northwest over the past 40 million years
- considers the indigenous cultures of the region, and the emergence of salmon-based economies that survived for thousands of years
- examines the rapid transformation of the region following the arrival of Europeans
- presents the history of efforts to protect and restore the salmon
- offers a critical assessment of why restoration efforts have failed
Throughout, Lichatowich argues that the dominant worldview of our society -- a worldview that denies connections between humans and the natural world -- has created the conflict and controversy that characterize the recent history of salmon; unless that worldview is challenged and changed, there is little hope for recovery. Salmon Without Rivers exposes the myths that have guided recent human-salmon interactions. It clearly explains the difficult choices facing the citizens of the region, and provides unique insight into one of the most tragic chapters in our nation's environmental history.
Customer Reviews:
Peter Morrison.......2005-09-11
This is a must read book for anyone interested in salmon, rivers and the ecology and history of the Pacific Northwest. Excellent information and a good read.
Great read.......2005-08-02
This is an excellent book that documents the history of salmon, how native Americans viewed them and how modern Americans view them. It focuses on why the pacific northwest is facing a salmon crisis, and our failed attempts to replace what we have lost. Great read for anyone who is concerned about environmental issues.
Pacific Northwest Salmon History Book.......2003-12-02
Salmon Without Rivers is a great book of historical facts. It includes many issues like; original salmon locations/populations, "Economy over Environment" issues, and the ineffectiveness of large decision making commissions/agencies. However, with all his good background information the book does not propose any solutions nor investigates today's coastal human communities as they relate to the salmon and/or habitat.
A captivating, human, informed book.......2001-01-16
As a freelance author writing a piece about salmon for a California-based magazine, this book was indispensible and eye-opening. It is unfailingly sensitive and intelligent about salmon, discussing the fish as fellow creatures in the "natural economy" in which we all live, rather than as mere commodities in the "industrial economy" that has transformed the West in the last 150 years. It is fascinating about the geology that shaped the salmon's environment, the evolutionary history of the fish, the relationship between Native Americans and salmon in the Northwest, and it provides a detailed history of the many factors that have led to the salmon's decline, including habitat destruction, misbegotten hatchery programs, overfishing, dams, mining, grazing, irrigation. If you like to read books about ecology, the creatures of the earth, fish, or the Northwest--you can't go wrong. This is a wonderful book.
Save the salmon and us.......2000-12-24
A thoroughly researched and impassioned presentation including the history of salmon, their decline, why billions of tax dollars in restoration efforts have had paltry returns, and insights into the where we should go from here. A complex issue is examined from many perspectives in an easy to read and compelling book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in salmon.
Amazon.com
In a wonderful weave of science, metaphor, and prose, David Quammen, author of The Flight of the Iguana, applies the lessons of island biogeography - the study of the distribution of species on islands and islandlike patches of landscape - to modern ecosystem decay, offering us insight into the origin and extinction of species, our relationship to nature, and the future of our world.
Book Description
David Quammen's book, The Song of the Dodo, is a
brilliant, stirring work, breathtaking in its scope,
far-reaching in its message -- a crucial book in
precarious times, which radically alters the way in
which we understand the natural world and our place
in that world. It's also a book full of entertainment
and wonders.
In The Song of the Dodo, we follow Quammen's keen
intellect through the ideas, theories, and experiments
of prominent naturalists of the last two centuries.
We trail after him as he travels the world,
tracking the subject of island biogeography, which
encompasses nothing less than the study of the origin
and extinction of all species. Why is this island
idea so important? Because islands are where
species most commonly go extinct -- and because, as
Quammen points out, we live in an age when all of
Earth's landscapes are being chopped into island-like
fragments by human activity.
Through his eyes, we glimpse the nature of evolution
and extinction, and in so doing come to understand
the monumental diversity of our planet, and
the importance of preserving its wild landscapes,
animals, and plants. We also meet some fascinating
human characters. By the book's end we are wiser,
and more deeply concerned, but Quammen
leaves us with a message of excitement and hope.
Customer Reviews:
Science Journalism? Yeh, it rules!.......2007-09-26
This is the first book I've read by Quammen, an imminently talented journalist who perfectly balances the information and writing style of the book. He follows a chronological progression of island biogeography from Darwin through Jared Diamond (who became hugely famous shortly after the release of this book). Quammen's travelogues are excellent, combining a sympathetic, open perspective that is adventurous and engaged. Late in the book, Quammen describes a climb to the nest of a Mauritius kestrel: "When I'm thirty feet up, a tree branch flicks off my glasses, which drop to the ground. I could go down and retrieve them, sure, that would be sensible, but I'd fall too far behind the cheerful maniacs...
'Do you trust this vine?' I call up to Jones. Gangly but tall, he must weigh two hundred pounds, and from this angle I can appreciate the size of his feet.
'Not greatly.'
We ratchet our way upward, slowly, on the cliff face. It isn't Half Dome but it's more perilous than the average birdwatching stroll. We rise out above the valley. As we move beyond the treetops, I give myself an explicit mental reminder: Fall from here and you don't go home. Finally, Jones and I catch up with Lewis on a narrow rock shelf, like a window ledge ten stories above Lexington Avenue...
I gaze out at the panorama--the forested canyon below us, the deer ranch beyond, and the cane plantation beyond that, all spreading westward for five miles to the crescent of beach and then the great turquoise plane of the Indian Ocean." (562-3)
It's Quammen's excitement and sensitivty that inspire the reader to continue and to care, to take notice of humanity's influence: carving nature into islands, resulting in astonishing rates of extinction and ecosystem decay. But Quammen urges us to cling to hope, not despair, because "besides being fruitless it's far less exciting than hope, however slim." (636)
Desultory fluff.......2007-09-06
This is by far the most desultory, fluff-filled history of biological evolution that I've ever read. Generally, I am not a skimmer of Quammen's work, and in fact often enjoy his wit and lithesome prose, but after only a dozen pages or so into Dodo I found myself flipping page after page looking for something substantive, looking for meat. In one word, the pace is SLOW. Over and over again in the margins I found myself scribbling "Go! Go! We'd advanced this far thirty pages ago!" But on the plus side I suppose if you are looking for a book to practice your speed reading, Dodo may be it: you can flip ten pages at a throw and hardly miss a thing.
Fabulous.......2006-09-06
Quammen's book is a rare bird--a clearly written science book that doesn't condescend to readers. It's long enough to go fairly deep, and deep enough to be interesting: it's on my short list of favorites.
As other reviewers point out, the history of squabbles wears a little thin, but neither Darwin nor anyone else sticks in my memory as having been unfairly kneecapped. In fact, the only faintly negative impression I had was of the excessive care Quammen takes in presenting some fairly basic math. Highly recommended.
Plotting the roadmap to species extinction.......2006-07-23
"Islands are where species go to die." - David Quammen, author of THE SONG OF THE DODO
This book is all about the birth, maturation, and real world applications of the science of island biogeography as it relates to the circumstances of species isolation and diversification and subsequent decline and extinction. Here, "island" means not only the obvious - a bit of land surrounded by water - but any habitat separated from the rest of the world by a geographic barrier which its resident species are unlikely to cross. "Island", then, can refer, for examples, to a lake, a remnant of rain forest surrounded by clear-cut, a temperate mountaintop surrounded by desert, a national park hemmed in by human habitation, a cave, an expanse of jungle bordered by wide rivers, or a literal island in the sea.
Island biogeography inexorably leads the reader to the concept of conservation biology and viable-population theory. You see, the rampant human population is cutting the world's diverse ecosystems into little bits - islands - thus dooming countless species living within them - especially large vertebrates - to eventual destruction.
THE SONG OF THE DODO is a lucid, erudite, troubling, and extensively researched piece of science writing by journalist David Quammen. It's biggest fault is that he just about beats the subject to death. Where, perhaps, just a few examples of past species extinction (the Dodo or the Micronesian honeyeater) and present pending extinction (the indri of Madagascar or the Concho water snake in Texas) would suffice, the author includes at least a dozen more. But, as Quammen is such an excellent writer who feels strongly about this important subject, one cannot award less than five stars. Amidst the record of both realized and threatened animal extirpations, David even manages to be humorous when his narrative becomes a personal travelogue as he journeys to exotic places to observe the pending carnage for himself, as when tripping face-first into a spiderweb on Guam ("My worst nightmares feature tarantulas the size of badgers") or getting mugged in Rio de Janeiro. About the last incident, when confronted at the local police station with the one (of three) of his attackers unlucky enough to get caught, David quips:
"He's looking at five years (imprisonment) I'm told. Cinco anos. Cinco, no kidding? that's a lot of anos, I say. Probably I should feel terrible for the young thug, on grounds of socioeconomic extenuation, but in the weakness of the moment my liberal knee fails to jerk and cinco anos sounds fine."
The most glaring negative is the lack of photographs, both of the various creatures under discussion and the scientists, past and present, who've contributed to, and fought over, the theory and practice of island biogeography.
Recently, I saw AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, a documentary on global warming. Taken together with THE SONG OF THE DODO, my pessimism is kindled to a white heat. I don't have a high opinion of my fellow man: Homo sapiens is a rapacious species ungenerous to the other life forms riding Mother Earth. We blithely defecate on our own doorstep. At some point, the planet, which will ultimately endure, will turn to Man and say, "I'll show you!" Then, as Quammen puts it:
"When we ourselves do go (extinct), the sparrows and the cockroaches and the rats and the dandelions that survive us should eventually give rise to a new inflorescence of diversity. I'll leave it to you to decide whether that represents a gloomy scenario or a cheery one."
Comprehensive.......2006-07-19
Mr Quammen's work is the finest written on the facts of island biogeography. Broad in scope, the writer visited the leks of the birds of paradise and those nasty lizards on Komodo. Other places of interest the book visits are Madagascar and the Galapagos, known for their weird endemic faunas that can only be explained in an evolutionary, and biogeographic manner.
Average customer rating:
- Exciting new spin on Brown Bear, Brown Bear
- Sorta Weird
- There is hope!
- Everyone should have this book
- I should like this one, but...
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Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
Bill Martin Jr.
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?
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ASIN: 0805017585 |
Amazon.com
Fans of Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? will be delighted to see another title in this lilting call and response series. Much like their earlier picture books, Panda Bear features a string of fine feathered (and furry and scaly) friends watching over each other. In this book, however, all the animals are endangered, from a swinging spider monkey to a strutting macaroni penguin (kids will get a kick out of that name!) to a splashing sea lion. Carle's trademark tissue paper collages will be as familiar--and welcome--as the text ("Whooping Crane, Whooping Crane, what do you see?" "I see a black panther strolling by me."); young readers will quickly get the hang of the rhythm and join right in. The book concludes on a hopeful note, with a dreaming child seeing the ten f! eatured animals "all wild and free--/ that's what I see!" Martin includes a note on endangered species that may spark concern and interest in older readers--our hope for these disappearing creatures. (Ages 3 to 8) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
Thirty-five years after their first groundbreaking collaboration, the creators of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? reunite to address the important topic of animal conservation. A Bald Eagle soars, a Spider Monkey swings, a Macaroni Penguin struts, and a Red Wolf sneaks through Bill Martin Jr's rhythmic text and Eric Carle's vibrant images, and all are watched over by our best hope for the future-a dreaming child.
Customer Reviews:
Exciting new spin on Brown Bear, Brown Bear.......2007-10-03
This book follows the same pattern as the classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? but with an exciting new spin -- exotic, endangered animals. It also has a delightful surprise ending that makes it perfect for a bedtime story.
-Sherry North, author, Because You Are My Baby
Sorta Weird.......2007-09-11
My 2-year old twins like this book because they like to see the animals, but I think they'd get more out of it if more mainstream animals were used. I think they're a little thrown by animals like "macaroni penguin" - sounds like food to them. The dreaming child part is weird looking too.
I think it's great to use endangered animals, although my kids aren't exactly as concerned about animal endangerment as I am. It's not a bad book or anything, but honestly, if I had read it in a bookstore, I wouldn't have bought it.
There is hope!.......2007-08-19
My son loves Eric Carle books, and this is our most recent addition to his collection. I just caught on to the fact that all of the animals are endangered, but I think it's so cool that one of them isn't anymore! The bald eagle was recently taken off the endangered species list. I think that gives us (and especially kids) hope that more of those animals can come off that list, and maybe even in their lifetime.
Everyone should have this book.......2007-06-16
In a world of highways, malls, highrises, greed and land excavation, it's good to find a book that dares to dream of thick forests, lush jungles and untouched oceans where wonderful creatures can thrive. This is my favorite of all the "bear" books. It's statement is strong and I can't wait until my 16 month old daughter can recognize it.
I should like this one, but..........2007-03-07
I oughta like it, I want to like it, but it just left me flat. More to the point, it left my kids flat. The two stars I gave this were for the illustrations -- they are really cool, as you'd expect with Eric Carle. Normally, you can't go wrong with Bill Martin, but I guess everybody has their bad days. The language doesn't flow as well as the other bear books, and that makes it a little awkward for reading aloud. We have Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, and both are big favorites with the under-3 set around our house. Panda Bear just doesn't make the grade.
Average customer rating:
- A textbook, with pluses and minuses
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Wildlife Issues in a Changing World, Second Edition
Michael Moulton , and
James Sanderson
Manufacturer: CRC
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1566703514 |
Book Description
Students of conservation encounter some of the most complex issues on our planet. The resolution of existing problems become more complex when humans create further stresses on the natural balance. Moulton and Sanderson brought the challenging issues in wildlife conservation into greater clarity in Wildlife Issues in a Changing World. The Second Edition of this definitive reference focuses more closely on the causes of wildlife issues. The examination of Jared Diamond's "Evil Quartet" (the four principal causes of extinction) provides a framework for categorizing and resolving these issues. The authors encourage the use of the scientific method basis for resolution - especially where environmental laws have failed. The three new chapters provide further counterpoints to preconceived notions. A two-part history of wildlife in the U.S. shows how wildlife had already been decimated by the year 1900. "Can Humans Manage Wildlife?" questions efforts to revive endangered species, acts which may inadvertently jeopardize the survival of other life. Viewing the natural order from prehistoric times to the present, Wildlife Issues in a Changing World, Second Edition gives students and instructors an all-encompassing introduction to past relations between humans and nature; explorations of current threats to species and their habitats; and recent "novel solutions," where humanity and industry have made adjustments to protect the natural order. Professionals will also find invaluable reminders of the importance of their work - the continuation and endurance of wildlife everywhere on Earth.
Customer Reviews:
A textbook, with pluses and minuses.......2006-09-30
Wildlife Issues in a Changing World is a textbook on... wildlife issues! There is an emphasis on the United States, but there are a good number of international examples as well. I really like the chapters on the Evil Quartet, what is wildlife, and what are wildlife issues. As I use this book in my courses, I depend on it as a source of wildlife issue examples, supplemented with DVDs and videos (to "bring" wildlife into the classroom).
It is, in general, a hard book for students. I don't mean hard in terms of the materials. It is well-written, and rather easy to read. It is hard to use to study for tests. I tell students that it compliments the lectures, and doesn't repeat them. Students tend to complain that it has too many examples, so the "themes" that they are tested on are difficult to find.
I still find it the best text for my purposes for a general course with primarily non-natural resource students. I like it for its price as well.
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