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Rosemary and Peter Grant and those assisting them have spend twenty years on Daphne Major, an island in the Galapagos studying natural selection. They recognize each individual bird on the island, when there are four hundred at the time of the author's visit, or when there are over a thousand. They have observed about twenty generations of finches -- continuously.
Jonathan Weiner follows these scientists as they watch Darwin's finches and come up with a new understanding of life itself.
Book Description
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
On a desert island in the heart of the Galapagos archipelago, where Darwin received his first inklings of the theory of evolution, two scientists, Peter and Rosemary Grant, have spent twenty years proving that Darwin did not know the strength of his own theory. For among the finches of Daphne Major, natural selection is neither rare nor slow: it is taking place by the hour, and we can watch.
In this dramatic story of groundbreaking scientific research, Jonathan Weiner follows these scientists as they watch Darwin's finches and come up with a new understanding of life itself.
The Beak of the Finch is an elegantly written and compelling masterpiece of theory and explication in the tradition of Stephen Jay Gould.
Customer Reviews:
The Beak of the Finch.......2007-07-16
Brilliant writing and organization shows that evolution can occur in as short a time frame as two years. Never boring. The non-scientist will find this book of our changing world a good read.
Wonderful science and a great narrative.......2007-04-14
"Beak" is perhaps the best popular book on evolution between Darwin and Dawkins.
Thoughtful, educated persons must know certain facts about the physical world. One of those facts is evolution. Evolution happens, it is not "just a theory."
As the author explains through the story of the work of Peter and Rosemary Grant, we can see natural selection operate in real time, season by season, in fish, birds, bacteria, and throughout the natural world. The explanation of evolution may be somewhat more open to debate but you can't participate meaningfully in the debate without being armed with some facts.
Don't bring a knife to an intellectual gunfight. Arm yourselves.
One of the Best Books on Nature.......2007-02-22
I have read much on evolution, and the evolution controversy in (primarily) the United States. This book does a wonderful job of demonstrating how scientists, right now, are recording and observing natural selection in action. Before I read this book I was not aware of how much information we really have about evolution and natural selection occurring in "the wild" on an everday basis. This book provides thorough mathematical evidence and predictive models of how natural selection changes the morphology of Darwin's Finches on the Galapogos Islands. It interleaves that story with a decent primer on evolution and snippets of other, similar research, going on right now too.
For example, it describes some fasicinating experiments conducted showing how quickly natural selection will change the color of Amazonian guppies based solely on the color of the rocks in the pools in which the guppies live, and the frequency of predation. It is amazing. As I read more about evolution, I see that rates of evolution vary widely. Evolution operating slowly (over 1000's or millions of years) is pretty obvious. This book provides a window into the amazing world of "rapid" evolution.
The best part about it is that it is as much a journalistic endeavor as a well-written book. This is NOT a polemic about why evolution is better than other ideas. This book simply reports the facts. If you don't understand evolution or believe it can be true after reading this book, then you aren't really trying to understand.
Finally, this book deserves the awards and accolades. It is well-written, well-researched, and well-organized. I don't give many books five stars, but this one is worth it. I would recommend it for anyone: scientists, kids, and just people interested in learning and fascinated by the world around us.
Excellent quality -- arrived in good time.......2007-02-10
The book is in excellent shape, and it arrived in a timely fashion.
Beyond Darwin.......2007-01-19
If you're only slightly interested in the ways the evolution works, then this is it. But beware to have some knowledge about the basics of evolution before moving on to this book. There's a bit of a steep learning curve when you're not all to familiair with Darwin's brilliant theory. It also gives a nice insight in the way scientists work.
Customer Reviews:
Ross Russell was there .......2005-07-28
I've read hundreds of jazz histories, and Ross Russell's original classic, "Bird Lives!", remains among my favorite. I read it again this week, in fact. Are there more thorough Parker biographies? Well, sure. But Ross Russell was there. He created Dial Records for the purposes of recording Parker. Also, Russell (a pulp writer in his young years) always had literary aspirations, and his writing has that fun, hard-boiled style of the 1930s. Ross was a product of his literary times. I hope this book never goes out of print.
Granted, I'm biased. In the early 1990s, when Ross was in his 90s and living alone in a trailer in the California desert, he and I corresponded frequently. I was writing a chapter on Dial Records for a book, and Ross was so encouraging and helpful. He had an amazing life to ups and downs. Ross was a very funny guy, and that humor runs throughout "Bird Lives!" With Bird, you either laughed or cried. Ross did a fair amount of both.
Read "Bird Lives!" with an open mind, and ignore the bandwagon of critics who attack it. There's no substitute for fascinating first-person accounts, and Ross' personal experiences with the saxophone madman leave every jazz historian green with envy.
Good, but pretentious.......2004-12-11
Ross Russell produced many Bird's historical sessions and witnessed him collapsing in California. So, he's the right man to write about Charlie Parker. On the other hand, his literary pretentions almost spoil his efforts. Buy Rob Reisner's "Bird" instead of this book.
A classic biography.......2004-07-17
For me, this book is one of those experiences that are about as good as it gets with your clothes on. Not only do we get to discover the genius of Parker, but we're taken on the journey with a brilliant writer. Here, Bird does indeed live. Russell vividly captures the essence of the man, the music and the times, and this book is as much a tribute to his superb literary talent as it is to Parker's prodigous musical gifts. A rare combination. If you haven't yet read it, I envy you. They don't get any better than this.
Brings "Bird" soaring to life!.......2004-04-04
Charlie Parker was one of the most influential and important musicians of the 20th century. His musical creations and innovations shaped the face of jazz in many profound ways. In his hands the alto saxophone transcended being a mere instrument and became a means of spreading love and hope. In this classic biography we see all sides and facets of this complex and truly brilliant man. He was; a practical joker, womanizer, alcoholic, heroin addict, charming con man and over-eater extraordinaire. A legend is brought marvelously to life here, unlike in Clint Eastwood's well-intentioned but depressingly one-sided movie "Bird."
Forget the movie..........2003-04-15
Ross Russell was the president of Dial records when Parker was in California. He recorded several sides while there, but Mr Russell, an obvious fan of Parker, makes a huge effort to desribe Parker's whole spectacular and at the same time tragic life and career. When I read this book, I literally could not put it down.
Parker was a great clown and entertainer, something which Clint Eastwood's disappointing movie "Bird" never portrayed, instead sticking to the sad and seedy sections of the great Parker's life. I read this book years before the film came out, and I was shocked because I knew Eastwood to be a big jazz fan.
Anyhow, every major event in Parker's short life is chronicled, giving an excellent narrative of an extraordinary career.
Miled Davis in his autobiography said that Bird was a con, a cheat, and that Ross Russell exploited him. Nonetheless, this book presents many facets to describe Parker's life, in vivid detail. I'd call this essential for any true jazz fan to understand the man, his music, and the truly monumental and unsurpassed contribution Parker made to all music. Also revealed are all the main players of the time and their relation to the music and the man.
Also, there are three books I recommend (in this order) to anyone who really wants the inside scoop on the jazz life: Bird Lives, Miles Davis' in-your-face-autobiography, and Albert Goldman's biography of Lenny Bruce. All three books can be read as companion pieces and give a realistic portrait of 3 of the most influential people of the 20th century and the world that created them. At the same time all three books provide an excellent reality check to anyone contemplating a heroin habit!
Book Description
As a self-proclaimed twitcher—a birdwatching extremist who travels around the country trying to catch a glimpse of as many species of birds as possible—the author took a year off in 2002 with the goal of seeing 700 birds and thereby breaking the national record for most birds seen in one year. In this amusing memoir, he recounts his quest, including how he spent all of his inheritance from the untimely death of his parents to make his dream a reality. Populated by unusual characters and interesting species of birds, this part confessional–part travelogue for both bird nerds and the general population follows the author as he works out what it means to be normal despite his unusually avid compulsion toward twitching.
Customer Reviews:
Big Twitch.......2006-09-09
Australian birder Sean Dooley describes his Big Year, an effort to break the record for the most birds seen in Australia (and environs) in a year.
I loved this birding memoir. Dooley is a lively, humorous, engaging writer, and his Australian slang makes his voice particularly come alive, at least for this American reader. He conveys a passion for his pursuit and a concern for wildlife and the environment without sanctimony.
Clearly, there are scads of awesome birds in Australia, and undoubtedly they have the best common names of any birds anywhere. The species list at the back of the book is an entertainment in itself.
I am at a loss, however, to explain Mr. Dooley's difficulty in finding women who bird. Maybe it's a cultural thing?
Definitely recommended, especially for American readers to whom the language and most of the species will be engagingly exotic.
Average customer rating:
- A Near Death Experience
- Everything Condor
- How one large bird journeyed to the very edge of extinction and came back makes for an exciting story
- Informative and a lot of fun to read
- The Return of the Condor
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Condor: To the Brink and Back--the Life and Times of One Giant Bird
John Nielsen
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
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ASIN: 006008863X
Release Date: 2007-03-13 |
Book Description
The California condor, with a wingspan of nine–and–a–half feet and a history as old as the Redwoods, should be extinct by now. It should not be soaring over the Grand Canyon, Big Sur, and south–central California. It should not be breeding like a machine in zoos. It should be a bitter memory.
Fifteen years ago, there were only twenty–seven California condors left in the world, and they were all in zoos, where none had even tried to reproduce. The effort to save this bird had come to resemble a bar fight, in which environmentalists, scientists, and bureaucrats injured themselves and the species they were trying to save. It was embarrassing at best.
Yet the condor has survived somehow. It has sailed past the brink of extinction, turned a broad circle in the sky, and returned to the wild again. The story of how this happened is more than the story of an endangered bird with an amazing wingspan. It is also the story of a wild and giant state that has become crowded and small, and the behind–the–scenes dramas that shaped the environmental movement.
Customer Reviews:
A Near Death Experience.......2007-07-07
If cats have nine lives, then the California condor as a species must be their equal. These birds have stepped to the edge of the extinction cliff and ALMOST fallen to a crushing collapse. After reading their story, you have to wonder if the creator was playing a cruel joke on this ancient and giant bird. First, with the exception of the huge black body and their graceful soaring, they aren't what you would call "easy on the eyes." They have a number of disgusting habits, and to top it off, they settled on Southern California as home (i.e., this place is being consumed by development at an alarming rate).
Condors to the Brink and Back - covers this bird's life history all the way to the release of zoo raised birds into the wilds of California and Arizona. With each chapter that John Nielsen writes in their life history I felt like, "Okay, this is it. These birds aren't going to survive this one." In the end, the species (read: humans) which puts them against the ropes, is ultimately the same species which comes to their rescue. Nielsen introduces all the key players in what at times resembles a less-than-unified effort to save the mighty condor.
Nearing the end of the book, what becomes apparent is man's role as the crutch the fragile condor must lean against to survive. As more condors raised in captivity are released into the wild, their dependency on wildlife biologists and zoo care-takers can begin to crumble. Encouraging news about California condors breeding and fledging new birds in their natural habitat is happening with greater frequency and spreading over a wider range including Mexico.
Their longer term survival looks brighter and brighter. But some of the threats that put these birds on the brink of collapse are still present today in the form of lead pellets and bullets in downed game which the condors ingest and the ever shrinking range land which they inhabit. For the time being, we have the California condor back to grace our skies, and play an important role as one of nature's big body snatchers.
Everything Condor.......2006-06-03
This is a really interesting book. Nielsen writes very well, and with an evident passion arising from his boyhood experiences with condors in southern California. Nielsen tells the story of the condor, what little we know of its history before the nineteenth century, the slaughter of the birds and the stealing of its eggs, and finally the sometimes comical efforts to save this profound species from extinction. The book is equally appealing to readers who are simply seeking a good story, and to those who are involved in other kinds of environmental protection efforts.
One particular part of the story surprised me. Nielsen interviewed Sandy Wilbur, the government biologist charged with developing a plan to save the condor immediately after the Endangered Species Act became law in 1973. According to Nielsen, Wilbur became a Christian after reading a book by C.S. Lewis, and it was his Christian beliefs that influenced his desire to preserve the condor. Wilbur believed that the condor was special because it was created by God, even though the bird had long outlived its evolutionary significance and was not necessary for any current ecosystem. This is a different kind of motivation for saving biodiversity, and the story is a nice complement to the many other individuals who have struggled to save such a memorable bird.
How one large bird journeyed to the very edge of extinction and came back makes for an exciting story.......2006-05-26
How one large bird journeyed to the very edge of extinction and came back makes for an exciting story: especially when related by a NPR environmental correspondent as in CONDOR; TO THE BRINK AND BACK - THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ONE GIANT BIRD. Here is where passionate reporting blends best with science, producing a moving story of how a small group of committed people refused to allow the condor to become extinct, joining forces to gather the last remaining wild condors to a pair of zoos where they were encouraged to breed with other captives. John Nielsen is a native Californian as well as an environmental writer, so he's in the perfect position to provide a survey of both California environmental politics and processes and natural history in this compelling account.
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch
Informative and a lot of fun to read.......2006-04-02
John Nielsen has clearly done his homework when it comes to understanding the fascinating history of the California Condor. He not only takes us through the natural history of condors from the Pleistocene to the present, he also introduces us to the remarkable cast of characters who have worked diligently for almost a century to prevent this species from disappearing. Written in an easy, engaging style, "Condor" combines ecology, history, and gossip to create a vivid picture of the challenges involved in saving a species that was more at home in the age of the mammoths than in the age of McMansions.
The Return of the Condor.......2006-02-28
American condors are not an easy bird to love, at least for many people. Their points of unattractiveness are many. The condor is a vulture, a creature that eats dead and rotting things by sticking its bald, red, ugly head into carcasses. When it needs to cool its feet, it urinates on them. Its sense of interior design for the caves in which it nests is to decorate the walls with feces and vomit. John Nielson, in _Condor: To the Brink and Back - The Life and Times of One Giant Bird_ (HarperCollins) admits to all this ugliness, but says the images vanish when the bird takes flight: "You may think there's no chance you could ever give a damn about this bird, but take my word for it: once you see the condor soaring, it owns you." The birds have inspired a great deal of fervent enthusiasm, which has of course pitted enthusiasts against such types as farmers and developers, but has also divided those who want to save the birds into warring factions when they disagree on the fundamentals of how to do so. The condor has survived, but even Nielsen admits it has long been a species with no ecological value. It has survived, barely so, despite its involvement with humans and now directly because of them.
The birds are amazing in many ways. They are one of the largest of flying birds, with a ten foot wing span. The finger-like feathers at the end of those wings are almost two feet long. As big as condors are, they were small scavenger birds compared to some of the others 1.6 million years ago in the Pleistocene, when they would have fed on mammoths, sloths, and saber-toothed cats. As Nielsen says, we'd pay plenty to get mammoths and saber-tooths back; what's it worth to keep an animal with the same history? Condors started being afflicted by humans who wiped out different mammalian species in the mid-1700s, and then by hunters who left their prey full of lead, and then by strychnine used to poison varmints, and then by collectors of their feathered skins and their eggs. By 1982 there were only about two dozen left. A great deal of basic research had to be done on the birds to get real understanding of how they lived. It was not until the 1980s, for instance, that it was learned by chance that condors are among the birds that "double clutch," laying a second egg in a season if they lose the first one. This meant that one egg could go to the zoo without making the flock smaller. Crews of condor-fanciers wore themselves out tagging condors in the wild or collecting the eggs; they called themselves "The Zombie Patrol" because as they staggered to the condor nest caves they were "filthy, smelly, bleeding, starving, stiff, and utterly exhausted." Eggs brought back (in a special padded suitcase) were hatched in the zoos. A program of simply tagging and releasing birds in the wild did not work; eventually all the last birds wound up as captives.
There has been enough success in captive breeding that condors raised in pens have been released into the wild. No one really can predict how this will go. Chicks raised this way are often fed by hand, or at least by hand puppet, a covering for a hand that looks very much like an adult condor head coming down with food in its beak. This was supposed to let chicks sense that they were in a condor family, but one keeper said, "It only took the chicks a few days to figure out that there were people behind the puppets." Wild birds do not need to be thinking of people as a source for nutrition (or for any other blessings, given how we have treated them). There was a program of "aversive therapy" to keep them from being too affectionate to or curious about humans, and another to teach them not to land on power lines. There are important philosophical issues here; are such birds raised so unnaturally really natural members of the environment, and what is it that we have gotten for the millions that have been spent to get them back in the air? If you only count numbers, there are about a hundred condors flying free now, which is a real success, although some biologists think this only shows how badly we have failed to keep the environment a place where condors could continue to make their homes independently. Perhaps it is only appropriate that this strange bird, hideously ugly in appearance and fabulously beautiful in the skies, should bring out the best and the worst in us, and that its unresolved story should be filled with ambivalent messages.
Book Description
The ladies of Iceland have a problem: the birds lay their eggs in nooks on the sides of steep cliffs, so the ladies have a very difficult time getting any of the eggs for baking. They go to town to buy chickens to lay eggs for them instead. For a while, everyone is happy: there are plenty of eggs to bake plenty of yummy things. But the ladies' problems are far from solved, for the more time the chickens spend with the ladies, the more they begin to act like them too, until eventually they stop laying eggs all together. Now this is a problem indeed, but you can be sure, the clever ladies will find a solution. Full of fun and silliness, this lighthearted tale and vibrant illustrations are a delight.
Customer Reviews:
wonderfully creative and fun illustrations.......2006-07-04
I have many of Bruce McMillan's stories each of them stands alone as wonderful additions to a class library. Especially the Problem with Chickens, it was clever, kind and funny. My class of third graders loved it. It is a class favorite now.
When chickens stop being polite and start being real.......2006-04-03
Let's say you have a favorite artist that you have discovered all on your own. Your favorite artist is Icelandic and likes to paint chickens. You, in contrast, are an author/illustrator of children's books. Normally, you illustrate your own work. In this particular case, however, you have decided to convince your favorite artist that they should put their paintings into your newest picture book. Now, if they refuse then you are no poorer off then you were at the start. However, if they agree you might end up with something along the lines of, "The Problem With Chickens". Written by Maine resident Bruce McMillan and illustrated by Icelandic one-namer Gunnella, this book is the duo's first collaboration and (in both cases) best-known work. Chickens are inherently silly fowl, and in this book they become rather adorable to boot. One of the finest examples of chicken/Icelandic women relationships.
Now there once was a small Icelandic village that had a problem. Though there were plenty of eggs nearby, they were laid primarily by the wild birds that nested in the crags of the cliffs where the female villagers could not reach them. As a solution, the women decided to buy some chickens from the big city. At first this arrangement worked out well. The chickens were happy and the women were getting lots of yummy eggs. Unfortunately, this all changed when the chickens stopped acting chickens at all and began imitating the women. Even then, the women didn't mind. That is, until the chickens stopped laying eggs. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so the women come up with a solution. They slyly teach the chickens to exercise, then bodily throw them into the air to remind them what they are. Before long, the chickens are laying their eggs on the cliffs like the other Icelandic birds, but now the ladies have a solution to this problem. A solution, and a new method of chicken-related travel.
McMillan was a fan of Gunnella's art long before they collaborated on this particular work together. Somehow when I read the review of this book in the New York Times, I fell under the impression that Gunnella had created the illustrations entirely on her own and Bruce McMillan had constructed a story around them. This is only partly true. Says McMillan on his website, "With so many paintings with chickens I knew I could develop a story. I did and Gunnella liked it. Then Gunnella filled in the few gaps where we needed new art". I would like to be able to say that the fact that most of these pictures came about before McMillan wrote a story for them isn't obvious. Unfortunately, when you pick up the book and read through it you often find yourself frowning slightly over pictures that don't quite match their narratives. At one point the text says that the chickens were happy with the women and that the, "ladies were overjoyed to have so many eggs for cooking. Their cakes were delicious. That is when the problem started". The picture that accompanies these words, however, is of a woman holding a child on her lap. There are chickens in the background, yes. And eggs are in the woman's basket. But there aren't any cakes (bread and croissants instead) and the picture really strikes you more as a work of art than a scene in a book. People will debate me over whether or not this is really a problem. Is it a crime for art to look like art in a picture book? Of course not! But it has to make sense with the text. And in this case, it fails to do so.
None of this is to say that the art is bad. Not a bit of it. It's charming. Some of these paintings (like the one that appears when the chickens first stop laying any eggs) are really extraordinarily beautiful. It's not difficult to understand why McMillan loved Gunnella's work long before the two collaborated on this together. The chickens are especially adorable. With their beady little eyes and inquisitive expressions, it's not hard to find yourself wishing for more chicken pics. I was especially fond of the illustration in which the chickens sing with the women to the sheep. Their little mouths are open in an "O" shape and the sheep look mighty contented. It is a little off-putting, though, that some of the pictures are painted on canvasses with a lot of texture (as with the last image in the book) and some are painted without any texture at all.
And then there's the text itself. So let's review: The chickens stop laying eggs so the women come up with a "very clever idea". They get the chickens to exercise, then throw them in the air and say, "Remember, you are birds". The chickens then, for some reason, decide that because they are birds they must nest on the cliffs where the other Icelandic birds would go. That makes sense, but the way in which McMillan presents this information is a bit herky-jerky. It feels, quite frankly, like a translation. Plot ideas jump about so quickly that it's hard to follow the book's linear structure. I mean, why were the chickens imitating the women? Did they like them or envy them? Did they think it would be more fun to act like humans? I'll give McMillan this much. When the chickens stop laying the book reads, "That's when the ladies said, `We have a problem'." I love that line.
The book is beautiful and might actually make for a rather nice readaloud. It's just silly enough to entice some of the younger brood. However, none of this is to say that it's one of the better written titles. McMillan is just too herky-jerky with his plotting and writing to allow this puppy to proceed smoothly. It's a lovely little book, but certainly an odd one. Pleasant but I would also love to see Gunnella pair with a different author someday.
The Problem with Chickens.......2006-02-25
Really good book for the younger set. Even as an adult I found it intersting and funny.
Riveting Illustrations and a Delightful Read!.......2006-02-01
This is one of my three-year-old daughter's favorite books. The expressions on the faces of the ladies, who are caring for some upstart chickens, are so funny and endearing. And you can't help but admire the ladies' pluck and creativity in solving their unusual problem. Also, the drawings of the Icelandic landscape are beautiful and make me yearn to see it for real someday.
Average customer rating:
- When you're having fun
- A LANDMARK DEBUT IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
- Imaginations will flow!
- Images of dinosaurs-Time Flies
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Time Flies
Eric Rohmann
Manufacturer: Dragonfly Books
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Sector 7 (Caldecott Honor Book)
ASIN: 0517885557
Release Date: 1997-10-15 |
Book Description
Eric Rohmann's Caldecott Honor-winning debut is now available as a Dragonfly paperback. It is at once a wordless time-travel adventure and a meditation on the scientific theory that dinosaurs were the evolutionary ancestors of birds.
Time Flies , a wordless picture book, is inspired by the theory that birds are the modern relatives of dinosaurs. This story conveys the tale of a bird trapped in a dinosaur exhibit at a natural history museum. Through Eric's use of color, readers can actually see the bird enter into a mouth of a dinosaur, and then escape unscathed.
The New York Times Book Review called Time Flies "a work of informed imagination and masterly storytelling unobtrusively underpinned by good science...an entirely absorbing narrative made all the more rich by its wordlessness." Kirkus Reviews hailed it as "a splendid debut."
Customer Reviews:
When you're having fun.......2006-01-13
I wonder what the process is behind author/illustrators of picture books making their very first wordless title. Is it something they all secretly want to do but only a few dare to? Does everyone make one and then publishers get scared and refuse to publish them? Why are there only a few on the market today? Obviously when Eric Rohmann's, "Time Flies" won the Caldecott Honor it probably raised the status of wordless picture books everywhere. I'm not suggesting that it was the first book of its kind or even the best but since its publication we've enjoyed other wordless titles like fellow Honor, "The Red Book" by Barbara Lehman and "The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, and the Bard" by Gregory Rogers. Eric Rohmann would later go on to garner the full Caldecott Award for, "My Friend Rabbit", a book done in a style entirely different from that of most of his work. By and large Rohmann feels more comfortable with gentle surrealism as in, "Cinder-Eyed Cats" and "Clara and Asha", though he's not afraid to go off and make a "Pumpkinhead" for the heck of it. In "Time Flies" we are taken on a wordless trip back and forth through time with a creature that may well be visiting his own ancestors.
On a dark and stormy orange-skied night, a small bird flies into a natural history museum of some sort. As the bird glides, perches, and looks about the hall full of bones, things begin to change around it. A bolt of lightning lights up the scene and before you know it the bird has been sent back in time to when dinosaurs weren't macabre displays but living breathing creatures. The bird flaps about brontosaurus, flies just in front of pterodactyls, and finally (in a surprise move on Rohmann's part) is snapped up by the T-Rex. Don't fret for the birdy, though. Suddenly we're with it, flying down the T-Rex's throat. An increasingly bony throat. The bird flies out of the back of the skeleton and into a half-past half-present world. As it escapes into the night a pterodactyl statue views it keenly from its perch.
Though the book makes no reference to this, I did like the juxtaposition of a bird with dinosaurs. The theory that birds are descended from the dinos is more than convincing and it would have been nice if Rohmann had slipped in a clever allusion here or there. To be fair though, this book came out in 1994 and the theory was hardly as widespread then as it is now. Rohmann plays with light and shadow in this book, conjuring up horror films and dark noirs with his use of dark tones and flickers. I give him great kudos for the moment in which the bird gets snapped up. One minute it's there. The next a T¬-Rex is looking mighty pleased with itself as some feathers float gently to the forest floor. The thrill of shock kids will feel will be immediately alleviated by the safe n' sound feathered one booking it to the back of the monster's throat. Still, it's the moment that counts. And it's lovely.
The book bears some slight similarities to "Fledgling" by Robert J. Blake in that both books offer lush views of a small bird flying through unbelievable perils. A pairing of the two together would make for an excellent bird-centric private storytime. Of course the obvious pairing here is with anything made by David Wiesner. "Sector 7" or "Tuesday" (both wordless) perfected this kind of realistic surrealism in mute picture books. Rohmann does a nice enough job, but "Time Flies" lacks Wiesner's panache and oomph. It's just an awfully nice title with dinosaurs for the ancient-reptile-centric. All in all, I would not hesitate in the least to recommend this book to every kiddie that clamors for it. A great book and an enjoyable ride.
A LANDMARK DEBUT IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE.......2004-04-04
Eric Rohmann has made numrous contributions to the annals of children's literature since his estimable debut "Time Flies." I think often of and return to "The Cinder-Eyed Cat" for pure enjoyment.
However, "Time Flies" was the beginning - when our eyes were first arrested by the boldness of his vision as he took readers on an imaginary journey to prehistoric times.
As exciting today as it was when first published "Time flies" would be a most welcome gift for any child.
Imaginations will flow!.......2001-01-15
I often use this beautifully illustrated book in my classroom of 3-5 year olds. As the children view the pictures they begin talking about what they see happening without any facillitation from me. This is an excellent book to use in the classroom to promote language! Everytime we read it our plot changes a little bit! This book should be in every classroom library!
Images of dinosaurs-Time Flies.......2000-03-08
In this magical wordless picture book, Rohmann does a great job of setting the scene in a history museum. When a bird flies through the area with the dinosaur skeletons, The area suddenly comes to life. The walls become trees and beautiful landscapes. The bird is swallowed by one of the now living dinosaurs and as he escapes Rohmann takes us back to reality of the dinosaur skeletons and fossils. The pictures are amazing! I can see why he won the Caldecott award.
Book Description
Long ago in Italy, a mighty asparagus grew smack-dab in front of the king's castle. Was the king happy about it? No. The asparagus had to go. But how does a king reason with an asparagus of such stature?
With tongue planted firmly in cheek, Vladimir Radunsky tells the uproarious tale of an almost immovable vegetable. Drawing on Italian Renaissance art, the esteemed artist creates a breathtaking magical kingdom, where it's easy to imagine that such an asparagus existed. His artwork is as gorgeous as it is funny. Although the old masters may turn over in their graves, readers of all ages will clamor for more of The Mighty Asparagus.
Customer Reviews:
Here it comes to save the day. The mighty asparagus is on its way........2005-07-02
Prior to this book, Radunsky was probably best known for his illustrated children's books (picture and otherwise) and his insipid, "What Does Peace Feel Like?" of 2003. Nothing, in short, that set him apart from the pack of children's illustrators everywhere. Then he got an idea. He decided to create a picture book much in the style of such ribald and witty artists as Jon Scieszka and former partner Chris Raschka. A picture book that strains at the edges of convention. In short, a crazy amalgamation of classic Italian portraiture, the old Giant Turnip turned asparagus tale, and some mixed media for spice. The result is a book that may not always work in the ways Radunsky may have wanted it to, but at least it takes a gamble on being a little different. Other picture books should be so brave.
If you know the story of the giant turnip, then this tale will come to you as little surprise. One day the king is walking around his backyard when he spies a gigantic asparagus, fully grown, standing in the middle of things. Everyone admits that it is amazing, but the king is determined to remove it forthwith. Says he, "It sticks out like a sore thumb". No amount of pulling or tugging so much as budges the vegetable, however. His wife, the queen, finds the asparagus to be a beautiful sight. Her wish is to place it in the center of the palace but both she and the king are unable to move it. Add on the princess, the bravest the knight in the kingdom, and a mighty rhinoceros, but for all these the asparagus remains. Finally the king consults his mother and she sends a single tiny bird, who brings the tasty green tall thing crashing down. The moral, hidden amongst a lot of jabbering by the king's subjects, boils down to, "Even the smallest effort counts". End of tale.
It doesn't sound that weird, does it? Sounds pretty darn typical. Then you get a gander at the illustrations. Radunsky usually goes in for crazy original drawings. Here however he seems to have taken a page from Terry Gilliam's book. Characters, places, and things are all culled from classic Renaissance paintings, then given extra eyes, crazy noses, and sometimes entirely original faces. This haphazard conglomeration combines to produce a mighty weird tale. Then there are Radunsky's words in and of themselves. A fan of writing in script and saying things like the fact that he himself was born in 1589 and "became a participant in, the heroice battle of the Mighty Asparagus (March 1, 1602)". It's possibly the first picture I've ever seen made specifically for children that had honest-to-goodness footnotes in it. There are also a lot of fun throwaway lines here mixed within the story.
Honestly, I haven't a clue if kids will like this story. Adults certainly will, though the sheer scale of silliness will keep if from being universally beloved. For originality, however, it's hard to beat. A fun if somewhat haphazard tale.
WHIMSICAL TALE SUPERBLY ILLUSTRATED.......2004-05-18
Yes, this is categorized as a children's book, but don't be misled. It's a book for all with a sense of humor who enjoy quirky, whimsical tales superbly illustrated.
Radunsky is as imaginative and incorrigible as ever, saying, "In my children's books, I often like to use strange, eclectic combinations: absurd, funny text paired with very serious, weighty images, and vice versa."
He has done this again - in spades, and it's terrific fun.
His story, in a nutshell, is reminiscent of a Russian folktale, "The Turnip." But, in this case, we have an asparagus spear, a monstrous protuberance that's growing in the king's yard. He tries to pull it up to no avail. The queen helps, the princess helps, the king's advisers try, even a rhino is unable to budge this giant veggie. At last, the king's mother arrives on the scene - you'll have to guess the rest. Suffice it to say one should always listen to one's mom.
Radunsky's paintings are stunning - he has drawn on Italian Renaissance art, combining his own paintings with fragments of classical Renaissance paintings. The results are splendidly smile provoking. Art aficionados will recognize the works of Bellini, Fra Angelico, Mantegna, and others. Children may well find a beginning interest in Renaissance art.
Gracie, Vladimir Radunsky.
Average customer rating:
- Worst birds and bees book I've ever read
- Cute intro to adding a baby to the family, but...
- Baby Berenstain
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The Birds, the Bees, and the Berenstain Bears (First Time Books(R))
Stan Berenstain , and
Jan Berenstain
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
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Similar Items:
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The Berenstain Bears and the Big Question (First Time Books(R))
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The Berenstain Bears and the Big Blooper (First Time Books(R))
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The Berenstain Bears and Baby Makes Five (First Time Books(R))
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The Berenstain Bears' Mad, Mad, Mad Toy Craze (First Time Books(R))
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The Berenstain Bears and the Excuse Note (First Time Books(R))
ASIN: 0679889590
Release Date: 2000-01-25 |
Book Description
What happens when Sister Bear noticies that Mama's lap is shrinking? No, it's not that Mama is eating too much salmon and honey comb. Mama is going to have a baby! With a little help from Mama and Dr. Gert, Sister learns about the birds and the bees...and sonograms, too!
Customer Reviews:
Worst birds and bees book I've ever read.......2004-03-26
I love Berenstain bears! That said, I couldn't believe how horribly they muddled a topic like birds and bees. If they didn't want to write about it, then they shouldn't have. Instead, they have mother have sister ask the doctor about it. It is a touchy enough subject without books like this implying to kids that it is such an embarassing topic that mothers shouldn't even talk to their kids about it, only doctors! The doctor then answers her questions vaguely by saying the baby comes out the "birth canal". Like that tells sister, or any kid reading it, any more than they already know! Then it ignores the topic. Jan and Stan could have easily written the book by glancing on the topic, and made a good book leaving out asking the doctor questions that weren't really answered. If they were going to talk about it, talk about it, instead of leaving parent and kid with a bad taste of - oh this stuff is too "embarasing" to even mention in a book. Nothing wrong with not mentioning it, just shouldn't mention it if they're just going to blush and avoid it. I think it makes the idea of the birds and the bees even scarier than our culture already has. It does not do this out of respect or sacredness of the topic, as it delves into it, just doesn't say anything about it, but lets talk about this topic but it's too scarry to really talk about in anything but vague terms. (giggle giggle) The way it is written reminds me of a bunch of middle schoolers trying to talk about something they feal they shouldn't and are to embarassed to say anything about!
Cute intro to adding a baby to the family, but..........2000-03-25
I read this to both my girls, and the beginning is wonderful and age appropriate. However, in the middle of the book it goes into a birds and bees explanation that was completely confusing my daughters (4 and 7). They wanted to know what that had to do with the baby in my tummy. The answer is nothing, really, I felt it muddied the issue rather than clarifying. I also thought the cliffhanger was sort of a cheap trick to get us to buy another book.
Baby Berenstain.......2000-03-03
I would give this 5 stars if they hadn't made it a cliff hanger. All in all it's a great book. Asppecialy if your pregneant with a baby and want to share this special time with your kids.
Book Description
Splendid treasury of 456 vintage vignettes depict chicks emerging from eggshells, birds perching amid blossoming fruit trees, strutting roosters, wide-eyed owls, plump ducks, doves and storks; peacocks and pheasants sporting magnificent plumage, and a host of other avian creatures. Perfect for the varied needs of graphic designers, collagists, decoupeurs, and paper crafters alike.
Average customer rating:
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Caribbean Time Bomb: The United States' Complicity in the Corruption of Antigua
Robert Coram
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Antigua
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ASIN: 0688115438 |
Books:
- The Chicken Health Handbook
- The Complete Book of Foaling: An Illustrated Guide for the Foaling Attendant (Howell Reference Books)
- The Complete Book of Foaling: An Illustrated Guide for the Foaling Attendant (Howell Reference Books)
- The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss
- The Dog Lover's Companion to California: The Inside Scoop on Where to Take Your Dog (Dog Lover's Companion Guides)
- The Elephant's Secret Sense: The Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africa
- The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency 8)
- The Hedgehog: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet
- The Hummingbird's Daughter
- The Living Tradition of Yup'Ik Masks: Agayuliyararput : Our Way of Making Prayer
Books Index
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