Fire Places: A Practical Design Guide to Fireplaces and Stoves Indoors and Out

Book Description

What more appealing scene can you conjure up on a wintry day than a pair of comfortable armchairs pulled up to a crackling fire while wisps of smoke curl from the chimney top? All your senses are in use--the sight of the flickering flames, the sound of the crackling logs, the warmth on your face, and the fragrance and taste of wood smoke. The hearth truly is the essential core of every home, whether it is an actual fireplace or merely a mantel displaying the treasures and trophies of intertwined lives. Long past the days of strictly utilitarian purpose, fireplaces and stoves are a design feature in their own right. They are available in an array of styles, sizes, and colors; offer a variety of fuel choices; and feature benefits beyond mere aesthetics, including heat and cooking. Fireplaces and heat sources are also widely found in many rooms throughout the house, including the family or living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, as well as outdoors. And the latest innovations in fireplace and stove technologies make having one no longer an expensive proposition.

While the building market is seeing growth in the fireplace market, so too is the remodeling marketplace. In fact, many homeowners are refacing their existing fireplace, upgrading their wood fireplace to gas, or simply installing a new faux fireplace where there wasn't one before. In this book readers will find hundreds of examples of all types of indoor fireplaces--from wood to gas, freestanding, and ventless--and stoves, both wood and pellet. In addition to gorgeous photos of a full range of fireplace styles, materials, and décor for indoor and outdoor fireplaces and stoves, solid information on practical design considerations--maintaining a fireplace or stove, remodeling an existing fireplace, safety, converting a wood-burning fireplace to gas, and the like--are explained in detail, making this the only book on the market to offer the breadth of content on both the design and practical components of all types of the latest indoor and outdoor fireplaces and stoves. Aesthetic and practical design considerations for hearths and mantels, built-ins and storage, lighting, and accessories like screen, brooms, and bellows are also covered. A thorough glossary, resources, and index provide reference-like information.

Customer Reviews:

A Design Guide and a Picture Book.......2007-02-03

Fire places seem evoke some kind of hidden memories out of our distant path when the fire at the mouth of the cave kept the tigers away. This has become so important that even apartments now seem to come with fire places.

This book, as is usual with this publisher is a beautifully illustrated, beautifully printed collection of fire places that range from a simple rock lined fire pit out in the yard to fire places that are the design center of the house, wood stoves that meet the new EPA regulations, to antiques that may have come from grandmothers house.

Besides the beautiful photography, this book also includes design tips, and the regulations that come from building codes. And there are discussions of more types of fire places than you could ever imagine without seeing it.

I got this book because my house does not have a fire place, and it's the next major extension that I plan to add. This book answered all the questions that I had, except do I want something indoor or outside. We have a long season for entertaining outside.

Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children (Keepers of the Earth)

Average customer rating:

Lovely storytelling
how thunder and earthquake made ocean
How Thunder And Earthquake Made Ocean
Environmentally Aware!
Great for Homeschoolers

Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children (Keepers of the Earth)
Michael J. Caduto , and Joseph Bruchac
Manufacturer: Fulcrum Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Folklore & Mythology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1555913857

Customer Reviews:

Lovely storytelling.......2007-05-04

These are stories from the various First Nations. They are well told. Get this for your kids. In an age of instant media, the storyteller's art is one that is timeless, connecting us to our oral past. Make sure that it connects to our future, too.

how thunder and earthquake made ocean.......2003-10-03

I thinck this book was a litte shourt and I most whated to read it and it was very good but there needs to be more but it was good about the the village and tunder and earthquake so was ok right on the good marck so that's why I ratind it with 3 stars.

How Thunder And Earthquake Made Ocean.......2003-09-30

The reason I gave it 4 stars is that I liked the drawing
and illustration on the pictures.Also I thought it was
really creative how they traveled all around the world
to make an ocean.I really was into the book when I
was reading it.I learned from that book that you should
always try to help someone that really needs help.I also thought that it was pretty cool how Earthquake and
Thunder made ocean.If you have any qestions about
the book well don't ask me go ahead and read it your
self.

Environmentally Aware!.......2002-06-20

This book is a fascinating way to help children connect with the natural world while teaching important environmental concepts. It comes with a guide to use the book effectively, and is divided into sections of special topics. Each section contains a Native American story, discussion ideas, interesting questions, and related indoor and outdoor activities. These activities can be accomplished without expensive materials, often in or near the home or school. Oh, by the way, adults will learn from this book also!

Great for Homeschoolers.......2002-01-12

I am a homeschooling mom and I bought this book to use with my kindergartener. This is an amazing book that combines social studies and science wonderfully. It contains alot about american indian beliefs and practices, distinguishing between the many tribal groups and traditions instead of lumping them all into one large culture. It uses indian legends as a jumping off point to study the environment, how it affects us and how we affect it.

Average customer rating:

Reflections from a Medicine Lake
"A precious collection of thoughts for everyone."

Dancing Moons
Nancy Wood
Manufacturer: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0385321694
Release Date: 1995-09-01

Book Description

The world is hard up for the simple things that abound in nature. We long for what nature can reveal, the essential truths that connect us to the core of life itself. Following the spiritual philosophy of the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, who have been her teachers for over thirty years, Nancy Wood shares her awareness and appreciation of the complex, magical world around us. These poems and meditations, following the Twelve Great Paths of the Moon, reveal old, enduring truths that may help each of us on our journey.

Customer Reviews:

Reflections from a Medicine Lake.......1999-11-16

I have never quite understood why Nancy Wood's poetry collections are classified as "young adult". Her deep wisdom and clarity are more likely to be more fully appreciated by adults. This is a wonderful gift book for transitions times: graduations, marriage, death of a loved one, etc. Her poems are liking looking deep into a Medicine Lake where one sees the very fabric of life and all the its intricate connections. Frank Howell's paintings will fill you with awe and haunt your dreams.

"A precious collection of thoughts for everyone.".......1999-06-22

I first read Nancy Wood's Dancing Moons after visiting Santa Fe and seeing Frank Howell's gallery. The words and thoughts that Wood has shared with the reader are thoughtful and energising. I find myself going back to her writings for guidance often,for myself and to share with friends and loved ones. I am appreciative of the emotions she has shared with us. Her talents as an expressive writer are world class.

Average customer rating:

Outstanding
A wonderful book!
Timely and Moving

A Quiet Place
Douglas Wood
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

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ASIN: 0689876092

Book Description

"Sometimes a person needs a quiet place."

A place that's far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life --

a place that isn't ringing or talking or roaring or playing.

But sometimes that place isn't easy to find.

Explore what it's like to find a special someplace where we

all can think our own thoughts and feel our own feelings.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding.......2007-02-21

Douglas Wood is a breath a fresh air in our consumeristic world. He offers children a view of life that treasures the simple pleasures, and appreicate each moment life has to offer. A real find for children - AND adults.

A wonderful book!.......2004-03-21

A Quiet Place is a wonderful book to help kids realize that it is good for them to be quiet and think. With all the noise they experience during the day and their constant activities (including music, television, computers, electronic toys, etc.), it is so important for them to be able to think in quiet and daydream. This book gives wonderful examples of the different places a boy goes in his thoughts, and it shows him imagining himself to be different people or animals. For example, when walking on the beach he becomes an explorer discovering a lost continent, when laying in the snow he's a sleeping polar bear, when climbing a hill he becomes a mountain climber on top of the world, when visiting a museum he's an artist admiring his own masterpiece. It is extremely well written and captivating, and the illustrations are beautiful. I came upon this book at the library and am now on-line to order it for my 6 and 4 year old boys (who loved it).

Timely and Moving.......2002-03-19

This story beautifully balances a child's inner self-esteem with a wonderful sense of adventure. The young boy in the book looks for "a quiet place" to escape from the intesity of the outside world. My son and I have read it every night for the last week, just before bed. Wonderful writing, truly breathtaking illustrations. The author's earlier work, GRANDAD'S PRAYER'S OF THE EARTH, is one of our favorites.

Little Clearing in the Woods: Little House, The Caroline Years

Average customer rating:

An exploration of new land
Little Clearing in the Woods
I love Caroline!
endearing
This is an excellent book!

Little Clearing in the Woods: Little House, The Caroline Years
Maria D. Wilkes
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

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Literature & Fiction | Large Print | Formats | Books

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ASIN: 0064406520

Book Description

Meet Caroline Quiner, the little girl who would grow up to be Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother. Caroline and her family are leaving the little town of Brookfield and moving to a new house in a clearing among the big trees of Concord, Wisconsin. As the Quiners travel through the dense forest, Caroline is excited, but she is also a little bit afraid. Will she like her new home in Concord as much as her little house in Brookfield?

Little Clearing in the Woods is the third book in The Caroline Years, an ongoing series about another spirited girl from America's most beloved pioneer family.Caroline and her family must pack up their belongings and say good-bye to all their friends.They are leaving the little town of Brookfield and moving to a new house in the clearing among the big trees of Concord, Wisconsin. As the Quiners travel through the forest towards their new cabin, Caroline is excited, but she is also a little afraid. Will she love her new home in Concord as much as her little house in Brookfield? The adventures of the little girl who would grow up to be Ma Ingalls in the Little House books continue.

Customer Reviews:

An exploration of new land.......2006-04-16

There is an impossible situation that uproots the Quiner family from the roots of where they once resided. It was necessary that a new area was found in order to reside in. The new area to settle was near a small town called Concord. They realized that this wasn't built up, and there were very rustic conditions in which there was no running water, no crops, etc. they had to start from scratch in all of this. They were fortunate that they got assistance from a wealthy man who lived in Concord. To find out what type of assistance this wealthy man provided, and the specifics on the comments about the welfare of the family, read this book, and you won't be disappointed.

Little Clearing in the Woods.......2004-11-03

I just finished this book, it was great! In this book Caroline and her family move from Brookfield to Concord. I love how each chapter starts telling about something new and exciting!

I love Caroline!.......2000-06-20

In this book, Mother, Caroline, and Caroline's siblings are forced to move to Concord, Wisconsin. Caroline is now a big girl of eight, and eventually nine, years old. She has opinions and ideas of her own, from arguing with a boy who owns a shanty on the Quiners' property, to coming up with solutions to save the family from a hard winter. Caroline has truly grown from that almost one-dimensional character portrayed in Little House in Brookfield to an animated, idealistic girl. I can't wait for On Top of Concord Hill to come out!

endearing.......2000-04-10

An enchanting depiction of the Quiner family's move after loosing thier home, through the eyes of a little girl. The story brings all the senses to life and has the reader wanting more. It is best if followed in order of the series starting with Little House in Brookville.

This is an excellent book!.......2000-03-31

This book is wonderful! It is interasting, and it is fun to read. Caroline Quiner, the main character in this book, along with her mother, sisters, and brothers, have excellent adventures. This book is fantastic!

Iditarod Dream: Dusty and His Sled Dogs Compete in Alaska's Jr. Iditarod

Average customer rating:

A. D. Tarbox, Freelance Reviewer for Midwest Book Review

Iditarod Dream: Dusty and His Sled Dogs Compete in Alaska's Jr. Iditarod
Ted Wood
Manufacturer: Walker Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Fiction | School & Sports | Teens | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0802775357

Book Description

Relates the story of the fifteen-year-old Alaskan boy and his dogs as they prepare for and then run the 158-mile course of the Junior Iditarod Race.

Customer Reviews:

A. D. Tarbox, Freelance Reviewer for Midwest Book Review.......2006-01-06

I chose this book because I wanted to know more about sled dog racing. Wood does a wonderful job with photographs and text to tell the story of Dusty, a high schooler, and his sled dogs getting ready to race in the Jr. Iditarod in Alaska. This book is great for 8-12 year olds but adults will like it too.
A. D. Tarbox, author of ALREADY ASLEEP (October 2006)

Average customer rating:

Circles and cycles, blessings and renewal
Wonderful ritual-evoking poetry, inspiring art work

Shaman's Circle
Nancy Wood
Manufacturer: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0385322224
Release Date: 1996-09-01

Customer Reviews:

Circles and cycles, blessings and renewal.......1999-11-16

If you have Nancy Wood's other volumes you already know what kind of a spell she can weave. She just keeps getting better with each collection. You can open to any page and find a line or two you want to remember always. Her thoughtful reflections on what is good in life remind us all ever so gently to be more mindful as we move through our days. Howell potrays our elders with the sanctity they deserve. This book, like her others, makes a great gift for all adults, young in age and young at heart.

Wonderful ritual-evoking poetry, inspiring art work.......1999-09-24

I was given this book as a gift, and even just glancing through it the first time, i found myself drawn by it., There are many poems that will provide the basis for rituals throughout my life, and hte artwork has something special about it.

A Place Called Sweet Shrub: The Lucy Richards Triology II

Average customer rating:

A Place Called Sweet Shrub: The Lucy Richards Triology II
Jane Roberts Wood , and C. J. Critt
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0788703188

Average customer rating:

Lovely, eloquent classic
Cat Club Review: www.freewebs.com/hlgstrider
Another Great DiCamillo Classic
Short, insightful story...
the tiger rising

The Tiger Rising
Kate Dicamillo
Manufacturer: Candlewick
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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

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ASIN: 0763609110
Release Date: 2001-03-01

Amazon.com

Kate DiCamillo's first novel Because of Winn-Dixie won a Newbery Honor in 2000 for the no-nonsense charm and wisdom of its down-home young heroine, Opal. Also set in Florida, The Tiger Rising is more of a short story in scope, the tale of 12-year-old Rob Horton who finds a caged tiger in the woods behind the Kentucky Star Motel where he lives with his dad. The tiger is so incongruous in this setting, Rob views the apparition as some sort of magic trick. Indeed, the tiger triggers all sorts of magic in Rob's life--for one thing, it takes his mind off his recently deceased mother and the itchy red blisters on his legs that the wise motel housekeeper, Willie May, says is a manifestation of the sadness that Rob keeps "down low."

Something else for Rob to think about is Sistine (as in the chapel), a new city girl with fierce black eyes who challenges him to be honest with her and himself. Spurred by the tiger, events collide to break Rob out of his silent introspection, to form a new friendship with Sistine, a new understanding with his father, and most important, to lighten his heart. This novel is about cages--the consequences of escape as well as imprisonment. The story and symbolism are clear as a bell, and the emotions ring true. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

An extraordinary new novel of friendship by Kate DiCamillo, author of the celebrated debut novel BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE.

Walking through the misty Florida woods one morning, twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger—a real-life, very large tiger—pacing back and forth in a cage. What’s more, on the same extraordinary day, he meets Sistine Bailey, a girl who shows her feelings as readily as Rob hides his. As they learn to trust each other, and ultimately, to be friends, Rob and Sistine prove that some things—like memories, and heartache, and tigers—can’t be locked up forever.

Customer Reviews:

Lovely, eloquent classic.......2007-08-17

This is a beautiful book, both in the style of writing and in the story itself, and is sure to be a classic of children's literature. The characters are so well developed that the reader feels as if they are looking in on a real town and its happenings for a brief while and it is a truly inspiring glimpse. This is not just a book for children but a poetic and touching little tale. I highly recommend it to anyone. This book stands up to multiple readings and join equally recommended classics such as Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson or the works of E. L. Konigsberg.

Cat Club Review: www.freewebs.com/hlgstrider.......2007-07-13

I think I like The Tiger Rising better in retrospect than I did when I read it. It's a lot like looking back on how your parents raised you and realizing that all the go to bed, eat your vegetables, and occasional spankings weren't random acts of cruelty but rather a part of a plan implemented out of love. Likewise it took me awhile to recover from the cold shock of Kate DiCamillo's ending to appreciate all she had done in this book.
The Tiger Rising is the story of two children: shy, sad Rob who has recently lost his mother, and stubborn, sharp Sistine whose father ran off with another woman abandoning her in a small, southern town she hates. Both hate school and long for friendship . . . enter the tiger.
A tiger does not belong in a rusty, iron cage behind a southern hotel, but that is where he is, and the wonder of this creature captures the children. What is there to do but allow the tiger to escape?
The writing is truly amazing. As Rob puts it (about Sistine, but it applies to Ms. DiCamillo):
"Her words sounded the way all those things made him feel, as if the world, the real world, had been punched through, so that he could see something wonderful and dazzling on the other side of it."
Also, I always hesitate before calling someone a Christian author. It's as if I think the moment I do a P.R. Agent will write me and inform me that actually she is a Shiite Muslim, so I won't call Kate DiCamillo a Christian author. I will say, however, that she is an author Christians can rest comfortably in and have no fear.
She is a great writer.

Another Great DiCamillo Classic.......2007-07-07

The Tiger Rising was another great book by Kate DiCamillo. I picked this one up after reading The Tale of Despereaux and falling in love with that one. I've become a huge fan of her after reading these two books and can't wait to get my hands on a copy of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

The Tiger Rising centers around a young boy by the name of Rob who keeps his emotions wrapped up inside. His mother has died recently and he and his father have moved from Kentucky to Florida so that his father could escape the heartbreak of losing her. They now live in the Kentucky Star Motel. His father has instilled in Rob that he should not show tears over his mother's death and that he should be strong, so Rob packs all of his emotions away "into a suitcase." He does this in all aspects of his life. He's picked on at school and instead of getting upset, he ignores it. Instead of voicing his dislike of anything, he pretends to not be bothered by it.

There's a new girl in town by the name of Sistine and she has the opposite problem of Henry. She has too much anger and displays it outwardly to everyone and comes off as quite arrogant. In a twist of events, Rob and Sistine become friends.

Rob has made a discovery that there is a tiger being kept in a cage in the woods behind the motel that he and his father are living in and shares this secret with Sistine. Thoughts and emotions are shared between the friends and a wise maid by the name of Willie May who works for the motel.

The Tiger Rising, like Despereaux, faces issues head on. Kate DiCamillo is not afraid to work with strong emotions and when she does address them, she does so beautifully. This book is written wonderfully and can be enjoyed by anyone. I can see it being especially meaningful to a child who has gone through loss of any kind at a young age.

Short, insightful story..........2007-06-10

Kate DiCamillo is the author of the Newbery-winning The Tale of Despereaux and the recent The Remarkable Journey of Edward Tulane. The Tiger Rising is a young adult novel from 2001 about twelve-year-old Rob Horton, the friend he finds in Sistine and his grief concerning the death of his mother. It's a short, insightful story.

the tiger rising.......2007-06-04

I think they should read The Tiger Rising because it is a good book but at the same time it is sad. And it has alot
of cool stuff to. And i think its mean sometimes to cause animals die. Sothat is why you should read this book.

Average customer rating:

*Miracles of Migration & Being Brothers*
great story for preserving our environment
ok

Welcome, Brown Bird
Mary Lyn Ray
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0152928634

Book Description

Poetic text and stunning paintings tell the story of a wood thrush that makes the long migration between New England and Central America. At each end of the journey is a boy who watches and waits, protecting the bird's nesting place until it returns. Neither boy knows that his love of the thrush's sweet song links him--like a brother--to another boy across the world, a boy who doesn't even speak the same language.

Includes an author's note that details wood thrush migration and habitat protection.

Customer Reviews:

*Miracles of Migration & Being Brothers*.......2005-10-28

"The silvery circular song" of a brown thrush is heard by two boys and it links them - cross continent - in a kinship known only to the songbird. This haunting story reaches from the woods of New England to the rainforests of Central America. YES! the children listening to this story will love where their imaginations take them, and readers will absorb the deeper message of environmental concerns.

Using a palette of mostly browns and gold, Peter Sylvada skillfully enhances Mary Lyn Ray's story of youthful urges to protect the habitat of the lovely migrating birds. Sadly, we already feel a nostalgia for the "clay flute" voices of birds that alert us to these concerns. Happily, though, this book is on reading lists for Protestant churchwomen who we hope will be inspired to take action when super stores and parking lots overwhelm our environment.

Here in southern Indiana we have already faced losses in our own woods of the wood thrushes, warbling vireos, even whippoorwills. Not so long ago we listened for WHEN the thrush would fly North; now, with the author, we listen to learn IF the songbirds are returning to enrich our lives.

Reviewer mcHAIKU urges readers to join in listening, and acting to forestall a more forbidding silence. Mary Lyn Ray has written a 5 Star story for all ages.

great story for preserving our environment.......2005-08-31

I love this story because not only are the words easy for younger readers but also the message is a great one for the older readers as well. If I was a school teacher, I would definately use this in my classroom to promote a respect of nature. The pictures are beautiful and yet simple. A great find!
(Make sure you read the info about the author. It helps explain the story a little).

ok.......2005-04-10

Two boys who live at opposite side of the earth share a common friend. Their friend is a brown thrush who migrates back and forth. Each boy does his best to protect the area that the bird lives. The American boy stops his dad from clearing trees for a new corn field. The Spanish boy tells the adults not to cut trees in his part of the world as well.

The book was short and easy to read.

I would recommend this to to teachers. I would make a good picture book for story times during a unit on birds.

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