Pet Books

Cool book. Very practical about how to survive in the wilds of North America with nothing but the clothes on your back. Maybe not even that!
A little bit of "be at one with nature" stuff, but otherwise very informative. Good choice for a Boy Scout, or anyone wants to "go lite" when hiking and camping - using natural surroundings for cover, shelter, and food.

Again, this is an excellent field guide put together by Tom Brown Jr. Another must have for anyones personal library. Excellent, life improving information in these pages. Great work!

good book to have in the field. Very informative. a must have for wilderness survival. Great price.
john rich

This book has many far fetched tales and only a few good survival tips. The author talks alot about what seems to be a fictional character called stalking wolf and tries very hard to make him sound real. I liked a few of his shelter ideas and some of the traps, but there was nothing in this book i havent read before. If you want to read some interesting survival tales and dont care to learn survival skills, this will be a good book for you. my advice, look else where for a good survival handbook.

Tom Brown has a writing style that makes otherwise "dry" techniques come alive and stick in your mind like glue. That's where you want the know how to be- in your mind- not left in the pages of Tom's book. As you read the stories, your mind will be filled with colorful movies, complete with sounds and feelings- and when you are through, you'll be confident that you stand a better chance at surviving in the harsh outdoor conditions than before. Get it, you'll be glad you did.

My grandson is participating in a rendition of 'Cats' at his elementary school and I wanted the book to show him how productions like 'Cats' are based on literature. In this case he was thrilled to be able to read the original poems and then see how they are staged for an audience. The product was delivered in perfect condition in a very timely manner. I would recommend this to anyone.

This is a must have for anyone who loves the broadway musical "Cats". Totally delightful!

I had read this book before and loved it, but when I met Boris, a real, live version of Rum Tum Tugger, I had to buy a copy to show his owner.
It is amazing how little had to be done to turn these poems into a great musical comedy. I am, of course, talking about Cats. Most of the poems went directly into the show without any change whatever in their wording, and only three songs were added. Let's give full credit to Mr. Webber, It took a musical genius to do that, and one of the added songs, Memories, could stand alone as a masterpiece in any company, but most of the delight of the show comes from the wonderful feline characters created in this book.
Jennyanydots, Old Deuteronomy, Gus the theatre cat, Spindleshanks, Bustipher Brown, McCavity, Mr. Mistofflees, Mungo Jerry, and Rumpleteaser all moved effortlessly from page to stage with no changes. That has to be some sort of record. If you loved Cats (the show) you need to read this book. If you love cats (the critters) you'll want to read this book. If you like poetry, you should read this book. If you like dogs, read the battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles. (You can skip over the part about the intervention of the great rumpus cat.)
It was written for his godchildren, but it's a great read for everyone. It's not expensive, so get it to read to your children, but read it for yourself first.

Great book for any cat lover

author of "Hobo Finds A Home"

Read the book if you want to better understand the acts of the play CATs

The subtitle of this book is "the true story of Baby and the mission she inspired to help dogs everywhere." Baby was a puppy mill breeder, the kind of dog which is confined in a tiny cage, forced to have litter after litter, and then "disposed of." Because of the abuse, Baby had only three legs when Jana found her through petfinder.com. She decided to adopt Baby, and flew from Chicago to California to pick up the 9-year-old poodle. This book also has some celebrity commentary on animals, and makes the reader aware, in a fairly gentle way, of the conditions to which animals purchased at a pet store or online may have been subjected. Jana also brings up the provocative question: Where does society draw the line for cruelty? I particularly liked two of the quotes in the book. The first is from Dr. Albert Schweitzer: "Until man extends the circle of kindness to all living creatures he will not find peace." The second is from Gandhi : "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

RESCUE RESCUE RESCUE - yes - please RESCUE a dog. This book is amazing and anyone who even THINKS of buying a dog should read this book first!

The author needs to make distinctions. Breeders are not the bad guys if breeder has a few dogs, shows the dogs and breeds after dog has gained status and only with carefully selected partner. A puppy mill, on the other hand, is something to be outlawed. There must be a distinction. A person (breeder) who competes in shows with one or two dogs, worries about their diet and coat texture, makes sure every dog is trained and socialized, takes years to decide on the right mate (if that decision is ever made), cannot be lumped together with a person who treats their 150 dogs like chickens in battery cages just popping out profit like eggs from a hen. Read that line "a friend who worked in animal welfare, and she was horrified that I would even consider buying a dog from a breeder". Horrified to get a dog from a breeder? That is where we part company. Also, has anybody every looked at some of the nastiest puppy mill operators, the Amish, for example, who treat their animals so badly they shame us all. The Amish dump uncounted puppies into the system every year for profit...and where are the controls for any of these puppy mills? Overall a well written book and on a subject that needs to be in the public eye. But, let's get rid of the puppy mills and not the honest and caring breeders. There is a very big difference.

If you love animals, especially dogs, buy this book(the proceeds go to the Humane Society in the fight against puppy mills.) I bought several for family and friends and everyone loved it. Some even gave money to donate to the Humane Society who are working with Jana to make puppy mills illegal.

This is a must read book. This is an important and compassionate story about a woman's journey to find a dog. In a search for her dog Baby she encountered the horrible conditions dogs endure at the hands of unscrupulous breeders. As a result Jana became inspired to do something about it. She and the now famous Baby, her three legged dog, travel the United States to speak to groups about changing the laws that allow puppy farms to exist. An inspiring story that moves one to action. Bravo, Jana Kohl.

I read Paul Owens book recently on recommendation. He was the original dog whiperer I've been told as this book was published in 1999. Cesar grabbed the title. Owens book is compassionate and very dog friendly. No bullying. Just read another good book too by Alana Stevenson on humane dog training. If I would have been up with positive methods years ago my dogs would have been happier. Read Cesar's book. It was pretty bad. Made me feel at war with my dogs. A lot of bullying.

I quickly ordered this book assuming it was written by Cesar Millan. Pretty shameless for this author to use the title "The Dog Whisperer" and using a similar dustjacket to promote sales by associating himself with the well-known Cesar Millan. Alas, my mistake for ordering in a rush - like a fly caught in a Venus Fly Trap. I returned the book at my expense.

he goes too far in critizing other methods. He seems like a super nice guy. I would trust my dog with him, and would probably enjoy getting to know him and see him use his training methods.

I've used a lot of his suggestions with my shepherd/rottweiler before reading his book, and saw great improvement in him over the years since getting him at 3 years old. However, having watched the other dog whisperer's show, which is like free college for dog owners, and applied his techniques, my husband and I have seen that next leap of growth that was missing.

My dog is much calmer now with his noise phobias, with putting on his flea and tick medicine, going to the vet, and meeting other dogs. He has improved so quickly we are now looking for another dog to be his companion.

So, this book is very good, but don't knock other methods until you investigate them yourself.

Paul Owens is the first, the original, the one true Dog Whisperer!! This book is incredibly helpful. All dog owners should have a copy and read it cover to cover.

Because of my volunteer work I have had the wonderful opportunity to handle thousands of rescue dogs. My job is to take pictures and post them on a website. I walk every dog to a place where I can minimize distractions and then attempt to get a natural shot of the animal sitting, or in some pose that seems relaxed or natural. I have photographed big dogs, scared dogs, injured dogs, dogs with post surgical trauma, dogs that pull hard, dogs that guard, dogs with food aggression, or borderline aggression or dogs that have suffered from just about every kind of imaginable neglect or abuse. Not one single time , ever , in the years I have been photographing have I thought I would be able to coax a better picture out of a dog by using a prong collar, a choke collar or any other absurd punitive action. Gaining trust and attention through positive reinforcement is the only method of training an animal that should be considered evolved. Training through positive re-enforcement compared to the archaic wisdom of pronging, choking, shocking or whipping an animal is like the difference between having a friend and having an employee. You have employees as long as you pay them, animal friends are forever. My favorite illustration to support this comes from a behaviorist friend who works closely with our shelter. When teaching positive re-enforcement he uses Marine Parks as an example. "Do you think the trainers at [the marine park] whip the 4 ton Killer Whale?"

The teaching and mindset Paul Owens suggests in this book is perfect. This book is the standard by which all schools of Dog Training should measure themselves. Beware those schools that would teach you to "correct" or "flood". ( a concept that warrants research and often comes cleverly disguised ) Love your dog as a friend and never hurt them.
The rewards are well worth the effort.

We have only read one of the parables and even though the language is written in a more formal style, the parable was interesting and has a lot of room for discussion about life. We look forward to reading more.

Homeschool Mom
Amy in TN

An exceptionally great book. What a blessing it has been to use it in my teaching of nature to my children and Sunday School class.

These stories illustrate wonderful lessons for young readers, something sorely missing in much of children's literature today. I enjoy them as much if not more than my children.

First let me clarify that I am commenting on the story, not the edition. For what it's worth, I have the edition by Yesterday's Classics and it is nicely done.

These stories are challenging, rich and complex, as they seek to uncover God's craftsmanship in the natural world, how the seen teaches us about the unseen ("the creation declares the glory of God....") The writing and vocabulary are quite sophisticated. We homeschool and I would recommend the book as a read aloud, no earlier than the third grade all the way through adulthood. I am enjoying reading it with my daughter as a jumping off point to discuss the nature of God. I find the book challenging and enjoyable as an adult. It's a great book to glean ideas from and stretch their intellect, imagination and understanding.

Ambleside curriculum has it slated too early in my opinion....my child is bright, but in first or second grade this would have gone right over her head.

THIS REVIEW IS ABOUT THIS PUBLISHERS EDITION NOT ABOUT THE BOOKS CONTENT ITSELF.

If you want to know about the content--- be aware that this book is copyright free and in the public domain and you can actually read the entire text free, online, if you are curious about the content of the book and what it is about. I am a person who prefers a real, bound book in the hand to reading on the computer screen or printing off a book onto computer paper.

I learned about this book as it is popular with homeschoolers using the Charlotte Mason method.

This book weaves science content into a story format (narrative format).

About this edition of the book--buyer beware!

I am very annoyed. I saw that Amazon sells three different publishers' versions of reprints of this very old book, before I purchased the book from Amazon.

Of course I am mad at myself for making a mistake, but I am also not happy with the way Amazon markets this Kessinger Publishing's version of this book.

I have had issues in the past with facsimile reprints of antique books sometimes being very hard to read. I took time to research this. I wanted whichever publisher's version has a readable font that is clearly printed.

The way Amazon presently has this item (book reprinted by Kessinger Publishing) set up on their webpage, I thought I was looking inside this book. Imagine my surprise when the book arrived and the printing itself is horrible! I can't stand to read this! Upon double checking this now, I see I made a simple mistake--if you don't want to make the same mistake that I made please read on...

It appears that this Kessinger Publishing version is a facsimile reproduction of the original. The old font type is hard to read. But the more problematic thing is that the ink is blobby and uneven. Specifically, I mean that some parts of the letters are missing (there is white space) while others are blobbed so that the letters don't look as they should, they are black blobs in some parts. I would prefer a book whose text is clearly visible. A modern font is also usually easier on the eyes.

I am very annoyed as this is not even the cheapest price edition of this book which is currently in print! Come to find out there are cheaper versions with nicer and easier to read font!

I am upset with Amazon additionally as the way they have this set up to "look inside this book" brings you to the edition published by the publisher "Yesterday's Classics" which has what looks to be a great font, a nice, clear, modern font and a good printing job. (Also today I received a different book purchased from Amazon by the publisher "Yesterday's Classics" and it is a wonderful printing job and a a nice binding to boot.

I will be returning this book to Amazon.

NOTE THERE IS AT LEAST ONE PUBLISHER WHO HAS REFORMATTED THE ORIGINAL BOOKS CONTENT INTO A READABLE FONT THAT IS HIGH QUALITY. I don't know if Amazon will allow me to refer you to that publisher, they are Yesterday's Classics. I ended up buying that publisher's book and it was fantastic.

I'm an agronomist and I live in Brazil.I read this book, translated to the portuguese, here in Brazil.This book really has many usefull informations, about water suplly in the world.
China, Israel, Africa, USA, Mexico, India are some of the nations who are with water's problems and are focused in this book.
About Brazil this book is a failure.Brazil export far less paper and wood than Canada or USA, but we have far more forests than Canada or USA.And our forests grow far more fast than an american or canadian forest.And this book talks about ecomyths about Brazil.
In fact, this book sometimes reproduces, the ridiculous lies from "green eugenicists" or ecologists.

Every four months, I participate in one or more university-sponsored, Osher Lifelong Learning In Retirement (OLLI) discussion groups. Each deals with an important contemporary world issue. For the coming Fall 2008 trimester, I've signed up for the course "Water and the Politics of Water," and our textbook is "Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource," by Marq de Villiers. We are supposed to read and discuss the book slowly over the course of eight two-hour-long discussions. That was the plan...but as soon as the book arrived, I started reading it and couldn't put it down! The course won't begin for another two weeks, but I've already devoured the entire book. I don't know when I have ever come across such a compelling and captivating work of popular nonfiction! For the purpose of our discussion group, I cannot think of a better starting-off point.

The book provides an outstanding introduction to a critical contemporary concern. Each chapter focuses on a set of related issues. Taken by themselves, each of these could serve as the basis for thousands of detailed academic articles and books. It is a testament to the author's enormous skill that he was able to condense each set of issues down to a manageable summary, and give these topics just the right balance of fact and human-interest stories to make a page-turning work of can't-put-it-down nonfiction.

Since I was reading the book for a future discussion group, I read it pen-in-hand, liberally highlighting the text and writing notes to myself in the margins. The most frequent note I wrote was: "Needs update!" Typically, before each discussion, participants research the issues in order to bring new and updated material to the forefront. This book is an excellent catalyst for sparking interest for further research. The book was first published in 1999 and republished in a revised and updated version in 2003. Even with the revised version, most of the issues still require significant updating some five years later. Accomplishing this research on the Internet is easy; of course, there is also an overwhelming amount of popular, academic, and technical information available on these issues in public and academic libraries.

Don't get the impression that this book is out-of-date. The emerging water crisis is one of those "slow emergencies" that's happening just outside our range of day-to-day human perception. The vast majority of the damage has been accomplished in the past 100 years--an infinitesimally tiny length of time for any geological process, yet on our human perception scale, still profoundly slow...so slow that many people still do not know that a problem even exists.

The book is a real eye-opener, and a first-rate springboard for discussion groups. I recommend it highly.

This book is by far one of the most interesting, can't-put-it-down non-fictional books I've ever read. I know, I'm speaking in superlatives, but I can't say enough about this book.

I made my thesis topic water-related after I read Water. And yet Water reads like a novel, even though it's packed with information and statistics; de Villiers does an amazing job of making the scientific research information palatable to the average (non-science inclined) reader by weaving in his own experiences and stories.

You can feel his passion for this issue come through in his writing style. He integrates quotes very well and makes the subject come alive. For example, when writing about a severe chemical spill along the Rhine River, he quoted Bertram Muelle, saying: "The river ran red... Otherwise, it looked no different...But I knew that as I watched, its creatures were dying. It was the most terrible feeling. I was frozen, sickened..."He makes turns a very technical and scientific topic into a page-turner. A must-read! P.S. Pay attention to the Canada-US Great Lakes issue, along with the Rhine and Danube Rivers (the subject of my thesis!).

This is an excellent overview of the water problems plaguing the globe at the moment, as Marq de Villiers travels far and wide to show just how precious a resource water really is. Most importantly, he does so in a very accessible style of writing that personalizes so many of the issues surrounding the rapid depletion of aquifers by drawing on childhood memories of his home farm in South Africa and first hand sources in the current geopolitical battles.

Of note is the Middle East and North Africa where the battle over water is entertwined with the ongoing political disputes. He notes how carefully Israel has managed its water resources yet is heavily reliant on sources in the West Bank to sustain its agricultural industry. Needless to say this has made the issue of Palestinian statehood that much more difficult. He also explores the thorny relationships along the Nile where downstream Egypt has threatened to go to war with the Sudan and Ethiopia over any divergence attempts with this great river. And, Kaddafi's attempts to create a massive underground river from aquifers deep below the Sahara to coastal Libya, in order to restore badly depleted sources.

But, even in seemingly water rich nations like the US and Canada, water battles persist, mostly to do with the contamination of rivers and aquifers that are the result of industrial waste and poor farming practices. More thorny are precious water rights in dry states like Wyoming and Montana that often end up in court and sometimes settled using frontier justice.

For those not familiar with the looming water crisis, this book will be a real opener, for others it will provide valuable information regarding disputes from the Yellow River in China to the Colorado River, which has long since quit flowing to the Gulf of California. While de Villiers avoids being the doomsayer, he does make one exceedingly worried about the future of this most precious resource.

This a fascinating book about a fascinating (and critical topic). But in appealling to the general reader, Mr. de Villiers inserts too much (for my taste) personal anecdote. A regrettable travelogue quality permeates the narrative.

This is unfortunate, because there is much of value here. In particular, the discussion about the sources and uses of the Jordan River, Isreali concern with controlling its water supply, and water problems of the immediate Arab neighorhood, opened my eyes to an aspect of the current intractable problems of the Middle East.

My advice is to read this with pleasure, but don't be afraid to skim if you find some portions of the narrative uninteresting.

What a wonderful book. I had received it as a gift initially then purchased a copy for another animal lover. It is the best gift for those who have a tender spot in their heart for shelter/rescue dogs.

Every pet owner should read this to understand the realities of what happens. Then pass it along to their children. Shelters are overwhelmed with these stories. Some end well, but many more do not.

Great for any pet lover or aspiring owner. You'll be moved to run to the shelter on your lunch break and make a new home for some eager little animal. Thanks Patrick McDonnell! Love Mutts. Love this book!

Pet lovers and those who enjoy the Sunday funny pages have a treasure indeed in "Mutts Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed.", a compilation of over one hundred of McDonnell's Mutts comic strips; on the opposite page of each strip are full color photos of pets found in animal shelters and their heartwarming success stories. A perfect gift for the dog or cat lover, "Mutts Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed." is highly recommended for community library pet and humor collections.

I awaited the release of this book very eagerly, looking forward to seeing a lovely little all-black shorthair cat named Pauline featured as a starlet. And there she is, cute as can be!

I am a beginning & intermediate horseback riding instructor in Moscow, ID. I have found the Pony Club Manual for beginners to be a very helpful teaching tool - the illustrations are helpful and well-labeled, and the layout is easy to follow. The information is widely accepted as correct, and the text is well-written for the 10-15 year old ages. I include a manual in the price of all my beginning horse camps for 10-14 year olds.

This is the an excellent introduction for anyone interested in horsemanship. It can be studied prior to joining the United States Pony Club or serve as a usful tool in teaching or improving horsemanship for the young or beginning equestrian.

I couldn't have gotten through Pony Club Quiz Bowl if I didn't have this book. I like the exercises in the book and now I do them on my horse. I learned alot while reading this book, like parts of the tack and how to be safe around horses. I like all the pictures in the book because it helped me to understand what it meant. I would reccommend this book to other pony clubbers and kids who like to ride.

There is a saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Susan Harris is not only a gifted artist ; drawing her explanations of concepts she is relating ; she draws pictures with her words, and for anyone lucky enough to attend one of her clinics , she draws explanations with body language. I am fortunate to have Sue as my friend and mentor for 30+ years & have told her often that "She could read the phone book to you & You'd never lose interest". She is also a gifted horsewoman & teacher. She posseses an ability to locate the crux of a lack of understanding & with empathy for both horse & rider guides them to a solution. If I had to limit my horse library to just a few books, her USPC manuels would be the first chosen. They are a wealth of information on all aspects of horsemanship , for every level of horseman , of any age. Her choice of words combined with her own illustrations gives very clear & interesting information.Sue stresses empathy for your horse & safety issues in every topic -2 basics to have ingrained in anyone who wishes to be around horses. I have recommended these books to all who share the "addiction" to horses with me.

I advise anyone young who is seriously interested in horses to start with this book. I've been riding all my life and think this is a great book to start with and it is very informative.

I found Mrs Kellehers insights to be very heart warming. Her insights into what a wife wants and needs from her husband and friend, are an eye opener and I think any man who truly loves his wife should read her insights on how to properly share hearts in gentleness and sincere respect for each other.
Mrs Kellehers insights into the tender ways our Lord meets our needs and leads us are insights that can only come from a heart that is open to loving and being loved.
I found myself caring very much about Fanny's every need and the spirit of her heart.
I am certain that this book will encourage your heart and I highly recommend it.

Betsy has written a truly amazing and inspiring book for every horse lover and christian woman desiring to perfect their personal realtionship with Jesus Christ and their horse. Every sentence is uplifting in some way. Her poignant sharing of difficulties she faces in her everyday life as a woman, wife, mother, daughter, horsewoman, and christian are full of lessons for us all. I find I am renewed by her honesty and feel 'relief' to know I am not alone in my struggle to draw nearer to my God and meld as one with my horse. Betsy's book clearly demonstrates that to love a horse is a God given love; and that you can be filled with God's spirit and find His direction for your life as you bond with your horse.

This book is is for those people who love horses. However, it much deeper because the author is able to gently demonstrate how her horse led her to understand herself. The beautiful analogies she pieces together through training a problematic horse is sensitive, honest and interesting to read. I could not put this book down. She opens her personal life before the reader as she shares a journey that is her life. I found it appealing because despite many situations that confronted her, it was her horse that brought her back to solid ground. God spoke through this amazing animal as he gave them a special bond. Some of us have had a horse that challenged us and made us feel less capable of our riding and handling abilities. I have an Arabian that is very testy. I read this book seeking to find answers about how to deal with my horse. It showed me a deeper insight into horse handling, as a spiritual bond, that is based on trust. My horse has come a long way in her behavior issues and I have also gained an understanding about how a horse is a marvelous gift to enjoy as an instrument of God's divine instruction. I highly recommend this book. I enjoyed it so much!

This book is one of the best books that I have ever had the privilege to be blessed by and Betsy is an absolute truthful lady that will be an inspiration to you as much as she is to me!!

By the way she expresses her journey and struggles, allows it to be very easy to relate to and can give you hope on your own journey!!!

I cannot wait for her next treasure!!! Bless you, Betsy!!!

My husband and I just returned from our trip to Tennassee and then to Florida. We stayed in hotels the entire time and we found them all by this book, its an essential and the ratings are so very helpful. I would recommend this to anyone traveling with their dog.

Very good information for places to stay with a pet. We use this book every time we travel and it has never failed us.

Although I haven't actually put the information to use, I have read the listings and feel this book would be very helpful on the road. It will definitely go with me when I move!

I wish I would have known about this book years ago. I can't tell you the number of times we have pulled into a motel - exhausted - only to be told "we don't take pets"! Included in this book are the rates, exact locations, exit numbers, phone numbers, motel ratings, discount information, and much more. Everyone with a pet needs this book. Your pet will love you!!!

I find this book essential for traveling cross-country with our dog. It is particularly useful to know about additional fees and if the AAA discount applies. This is our second copy (we own the previous edition, too). I can't imagine setting out without it! I sometimes find the 'alphabetical by place' arrangment a little frustrating, especially when you just want to know what motels are along a particular Interstate that you are driving on. New users, be careful of the metropolitan area groupings, too. This source is best used in conjunction with a detailed road map.