Pet Books

The dogs' stories are very moving and inspirational, but anytime you have a book that takes stories from multiple people, there are always going to be some that just aren't that well written. I felt like that took away from the impact of the book.

This is a good book with lots of short stories about dogs given second chances

Every day we read about the horrible things people do to each other, to their children, and to animals. This book lifted my spirit by letting me know there are still some good people out there. There are still people who care about what happens to a poor stray dog, or an animal that is scheduled to die. They may be few, but they are out there.

[...]
Second Chance is a touching story about adoption. Mom and Ryan, her adopted autistic son, go to an animal shelter to adopt a dog. Chance is a Rottweiler, German Shepherd mix puppy. He is now Ryan's dog. Chance has to adjust to having two smaller brothers and a smaller sister. He has to learn Mom's rules. Chance is a lucky dog to live with such a loving family. The front cover is beautifully illustrated. I read this story to my 6 and 7-year-old grandchildren. Unfortunately, it did not hold their attention. The illustrations inside the book are dark and muted. The printing is in white, which made it hard to read. Personally, I liked the plot, but it lacks appeal to children.

... but this book was a let down for me. Almost each and every story was poorly written and I could not really "feel" for the stories the way that I wanted to and the way that I think these animals "deserve". It was mostly "... and then this happened, and then that and then that and now we are happy together..."

Could have been a much better book in my opinion!

I Love the imagination that Steven kellog puts into his books and illustrations.
This book is just pure and humorous, of what a young child's imagination and thought process is.
Steven Kellog is a favorite authur at our house.

This is the kind of book with humor, imagination, and gorgeous artwork that both kids & adults will love & remember. I bought this one for my grandson to be born in 2 months, because I remember how much his mother loved it. I read it many times to her & then she read it to me & her little brother. Truly the kind of book that lives on in your heart and sparks a love of reading in children.

I've been a Steven Kellogg fan for nearly 20 years now. His work is original, engaging, and entertaining. He does his own illustrations which "make" his stories come to life for me.

In this book by Kellogg a lonely little boy is in search of a friend. In the natural course of events the little boy either brings home or asks his mother if he can bring home animal after animal for a pet. Thus the book's title, "Can I Keep Him?" His mother's responses are typical, but the translation of her responses in her son's head (shown in picures also done by Kellogg) are hilarious!

A definite hit with children and adults alike!

Give it a try.

Definitely 5 stars.

Alan Holyoak

I really enjoyed Can I Keep Him? It was funny. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes a good read. What will happen to the little tadpole Arnold's uncle sent to him? I will tell you one thing, it doesn't turn into a frog.

I really enjoyed Can I Keep Him? It was funny. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes a good read. What will happen to the little tadpole Arnold's uncle sent to him? I will tell you one thing, it doesn't turn into a frog.

What can I say about the Henry And Mudge series? What can't I say about it? It's wonderful, delightful, sweet, and gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling when reading it aloud to your kids! I have read all of the books to my son when he was little and we both loved them. Mudge is big and lovabale and Henry is smart and kind and his parents give him good morals and values to live by. It's very funny and I would recommend this series (which are well into the 20's) for people with children between the ages of 3-5. I do have to say though, that I like the books that are illustrated by Sucie Stevenson the best. She draws Mudge with a much gentler expression to his face. All in all, I highly recommend Henry and Mudge! And if you do like this series, you may also enjoy the Mr. Putter series...also by Cynthia Rylant.

Highly recommended for the prospective boxer owner. Offers a unique perspective to training the boxer and covers most facets of ownership. Lots of good practical information in terms anyone can understand. Have read the book repeatedly and glean more information each time. Will be a continuing source of reference as my boxer matures. Thanks to Joan Walker for this outstanding practical guide.

very useful book. packed full of common sense advice that is easily adapatable to your personal situation with your dog - whether he/she is a puppy or older dog. I'm glad I read this book and would reccommend it to anyone who is considering or has gotten a boxer - they are a special breed with their own unique personality traits and it is very helpful to understand how they think when training them.

This book tells of numerous ways to train your boxer so you can pick which method works best for your dog. Easy to follow instructions makes training fun and alot less daunting.

I found this to be well written and informative. A good buy.

It's great to see the author writing customer reviews of their own book? Turned me off from buying the book. How stupid does she think people are?

No one goes to the grocery store thinking that the government legislates what they buy or eat. But in fact, the government plays an enormously influential role on what products and foods are grown and produced, as well as distributed in your local grocery. The legislation known as the Farm Bill (some call it the Food Bill) has greatly altered the way that farms operate, thereby changing the landscape of food choice, nutrition, biodiversity in our country as well as other poorer countries, quality of life for farmers and eaters, as well as a multitude of other issues. Interestingly, this is legislation that not many citizens know about or realize has such far-reaching implications. This book is simple to read but clearly lays out many of the prominent issues that the Bill deals with and why the allocation of money and priorities in the Bill are so important for us to confront and influence, as eaters and as citizens.

Here is an example of an outcome of the Farm Bill's mismanagement and where we are now: (with some knowledge also gleaned from Michael Pollan's excellent book The Omnivore's Dilemma)
You may think that the US grows a lot of corn and that's a good thing- did you know that most of the corn is not edible by humans and b/c of subsidies by the government to grow it big and cheap, most corn actually gets processed into byproducts: animal feed (forcing cows, who are physically designed to eat grass, to eat corn), processed sugars (corn syrup replaced sugar in many foods simply b/c it is cheaper and it's subsidized) or gets dumped onto poorer countries, driving those country's economics beserk b/c of our subsidization policy?

CHeck this book out if only so that you can be better informed about how the government has their hands in your meal. The Bill is up for re-legislation this year in 2007 so we have to get involved fast!

Word of the day: "cornification." Cornification, in a nutshell, is the takeover of a diverse landscape by one mighty plant: corn. The "Effects of Cornification" graphic on page 17 of Dan Imhoff's new book shows the results: the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone, factory livestock farms, obesity, immigration problems, food deserts (that's "deserts" not desserts"), the emptying of our rural communities, etc., etc. One look at the "cornification" graphic and a message comes through loud and clear: what the government tells farmers to raise has ramifications far beyond Renville County, Minnesota. Imhoff's book, Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill, is full of these kinds of eye-opening, mind-expanding graphics. His message isn't new, but the way he presents it is fresh and important. The phrase "must-read" is much abused (I've thought that ever since someone used "must-read" and the book The Bridges of Madison County in the same sentence). But if you are interested in how U.S. farm policy affects our environment, our communities and what we eat, and you want to do something about reforming the system, then Food Fight, is, yes, a must-read.

Imhoff's book provides a valuable service in a year when a new federal Farm Bill is being written up. It's time to take the development of ag policy out of the hands of large agribusiness and narrowly-focused commodity groups. But creating a Farm Bill that's accountable to society requires an informed public.

That's where Food Fight comes in--it makes a dense topic quite accessible. In a succinct, clear, USA Today-type format, Imhoff's chapters relate information that anyone who reads newspaper investigative pieces or watches PBS regularly probably has an inkling of: federal farm policy in this country is dysfunctional and expensive, as well as harmful to the environment, human health and our communities.

Imhoff, who is the writing/publishing force behind such books as Farming and the Fate of Wild Nature and Farming with the Wild, knows the power of images. He's summarized studies, media reports and sleep-inducing statistics in brief, easy to digest graphics. He's read the think-tank white papers and plowed through the USDA data, so you don't have to. And then he's put it all in context.

Don't let the readability of this book fool you into thinking this is lightweight material; these are some heavy topics Imhoff is addressing: "...nearly 40 million Americans, 12 percent of all households, confront food insecurity, meaning that they often experience hunger or need to skip meals to get by. Many are children," reads one sentence above a heartbreaking photo of a homeless man sleeping on the sidewalk.

This isn't all graphics, charts and photos. Imhoff also uses clearly-written text to explain complicated issues like the history of U.S. farm programs, how New Zealand reformed its system and what can be done here, now, to reform ours. With chapter titles like, "Why the Farm Bill Matters," "What Is The Farm Bill?" and "Where It All Started," this book lives up to its "Citizen's Guide" claim.

Glancing over Food Fight's facts and figures, I was surprised at how many of them I was familiar with. But the sheer weight of their overall impact had not struck me before. Having all of this information put together into one cohesive piece provides a powerful tool for action. As I was reading the book, I was also chagrined at how I've become numbed to the ludicrousness of federal ag policy. Over the years, I've read about the major corporations that receive the lion's share of crop subsidies, but it wasn't until I saw Imhoff's top 20 "Subsidy Recipients" list that the sheer criminality of it struck home.

For example, J.G. Boswell Company received over $17 million in USDA ag subsidies between 1994 and 2004. Boswell grows cotton in the bottom of what was once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. Sixty percent of U.S. cotton is dumped on the world market at cut-rate prices, threatening the livelihood of farmers all over the planet. I've met a few of those Third-World farmers and they don't want a handout. All they want is to be able to sell their crop at a fair price. But they can't because our tax money is subsidizing behemoths like Boswell. Free market agriculture? Give me a break. I know a West African farmer (Ear to the Ground No. 20) that could teach us a thing or two about the free market.

Food Fight is a quick read and that's good; the 2007 Farm Bill deliberations are upon us and may be wrapped up as early as this fall. Read this book and call your Senators and Representatives armed with facts, figures...and a lot of righteous citizen anger.

Bought this for a cat loving gal pal in her 40's. She is a history buff, well read and intelligent. She has an appreciation for the species as I do. This is a great little book gift for a great price! Very well written, and interesting. Would buy again, would recommend.

This book kept me in stitches! I was really surprised to find that one cat is credited for destroying a whole species. It puts them right up there with man himself. On the other hand, I hope to see a sequel soon to include Hemingway's cats and maybe even a couple of my cats. No? Oh, well... If you're my friend, expect to get your own copy for Christmas!

As a cat lover and history buff, Sam Stall's book is wildly entertaining. It's amazing to think that a cat can have so much of an impact. Mine mostly just eat, sleep and give me dirty looks! So, you can imagine my surprise to learn of the huge accomplishments the cats described in the book had on history. I was laughing hysterically all night, much to the confoundment of my husband. You will truly enjoy this book and you might even learn something about those frisky felines we call our friends!

I love this little book. You learn real historical facts about all kinds of kitty cats. Very informative and fun, I'm giving it to my sister as a birthday present. Anyone who loves cats would love this book!

This is a great first book for those who think they may be interested in birding. It is small, easy to carry, and inexpensive. The book begins with a tutorial on the basics of bird identification including wing patterns and shapes, tails, bills/beaks -- and habitat and behaviors. Then if provides some simple silhouettes to guide the reader to likely matches. The color illustration are well drawn and information is given to help identify the differences between male and female birds. A great first resource for young and beginning birders.

Yes, I know this book is for absolute beginners, and the pictures and descriptions of the birds are adequate. What is missing are the latin names of the species, and even a beginner or a child should get used early to use them, as they are the international standart.

This book is just the right size to put in your pocket & head
for the woods, it's a very handy tool when out birdwatching!
Love it!
Diane

My 7yo daughter and I have had great fun identifying the birds in our backyard with this little book. It features the most common birds one might see. I like how they how it organized by size and type of bird (all the water birds are together, all the birds of prey, all the smaller Fenches and Sparrows, etc. Easy to find that way. There was one bird drawing that was more colorful than the actual bird we saw. This might be due to the fact that they don't picture every type of one kind of bird. It is a GREAT first guide for kids and adults that are just starting. I like also that it shows the male and female of a type.

I bought this book just so that I could identify some of the birds at my backyard birdfeeder. So far, I've only been able to identify one from this book. The pictures and descriptions aren't very good, and it's very hard to narrow down the type of bird, since they're not organized by geographic area, etc. I would definitely recommend the National Audobon Society books over this one.

I've had this book for two years now and agree with many other reviewers. While the information in the book is helpful in a general sense, the cover picture and title could be changed and it could apply to any dog breed. Really nothing specific about German Shepherds.

This is a very good book on the basics of owning a German Shepherd and has many helpful suggestions.

I liked this book because it gave me a lot of information on how to take care of a german shepherd and general techniques of what to do if they are sick, what to feed them, etc.

I was surprised by all the negative feedback on the book. I really liked it. I know it's not pure, pure, GSD, but dogs are dogs, you're going to run into some overlap.

I wish I had bought the book, before I got my dog, but it was still helpful none the less. I got my GSD from German Shepherd Rescue. The book talks about like programs as well as breeders.

If you're thinking about getting a GSD, I'd recommend the book.

I'm new to dog ownership and I just adopted an 18-month old German Shepherd Dog from a local shelter. I wanted to learn as much as I could about dogs, specifically GSD's so I ordered this book. My observations are:

1) The book is informative and covers I wide range of topics, i.e., training, feeding, housebreaking, etc.
2) This book can be used as a reference guide so you don't need to read the entire book if you just need advice on specific issues.
3) This book was easy to read and I read the entire book in a few days.
4) Although I gained some knowledge from this book, many of the items covered I was able to find quite easily on the internet for free.
5) This book was inexpensive and available through Amazon with free shipping, which is how I got it.

Bottom line: If you don't mind spending a few dollars, this is a nice reference guide to have. Otherwise, you can find this information for free on the internet.

As a work of scholarship whose purpose is to provide an understanding of the the "...politics of industrial pollution", this book is nearly useless. The main problems are: 1) undocumented assertions are made in every chapter, 2) terms which are critical to the book, such as "toxic" and "high cancer death rate", are never defined, and 3) the treatment is anachronistic throughout. It is difficult to believe that authors who make the statement, "...new classes of disease and damage to the body that are too subtle to even measure" (p. 296) actually know anything about the subject.

I read this book about 2 years ago after my manager gave it to me. It is an excellent, non-sensationalized, review of historical actions of large corporations which compromised the public health of our citizens. It is well supported by cited references. A must read for occupational health professionals who are working to protect employees against little known hazards.

This is an extraordinary book. Unlike other books that address the corruption of industry, this book has the documents and information that you really need. Few stories of environmental duplicity ever provide this kind of detail and data.

But most importantly, it read like a detective story, which, in fact, it is! Bill Moyers is absolutely correct in his cover blurb! What a joy to read.

"Lawsuits... against some of the largest chemical and petrochemical companies in the world have led to the discovery of documents that show lying, manipulation of government officials, and secrecy as tools used by industry to protect its product. What emerges is a history of deceit that is strikingly similar to that of the asbestos and tobacco industries." [This and all quotes from my review are from Deceit and Denial]

Deceit and Denial is an exceptionally well researched book that lays bare the astounding extent of American corporate and political malfeasance with regard to industrial pollution in the 20th century, specifically focusing on the lead, chemical, and plastics industries. The authors' use of hitherto unseen primary source documents from corporate archives to make their case adds tremendous weight to the argument that industrial pollution damages not only people's physical health and the environment in which they live but also undermines our country's social and democratic institutions.

Deceit and Denial eloquently and thoroughly expounds on the proposition that corporate self-regulation is dangerous and that "when it comes to public health, the society has a right to insist that the community's interests come before the shareholders' profits." The reader is also reminded of a notion that has fallen by the wayside in post-9/11 America: it is "absolutely essential to have as much openness and free access to information as possible."

These ideas may not be new but you would be mistaken in thinking that this book is the product of a radical left-wing or environmentalist agenda. This is scholarly research of the first order. Deceit and Denial succeeds in being not only a damning indictment of past corporate machinations and political complicity but a lucid exposition of the critical issues that industry and our nation currently face in the 21st century.

This is an extraordinary book. Unlike other books that address the corruption of industry, this book has the documents and information that you really need. Few stories of environmental duplicity ever provide this kind of detail and data.

But most importantly, it reads like a detective story, which, in fact, it is! Bill Moyers is absolutely correct in his cover blurb! What a joy to read.