Pet Books

The book is small and does have some useful information on Yorkies. However, I found the text to be more generic in the sense that it looks like the author copied a lot of the information from another generic dog book. Also, there were more errors in the text than there should have been for such a small book. For instance, on one page it mentioned how well a tick will show up on the dog's white coat. Yorkies don't have white coats. In addition, a lot of contradictory information was presented. In some parts of the text it mentions one thing while the boxes on the side said something else. To me the book was acceptable.

This book has great information on yorkshire terriers. It's wonderful illustrations give great demostrations like grooming, care tips etc. It 's a good book for beginners.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book. While somewhat fewer pages than expected, the text was very enlightening and the photos were exceptional!

I have bought several books on Yorkies and this one is by far the best. If you are thinking about getting a Yorkie, please get this book first!!!!!!!! It is full of information on the Yorkies personality and tempermant. It will truly help you get an understanding of the breed.

From the minute I opened this book, I loved it. I love books about women who live in the country and master the land in which they live. This is a beautifully written book about Sue's long-term marriage that has ended and she lives in a cabin in the Ozark's. The book captures the spirit of the Ozarks with all its beauty and poverty. She focuses on her life during a single year period where she delicately outlines the seasons, her thoughts, her struggles and what it is like to live in the country. The book is well written, articulate and when the book ended I was left wanting more. I wish she would write a sequel. An excellent read.

"A Country Year" is an absorbing bucolic, understated tale of life as a rural beekeeper in the Ozarks. Sue Hubbell offers naturalist lessons without a whiff of pedantic as a shrewd observer of animal and plant life. Her story of the hard work needed to farm undercuts any idyllic fantasies of rural life, though there are compensations. "Green Acres" this aint!!

Hers is a tale of plucky self-reliance as an (aging) but still spry single woman. Sweet honey in the rock, indeed.

Hubbell's description of nature at times is so lyrical that it soars to the threshold of poetry.

Worth reading and savoring for its understated charms.

Sue Hubbell's voice is true. She shares great sadness so matter-of-factly that whole years are communicated in short paragraphs. 'Lyrical' almost applies, but does not, which in this case is a beautiful thing.

I came upon this book belated, more than 20 years after it was published, in the discard bin at my library. That is a shame, because this book is a gift, both in the pleasure it provides the reader and the way it so effortlessly connects us to the natural world.

Half way through, I googled Sue Hubbell to see if some lucky man had found her, and sure enough, he had. I hope he deserves her and has made her blissfully happy.

Then I googled 'farms for sale' and 'dogs for adoption'. I will probably continue my urban life, but when I surrender to sweet dreams of farm and country, Sue Hubbell's voice will be telling the story.

Everyone should read this book. It's lovely, and at the end, you will know some Latin names for plants and animals you did not know before. (You may interrupt your spouse to ask if he knew that some snakes are so evolutionarily advanced they do not lay eggs but give live birth to their young.)

This is solely for the pedantic review by "Urban Naturalist". This book is simply a look at a person who is making observations of the world around her. It does not need an over analyses or pretentious display of book learned education. It is a book written by an individual about simple things that make up her life and the feelings she receives from this experience. It is a nice read. You do not have to memorize the scientific name (genus species) of a critter for it to give you a unique memory. I write this as a field biologist working in Alaska who sees daily the awe in recent college grad eyes when they witness nature in person. There is nothing analytical about it, just visceral. This is what Sue writes about. For those interested in nature, I would recommend a search for the book "The Abstract Wild". Urban is Urban and this recommendation may give insight to that. Enjoy your reading time.

Sue Hubbell writes in a very easy to read fashion. I enjoyed this book. I thought it read like a diary, as it details the authors life in the Ozarks in Missouri on a daily basis. I grew up on 500 acres in the Ozark mountains and I found myself relating to many of her experiences.

In 'Living the Questions' the author literally takes time out to smell the roses and journals what she observes. She takes time to watch nature around her & notices how God made everything to work in conjunction with everything else. Usually, I find scientific talk dull, but Ms. Hubbell made it interesting. The drawings made it feel like a well-read personal nature journal. This is a book you will enjoy it's an easy take on life and nature.

If you have patience, you can get a good "overview" of handfeeding pet baby birds here..

If not.. I suggest you go elsewhere.

Dr.Vriends thoughts are disorganized, self-congratulatory, and all over the place. He could of used an intelligent editor here.

Each chapter has information that is right out of the authors head-- instead of organizing laying of eggs, incubating, feeding, etc. in concise chapters. The chapters repeat lots of information. I found it very hard to follow-- trying to turn forward and back to other chapters with "sort of" the same topic.

I respect Dr. Vriends expertise on most everything...but, the points on this book are not organized.

What if you don't want to feed the baby birds when they first hatch? What if you want to socialize them while still letting the mom and dad feed? There are lots of places here where I left scratching my head-- and re-reading the convoluted syntax in this book asking "what is he trying to say here"?

This book definately is written from the standpoint of out of the incubator, into the breeders hands...

Dr. Vriends, you have more experience on this to share, don't you? Too professional a book...

It's a good book and easy to read, but it's more focussed on professional breeding than it is for people who just bought a bird and want more information about raising and hand-feeding. Even though it's good reading material.

This book was OK. It talks about all pet birds, so it really only gives a little bit of information about each. If you are looking to know about handfeeding ONE certain kind of bird, then I would look for a different book. The pictures are very cute though.

Matthew Vriends HAND-FEEDING AND RAISING BABY BIRDS is of some use to me although I prefer Gayle Souck's PARROT BREEDER'S ANSWER BOOK. Vriend's book is not nearly as comprehensive, he goes deep whereas Soucek goes broad. However, I appreciate the detailed sections on the selection, care and maintenance of incubators including photos of the various types of incubators as well as text describing air filtration systems (`still air' and ventilation), automatic egg turners versus doing it yourself, and temperature, light and humidity considerations. Interestingly, neither author cites the other even tho Barron's produced both books and they are somewhat complementary.

As well as incubation, Vriends book covers feeding in great detail with numerous photos of very small chicks being hand fed. I like this book because I needed more in-depth information about actual feeding practices, including a discussion of the different nutritional needs of different birds who require formulas. Whether you are raising companion birds or you are an animal rehabilitator/rescuer you will probably find this book useful.

This book takes the novice from the very beginning. It covers every aspect of handfeeding. Concise, easy to read, with great colour pictures. I would recommend this book to the beginning handfeeder as well as those who are experienced.

We thought that this book was great. It has really helped us since we became new pug owners. It explained about health concerns and potty training, to what kind of toys pugs like the best. I would highly reccommend this book to anyone thinking about getting a pug!

I've read just about everything written about pugs and this is one of the better books. The tips are helpful and if you aren't aware of it, pugs have many health issues. The result of years of breeding makes for some common ailments. A good choice for pug lovers.

Wonderful book replete with information about pug care, i.e. grooming, cleaning their facial folds and finger curling their doubly curled tails when they are still puppies.

You also get to read about training and breeding your pug and overall good dog care specific to this breed. You learn what words and short commands tend to work best for pugs and you and your pug can share in the rewards - limitless pug cuddles. You even get some humorous "pug tales" as well. What is not to love about a pug? Pugs are so lovable!

Great book! Very practical information about what pugs need as far as bathing, skin fold wiping (beware of swamp face), and other general pug hygiene. Very practical training tips, such as belly rubbing to assure your pug that you are dominant (as well as providing a delightful belly rub) and choosing useful words for training, such as "off" instead of "no jumping," so that that your pug can be praised with the same word, for example, "Good Off," which then serves as a built-in reward (and doesn't exhaust the word "No"). Interesting and funny information on pug personalities. What's not to love about a pug?

I bought this book for my husband who is a recent member of the JRTC and is planning on raising Jack Russel show dogs. He loved it! Thanks!

The Jack Russell Terrier Handbook is like no other book available for the breed. The emphasis is on providing the most in-depth and up-to-date informaton about subjects vital to caring for and living with a JRT, including behavior problems and training, medicine and hereditary health problems, nutrition, genetics, and breeding. Information on fun stuff to do with your terrier, such as training for earthdog competitions or even going hunting, is also included, as are tamer diversions such as agility, racing, and conformation. This is not a book of pedigrees and show-win photos, but a book for people who enjoy the JRT in every facet of its being. Intersperced in the text are lots of color photos of JRTs in action, and tidbits of technical information (Terrier Tech) and facts (Jack Fact). A book for people who want to excel at JRT ownership.

The Jack Russell Terrier Handbook is like no other book available for the breed. The emphasis is on providing the most in-depth and up-to-date informaton about subjects vital to caring for and living with a JRT, including behavior problems and training, medicine and hereditary health problems, nutrition, genetics, and breeding. Information on fun stuff to do with your terrier, such as training for earthdog competitions or even going hunting, is also included, as are tamer diversions such as agility, racing, and conformation. This is not a book of pedigrees and show-win photos, but a book for people who enjoy the JRT in every facet of its being. Intersperced in the text are lots of color photos of JRTs in action, and tidbits of technical information (Terrier Tech) and facts (Jack Fact). A book for people who want to excel at JRT ownership.

Great book!
I have read quite a few Jack Russell books and this is very informative and very well written I would recommend this book highly, especially to someone interested in Jack Russells it explains a lot about the breed, showing, feeding, training and just understanding these special dogs. It's a must read!

Very good book. informative. I bought a Jack and the book at the same time and the book saved me a lot of headaches. A must have for the jack russell owner, or anyone thinking about getting a Jack. Thanks

The introduction to this excellent guide indicates its importance to anyone interested in animals, and in particular mammals:

"The topography of China ranges from the highest elevation on Earth (Mt. Everest or Chomolung ma; 8,850 m) to one of the lowest (Turpan Pendi; 154 m below sea level). Chinese environments include some of Earth's most extensive and driest deserts (the Taklimakan and Gobi) and its highest plateau (the Tibetan Plateau or "Roof of the World"). Habitats range from tropical to boreal forest, and from extensive grasslands to desert. This wide variety of habitats has contributed greatly to the richness of China's mammal fauna. Additionally, the geographic location of China, at the suture zone between the Palaearctic and Indo-Malayan biogeographic regions , further contributes to the country's mammal diversity. Overall, more than 10 percent (556) of the world's species of mammal live in China .... In their analysis of megadiversity countries, Mittermeier et al. (1997) consider China to have the third highest diversity of mammals among all countries (following Brazil and Indonesia)." [This text is taken from the first chapter of the book as it is presented on the Princeton Press website at press.princeton .]

The Introduction continues with a very interesting history of mammals and the study of mammals in China over the centuries. There is also an excellent bibliography. The production values of this book are excellent, consistent with those in Princeton's recently released A Guide to the Mammals of Southeast Asia.

This is a wonderful book for exploring mammals either in China itself or at home in your study.


Robert C. Ross 2008

This is one of the best field guides I have ever seen. The plates (61 plates)are beautifully illustrated and very accurate. Even though it will be a few years before I visit China, I wanted to purchase this field guide to become familiar with their mammals and where to find them. Besides wonderful illustrations of the mammals, the text is filled with great information. Each species account is accompanied with a range map showing the distribution of that mammal. Under the mammal's name is included the Chinese script of the mammal and an English translation of what that script sounds like. This is an ingenious inclusion, because for travelers looking for specific mammals, they only need to point to the script and people can help them. The text also includes taxonomic keys to assist in identifying mammals that are closely related. About the only thing that I didn't like was the fact that it only comes in hardcover. This is a personal thing because all of my other field guides are paperback, which makes them lighter to carry while traveling. But even with the hardcover, this field guide is a wonderful resource and learning tool for the mammals of China.

ýClifford and the Big Stormý is about a day when a Hurricane (or a Big Storm) hits the shore where Emily and Clifford are staying at for the weekend. Clifford goes out in the middle of the Storm and tries to save Emilyýs grandmothersý house. This book teaches the lesson of courage. It also teaches that, there is nothing to be afraid of, not even a Big Storm like the one in the book; so, be brave and face the fear. The age level for this one would be about a Kindergarten- 1st grade book. This book is excellent for any child to enjoy reading or a whole family listening to it. So, I recommend this to anyone.

I bought this book for my grandson, who is really afraid of storms. He was very happy to read how Clifford was able to be a hero and help people when a big storm came. Although he is still worried by big storms, it helps to know that he is in good company, and that there are ways to help when people are in danger.

This is a good classic Clifford book. My 2 1/2 year old knows it by heart. I could be little scary to children who are afraid of storms. Emily and her grandma have to go to a shelter - it might make kids worry too much over an oncoming storm.

This book was a great help to us in traveling with our three dogs. It is clearly written and we found the information contained in the book to be 100% correct. Great reference!

My two-year old daughter loves this book! The illustrations are beautiful and the story of Hondo the dog and Fabian the kitty is a cute one. I would highly recommend!

I bought this book based upon its previous glowing reviews, however after reading several Rainy Dohaney books, this just doesn't stack up.

The artwork is beautiful, but this book is not engaging enough for any child over the age of 20 months or so. My 3 1/2 year old liked the art, but was bored by the story and kept asking questions wanting to know MORE about what was going on. She was intrigued, but bored.

It's not a TERRIBLE book, it's just a dull book. If you like this art style I highly recommend TINKA or MY BEST SWEET POTATO, which have become steady favorites in our home, and others whom we have given them to.

my toddler loves this book. she almost has it memorized and now pretends that she's reading it.

This story is simple enough for babies-small children to enjoy and the illustration is inspiring.

Yo, woof! I'm Hondo.

Hi, I'm Fabian. Have you seen the book just about us? OK, maybe the baby and that other dog that hangs with Hondo are in it, but basically the book is about our lives, well, actually, just one day in our lives.

Woof! My job is to tell you about our book. Our buddy, Peter McCarty, wrote and illustrated it. I have to tell you, woof, that he made both of us a bit "large boned."

You mean "fat" don't you, Hondo? Meow, you know we're fat, what with all the food we get. Anyway, before we start the story, I would like you to open to the end pages and look at those illustrations of both of us. Would you move over just a bit--I would like to rub my scent glands on the edges of the book. I'm marking this book because I like it so much.

Woof, look at us sleeping. Peter gave us that blurry look so little children would know it's sleepy time and all fuzzy inside our heads.

Meow, you know us cats: Slight us and we turn our backs. The people took Hondo and left me with....dun dun dun dun...the BABY!!! No way I'll get any shut-eye now!. Better get my hisser ready.

Wooooooof! Love the wind in my face, and, oh bow wow, the s-m-e-l-l-s are glorious! Hey, it's Fred. Yo, Fred, race ya!!

Dun dun dun dun--the BABY has got me. Yelp! Hissss, but I have to be nice. Gotta keep the claws in! It's a BABY even if she is dangerous!

Yipeee, yippeee, jump the waves. Yo, man, having fun-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-!!! Wait'll I tell Fabian!!

The BABY. Gotta get away....gotta get away....I'll show 'em what's what. Leaving me with the BABY. Take that, take that, take that. There, done! Success again--got all the soft stuff (some kind of paper) in the bathroom over and out and down on the floor. Wait'll I get my claws on Hondo....that dog!

Hey, Fabian. I had a blast! Jumped the waves. Tried to steal a fish. Hung out with Fred. Woof, what a day!!

Meow, Hondo. Another day, another bowl of food... Let me say this: If I ever get out of here, I am going on my own adventure...Meow!

Good night, Fabian.

Good night, Hondo.

Good night, BABY.

This is yet another good book from Anthony. Although I was very confused by the book cover, sometimes I think they let the illustrator have a little too free reign.

well,ive got to say,the newest xanth installment has it all.adventure,puns(of course),a lot of traveleing,and of course panties and kissing and the like.haha.but its real good.im not done,i lack about a 100 pages or so.i got it yesterday at the local library and am almost done.i of course will wait until its out in paperback before i buy it.i have 20 of the 29 xanth books as of now.and am looking forward to continuing the series and my collection.i strongly recommend it to any fantasy fan,light or serious.if your new to xanth you will still enjoy it id say.id also recommend reading the sword of shannara trilogy by terry brooks or tolkien of course,ra salvatore,i could go on.

Pet Peeve (2005) is the twenty-ninth Fantasy novel in the Xanth series, following Currant Events. In the previous volume, Clio collected the currant berry and returned home. Drew and Drusie made a scene, frightening Clio into saying the necessary words. Sherlock reversed her curse and the couple adopted Ciriana as their own daughter.

In this novel, Goody Goblin is the only polite, good-natured Goblin male in Xanth. He receives the finger from a stranger and doesn't want to pass it on to anyone else. He decides to take the problem to the Good Magician. After solving the requisite challenges, Goody is admitted into the castle.

Humfrey solves his problem immediately and doesn't even require Service from him. Yet Goody feels that he owes something to the Good Magician for relieving him of this burden and insists on performing a service. As it happens, Humfrey does have a task for which Goody is well suited.

The pet peeve is a talking bird with a high Annoyance Quotient. The bird verbally harasses everybody with the voice of his companion. The peeve has been living in the Good Magician's castle since being rescued from Hell by the Gorgon.

Goody's task is to find a permanent home for the pet peeve. Since he is essentially pacifistic, Goody is provided with a bodyguard, Hannah Barbarian, who has a talent with deadly weapons. After an initial misunderstanding -- the peeve insults Hannah -- Goody and Hannah set out to find someone who wants to provide a home for an annoyed (and annoying) bird.

In this story, Goody and Hannah have many adventures, mostly triggered by the irritating comments of the pet peeve. They find helpful companions along the way and accidentally inflict Xanth with a horde of invasive robots. These mechanical creatures are programmed to reproduce to the limits of the available resources and may well drive out all living creatures.

Goody finds that he is recovering from his loss of his wife, Go-Go Goblin, who had died young from a curse. He gains interest in other women and finally meets someone who almost replaces Go-Go in his affections. She too is looking for a spouse and Goody has the required qualifications.

Highly recommended for Anthony fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of punny quests, deadly invaders and Goblin romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but beyond the puns in the Xanth books lie really good stories. The puns are, of course, outrageous. You either love them or think they're hopelessly stupid.

If you think bad puns are just juvenile, don't even bother with this (or any) Xanth novel. If you love the puns, don't forget that there's a story too.

Goody Goblin is on a mission with his bodyguard Hannah Barbarian (see what I meant about the puns?) to find a home for the Pet Peeve. In Mundania, this would be considered an foul-mouthed parrot. The Peeve certainly lives up to it's name, insulting everyone in sight, and making it almost impossible to find a home for it. Along the way, Goody and Hannah get to understand and like each other. Of course, they both find love along the way too, not to mention saving Xanth in the process.

As another reviewer said, this novel isn't quite the innocent book like previous ones. Lots of groping and kissing. Nothing explicit, of course, but it's not handled as subtly as usual. It seemed more...grown up? I liked the change.

If you've never read a Xanth novel before, pick this one up. You'll either love it or think it's totally inane. It's one of those things in life that you have to at least try once.

I am kinda torn on what I think of Piers Anthony's newest Xanth book.

On the one hand I am pleased that this book has more of the spirit of the earlier books in the Xanth series. Maybe I am alone in my viewpoint, but I have felt that the last two or three books have seemed somewhat forced (sort of like Mr. Anthony is running out of ideas after so many Xanth books but is continuing to churn out a book a year). This one, I am happy to say, did not seem that way. The plot was great, the characters were funny and fresh, and the puns were.... the same as usual *grin*.

On the other hand, this book seems to have taking more of an "adult" feel to it. This seems to be becoming more and more prevelent in the later Xanth books (however the "Adult Conspiracy" has always been part of Xanth), and Pet Peeve pushes it a bit further than any of the earlier Xanth books have. I guess Mr. Anthony can do whatever he wishes to with his series, but it isn't the reason I have been a fan of the series since the tale of Bink in "A Spell for Chameleon".

I very much enjoyed the book (more so than the recient Xanth books, but not as much as the origional 10 or so) and read it almost straight through, but found myself skimming over the sections about all the kissing, feeling, etc.

Bottom line is I guess it is hard to argue with a book series that has seen 29 installments, with many of those being on Best Seller lists. If you are a fan of Xanth, you will most probably like Pet Peeve. If you are new to Xanth, Pet Peeve is a good one to start on (as you don't need much, if any, knowledge of earlier books in the series) but I would recomend reading the first three Xanth books before Pet Peeve (as I just think those three are hands down better).