Science Nature Books

Too good. Eye opening. Easy to read. It will be kept in my library for references. I learned so much about our oceans and mankind.

This is an eye-opening, informative look at the history of the world's fisheries throughout time. From early fisheries in Europe, to the discovery of virgin seas around the world, this book gives a detailed and interesting look at fishing practices including long line fishing, trapping, and trawling. The startling decline of the world's fisheries is discussed with much detail including many examples which were somewhat repetitive. The author also gives hope of reestablishing healthy fisheries by citing many recent changes in nation's policies regarding fishing. This is a well written book that reflects the author's efforts and research. It was written to educate people on the conditions of the oceans. The author also gives a refreshing look at conservation by not simply criticizing the state of the oceans, but by providing a plan that may help reverse the effects of hundreds of years of over-fishing. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in gaining a greater understanding of the history of the world's fisheries.

This is a MUST READ if you are interested in the ocean environment. This book is staggeringly comprehensive in its coverage of the many centuries of fishing as they developed and how they resulted in the ocean destruction that exists today.

Unfortunately it was, to me, so verrrryyyy dry that I really had to work hard to finish. If you like endless excerpts from the old salts journals (with old language styles and the accompanying mispellings), you may have a more favorable reaction.

The facts and statistics of over-fishing will blow you away! It should serve as a clarion call for us to get busy and take measures to focus some attention on this critical ocean world.

This review refers to the paperback version, 2007, Gaia thinking.

The author builds a very extensive window on the condition of all marine life over the past 1000 years. His research is based on ancient texts, skipper logbooks, diaries of explorers and in more recent times more comprehensive fishery data and scientific articles. The book is full with citations from all these sources which give the reader a close look on the experiences of those who where amazed by the marine life.

The bounty he describes in the seas from the past are at times hard to imagine. Sturgeons as big as cows in European rivers, fish shoals who push the river water upwards, uncountable numbers of whales in their breeding bay in California. Although it is clear that the author is passionate about marine life, he presents the facts without bias and the book has an extensive reference list at the end.

The book focusses on the central theme of over-fishing and its detrimental impact on the state of all marine life. As the book advances (into time) fishing effort increases and marine life gradually deteriorates. Reading chapter after chapter makes you sad, helpless and angry to see in what dire state we pushed all the seas of the world.

However, the book ends with three fairly brief chapters to restore the balance. The changes in fishery management that the author proposes are quiet surprising but on the same time elegant and more reasonable to achieve compared to current practices. The final chapter is a documented call for extensive world marine reserves. The abundance he describes in some present day reserves is fuelling hope for better times.

If you love the sea, if you love fish or fishing, please read this book.

Only minor point is fairly few pictures in the book, although the old photographs with huge fish caught make up for most of it.

Read it, be shocked and spread the word, so we can fix what was broken.

The problem with the oceans is that you can't see what's going on down there. Foresters can count trees, birdwatchers have "life lists", but fishery managers can only weigh a catch and guesstimate the numbers. That's the fish that are landed - those and other life caught in nets or hooks disappear uncounted and unreported. "Counting" fish has been a problem since ancient times and the sea has remained a realm of mystery right up to the present. Ironically, as Callum Roberts points out in this informative study, it's those who have harvested sea life - often in immeasurable quantities, who have helped reveal something of what goes on beneath the waves.

Roberts understands the need for fishers. Sea life is a substantial form of protein, particularly when land animals are expensive or unattainable. Men have fished from shore, from coast-hugging boats and from ships drawing a wide variety of gear through the water seeking dinner for demanding thousands. Anyone casting into the nearest river or lake will describe fish as "fickle", unresponsive to the most adroitly placed lure. Ocean fishers, however, trailing extended nets or other gear have the same complaint for other reasons. Where have the fish gone? Roberts points out that human fishing of the seas has undergone three revolutions - trawl nets in the 14th Century, steam power, and deep ocean fishing in the 20th Century. Each of these revolutions was a step in finding the missing fish. Each has proven a way to exhaust the ocean's bounty in a short time. The fish have disappeared.

As he tours through time and place, the author portrays the greed and unreflecting view of fishers, government and even science. There's a great irony in this story in the person of Thomas Henry Huxley, Darwin's champion in expanding recognition of the theory of natural selection. Huxley, in a British government enquiry into how "beam trawls" affected fishing, firmly declared that stirring up the bottom with weighted nets actually brought up nutrients for the fish. Their numbers would increase from the practice, not diminish! Such was the state of knowledge of the seas only a century and a half past. Knowledge has improved but little in the ensuing time period, and what has been learned has been even more detrimental to the fish. Powerful ships, huge, heavy nets and sonar have given fishers valuable tools in locating shoals. Yet, the number of fish available is clearly diminishing. Why is that?

The chief reason is failure to understand the ecology of the seas. Counting catch methods tend to focus on single, usually prime species. The effect of removing large numbers of these is too poorly known. It has long been assumed that removing the larger individuals allows more opportunity for the younger fish to feed and breed. Is that a valid belief? In Canada, over a decade after a "moratorium" on cod fishing, the stocks have not recovered. One reason seems to be that older fish, knowing the spawning sites for their group - and each site apparently has its own group - aren't there to show the youngsters the way. Other fisheries have depleted the cod's prey species, keeping the existing fish small and resource deprived. Similar circumstances occur in other locations. The dredging of sea bottoms has turned food chain foundations into oceanic deserts. This seems particularly true around seamounts, which Roberts terms "refuelling stops" for large predator species such as tuna. In effect, present fishing methods are eliminating parts of the food chain - from bottom-feeders to the very top - which includes this reviewer and his readers, you. Modern fishing techniques also produce immense amount of "bycatch", undesired species, along with other animals such as turtles and sea birds such as the albatross. Are there solutions to prevent the elimination of many forms of ocean life and restore those links in the food chain?

Roberts' last three chapters deserve the closest study by fishers, international agencies and everybody who eats fish. The numbers he presents are appalling: three-tenths of one per cent of fish stocks estimated for only a couple of centuries ago. Species counts list one "collapse" after another, and bottom trawling has decimated huge areas. There is, however, a cure in the offing. Diving in various areas, the author has seen what can be accomplished by ocean reserves. Originally founded in some cases by researchers experimenting in selected sites, these areas were banned for fishing, in some cases actually fenced off to intruders. The rebounding of stocks, plus the time granted them to grow to substantial size, shows how effective the reserve can be. Projecting from some suggested proposals, Roberts concludes that ocean reserves be established over 30% or more of the seas. That preserved area, in collaboration with seven proposals for new fisheries management could lead to a fully sustainable recovery of fish stocks. It's a formula that requires immediate attention and implementation. Is your government strong enough to assist in this seas-saving project? [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

As an experienced public-school science teacher, I find this book invaluable. Its contents range from simple, few-second demonstrations all the way to many-week experiments. Some of the experiments, such as the study of osmosis through use of salty water-soaked potato or cucumber slices, are commonly found in science books. Others, such as the spray painting and study of spider webs, and the counting of rings on fish scales to determine the age of the fish, are quite unique to this book.

Students can learn the parts of the bean seed, and how to grow yeast and bacteria. The book is profusely indexed. All experiments are each concisely listed on two facing pages. This makes it very convenient to photocopy and hand out to students--as when making suggestions for science projects.

I reviewed this book in The Home School Manual ================

Projects and activities to teach concepts, terminology, and (according to the author, Janice VanCleave) laboratory methods. This book and the others in the series each describe 101 experiments. For biology they are classified under plants, animals, and humans. Each is presented in a two-page spread with an illustration on the right. The order is logical. By working through the book doing some experiments and reading about the others, one would form significant concepts. An explanation is given for each activity. Growing carrots from carrot tops demonstrates that a plant can grow if it has portions of base, stem, and root, and if it receives food and water.

The explanations are oversimplified in some cases (for "finger monocle" for example). Younger students need simpler explanations, but I believe the scientific principles could be stated more accurately. Also, some of the illustrations could be improved, but basically the book is good.

For a total science program I would recommend a textbook or a number of broad topic books. Individual experiments miss some of the overall themes and some concepts are hard to demonstrate.

I have not seen evolutionary concepts in the book. It and others in the series seem best for about grades 3 through 5. Younger kids could profit from most of the activities. The explanations don't bring out the scientific principles clearly enough for older ones.

Part of a series from John Wiley & Sons.

You will not be disappointed with this book! Janice VanCleave's Biology For Every Kid is divided into these categories: plants, zoology, and the human body with tons of simple hands-on experiments that you can do for each. I use these experiments all the time in my 7th grade classroom and the kids love them. Learning is so much better when it's hands-on! I would highly recommend this book for upper elementary and middle school science teachers.

This book is very interesting. It is all about Alberts life, from when he was born till when he died. This is a very advanced book. Every single moment of this book will have you hanging on the edge of your seat.
One thing that I thought was really cool in this book was how he helped on the atomic bomb for world war one and world war two. A reason why I think you should read this book because Albert Einstein was a very interesting man and he had a very interesting life. That is why I think you should read this book.

I just finished reading Albert Einstein, and I rushed over to post this review. This is an outstanding entry in a fine series. The author, Frieda Wishinsky, really makes you understand Albert Einstein both as a scientist and as a human being. Her clear yet thoughtful text lets readers explore the contradictions of a brilliant man--and still shows Einstein as a towering giant of the 20th century. Great book, highly recommended!

This book is very interesting. It is all about Alberts life, from when he was born till when he died. This is a very advanced book. Every single moment of this book will have you hanging on the edge of your seat.
One thing that I thought was really cool in this book was how he helped on the atomic bomb for world war one and world war two. A reason why I think you should read this book because Albert Einstein was a very interesting man and he had a very interesting life. That is why I think you should read this book.

An engaging biography of 20th century icon Albert Einstein that examines the Nobel Prize winning scientist from many different angles: a lackadaisical student who loved to learn; a brilliant thinker whose ideas brought him fame but not necessarily understanding; a staunch pacifist in a era of war who felt compelled to sign a letter to President Roosevelt regarding the need for the U.S. to build the atomic bomb before the Germans; a secular Jew who became a spokesman for the Zionist cause. Wishinky's text is generally clear and thorough, blending the personal and professional into one linear whole. He is portrayed throughout as a man whose intellect dominated his life, at times to the detriment of those around him. Numerous quotes illuminate his relationships with a multitude of influences, from family friends and acquaintances to infamous scientists and statesmen, including Chaim Weitzmann, who invited Einstein to accompany him on a tour of the United States in 1921 in order to raise funds for the establishment of a Jewish state. An abundance of visual references, photographs, and supplemental sidebars compliment the narrative, providing an important historical context for the events in his life as well as his thinking. While Einstein's famous theories are explained in general terms, the explanations are difficult to understand, potentially leaving young readers as mystified as many of those who came to hear his lectures (for a more enlightening alternative, see Einstein: Visionary Scientist by John B. Severance). Still, this is a useful work, one suitable for both reports and general interest. Reviewed by Teri Markson

My 5th grade son read this for a book report. It was a very good introduction to Einstein's life and the social and political environment that surrounded him. As with other DK books, this one has many photos -- of Einstein, the places he lived or studied, and of other historical figures that were an influence on his life. The many illustrations tend to catch the reader's eye and thereby draw the reader into the narrative. The biography includes the difficulties of his childhood and his later personal life and paints a very human picture of what otherwise is an icon of science. My son was impressed that Einstein was an indifferent student who cut many of his classes and was considered by his teachers as a "lazy dog." Yet, he later succeeded in solving some of the greatest challenges in physics. In other words, a person's talents as an adult are not necessarily predicted by success (or lack thereof) in school.

There are appropriately simple explanations of Einstein's principal papers (which a non-scientist adult reader would find illuminating) and good anecdotes of the circumstances in which he got his ideas. Take, for example, this passage about his conception of the Equivalence Principle: " 'I was sitting on a chair in my patent office in Bern. Suddenly, a thought struck me: If a man falls freely he would not feel his weight. I was taken aback.' . . . This led him to conclude that gravity (the force of the earth's pull on all objects) and acceleration (the force of an object falling freely) are equivalent."

4th/5th graders might find the writing in the book a little advanced and adults will find this a fascinating quick read. A real bargain at $4.99.

My Kindergarten class (5-6 yr.olds) loved this book! It's an imaginative way of approaching facts about snails, and the illustrations are beautiful.

A beautifully illustrated picture book with just enough text to intrigue the preschooler or introduce the grade schooler to the world of a snail. As an elementary school teacher I recommend this book for use during investigations of animal families or as a motivational tool for writing. The delightful text describes basic anatomy, habitat and predators. Contains an interesting facts page. Great for pre-kindergarten thru 3rd grades.

I love reading books to my children, but I find that really great books are not always that easy to come by. By a really great book I mean something beautifully illustrated, easy and enjoyable for me to read out loud, and an interesting, educational subject. Of course my children (They are 4 and 6 and a half years old now, but I've been reading these books to them for over a year.) must enjoy the book too, otherwise I'll be reading my beautiful book to myself! I think in this backyard book series I have found all the aspects of a great children's book. The story is cute. It takes about the right amount of time to read aloud. It's educational in a very real way. (There are snails all over my garden for my children to see, and touch.) Now they know all about how snails live and what they really are. I'm looking forward to buying, and reading, more books in the series.

My 2 year old was going through a fear of insects (and snails) phase and this book helped tremendously. Not only did it educate her on the life cycle of the snail, but it did so without talking down to her. I read it to her 7 times when we first got it and right away her attitude toward snails changed. Now, she is quite happy to go visit them as they munch away on our garden vegetables...

A beautifully illustrated picture book with just enough text to intrigue the preschooler or introduce the grade schooler to the world of a snail. As an elementary school teacher I recommend this book for an introduction to scientific studies of animal families as well as a motivational tool for writing lessons. Great for pre-kindergarten thru 3rd grades.

This book is wonderfully illustrated. Lynne Cherry's style is to put a large picture on
each page surrounded by smaller pictures all relating to the subject. In this book the
subject is the course of a river over time and the effects of humanity on its health.
The side pictures relate to the people and their lifestyle at the time. The text gives
relatively simple explanations of what is occurring on the page.

Ages 10+
Follows the life of a river from Native American time through present and details the story of human destruction of a river and the human renewal of the resource. Definitely a read for grades 5+ due to the "urgency" of environmental destruction*we don't want to scare the kids to help them appreciate the resource*

This book was given to me at age 12. I am now 17 and it is still my favorite. I will never outgrow the beautiful pictures, or the very important lesson it teaches. Every page is expertly laid out, with exquisite paintings depicting the river and the era being discussed. The message of environmental conservation and protection is inspiring. Lynne Cherry makes this vital part of our existence understandable to young children, and even adults, often the harder group to reach. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who wants their children to appreciate the world around them and learn that they can, and should, do their best to save it.

This is a beautiful book! The illustrations are breathtaking and it follows an almost "illuminated" type of text structure, similar to that found in "The Mitten" by Jan Brett. Each page is bordered by illustrations of items pertaining to the period in history that the page is depicting - the implements used by Native peoples, animals that live by the river, inventions of the Industrial Revolution, etc. There is much more to talk about on each page than just the environmental theme of the book. This book would fit well in units about Native people, progress/inventions, ecology, water habitats, etc. A must-have for classrooms, homes, and teachers

I used this book with my third grade class when they were studying the effects of water pollution on a large body of water. They had already studied Native Americans in second grade and this book just blended the two subjects together. The step by step portrayal of man's harm to the Nashua River helped my children learn about how they were harming the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Lynne Cherry is a fantastic author and presents two great subjects that are highly interesting to children. Any teacher that teaches either Native Americans or water pollution should include this book in their lessons!

The title is very apt. For anyone interested in descriptive concepts (no maths)of general meteorology and environment systems - how they work, this book covers just about every topic of interest to us today. Content is clearly laid out and easy to understand. The graphics are first class. This is a great book for basic understanding of the workings of our atmosphere. I congratulate the author. As a companion and for further indepth knowledge (with simle maths) I suggest Meteorology for Scientists and Engineers.

This is the book that each and every educator must have! And read! If teachers and educational administrators were competent enough to drive students toward "peak experiences", we will have a happier world!

Very difficult reading about the nature of self-actualization and higher human values, but if you like authoritative credentials, you can't get much better than Maslow's.

--Richard Brodie, author, Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Mem

....about the possibilities of becoming fully human. This was one of the books that inspired me to study psychology. An eminently sane look at the "higher reaches" from the psychologist who dared to wonder why we study sickness but not health.

i could not put down this book. the only vague idea i had from Maslow was the classic pyramid of needs, of which i did not think much. I could not have been more wrong! this book lifted the veil from my eyes, i just so thouroughly identify with the author's views. i wish i had read this book 10 years ago. Maslow is so honest, his style so fluid, his statements so powerful. this book is all about what it means to be human, and it gives faith again in human nature, yet we are facing so many hurdles in our world. while reading it on a train journey, i stopped for a second and looked thru the windows of the cabin. there i saw some clouds in the blue sky, and i felt tears coming up to my eyes. I felt like a follower who had just met his prophet...

Overall this is a very good book, but with some significant flaws. The first 100 pages are unbelievably good; as I began reading this book I really felt like I had hit the jackpot, and I quickly concluded I would attempt to read all of Maslow's works. As I got further into the book I was singing quite a different tune. I believe anyone with any interest in psychology whatsoever should buy this book and read the first 100 pages. This section alone is easily worth the price of the book - don't let me scare you away from exploring the ideas of this great man. However, the dropoff in quality after this first section is rather precipitous, and while pages 100-200 were OK, the final 100 pages are an absolute chore to get through and I had to force myself along to finish the book.

Keep in mind that Abraham Maslow died before he was able to make a final edit of this book, and it shows. The second half of the book is almost a verbatim repetition of the earlier sections, and Maslow tends to harp on the same concepts endlessly. Some of it comes across as a very generic self help book designed to be consumed by the masses. In other sections, he seems to start over right from square one, as if some of the essays were meant to stand alone and were not meant to follow other essays that were extremely similar. I would say nearly half of this book should have been relegated to an expanded appendix - but I guess it would be strange to have a book where full half of it consisted of an appendix. I'm sure that Maslow would have fixed these problems had he lived long enough, but we will just have to accept this book for what it is and try as best we can to extrapolate something useful from it.

To conclude, I must still vehemently stress the importance of at least the first half of this book. If you grow bored with it, just stop reading. The editors of this book obviously elected to take a throw-it-all-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach, and I suppose there is no harm in that. Just remember that the original author was not around to oversee the final editing, and the result is a large dose of disjecta and detritus towards the end of the book. Nevertheless, do not let this minor disclaimer prevent you from exploring the wonderful ideas of this brilliant man.

This is a captivating science book for students. It includes fun experiments, too! It should be noted that there are many drawings of the human body, so be sure that the child you're teaching is old enough to look at drawings of the opposite sex "nude."

My students loved learning and reading about the information in this book and many other Brown Paper School Books. It sparked their interest to research many other aspects of the human body!

This is an awesome book. I use it for home schooling my daughter, but she doesn't think of it as school work. The author explains complicated workings of the human body in a way kids and adults can understand and even enjoy. There are lots of experiments that we actually do because they're just plain fun and the equipment is easily found around the house.
It's appropriate for a wide range of ages...elementary to high school. It's pages are black and white, even the drawings, but you're so interested that you don't even care. I keep it beside the encyclopedia and have caught adults pulling it off the shelf and reading it.
I'll be looking for other books by this author.

We purchased this as a book for homeschooling. It's written in a very entertaining way and filled with a lot of neat experiments and hands-on activities.

I am a teacher and have enjoyed and used this book with my fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classes for a number of years now. I like the way that the book is organized by systems and body parts. Information is presented clearly. The writing is in an informal, yet appropriate, style. There are a number of experiments and demonstrations for students to try. As has been pointed out, some of them are difficult and others require materials that may be difficult to find. However, most are appropriate, and many leave kids with that "Wow, I didn't think that would happen"-type of reaction. It should be pointed out that the book uses cartoon illustrations. They are generally fine but should be supplemented with models, more accurate drawings, posters, or photos. I think that this book does the best job of introducing how our bodies work and will use it for years to come.

We love the book not only does it have very good information of the solar system is also a work book, my son loves it.

my grandson and myself find this book very interesting and easy to go through. it keeps his interest and anything that will keep him interested so he will learn is a good thing

I homeschool my kids and this is a great workbook. There are enough pictures and color to be interesting without being overbearing. It has good explanations of each topic and then lots of practice pages so the kids can really get a good feel for each topic. Many workbooks just touch on a subject but do not provide enough daily assignments and then you have to supplement. This book is more than sufficient on its own. There is an answer key in the back. This is a nice thick substantial book.

~Note for fellow homeschoolers~
'The Complete Book of...' line offers many great great workbooks. Some of the others we use are: Animals, English and Language Arts, Grammar and Punctuation, US History, Presidents and States, Dinosaurs, Science... just to name a few. They are great!

This is our family's first year homeschooling all 3 children (ages range from 4-9) and I was SO thrilled to have found such a wonderful book to teach (and truly immerse) our kids in God's creation! Jeannie Fulbright doesn't just teach facts with these books - her approach includes total immersion into the where and how and why that fill my kid's need to know and understand God in each moment, in each created thing! I have learned so much and my dh can't put the books down himself! He is just as excited as we are to begin this new school year finding wonderful ways to see God in the awe and wonder filled amazement of His creation! Jeannie even includes free notebooking pages for her studies and I have found a many free and inexpensive lapbooks that follow along also! What a perfect addition this has been to round out our curriculum!

My child saw this book and wanted to start her science right away! My dh, who is a chemical engineer, said it was a great book to use to get a child interested in science. I can't wait till fall to start using the book.

We decided to use this book on the advice of another homeschooling family and couldn't be happier. I would agree with the person who gave this a 3 stars in that the sun isn't that big compared to many other things in our universe, but within our solar system, I believe it is. Regardless, we have really enjoyed this book. Science is one of my dd's favorite subject. She loves that we get to cuddle up while reading the material. However, she also loves sharing with others what she has learned. People are amazed at how much she knows and has comprehended, especially for her age (she just turned 7 and we used this for our first grade science). I have also spoken with my neighbor, who is a second grade teacher, and she was impressed with what she has learned. She told me they could never go into that kind of depth in her classroom. They just don't have that kind of time.

Next fall, we will be using the Zoology 1 as both my dd's are totally engrossed with bugs and other flying critters right now.

I really like this series as it is based on a 7 days creation view, which is what we believe in and wanted to teach. I also like that evolution ideas are brought in (how some scientists explain...and then she gives a bried synopsis of what they think. For example, the parts of Mercury that don't have any craters because they are "new" as a result of volcanic eruptions).

I also like the conversational tone to the book. It provides for interaction with the book instead of just memorizing the "facts". I also like many of the experiments as it allows my dd to become more actively involved in what she is learning and helps to really cement what she has learned.

As with many things, you will find mistakes (many of them have been corrected if you go to Apologia's website), and things that you may not agree with. However, if you want to really dig into a subject, spend time on it, and have your child retain what they learned as well as be excited enough about it to want to share what they have learned with others, I would highly recommend this book (as well as this series)

Like all of the Exploring Creation science books, this one covers the topic thoroughly, yet simply. On the other hand, I (as the parent) learn new things with each of these books I have taken my elementary aged son through. While the language is simple enough for an elementary school child to read on their own, the content is significant and the concepts are very important. There is real "meat" in these books.

I would even suggest an older child use these books to gain a grasp on material if it is the first time through the subject. They would be a quick and enjoyable read for the older student.

These books are written to the child and ask questions to not only pique their interest in the subject, but to draw the child to consider how God is at work in His creation. Evolution is handled in a respectful, but no-nonsense way. There is no doubt that the author, Jeannie Fulbright, believes that God is the Creator of the universe and she will enthuse the reader to consider how awesome our God is.

I highly recommend this book as an elementary school science curriculum, but also could recommend this book for a child who simply wants to know more about Astronomy.

Complete lab kits to accompany the books in this series are available from several sources. I have purchased kits in the past from Creation Sensation and they are very affordable and very complete.

What a wonderful way to teach Astronomy. We used this book in a homeschool co-op and the kids loved it. Easy to teach as well.