Science Nature Books

I love the books of David Wiesner, they are imaginative and fun. He has amazing talent. Even as an adult I enjoy looking back through his books, just to admire the gorgeous scenes. It's a classic for any children's book collection.

I bought this book and the first night we were to read it, it was read 4 times over and my son still did not want to put it down. The illustrations tell a wonderful imaginative wacky tale of frogs flying into a suburb and having their "night out". We can create the length of the story by spending only as much time as my son wants on each page, taking either seconds or several minutes, since there are no words to read.
I liked it and I know my son loved it. A nice "out of the box" story.

My son is now 15 and he STILL remembers this book from when he was four or five. It was a huge favorite then and it still is now. I just sent a copy to a good friend with little boys who are sure to enjoy as much as mine did. This is a great book for the imagination and one that kids never tire of -- so many interpretations.

My son is 2 1/2 and we took this book out of the library three weeks ago. He loves this book, and wants it read to him before bed and at nap times. It does not give him bad dreams like some reviewers suggest will happen with little ones. He thinks the frogs flying through the air is so funny. Because there are so few words we make up our own stories as we go, and get a lot of laughs that way. He also loves to "read" the book to himself pointing out things he knows as he flips the pages. I dread having to take it back to the library and will be buying our own copy.

This is a beautifully done work. The story is made up of entirely pictures, beautifully done pictures, with great detail and haunting coloring. There are no words. In this case, to be quite frank, words simply are not needed. The story begins at dusk on Tuesday evening. The setting is a local pond. The frogs are all out setting on their lilly pads getting ready to do what frog in ponds have done for aeons. Then it happens. The magic begings. One by one, then in greater numbers, the lilly pads take off and begin flying, taking their frogs with them. What follows is a wonderful, surrealistic journey through the country side and small down. Each encounter, be it animal or human, is hilarious, from a bird to a Gramma setting in her chair and beyond. There are many adventures and many encounters. Still, no words!

This is one of those stories that is an ideal one to curl up with the little one, and go through it, page by page. Take the trip with the frogs! Now do be warned, the adult will actually have to (gasp) think, particularly with the younger ones, as the story needs to be filled in and discussed. What I like about this is that I can read it ten, twenty, thirty times, and come up with as many different versions of the story as numbers of reads. It simply never gets old. Now I note that some reviewers felt that this book may give their child night mares. I cannot imagine such a thing, but each parent knows their child (or should, anyway) and if they feel this will damage the little one in any way, well, they probably should not read it.

The art work in this one is of the highest quality. The author, no doubt, has a wonderful imagination and it show though with each turn of the page. The color and details are a treat to the eye and not only will the child enjoy the pictures, but amost any adult will also. I love the way this one ends too. The author takes us to the next Tuesday evening, about dusk, and.....well, you really need to read this one for your self.\

I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

Butterfly House is a story about a girl, her grandpa, and a butterfly. The girl saves a larva from a jay and puts it in a jar, and then a box. When the butterfly hatches, she has to let it go. But when she grows older, every spring the painted ladies come to visit her.
This book would be good for read-alouds at school, because it's a good story and kids can learn about nature and kindness. It would be especially good for kids who like butterflies. But it might not be good for kids over eight years old. Also, some kids might not find the characters exciting.

I was very happy with this book. I loved it and so did my class. I plan to use it for many years to come.

What a beautiful story. A little girl finds and saves a tiny "worm" from a hungry Jay. She takes the caterpillar to her grandfather, who then helps her build a butterfly box. They decorate it together, and eventually, when the butterfly breaks out of its cocoon and becomes a beautiful butterfly, they let it go back into the wild, their garden.

This is rather a simple story at first glance. The art work by Greg Shed can only be described as "delicious." Soft colors, well blended and mellow, along with very accurate details of flowers and wildlife, make this book a treasure to view. Like so many children's books, the pictures can be enjoyed, even without reading the words.

Now as to the text is this particular book. I found it absolutely delightful. More prose that anything else, it not only precisely informs as to how to raise a butterfly, but it very well illustrates the love between the grandfather and granddaughter. Now I am not as sophisticated as those folks who write for Publisher's Weekly, who's almost incoherent review seemed to feel the syntax was a bit "treacly." I found nothing overly sweet or cloying what-so-ever. I do hope I never become so sophisticated either. How boring! I suppose that lines such as "How strange to think my grandpa once was young like me. " We would have been best friends if I'd been there back then," I said. My grandpa smiled. "It worked out anyhow, we're best friends now," was a bit over the top for them.

Anyway, when the little girl grows up, she lives in the same house her grandpa did. Her garden is just as beautiful and is filled with butterflies each year. She, an old woman now, feels the butterflies have told generation after generation of other butterflies how she saved one of their own, years ago, ergo, that is why the older lady now has more butterflies in her garden than anyone else in the area.

The book concludes with detailed instructions on how to raise butterflies, how to build a butterfly house and what to do after they have "hatched."

I liked this work. The kids I read it to liked it and I do highly recommend it.
Butterfly House
D. Blankenship

I saw a copy of BUTTERFLY HOUSE and bought it right away because I was attracted to the love and warmth that the book radiates through its story and illustrations on one of my favorite subjects, the butterfly. Butterfly lovers can look for MALINDA MARTHA MEETS MARIPOSA too, different in that it features the Monarch rather than the Painted Lady and different again in that it offers the dimension of acting out the life-cycle as a play. Similar is the love for the butterfly that the children will experience in each book. One doesn't seem complete without the other. Together a child will build a life-time of love and knowledge on this subject.

This book is about a girl who saves a caterpillar
from a hungry blue jay. The girl keeps the caterpilar until it is a butterfly. My favorite part is when they make the caterpillar's little house. I LOVE the illustrations.I'd recommend this book to people who like butterflies.

I was once in the cafeteria having lunch with some friends, when Sir Michael Rutter came in for a moment to get a sandwich. One of our group leaned over and said, "That man's written more books than I've read. See, he doesn't even have time to sit down for lunch!"

It was said in jest, but my friend had a point: Mike has been re-creating several fields of psychology and psychiatry since the 1960s. Although best known as a child psychiatrist, he has made enormous contributions to the study of child development and the interactions between genes and the environment.

This book is a superb summary of some of the enormous changes that have transformed our understanding of genetics over the last two decades by someone who has been in the thick of it, as an investigator, mentor and teacher.

One of the biggest problems in psychology has been the polarization between the proponents of Nature and Nurture. Most folk psychology is driven by the notion that human behavior can be explained by a combination of learning and the environment, and largely neglects the role of genetics. So in that view, an alcoholic develops the illness because he observed alcohol abuse in the family, and genetics have nothing to do with it. The other extreme view is that the whole of human behavior can be reduced to sets of interacting genes. Both positions are unhelpful. The tension between psychosocial researchers and behavior geneticists has been sustained by the different theoretical perspectives that the two use to describe similar concepts. Most experts now understand that the key to understanding problems like the susceptibility and resilience to mental illness is to understand the interaction of genes and the environment over the lifespan of an individual. This book shows exactly how we can do that.

What this book does, and what makes it unique, is that it presents in non-technical language some of the fundamental assumptions that underlie much of the biological, psychological and social research into human behavior. Mike treats us to a short account of modern genetic concepts, illustrated how genes may influence behavior, and also highlights the limitations of simple genetic explanations.

There are few examples of physical or psychological illness that can be traced to a single gene or to a single environmental event: the vast majority show clear evidence of both genetic and environmental influences. Temperament, cognition and mood all have genetic and environmental contributions. What will surprise many readers is that some socially defined behaviors such as criminality and divorce also have genetic and environmental components. Some genetically influenced behaviors affect the extent to which individuals are exposed to environmental risk. We might think of people who do extreme sports or smoke. Another example would be where a parent is genetically predisposed to antisocial behavior, and his behavior disrupts the normal functioning of a family. This is turn would contribute to a child's risk of developing antisocial behavior.

Genes may also contribute to a person's vulnerability to environmental stress. There are genes that increase a person's risk of developing, but only if the person is exposed to certain types of stress.

The notion that genes "cause" behavior - genetic determinism - is all but dead. Genes have indirect effects on behavior that are largely mediated by the environment.

If you have any interest in understanding how genes and the environment affect human behavior, you will find a goldmine of fascinating information in this highly readable book.

Highly recommended.

This is arguably the best introduction to the complex world of how genes affect human personality and behavior. It is far from an easy "read" and doesn't shy from the use of technical terms (an advantage for those who wish to go further but an impediment to more casual readers). The prose is somewhat leaden. Still -- it is a remarkable achievement. Rutter is a distinguished psychiatrist who has made major contributions to our understanding of psychiatric disorders and is well respected across the psychology-psychiatry divide.
The book accomplishes several goals. First, it provides a limited but useful survey of what is presently known about the genetic basis of mental disorders and personality/intelligence. Second (and more usefully) it discusses the logic of genetic causality and surveys the various methods used to uncover same. Third (and most importantly), it provides a balanced and nuanced discussion of all the ways that genes and environmental factors interact to produce human psychology. As such it provides a useful corrective to those who believe that genes are destiny and that there is a "gene (or genes)" for most human characteristics. The human genome project and associated research has now made it clear that the various ways genes affect humans are far more complex than anyone realized even 20 years ago. Unfortunately this has not become part of the popular wisdom, and so this book becomes essential reading for those interested in this fascinating and important topic. The study of psychology will increasingly be dominated by genetic science (and its sister discipline of neurobiology) and lay people as well as professionals will need a book such as this to help them on their way to a more complete understanding of how this is likely to play out. There are many books on the genetic underpinnings of psychological processes, but most are either simplistic or too technical for general consumption. An exception would be the books by Matt Ridley. The Rutter book is less accessible that the Ridley books, but more technically accomplished.

This is a broad introduction to the current scientific thoughts on the impact of genes and human behavior. The book is written in laymen's terms explaining what genes do and don't do in humans.

Dr. Rutter further investigates the effects of a child's upbringing on his life. He makes it clear that nature and nurture are really two sides of the same coin. They interact to determine our behavior. As he further explains the interplay between nature and nurture, he relates the current status of research in various areas and points out where such research is continuing and some ideas where it might lead.

The writing style in this book is well thought out and clearly explains the points he is making. At the same time, this is not a dumbed down book. It is written intelligently and for adults that have at least some understanding and interest in the subject.

We bought this book for our almost-4-year-old daughter, and she absolutely LOVES it. Sonlight home school curriculum listed it as part of their core for our daughter's age group. We actually do not use Sonlight exclusively. We use their suggestions to supplement our own customized curriculum. Anyway, this is a fantastic book for introducing human anatomy to a small child. Our DD now understands how her digestive system, nervous system, etc work, explained on her level. She loves for us to read it over and over. I can't find words to express how great this book is. Just get it. You won't be disappointed. And Amazon has the best price I found anywhere (Amazon beats Sonlight's prices on most books, btw).

This looks like an older version of a book that I bought at www.suesbooks.info. I'm not sure if it is the same, but they are great books. It is full of pictures and lots of information, but it makes it simple and easy to understand. If you want them to learn about the body, this is a great book. Doctors don't become doctors overnight.

So far, I have found this book to be extremely educational and informative. It has helped me look at our current world of technology in a different light. Technology might not always be what it is cracked up to be.

Without question, Mr. Mander's book is powerful. There is little doubt that Euro-American culture and many "modern" societies are the victims of an artificial reality swallowed up in a "Megatechnocracy." If you wonder why, other cultures, in particular Iraq, Iran and many Moslem countries, don't want America's value system, read this book. Clearly, this country, America, is a destroyer of cultures, especially in the hands of the modern conservatives in Washington. The coming cultural/social conflicts of the future will largely center around a war of cultural values and it is going to be a global tragedy in the end. America respresents only a fraction of a world population; the world does have some other ideas about the humanity of the future without American technology and technical arrogance. Look out George W. Bush. You ain't seen nothing yet!

The `Neo-Luddite' position, as it has been called, the view that evils of modern technology vastly outweigh the benefits, that technology is leading us in a destructive direction, that the benefits of technology are greatly over-hyped and over-sold, that our attitude and approach toward technology and new technological `advances' is at best naïve, at worst suicidal, and long overdue for re-evaluation, is argued pervasively in this important book.
My caveat here is that one engages a most depressing read - yet, this statement cries out, long and hard, and, inevitably, is one which must be heard by all who claim to call earth home. Unfortunately, as I write, it is now fifteen years since publication of this towering, tormented masterpiece, which I rate with Walden, Sand County Almanac, Silent Spring, and few others. Characteristically, the world, less a modicum of its population, has not even given it a sideways look, has not read the book, has largely (virtually) ignored it. Why? Do we, at the root cause, read solely or primarily to justify or enhance arguments for our own, pre-established beliefs?
The common line of denial/dismissal goes approximately: "You drive a car. You use a computer. If you tree-huggers were to really walk your talk - you'd be back living in caves, eating grass and roots." The claim is that the argument to question the value and nature of our existing technology in a broadly based, open forum, to restrict by rule of law, if necessary, the further growth of technology, and to establish strict and unremitting, publicly adjudicated, criteria for new applications of technology is unrealistic and foolish.
Mander begins by recounting the history of the argument, "The economics of continued technological growth on a finite planet, came into question. And `appropriate technology' became the catch-term for new low-impact technology that operated on decentralized, small-scale principles: solar energy versus nuclear energy, diverse intensive farming versus agribusiness, steady-state economics versus economic growth . . . So careful were we not to be thought too radical that we rarely exposed the real problem: a system of logic, and a set of assumptions, that led to the problems . . . And at each stage of technical development, we fell more deeply into the techno-maelstorm." Mander then turns to a restatement of his signal observations of the effects of mass T.V. watching ". . . our minds were being channeled and simplified to match the channeled and simplified physical environment - suburbs, malls, freeways, high-rise buildings . . . Television was engaging all of humanity in similar thought patterns, similar experiences, similar imagery, and a similar context of reality, which was poisonous to diversity of culture." All of which, the children of the Age of McDonaldsization are blithely unaware.
Mander further delineates the difficulty: "Saying no to a technology, any technology, was (and still is) beyond us. Virtually unthinkable. It does not even occur to most of us that we have the right our ability to turn back a whole technology. No precedent our support exists for it in our culture . . . In a truly democratic society, any new technology would be subject to exhaustive debate." Here, we confront the seemingly universal impasse for implementation of progressive values. They are always contingent on some sort of consensual agreement, which, in turn, is contingent on opportunities for consensual discussion. In post 9/11 America, how accessible are such opportunities?
We ought to be grateful to Mander at the least for locating the issues within an appropriate ideological venue for discussion.
In the section entitled, The Madness of the Astronaut (can we not but help recall Clarke's 2001?), Mander points to "the arrogance of Technological Man, the technopioneers assume they are authorized to go anywhere and rearrange anything, including alterations in the structure of human life, animal life, and now natural form itself. In doing so, they are acting in service to the fundamental principle that has informed technical evolution in the modern era: If it can be done, do it. There are no boundaries, no rules, no sets of standards by which to moderate these activities. No sense of right or wrong, no taboos; there's only what will succeed in the marketplace." We are only beginning to experience the consequences.
The second part of the book focuses on the fate of societies who dare, usually by dictates of tradition and ancestral memory, to opt out of living inside a machine with the rest of us and follow alternative, wiser paths.
Eloquent, essential.

This 446-page book consists of 20 chapters in four parts sandwiched between a crispy introduction and a reflective epilogue. In the introduction the author tells of his intention to write two separate books. One book was to deal with the "technical-political web of unprecedented negative implications" (p. 4) of technology. The other book was to update the thesis of Brown's classic Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, which apparently left a wrong impression of history, especially that the Indians and their problems are past "romance". In practice Indians are still here among us, and many are "suffering varying degrees of impacts from the expansion of Western technological society" (p. 5) - the technological juggernaut.

The first part of the book deals with life-altering technology, and more so its alarming speed. The chapters in this section motivate the need to mobilize resources to counter the negative effects of technology. Part II of the book outlines the emergence of a "megatechnology", a web made up of things like computers, television, satellites, corporations, generics, nanotechnologies and robotics. The kind of technology is not good for human in general and Indians specifically. And so the following chapters in Part III focus on the impact of technology on the Indians. The argument there is that native peoples provide the only real opposition to the techno-juggernaut. Consequently Indians are far more likely victims in the battles that ensue that other people.

The fourth part, entitled "The World War against the Indians" is demanding reading and predicts a firm stand as the following excerpt indicates:

"Upon the ultimate outcome of this battle will depend whether a living alternative world view, rooted in an ancient connection with the Earth, can continue to express what is insane and suicidal about the Western technological project" (p. 263).

This passage sounds rather pessimistic, but the author returns to the same from a different angle in the Epilogue. The material in this section has ends that hang rather loose, but the idea that new technologies are dangerously interlocked, and that these technologies use the cover of the "market economy" to propagate themselves, that idea is still evident. However, the last few paragraphs of the epilogue emerge hastily like a diver our of breath after a long stay under water. Many read more like a pitch for the author's causes listed in the appendix of the book. Perhaps Jerry Mander (author) should be excused for he is after all an advertising agent, although of a public interest kind.

The economist in me is kicking restlessly, but overall "In the Absence of the Sacred" is a good book: informative, and an excellent reminder that there are many sides to every issue - in this case the issue is technology and its varied impacts on Indians and us all.


Amavilah, Author
Modeling Income Determinants in Embedded Economies : Cross-section Applications to US Native American Economies
ISBN: 1600210465

Mander was working on two books, one on the negative effects of technology on our culture, and the other of the continued exploitation of native cultures in the U.S. and around the world. He says that, somewhere along the line, he realized that these two issues were one in the same. IN THE ABSENCE OF THE SACRED is the result.
The scope of this book is incredibly ambitious. It reads like a wandering survey of many of the most important issues that face our globe. I agree with much of what Mander says. A lot of it I disagree with. And a fair amount of it seems tangential and unrelated. To cover everything would take a book in itself. But here are some of the highlights.

On Technology and Corporations
Mander's view on technology is that we should be skeptical of it. Technology is presented to us in a biased manner; namely, by the people who want to sell it to us. True. But he suggests that technology should not be viewed as neutral, but guilty until proven innocent. He says that the only way to balance current "technology worship" is to view it negatively. I disagree. Technology has many negative aspects -- a devaluation of people, an increase in environmental hazards, an increase in psychological disorders related to the overuse of television and computers, to name a few -- but it also has positive effects, most notably in the field of medicine and person-to-person connectivity.
Mander lists several reasons, mostly potential but unrealized dangers, to be skeptical of computers. Some make sense. For instance, using computers in warfare dehumanizes the effort. We are not killing people, merely blips on the screen. But some of his arguments against computers are ludicrous. For instance, he cites that computerized radar systems often mistake birds for enemy aircraft, as if this proves that technology has a negative impact. He is confusing the precision of our technology with the concept of technology itself. It's like arguing that because some books have typos that books in general are bad.
There is a considerable amount of space devoted to the evils of television, the negative effects of the consolidation of the media, and the psychological ills television can create. While again Mander makes a few dubious assessments, overall his arguments against television are pretty solid.
Mander also makes an important point about the nature of public corporations: profit is the top motive. Always. So to think that a corporation will act in an altruistic manner, or in the interest of the environment alone when it is not in alignment with the profit motive is naïve. This is key when it comes to environmental issues or issues involving native cultures.

On The Indian Nations
The second half of the book is an overview of the dire situation many native cultures find themselves in. It is sickening to read about the continued exploitation of Native Americans by the U.S. government and U.S. corporations with very little, and typically mis-represented coverage by the media. In general, Native Americans hold lands with valuable mining, timber, and other resources (even those tribes that have been run off to the most useless, remote corners of nowhere find their lands now sought precisely because it is in the most remote corner of nowhere -- so the government can test weapons on it). The typical modus operandi is that the government creates a committee "representing" native "interests." They then offer the tribe money for land that the U.S. has "wrongfully taken" from the tribe. This is in effect a purchase of the land. If the tribe accepts the monetary reward, they lose rights to the land. If they refuse, the money typically goes into an account for the tribe and the government takes the land anyway. Meanwhile, the committee "representing" the tribe works to iron out the deal with the government while most of the tribe shows their disapproval in the common Indian way-by dissociating themselves with the process. It is a difference in cultures. To outsiders, it seems like they are abstaining from voting, but to them, that is how they show their disproval. Thus, the only people involved are the minority that favor giving over their lands.
Mander gives a whirlwind around-the-globe tour of oppressed indigenous people and discusses the various ways and degrees to which these ancient cultures are persecuted and misrepresented in many parts of the globe. It is shameful to read, and surprising to hear how big of an issue it continues to be, since we rarely hear of it in the mainstream media.

Like I said before, I agree with much of what Mander says. His environmentalism, skepticism of corporations and technology, and concern for native cultures are all important issues that should be discussed. But I have three major criticisms with how Mander presents his argument:
A) He makes statements that he fails to adequately back up with factual information. He does this most often in his arguments against technology, making blanket statements that couldn't possibly be proven. Among other things, he correctly argues that television centralizes power, but also argues that the Internet does the same thing. This book was published in 1991, so whatever Mander says about the Internet is prediction (an inaccurate one, in this case) and he had to know that at the time.
B) The book feels like two different books: one a critique of our technologically-driven society, and an great, but not completely relevant, overview of the predicament of native cultures. Rather than summarizing the plight of indigenous cultures around the world, it would make more sense to focus on what the native cultures understand that we don't and what we can learn from their stewardship of the Earth.
C) Mander offers little in the way of solution. He recognizes this, saying that this is the most common criticism of his arguments. But recognizing it doesn't mean you don't have to address it. To think that someone would read 400 pages outlining some of the planet's most important problems and not look to the author for a hint of a solution seems odd. And while this book is a good overview of the problems we face, I would think there is a better wrap-up than the rather obvious statement that we must "do something." Mander provides us a list of organizations whose aims align with his, but how about some concrete examples of what we can do? Not just individually, but as a movement. What should our strategy be? Paul Hawken, in his ECOLOGY OF COMMERCE, does a much better job at describing the change in attitudes that must take place to make progress.

Overall, this is a great book for the myriad of issues it raises. And what the arguments lack in cohesiveness, they make up for in scope. Though a little dated, this book is a good starting place for anyone interesting in environmentalism, the plight of native cultures, or both.

The is a small but a thick book. ABSOLUTELY beautiful illustration printed on very nice paper with easy-to-understand words. Full of fun facts. Some types are intentionally bigger than the others so even an impatient person like myself will not give up the book so easily. Because of this book I started to realize how NICE DK Publishing's books' quality are and start looking for more of their encyclopedia ~ ! I can always find out the contents easily from the index pages at the end of the little book.

The other day I was watching a show about the ocean and saw the most amazing thing. They were talking about "black smokers - strange chimneys that form on the ocean floor." Later, in a discussion with a friend, I needed some extra information and this book provided me with the specifics.

When it comes to looking up this type of information, search engines are useful to a point. However, I find having a book gives me more confidence that the information is really accurate and true. Although, I do have a real problem with evolution in these types of books. Apart from that, the information is wonderful.

There are very colorful pictures. The Maple leaves turning from green to orange is shown with an explanation as to why this occurs. There are so many pictures in this book and the type is very easy to see.

If you have children and they need a book to look up facts for their school projects, this is a nice, compact size children will feel comfortable using.

The only question you will have when this book arrives is: "What do I look up first?"

Highly Recommended!

~The Rebecca Review

I'm familiar with the hardcover version of this book and have always loved DK's emphasis of impressive graphics combined with useful text. This book is no different.

However, I neglected to notice how small this book was. It's still pretty thick (1-5/8 inches) but the height/width has been shrunk (6-3/4 x 5-3/8 inches). If you're used to the hardcover, it may surprise you that this is more a really thick "pocket book" and not anything like the "reference book" nature of the hardcover edition.

For some that's a plus. For me it was a huge negative. Content is 5-star ... but I'm looking for something more durable and regular book size. I'm sending this one back and will try to find one of the old hardcovers instead.

I wish I had this book when I was student. I am glad I found this one for my curious son. Visuals are excellent with great explainations.

This is an excellent book. I wish I had this book when I was student. You MUST have this if you care about learning yourself or want to teach your kids (that's why I bought it) about science.

This is the LABORATORY MANUAL, not the biology text book. There is nothing that I can see in the description to indicate this. .

My 5 year old girl loves to read and though this reader has some words that are more advanced that what she has learned, she is able to read most of it. I like that this reader and the series are based on nature - it is refreshing to have the children read something that builds their understanding of the world around them. It provides a nice balance to reading fun, silly stuff like Seuss, which we love, too.

This is from a book series explaining the wonders of nature from a *Christian* perspective to children. I'd say this is appropriate for kids ages 5-7, depending on their ability to pay attention. Particular insects or animals are discussed in an old-fashioned but informative style. The book begins, "Children, did you ever think about how much your mothers do for you?...God also made mothers for many of his tiny creatures." The growth and habits are discussed of such creatures as wasps, bees, spiders, prairie animals, oysters, snails and many others. My 5yo son and I read all or part of a chapter every day for some time. He gained knowledge of these creatures as well as several difficult vocabulary words. I really recommend them.

This is a great book for anyone who wants to gain a thorough understanding of Stella software. The book is easy to read, and the examples and case studies are well chosen.

This book is easy to read and contains clear examples of how to use stella software to model the environment. The marvel here is the software, not the book. For the software timid, it might suppliment the software users guide.

A highly readable introduction to environmental modeling. What distinguishes the book from other environmental science and environmental modeling works is its interdisciplinary treatment. In particular, the models integrate the physical world and the world of human behavior. Far too many environmental models fail to close the feedbacks between human behavior and the state of the environment, instead taking waste inputs or resource use as exogenous. This book helps students learn to model human behavior (social and economic) as an integral part of the ecological system. The models and software mean the book encourages active learning, and enable students to explore important issues on their own if they choose.