Science Nature Books

There are many books on the Galápagos Islands but Paul Stewart's work is certainly one of the most appealing and true representations of this famous spot in the Pacific Ocean. Naturally, Darwin occupies an important part of Mr. Stewart's prose, but equally impressive is the space given to extraordinary photos. This is not surprising given that Paul Stewart is first and foremost a photographer.

Whether this book can finally dispel the doubts of some people about evolution vs creation is anybody's guess but it will not be for lack of authentic facts as described by the author. The book is a real page-turner.

If you want to take an exotic trip to South America to visit the Galapagos Islands, but can't actually afford the air fare and hotel accommodations, you'll want to sit back in the comfort of your home and enjoy "Galapagos: The Islands That Changed the World". The commentary was wonderful, and the colors, sites and scenes were magnificent.

This is one of the best nature documentaries I've ever seen and it left me yearning for more. If you have even the slightest love of nature and an interest in the ecology of our world, you'll want to see this outstanding DVD.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Sky Is Full of Stars is an excellent and informatiive book for primary age kids. It gives lots of information about the night sky and constellations in an easy to understand format for children. Kids can take this book outside and find constellations following the directions in the book. I can't wait to use it in my second grade classroom!

i thought this would be a book about stars! (not surprisingly, given the title). it's actually a book about constellations. it talks about seeing pictures in stars and lists a few common constellations and when to look for them. it has pretty much no information on stars themselves. i wasn't surprised that my daughter wasn't particularly interested. why not have a book about stars---red dwarves, blue giants, black holes, galaxies, etc instead!? argh! wasted opportunity.

This is an uninspired book. There were a few very interesting pages that the author seemed to spend some actual time on. Beyond that, naming the constellations does not make for very engaging kids reading. There are better choices for young astronomers.

I came to this by looking for more McNulty titles after enjoying the more recent 'If you decide to go to the moon' which I also reviewed. This copy is second-hand, but the story is not dated- I'm sure 'Journey to the centre of the Earth' will not date (though I have no way of playing the accompanying audio tape!). This is intended for, I think, 8-ish year olds, but my 3-year old loves it, despite having no concept of time, distance, temperature, pressure, the sheer impossibility of digging a hole that deep (and narrow!), or many of the other concepts (quick visits to Google Video or similar help to explain 'geyser', 'lava', 'volcano' etc). A children's book adults will enjoy re-reading.

I had an eight-year old girl that I tutor in reading comprehension read this book, and she loved it. This book is an interesting guide on how a child would go about digging a hole to the other side of the world.

I remember as a child tryng to dig a hole to the other side of the world. It made me wish that I had read this book as a child. It would have sent my imagination reeling.

This book is highly educational, as well. The child learns about geysers and other things she would encounter while taking on such an endeavor. I was worried that the girl who read this would have a difficult time remembering the elements of the story because it had so many scientific facts in it, but she didn't have a problem at all.

It's a very good book indeed.

Great book on an interesting topic. Children will learn about the earth's layers: topsoil, granite, basalt, steam, magma and mantle. Very readable; recommended for grades 1-5. Children can relate to this book--what child has not imagined "digging their way to China" at some point? Nicely illustrated.

The day this book arrived, my daughter read it on her own cover to cover. It opened up a great dialogue regarding the composition of the Earth. I sometimes have trouble getting her to read regular science books, but this one made it fun to learn about geology and geography.

The crisp pictures and simple language were just what I was looking for to teach my children about fall. This little book hit all the main attributes of the fall season and was enjoyed as much by my two year old as my four year old.

My child is rather young still (3 yrs) for this book, but I like the overview it gives and many of the images are great. Something he will grow into.

I got this book for the little boy I nanny for. We always read it. He loves it as well as outer space. If yours loves life from out of this world, go buy it. he/she will love it

What child does not want to be an astronaut when they grow up? Traveling in space, walking on the moon: How amazing! This book allows children to explore their curiosity and excitement about the moon. It is well illustrated and the narration is interesting and keeps their attention. They are learning, yet it is fun. It is unique because the story is supplemented with short teaching times referring the child to the pictures on the page. (Even I learned a few things about the moon.) My son has always wanted to ride in a space ship... Now he wants to live on the moon! "It is so cool," he said. I highly recomend this book.

This book is so interesting. There is so much information inside this little book it is just great. Easily readable for kids and tells them everything they could want to know about trees, from the very top, to the very bottom. Makes a walk through the woods so much fun, being able to point out all the different trees and seeds you now know from reading this book. We love it!