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A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See It All

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Outdoors and Nature
by: Luke Dempsey

July 22, 2008
First, the text certainly does not capture much of the spirit implied by the title and subtitle. If you are interested on how obsessed some "Mad Birders" really are, I highly suggest "The Big Year" by Mark Obmascik, or "To See Every Bird on Earth" by Dan Koppel, in lieu of this title. Also, "Birding on Borrowed Time" by Phoebe Snetsinger", although a dry and lifeless book, illustrates how much of one's life can be given over to a true obsession with birding, and how much of a Supremely Bad Idea it can be (i.e. she skipped her daughter's wedding for a bird trip).

There are spots in the book that do grab the essence of enjoying the beauty of the natural world, and the thrill of the chase of finding new birds. However these are ... Read More:

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The Really Inconvenient Truths: Seven Environmental Catastrophes Liberals Don't Want You to Know About--Because They Helped Cause Them

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Outdoors and Nature
by: Iain Murray

April 22, 2008
Murray's work, "The Really Inconvenient Truths: Seven Environmental Catastrophes Liberals Don't Want You to Know About--Because They Helped Cause Them", does a superb job of revealing the deep interplay of politics in the environmental debate. Murray illustrates, through sources readily available but often bypassed by mainstream media, how environmentalists distort the truths they purport to represent, and how politics guides which causes they select to represent or ignore. My eyes were opened reading about documented genetic damage caused by hormones flushed into the water supply via millions of birth control pills. The media silence on that issue is scandalous, but unsurprising given the implications of a genuine investigation into the ... Read More:

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Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Outdoors and Nature
by: Janine M. Benyus

September 17, 2002
Overall, I loved this book. I appreciated it from a scientific innovation perspective and for its vision of how society could flourish in symbiosis with nature. There were several sections where I just couldn't put it down. For the most part the level of detail was just right, the science was well explained, and the writing was engaging. I found parts of the biological computation section less than satisfying (too much analogy, not enough specifics), but I might be biased because that topic was closest to my field and I probably wanted more gory detail than the average reader. Even that section, however, included plenty of references and food for thought so I really can't complain. I'm trying to make all of my friends and family read this book ... Read More:

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The Alex Studies: Cognitive and Communicative Abilities of Grey Parrots

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Outdoors and Nature
by: Irene Maxine Pepperberg

April 30, 2002
This is a great book about how Alex came to be and how he became so smart. Dr Irene Pepperberg chose Alex as a young parrot and began teaching him language and to associate words with objects. Alex became very smart and could hold a pretty decent conversation. This book shows just how intelligent parrots are and they are more than just pets, they are our lifelong companions. The Alex Studies is an excellent read, I reccomend this book highly.

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The Deniers: The World Renowned Scientists Who Stood Up Against Global Warming Hysteria, Political Persecution, and Fraud**And those who are too fearful to do so

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Outdoors and Nature
by: Lawrence Solomon

April 01, 2008
This book may be judging from the "quotes" the author uses to publicize it.
They are all easy to google, but start with this one. here is his version of David Bromwich:

"It's hard to see a global warming signal from the mainland of Antarctica right now."

Here's what Bromwich actually said:

"It's hard to see a global warming signal from the mainland of Antarctica right now," he said. "Part of the reason is that there is a lot of variability there. It's very hard in these polar latitudes to demonstrate a global warming signal. This is in marked contrast to the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula that is one of the most rapidly warming parts of the Earth."
Uh.....

Putting the sceintists aside, ... Read More:

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National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds--E: Eastern Region - Revised Edition

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Outdoors and Nature
by: NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY

September 27, 1994
I'm not going to argue the worth of photographs vs. illustrations. Everyone picks which works better for them, and that's that. I've tried both and prefer photos.

My wife and I use both the Audubon and Stokes guides. Were we forced to pick a favorite, I would go with the Audubon guide, she with the Stokes. Both have different advantages and issues.

The Audubon guide has a very flexible and convenient binding. The book is tall for its width and it lends itself nicely to thumbing through the pages. The organization of the photo section is by size within color within species type. Finding a male purple finch is as simple as flipping quickly to the handful of red, perching birds of the same approximate size, and zeroing in on the ... Read More:

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The American Boy's Handy Book

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Outdoors and Nature
by: Daniel C. Beard

September 15, 2008
The American Boy's Handy Book by Daniel Beard is a guide book for boys. It includes directions for knots, kite building, camping without a tent, and how to build a snow fort, just to name a few. The book was originally published in 1882 and is filled with black and white drawings. While I think it's wonderful to introduce young boys to the joys of the outdoors, they will have some difficulty with the language of the book. The chapter on Knots, Bends, and Hitches starts like this: "The art of tying knots is an almost necessary adjunct to not a few recreations. Especially is this true of summer sports, many of which are nautical, or in some manner connected with the water." This book is more suited for older boys or nostalgic men.

Daniel Beard was ... Read More:

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A Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays & Reflections)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Outdoors and Nature
by: Aldo Leopold

November 15, 2001
Aldo Leopold's book of essays is a good one to pull out every month and remark on the change of seasons, the month gone by and the one to come. It will plant you as firmly on the sandy plains of Adams County, Wisconsin, watching the bright red blackberry bushes in the morning sun, as any text you will ever see.

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Penguins and Antarctica (Magic Tree House Rsrch Gdes(R))

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Outdoors and Nature
by: Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Boyce

September 23, 2008
My 11 yrs old boy loves Magic Tree House. We haven't been missing any of the Magic Tree House books. Everytime we have to wait for the next book to come out!

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Eye of the Needle

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Outdoors and Nature
by: Ken Follett

July 02, 1981
"Eye of the Needle" is the novel that got me hooked on the suspense genre. This World War II thriller set in London and then a remote island off the coast of Great Britain is rich with spy lore, intrigue, fact-based characters, and features some of the most sizzling scenes ever depicted in a spy novel, as well as one of the most memorable grand finales ever to grace the pages of a thriller.

This was Follett at his very best, and is well worth reading or rereading.