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Customer Reviews (3)

A wonderfully produced book on an Australian icon

Icons, rather.

There is one marsupial species in North America, 80 or so in South America, and some 220 in the Australasian region (not counting extinct species). Even the names are fascinating: the spotted tail quoll, the green ringtail, the red-necked wallaby, the brushtail possum ... and many, many more. Makes our opossum sound downright pedestrian.

Christopher Dickman is an elegant and clear writer:

"[J]ust about every aspect of marsupial biology is intrinsically fascinating. Let us consider, for example, the reproductive biology of these mammals. Pregnancy lasts from just 11 to 42 days, depending on the species, and the young at birth are not much larger than a grain of rice. Yet, these tiny creatures make their own way independently to the mother's pouch, where they attach to a nipple to obtain nourishment for the next stage in their lives. In kangaroos that nurse young of different ages, the mother has the extraordinary ability to produce two different kinds of milk from different nipples; each is attuned exquisitely to the requirements of the joey that suckles them. Among the smaller marsupials, antechinuses are renowned for their frenetic approach to reproduction. Both sexes mate promiscuously for about two weeks each winter, and then all males die. Females in these and other marsupial species appear able to bias the sex ratio of their litters, producing more males or more females depending on their age and environmental conditions."

Each of the species is described with great care, and Dickman has called on other experts to expound on their particular interests: David Lindenmayer writes about Leadbeater's possum; Peter McRae about bilbies, Daniel Lunney about koalas; and Dr Menna Jones on Tasmanian devils and an infectious facial tumor disease.

The drawings are extraordinary and worth the price of the book simply as an artistic triumph. Rosemary Woodford Ganf is an award-winning illustrator who places her subjects in their natural environment. Details entrance: a whiptail wallaby joey climbs into its pouch beside a log carefully drawn to show the shedding bark and scars of wood borers.

Dickman is a champion for preservation of these wonderful creatures: "There are signs that many living [marsupial] species are on borrowed time and may vanish if we lower our guard. Could we face a time when Australia is no longer the land of marsupials?"

One hopes that Dickman's fears are unfounded. In the meantime, this wonderful book is one of the very best nature books I've ever read or enjoyed. Excellent science, but fascinating and approachable for a general reader.

Robert C. Ross 2008

A beautiful balance !
I bought this book as soon as it came on the market.
Great it is.

Why you are asking ? Well first of all the drawings, they are great and must be one of the most beautiful seen and made today. Take a look at the cover of this book here on Amazon, and then think of a book full of these !

The text explains to you the developement of the marsupials, their status,distribution in Australia (remember this is about the Australian marsupials) and different marsupial families.
It highlights some of the most unusual marsupials.

If you have got any interest in Australian marsupials this book should be in your library.

A treasure to behold and own
Magnificently produced volume on everything one could possibly wish to know about Australian marsupials.It is written by a very knowlegable and readable expert , Christopher Dickman, (definitely not a textbook) and wonderfully illustrated (perhaps amongst the finest mammalian artwork ever (Audubon would have been envious); illustrations borrowed from the three volume collector's set "Marsupials of Australia," which took over 15 years to complete by the incomparable Rosemary Woodford Ganf.Thus, this is a steal at $65 US.If you like beautiful, authoritative, informative books on natural history, then this is a must for you. ... Read more

Product Description
A brief introduction to the physical characteristics and habits of a variety of marsupials. ... Read more

Product Description
The marsupials are an important order of mammals that have evolved along lines parallel to eutherians. This book brings together what is known about one very important sense needed for survival - hearing. It documents various studies of the hearing capacities of marsupials and relates this information to their vocal behavior. To what sounds do marsupials respond? What are the spectra of their vocalizations? The organization of the brain auditory pathways of marsupials is compared with those of eutherian mammals and related to the structure of the auditory periphery. The fact that much of the early development of marsupial young occurs outside the mother's body enables the possibility of discoveries about the early development of brain and hearing relevant to all mammals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must have for any person with interests in marsupial ecology
A clear overview of many aspects of marsupial research carried out both around Australia and overseas. Useful for anyone interested in marsupial biology, each chapter reviews current knowledge and understanding of subjects from reproduction to nutrition to behaviour, as well as highlighting areas of proposed future research. This book reinforces the position of marsupial research as necessary in its own right. ... Read more

Product Description
Australian marsupials represent a parallel adaptive radiation to that seen among placental mammals. This great natural experiment has produced a striking array of mammals with structural and behavioural features echoing those seen among primates, rodents, carnivores, edentates and ungulates elsewhere in the world. Many of these adaptations involve profound evolutionary changes in the nervous system, and occurred in isolation from those unfolding among placental mammals. Ashwell provides the first comprehensive review of the scientific literature on the structure and function of the nervous system of Australian marsupials. The book also includes the first comprehensive delineated atlases of brain structure in a representative diprotodont marsupial (the tammar wallaby) and a representative polyprotodont marsupial (the stripe-faced dunnart). For those interested in brain development, the book also provides the first comprehensive delineated atlas of brain development in a diprotodont marsupial (the tammar wallaby) during the critical first 4 weeks of pouch life. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Macmillan Reference USA Science Library: Biology, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 244 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.A comprehensive collection of articles on all aspects of biological science, including its history and issues. Includes articles on biology-related careers and important individuals, as well as topics from active transport to zoology research. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very informative!
I run a kangaroo web site and already knew a lot about kangaroos before I acquired this wonderful book. This contains everything you might ever want or need to know (or not) about kangaroos!

Scientific and Behavioral Information
This book is really the best book I've ever found with scientific information about kangaroos.

Most of the books available in the US are either for children, or mainly focussed around photography.This book isextremely valuable as an authoritative factual source on biology andbehaviour.If one ever gets annoyed by someone repeating some old chestnutabout 'roo biology or behaviour (like competition with sheep, or not beingable to move their legs independently) this book is likely to provide agood, convincing answer to them.

Absolute must for anyone interested in macropods.
This book is one of the few, if not the only, modern looks at macropods and their habitats.It is factual and informative.Not an easy read for the lay-person.It is more of a text book than a coffee table book.Still, if you are interested in macropds, it is a must have. ... Read more

Product Description

If you're a Kangaroo
through and through,
Just do what Kangaroos do.

Young Sue really doesn't like being a kangaroo, so she goes off to find something better. First she tries climbing the trees like a koala, but that doesn't work. Then she wades into the sea like a platypus, but that's no good either. Finally, Sue joins up with some bouncy, jouncy wallabies...and discovers that being a kangaroo isn't so bad, after all.

Using a jaunty waltz rhythm, actor, comedian, and best-selling author John Lithgow reassures children that they can be happy with who they are.

For listening or singing along, a CD of a John Lithgow performance of Marsupial Sue and an instrumental version is included with this book, as is the score of the song.Amazon.com Review
Being a kangaroo certainly looks like a lot of fun, what with all the hopping and the hay eating. But who knew all that jumping around could cause such problems? Marsupial Sue, that's who, a smartly dressed young 'roo who can't abide by all the bouncing: "It rattled her brain. It gave her migraine. A backache, sideache, tummyache too."

So John Lithgow recounts in 4/4 time--along with the jaunty, waltzy music and score on the CD that's included--in his second foray into children's books (The Remarkable Farkle McBride being the first). Probably best known as Dick Solomon on TV's 3rd Rock from the Sun, Lithgow brings his comic knack to this Down Under story about the importance of being yourself. Marsupial Sue might be intrigued by the idea of being a climbing koala or prawn-slurping platypus, but with Lithgow's cooing reassurance as the narrator, she eventually comes around: "Be happy with who you are. / Don't ever stray too far from you. / Get rid of that frown / And waltz up and down / beneath a marsupial star. / If you're a kangaroo through and through, / Just do what kangaroos do."

Lithgow will likely never surpass the spiritual contributions he made to our world as Doctor Emilio Lizardo and John Whorfin, but don't hold that against him. Like Farkle, Marsupial Sue is surely worth a read (and a listen), especially with illustrator Jack E. Davis's cool cast of sunglass- and snappy-hat-wearing Aussie animals. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

Lesson on Kangaroos
I used this book as the starting point and interest building for a Lesson on Kangaroos.I first read the book to the CTT 4th grade class then we watched excerpts from PBS film "The Beg Red Roos" The students discussed what they learned and then wrote their own Roo Poem which some shared.Then at the end of the day we learned the song.The students LOVED it.

A Winner!
They played this CD and read the book at my son's pre-school and it is his all-time favorite. We had to buy a set for ourselves when we moved. My son is 3. He listens to it at least once a week and it never seems to get old for him. The book is just so-so for me, but the CD is funny. Even my 1yr old daughter tries to sing-a-long. Too cute.

I agree... great gift idea.

Mom that loves to sing too
Marsupial Sue has a good message and is truly fun for the entire family to sing along to.My 3 yo daughter loves to sit and listen to the CD while trying to learn the words.The only downside is the song goes through the pages quickly and a 3 yo doesn't really know when to turn the pages.Overall, however, a great book/CD.We will consider this a gift for friends in the future.

Marsupial Sue
The kids I teach LOVE this book.It is a must in my classroom.It has a calming effect on the kiddos!LOVE LOVE LOVE

Just Do What Kangaroos Do!
"Marsupial Sue" the book and CD is another brilliant production by the immensely talented John Lithgow, actor-singer-performer extraordinaire and multiple Tony and Emmy awards winner. The heart of the story is about a kangaroo named Sue who wishes for something other than being a kangaroo, but of course discovers in the end that being a kangaroo is not so bad after all. The accompanying CD is a sing-along to the text, recorded in Lithgow's voice and has such a catchy tune that my 3.5 year-old requested I play it over and over, and I didn't mind! I loved singing along to this rhyming song with an infectious beat.

This is a wonderful book not just because of the lesson inherent in it, that of being comfortable being oneself, but also because it helps with early literacy skills, as all of Lithgow's books do - one can sing-along with the text, read-aloud, have discussions with one's child about the different animals found in Australia [kangaroo, koala, platypus, wallaby] and so much more. Plus, it's so much fun!!! Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
"I'm too fast, you're too slow. Pan, pan, patty-cake pan, I can get away from you, I can!"

The much-loved story of the Runaway Pancake who pops out of the oven and is sure he can escape all who want to eat him, is given a new spin when Marsupial Sue and her friends put on a play version for their neighborhood. This has all of the wit and whimsy of Marsupial Sue and again features lively illustrations by Jack E. Davis. From the friends' preparations behind the scenes to the actors' final bows, readers will be inspired by the production. A CD recording of John Lithgow's live performance of the song "The Runaway Pancake" is also included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

No CD for me either...
This book is great, but I bought it too because the product description said it was supposed to come with a CD.

BEWARE - make sure you get your CD!!!

did not have cd
i checked before i ordered it and it said it came with the cd--which is the only reason to buy it.without the cd it is really a pretty mediocre book- but with john lithgow reading/singing it is pretty fantastic.i was very upset it didn't have the cd.

Not original, but fun
Celebrity authored books are all the rage; a famous name helps sell copies and publishers are eager to promote such books. Unfortunately, being a celebrity does not make that person a good writer and many of these books suffer from poor plots, substandard writing or storylines that lack originality. Fortunately, Marsupial Sue Presents The Runaway Pancake rises above the clutter of lackluster celebrity books for children.

In Marsupial Sue, Sue and her friends are putting on a play with Sue in the lead role of Auntie May. When Auntie May decides to cook herself a pancake, the narrator of the play cautions that "You must never, ever, EVER cook a pancake in a hot oven. And my story will tell you why."

Auntie May puts her pancake in the oven and then does housework while her lunch cooks. But she soon hears a noise from inside the oven. When she opens the door, out pops her pancake, complete with eyes, nose, mouth and feet. As her lunch runs away, Auntie May pleads for it to return. The pancake teases,

"No, no.
No, no, no.
I'm too fast, you're too slow.
Pan, pan, patty-cake pan,
I can get away from you, I can!"

With Auntie May following, the pancake comes upon a dog who is also eager to eat it, but the pancake refuses to be anybody's lunch and repeats his jingle, this time adding a line about the dog. Soon, the pancake has a whole host of animals, along with Auntie May, chasing him and the jingle he repeats on each page has grown much longer, as he adds a line for each animal. It looks as though the pancake might escape until he comes upon the sly, old red fox. (It is odd that the illustrator choose to draw the red fox as purple.)

Marsupial Sue is not a new theme, it's a rehashing of the runaway gingerbread man, however, Lithgow does a good job of recounting the adventure. Children will enjoy the ever growing jingle and have fun anticipating what will happen as the pancake meets each new animal. I'm not sure why Lithgow choose to present the story as if Marsupial Sue and her friends were putting on a play. The play aspect gets lost in the story and serves no purpose.

Quill says: Better than most celebrity authored stories, it's not original, but it is fun. ... Read more

Product Description

If you're a Kangaroo

through and through,

Just do what Kangaroos do.

Customer Reviews (1)

Fantastic! - absolutely need the Farkle and Freinds CD too
This story captures the euphoria of childhood fun with true friends, and the challenge of finding that social success. Being yourself and finding yourself are the path to naturally finding your own social "kind".

I bought the book because I love the song, and I love John Lithgow's kid's materials.The song is fantastic with a great message.Be yourself and find YOUR group - the people that are like you and will make your life joyful.

I'm not sure why the "I got 2 Dogs" (aka Fanny and Blue) book came with a CD of the song and this book did not?!

Whatever the case may be, buy Farkle and Friends by Lithgow and play it with the book.The song IS THE STORY. ... Read more

Product Description
"I'm too fast, you're too slow. Pan, pan, patty-cake pan, I can get away from you, I can!"

The much-loved story of the Runaway Pancake who pops out of the oven and is sure he can escape all who want to eat him, is given a new spin when Marsupial Sue and her friends put on a play version for their neighborhood. This has all of the wit and whimsy of Marsupial Sue and again features lively illustrations by Jack E. Davis. From the friends' preparations behind the scenes to the actors' final bows, readers will be inspired by the production. A CD recording of John Lithgow's live performance of the song "The Runaway Pancake" is also included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Kids love it!
My kids are 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 and they love this story.The book is a little long, so they usually don't make it until the end of the book...but I think they will grow into it. They absolutely love listening to the CD...over and over. I would definitely recommend adding this to your child's book collection. The illustrations are awesome too! John Lithgow is an amazing story teller.

Super cute
My 4 &6 yr olds love this book. They crack up every time they hear it!

I thought it was a lame Gingerbread Man ripoff...
...but it is actually very funny.The fox claiming to be hard of hearing and the pancake buying it cracked me and my 5 year old daughter up.She's made me read it to her 3 times already.She didn't catch initially that it was other animals in costume playing the characters in the story (e.g. Old Dog Tray is played by a koala) so once I pointed that out that made the illustrations more interesting to her.Enjoy a good laugh with you little ones!

AWESOME BOOK!!!!
This is the cutest book I have seen in a while. I am a Kindergarten Teacher, so for me reading is everything, My students as well as my own girls LOVE this book!

Fun story and great CD!
My three year old borrowed this book with cd from the library and loved it so much he cried when it was time to return it! My children have truly gotten hours of enjoyment from listening to John Lithgow tell and sing the story on cd. It is a cute revision of the classic gingerbread man story with adorable illustrations that adults and children alike will appreciate. ... Read more

Product Description
A charming tale of a year in the life of a serial 'pointless project' addict. Written with a warmth and depth, interspresed with humorous childhood memories, witty recollections of military service and unorthodox observations on life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Fantastic
What a fantastic book!
If you love Dogs...if you love to laugh...this is for you!

Very highly recommended
While searching for something to read to take with me on my recent holiday to England, I thought I'd search on amazon for an easy reading book by a British author. The synopsis of this book sounded ideal. In brief, it's an eclectic mix of the delightfully quirky author's own life adventures weaved together as he shares with the reader his travels around some of the weirdly named places in the North East part of Britain with his new Labrador puppy.

The author has a wonderful way of seeing the humorous side to almost everything..... from something as simple as looking after a goldfish, to more complex matters such as sending text messages on his mobile phone. John's even delved into dog psychology by writing a list he calls `The Ten Commandments of Dog', so that his dog (Barney) can tell other humans the ten most important ways to treat him if John's away. It's brilliantly funny. There's even a challenge inside the front cover by The Review Centre to not laugh out loud when reading it - I failed the challenge before I'd even finished reading the first chapter!

Very funny book - I'll be taking it with me next time I visit England again (maybe to some of those funny named places in the North East!!).

Very very Funny!
This is the 2nd edition of `Shakespeare My Butt!'...same as the first but with an extra 5,000 words of wisdom!

I must admit to being a little confused after reading the reviews of the 1st edition. It looked as though some of them were talking about different books...now I know why.

John Donoghue has managed to intertwine the highlights of at least 7 different books into one little comic gem.

We have the Bill Brysonesque travel book, humorous tales of obsession that Dave Gorman would be proud of, Desmond Morris after a few drinks could have written the comic and astute look at dog psychology (`The 10 commandments of dog' is worth the price of the book alone), the hilarious forces life anecdotes are worthy of Billy Connolly, the interesting asides could be the work of `The Da Vinci code' fella. John O'Farrell could have penned the funny observations and surreal humour whilst the heart warming tale in there too could be pure Nick Hornby. Oh, and you only find out in the last line of the book where the title comes from!

If you have ever wondered about the British sense of humour or about the eccentric British people...this book is for you!

Laugh out loud funny...I'll be re-reading this again and again and finding something new each time. 7 books all worth 5 stars in one very entertaining masterpiece.

That'll be a 35 star review then!

English comic gem
If you wanted to quickly pigeon hole the book, it would be a combination of a humorous dog book such as 'Marley and Me' crossed with the type of stupid project quest book similar to the ones by Dave Gorman or Danny Wallace.

In brief, 'Shakespeare My B**t!' tells the true tale of his relationship with Barney the Labrador and their subsequent adventure on their odyssey around the more bizarre named places in Great Britain.

Not being so brief, there are a stack more humerous anecdotes and witty meanderings accompanying the tale too..on every subject you can imagine. A real insight into the eccentric life of the English - warm and witty. It's funny, informative, perceptive, self-mocking and addictive. There are real belly laughs here. A few US towns also get honorary mentions!

Anyway...even better, read a couple of extracts on the authors own website www.marsupialelvis.com

Wonderful funny stuff! A real comic gem by the guy being called the British Bill Bryson.



... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: [Melbourne], Australia : Critchley ParkerPublication date: 1918Subjects: Anatomy, ComparativeLiverMammals -- Digestive organsMarsupials -- AnatomyMontremata -- AnatomyPancreasSpleenNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
Marsupial is a fragmented novel about somebody out of place within the cathartic context of the making of a movie overseas. ... Read more

Product Description
Within the parameters of their collective life experiences, Sarah and Jonathan formed a spiritual union of unrealized aggression and misunderstood passion that defied external norms and observation. Romeo and Juliet they were not. They were a twisted abstraction of wild roses and desperation—beauty in its own right—fleeting but mesmerizing in its explosion of petals and blood.

Customer Reviews (3)

Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here
Marsupial Man is a brutal journey through the lives of the lost. It conjures shockingly graphic images in places. If you don't want to be challenged and, very likely, offended on occassion don't read it. It doesn't speak to the audacity of hope.

That said; this book is a fictional journey into a world that exists in reality behind the closed doors and under the noses of a media-hypnotised world. A world most people do their best to avoid and ignore. It explores taboos, collective experiences, crime, hate, love, and the loss of art and humanity in our technology driven society.

Some of the passages are confusing to read but given the subjects of the story this doesn't take much from the overall tale. It feels a little timeless except for a couple of references to current events which, for me anyway, pin it down to a frame in time. Sans those references this novella could be placed in any "western" culture from the recent past to the distant future.

Walk into it with your mind wide open or ignore it and go about your business. The author's assessment is absolutely correct. This isn't a book for the milling masses.

I'm the author
"Marsupial Man" is flagitious; my wife found that word, and it's appropriate. "Marsupial Man" doesn't fit into a genre, so I'm creating one -- flagitious prose.

This book isn't pretty, but there's nothing graphic. It just unrelentlessly shoves the everyday brutality of what some sick individuals do unto others. The language is not sensitive; I chose to use a lot of obscene language because that's the language of the characters. The obscenity is not gratuitous. But rest assured, it's prevalent.

Unlike the book I'm working on now, there's humor. Granted, the humor in "Marsupial Man" is dark, but there's an attempt to attack political correctness. There's an attempt to expose some basic observations that I've made throughout my life and career, and political correctness just doesn't work -- a spade is a spade. Society needs to get over making things sound pretty in an attempt to avoid offending others.

That's my opinion, and I'm comfortable with it.

You, the reader, will be challenged. Plenty of people have completely disregarded this book as crap, and that's fine. Not everyone will like this book. I'm pragmatic; I understand. Look up "Marsupial Man" in the Kirkus Review web-site. It's scathing; I'm not hiding. But I'll go on record with this: the VA Tech Massacre was pointless. 32 dead and for what? There's no rhyme or reason. It just was -- a brutal and overwhelming, "a pointless blood bath."

Others have embraced this book. Months have passed since its release and I've had the pleasure to meet a couple people at an art gallery in my town that sells "Marsupial Man", the Kronos Art Gallery, who were strangers to me; they appreciated what I did. I left with a sense of validation. I won't lie, I needed it. This book has altered some of my relationships; i.e. some relationships have ended.

No one has challeged the actual words, grammar, etc. The content has offended. The subject matter has offended. So be it. There's nothing in this book that hasn't happened a thousand times over the course of humanity. Once again, to be honest, I'm sure this book isn't the specimen of perfect literature.

This book will never be an American classic; Oprah will never feature it in her book-of-the-month club. I wrote from the depths of my often confused and dismayed soul. Sometimes, alcohol was involved. Regardless, I remained true to what I was writing.

Thank you for yor time,

PSM

Marsupial Man is different
I'm writing this again because it seems my first review failed to post.

It's a weird book, but I couldn't put it down. I read it in one sitting; it's short. But, it's to the point.

That Sarah, what a hateful bitch. I'm a woman, and I hated her.

Regardless, this book had me thinking about a lot of things.

I can't recommend Marsupial Man enough. It's not for the sensitive. At times I was almost offended, but I think I understand what the author was trying to do. It does challenge your sensibilities. ... Read more