Product Description
When ten-year-old Harvey is visited by his cousin Nora, trouble is bound to ensue, and this year's episode with snakes is no exception. ... Read more

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Ages 6 to 12 years. Thousands of species of snakes live all over the world in habitats as diverse as tropical rainforests and deserts. This book describes the growth and development of these amazing reptiles from birth to maturity. Full-colour images of all kinds of snakes, from the familiar to the exotic, are included. Illustrations, photographs, and easy-to-read text explain: the life cycles of different species of snakes; why snakes hibernate during the winter months; how baby snakes hatch from their eggs and survive without their mothers; the differences between poisonous snakes and non-poisonous snakes; how snakes capture prey; the dangers faced by snakes. ... Read more

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From the harmless European grass snake to the dark and deadly taipan of Australia, this book is an introduction to one of the most feared and maligned reptiles on earth. Discover how an Indian king cobra guards its eggs against elephants, how a green anaconda suffocates prey in the Amazon rainforest and why an African egg-eating snake dislocates its jaw to swallow a meal. ... Read more

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Presents an overview of different kinds of snakes and how and where they make their homes. ... Read more

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Each book in this series aims to capture the young reader's interest and imagination by dealing with especially unusual creatures, chosen for their extraordinary appearance or behaviour, from a specific group of animals. This volume focuses on snakes and presents an odd collection of nearly 30 specimens, ranging from flying snakes to sea snakes and from some which are vividly coloured to others which make use of camouflage. ... Read more

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Through illustrations and fact this book invites children to find out about snakes. As an added bonus there are free extra sticker pages included. ... Read more

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Awakening from his long winter's nap to find the other animals busily working at their own special tasks, Harry the snake searches for his own work and discovers adventures along the way. ... Read more

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In this retelling of an Australian folktale, Old Man challenges the animals to enter a singing contest. Snake, knowing that his voice will never win, swallows Lark and tricks her into singing through his mouth. Snake's ruse is discovered when Lark scratches his throat and escapes. Full color. School Library Journal Best Books of the Year 1993. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn about the southern ringneck snake--so tiny it fits between the "petals" of a pinecone--the Costa Rican green vine snake, so thin it can be mistaken for a vine hanging in the rainforest, and other unusual and fascinating reptiles, in this new "extremely weird" book. Color photos and illus. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a book about some of nature's most alluring and forbidding creatures, written by a man with an abiding passion for snakes, as well as for science, the fate of the planet, and the wonder of life. Harry Greene presents every facet of the natural history of snakestheir diversity, evolution, and conservationand at the same time makes a personal statement of why these animals are so compelling.This book provides an up-to-date summary of the biology of snakes on a global basis. Eight chapters are devoted to general biology topics, including anatomy, feeding, venoms, predation and defense, social behavior, reproduction, evolution, and conservation; eight chapters survey the major snake groups, including blindsnakes, boas, colubrids, stiletto snakes, cobras, sea snakes, and vipers. Details of particular interest, such as coral snake mimicry and the evolution of the rattle, are highlighted as special topics. Chapter introductory essays are filled with anecdotes that will tempt nonspecialists to read on, while the book's wealth of comprehensive information will gratify herpeto-culturalists and professional biologists.Greene's writing is clear, engaging, and full of appreciation for his subject. Michael and Patricia Fogden are known internationally for their outstanding work, and their stunning color photographs of snakes in their natural habitats are a brilliant complement to Greene's text. Here is a scientific book that provides accurate information in an accessible way to general readers, strongly advocates for a persecuted group of animals, encourages conservationnot just of snakes but of ecosystemsand credits science for enriching our lives. In helping readers explore the role of snakes in human experience, Greene and the Fogdens show how science and art can be mutual pathways to understanding.Amazon.com Review
Herpetologists are sure to rejoice at this information-densestudy of the world's snakes, illustrated with more than 200photographs of the reptiles in action. Harry W. Greene offers lifehistories of cobras and adders, of rattlers and constrictors, showingthe astonishing variety in what is, all in all, a fairly simple form.He discusses snake locomotion, adaptation, coloration, nomenclature,mimicry, and habits; and he offers a rigorous account ofherp physiology, all the while peppering his scientificprose with personal notes on encounters with sometimes testy subjectsaround the world. He ends his absorbing book with a detaileddiscussion of issues in snake conservation, especially identifying andprotecting key habitats that are in danger owing to human economicdevelopment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Beautiful photos and excellent writing
This book encompasses all of the main groups of snakes.There are absolutely amazing and beautiful photographs that illustrate the diversity of snakes.The writing is clear and understandable to a novice, but at the same time is very informative.The book is broken into sections: General snake biology, Snake Taxonomy, Venomous snakes, and Conservation.I highly recommend this book--even just flipping through and glancing at the pictures make a person excited about herpetology!

Best book on snakes available
To make the long story short: This is the best book on snakes available in any language worldwide. The photos are almost entirely shot by profesional wildlife photographers and are just amazing. The information is as complete and as detailed as any book of this size could deliver. This book is written for the hobbyist as well as for serious students of herpetology. For anyone with an interest in snakes this is a MUST. Written in an enternaining way but loaded with so much scientific information that the author won prizes for the book. One of the few books I will never give away and that I would buy again enytime even for 100$ or more if I would not already have a copy.

Life is short but Snakes are Long
An outstanding resource with equally stunning photographs.This book is an essential. I initially purchased it as a gift for a young herpetologist/ biologist and decided I had to own my own copy. Both witty, informative and appealing to all levels. I highly recommend it.

A great book for both the advanced and beginner enthusiast
Harry Greene's book is widely considered to be a "classic" in the world of herpetological literature.He does a great job of presenting the information in sufficient detail, but not bogging it down in terminology or specifics that would lose the layman.The book covers all the major families of snakes, covering behavior, evolution, diet, reproduction, etc.The pictures, taken by husband and wife team Michael and Patricia Fogden, are gorgeous documentations of snakes in their natural habitats, and are a great addition to this book.I would venture to say that NO herp library is complete without a copy of this book, and that if one is just starting to compile a herpetological library, this book should easily be your first.

Very Informative
A well put view into the world of the serpent. It lays it out so even us laymans can understand it. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes the physical characteristics, habitat, and behavior of the common garter snake. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A good starter book for the new or old Garter Fan
A good starter book. Written for children but has much more higher level information including some excellent photo's to help in snake Id. Chapterson basic care ,feeding ,housing and rearing garters along withidentification tips and diseases.A must have for anyone new to garters ... Read more

Product Description
Young readers will get a kick out of snapping open themouth of the plastic animal head attached to each book, then lettingit close with a SNAP!

In Sammy Snake and his Giant Jaws, Sammy awakes from hismorning nap feeling very hungry. What can he find that is good enoughto eat? Children can SNIP-SNAP along with the story and discover howSammy's animal neighbors trick him into being friends.

Dimensions (inches): 3 7/8 x 6 3/8 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Just too cute, such a creative idea for entertaining child
I absolutely love these "snap fun" books in this series. It is so adorable how you read along the book and snap the little beak/mouth open and closed with the store line. My little boy finds it so cute and keepshis attention. It appears to be pretty durable too, so I don't think itwould fall apart too easily. Anyways, I liked it so much, I am here lookingup all the other "snap" books and am going to order them fromAmazon. The price through Amazon was much better than my local store even.Oh and all the pages are the hard board type pages, not paper, so it ispretty sturdy. Anyways I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
A journalist describes an assignment in the mountains of Alabama which led to his spiritual journey into the world of holiness snake handling, a faith whose followers characteristically place themselves in life-threatening situations. Reprint. Tour. NYT. Amazon.com Review
Salvation on Sand Mountain is a story of snake handling andstrychnine drinking, of faith healing and speaking in tongues. It is alsothe story of one man's search for his roots--and, in the end, of hisspiritual renewal. Writer Dennis Covington came to this ecstatic form ofChristianity as a reporter covering a sensational murder case; GlenSummerford, pastor of the Church of Jesus with Signs Following, had beenaccused of attempting to kill his wife with rattlesnakes. There, in acourtroom filled with journalists and gawking spectators, Covington feltthe pull of a spirituality that was to dominate his life for the nextseveral years. Attending Summerford's church out of curiosity, he soonforged close friendships with some of the worshippers, began attendingsnake-handling services throughout the South, and eventually took up snakeshimself.

With subject matter this lurid, Salvation on Sand Mountain couldhave been a Southern-fried curiosity and little more. Covington goes fardeeper. Tracing the snake handlers' roots in regional history, in the deepspiritual alienation of mountain people from the secular modern world theyhave so recently joined, Covington is more than just sympathetic to thesnake handlers; in a profound way, he considers himself one of them. Hisreasoning is sometimes flawed--when he attempts to find snake handlers inhis own family's past, for instance, the result is belabored andunconvincing--but there's no doubt that Covington's heart is in the rightplace. He's also not without his own brand of sly gallows humor, as in thisconversation with the elderly Gracie McAllister: "She'd swore she'd neverhandle rattlesnakes in July again. She'd been bit the previous two Julys.'I decided I'd just handle fire and drink strychnine that night,' she said.Good idea, I thought. It always pays to be on the safe side."

Covington eventually breaks with the snake handlers, but comes away fromthe experience a changed man. "Knowing where you come from is one thing,but it's suicide to stay there," he writes. An American Book Award winnerand finalist for the National Book Award, Salvation on Sand Mountainis a nuanced, compassionate portrait of an unforgettable spiritual journey.--Mary Park ... Read more

Customer Reviews (62)

A little disappointed
The book had a long cut on the cover and the first few pages. I had to tape it to keep it from tearing even worse. Other than that the book is in good condition, but the seller could have at least taped the pages before shipping.

Fangs and fingernails
I just finished reading Salvation on Sand Mountain.My thoughts are juxtaposed between my desktop background--a photo of my own hand, manicured with long pink fingernails--holding a copperhead with its fangs partly extruded...and Covington's images of people in the throes of snake handling ecstasy.

As a highly trained animal health professional and long-term herpetology buff, I consider it risky to pick up venomous snakes under the most ideal of circumstances, let alone on the remote country road where I caught the copperhead.I cannot imagine doing so within such a lively church service.

My own needy ego motivated me to pick up the snake instead of finessing it into the capture bag like most of my contemporaries do.How different, I wonder, are the religious snake encounters?They are admittedly war stories, fodder for one's self-esteem.But yet, as someone who has been called out of my seat on the back pew and to the pulpit to do God's bidding, I completely understand.

Whatever the motivations of the snake handlers and of Covington, his book is a well-written page turner, a perfect marriage of southern gothic prose, theology and journalism with a twist that is intensely personal.

Will I take up the serpent again?Of course.

Will I read Covington again?Most definitely.

" It's about the nature of God "
Reading this book I get this strong feeling that the Author wrote this book with a less then objective viewpoint, through a rose colored lens. While the book has some interesting bits of information related to this small sub culture, I did not find anything especially insightful and as far as the writing, anything that spectacular. Maybe I was looking for something that wasn't there or maybe there is something there I can't appreciate, but for methe book ismelodramatic and a littlebit quirky. The books ending is interesting, a step in the right direction. The only other comment I will make related to this book's impression on me is the difficult relationship between good intentions and unintentional behavior, same results, different means .

great story
We live on Sand Mountain and I'd had this book recommended to me several times. The author does a wonderful job of explaining the faith of these folks. Well written and explained. I especially liked the part when Covington picks up snakes on his own. I could see the experience through his own eyes.

I am SO glad this book got reissued
It's one of the best works of narrative nonfiction out there. I hope it thrives and sells of the shelves in this latest incarnation. This is fine, fine writing and storytelling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Best book on snakes of Florida
This book is a must for every household in Florida, It not only gives you excellent pictures, it shows the areas where these snakes are found.

Not all snakes are found through out of the state, many are confined to a specific area, which can narrow a search quickly

Great reference
Living out in the boonies here in Florida we see a lot of snakes.I know most of them but occasionally I see one I don't recognize.This book is excellent for reference.BTW, the only ones I've killed here in the past 50 years are several coral snakes and one pygmy rattler.This book has great pictures of the coral (most dangerous snake in Florida)and the scarlet king snake (harmless) so you can tell the difference quickly.I highly recommend this book so people will not kill the harmless snakes that live here.

The Best FL Snake Guide!
A well researched, organised guide.This books provides excellent color photos of each of FL's snakes. Goes into great detail about the various habitats of FL and provides a habitat table.Details on identification, habitat, behavior, reproduction, similar species, diet, etc. for each species.Excellent section on venomous snakes.A must for nature or snake lovers.A good reference for residents of the Southeastern US.

A Field Guide to Snakes of Florida
An excellent book for both the beginner and expert alike, Mr. Tennantprovides excellent photographs of each species, including some photos ofjuvinelles.His text is highly informative and well written; he dispellsmyths about certain species, gives accurate distributional data, providesinformation on the status of each species, i.e. abundance, and has anexcellent bibliography.A must for anyone interested in the snake fauna ofFlorida.

More than an excellent field guide
This book should be read by all Florida residents, not just those interested in snakes. It discusses the plight of these wonderful creatures in light of man-made and natural changes in their environment. It also goes into greater depth than the average field guide with respect topopulations, breeding, personal encounters (always my favorite) etc.. Idon't know the author personally but I sincerely hope he is researchingfield guides for snakes in other states as well. I ordered his book on thesnakes of Texas before I finished the introduction to this book! ... Read more

Product Description

The snake is one of humankind's most powerful and ambiguous symbols: it has at various times represented immortality and death, male and female, deity and demon, circle and line, killer and healer, the highest wisdom and the deepest subconscious. By virtue of its mysterious movement, potent poison, fearful grip, unblinking gaze and lightning quick strike, the power and image of the snake has wound its way into every culture. Whether snakes are worshipped as gods, feared as devils, or handled in religious ceremonies to test faith, snakes have played a critical role in the human heritage. This book explores the cult of the snake in world history, religion, and folklore.

Fascination with snakes has been around since the dawn of time.Even today, images of snakes attract attention, fear, disgust, or admiration. Morgan examines that obsession with this mysterious creature, covering in vivid details such topics as mythical snakes like the Plumed Serpent, serpent iconography, tall tales, as well as the psychological symbolism that has attached itself to snakes. Cultures as diverse as pre-Columbian America, India, Egypt, China, sub-Saharan Africa, Celtic Europe, and the United States have all accorded the serpent a special place in their culture—apparently regardless of whether or not real snakes play an important part in the life of the people. Here, the mysterious nature of the snake unfolds, enchanting readers with a colorful and lively discussion of its place in our history, stories, religions, and cultures.

Customer Reviews (3)

Great read! --a tour of our human reactions to another species
I've often wondered why some animals have generated such historical symbolism and elicited such love-hate reactions and why others have not. Why do some people call snakes "icky," and others think they are beautiful? And why so much attention to snakes in particular? Diane Morgan takes us on a broad tour of snakes and our human love-hate reactions to them and how the result has been an enormous range of symbolism that pervades our language and our culture.

Like some of Ms. Morgan's other books, this one shows her occasional bits of irreverant commentary combined with solid research into the details of her subject, which makes this book both fun and illuminating to read.

All About Snakes
This book is really fascinating -- it tells all about snakes in the natural AND the unnatural world. Cobras, pythons, rattlesnakes, snake handlers and magical snakes of every description. It's engrossing, funny, and scary all at the same time. Good read!

I'm going to return this book, a very rare occurence...
I bought the book for the title--so I could read about snakes in mythology.Sadly, there is little mythology here.Instead there are biological descriptions of snake activities and news articles about idiots who expose themselves to snake bite.The book is worthless.Please be aware that there are NO images in this book.It's very sad.It is also expensive--thus I am calling now to return it. ... Read more

Product Description
Did you know that some snakes lie in ambush for weekswaiting for their prey to come within striking distance?

You'd think it would be hard to survive in the wild without legs.Butlook at snakes!More than 2,500 different kinds of snakes slither andcreep throughout the world.They live almost everywhere on Earth,except for the North and South Poles, and some isolated islands.Snakes come in only one shape, but they come in many patterns andsizes-from the two-inch long thread snakes that are as skinny as thelead in your pencil to the thirty-two foot reticulated python that isbig enough to eat a pig or small child.

Kendahl Jan Jubb's lush and scientifically accurate illustrationscapture these scaly predators as they hunt, hide, and reproduce.Asfar back as the Garden of Eden snakes have had the power to bothfascinate and repel us.Their deadly simplicity is always compelling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Snakes are amazing!
Very informative and creates a lot of thinking about ecology and the importance for the preservation of a perceived threat... ... Read more

Product Description
Did you know that snakes pick up smells with their tongues . . . and that a python can swallow a whole pig in one bite? Fun and fantastic facts about snakes--the creatures kids love to hate--with eye-popping collage illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Book, Poor Quality
My son is 5 and loves this book, the illustrations are fantastic and it is a nice change from actual photos of snakes. That said, within a few days the pages began to come out of the binding and I had to tape the pages together.My son doesn't care, but to me it is a sign of a cheap, poor-quality binding. I would have returned it if he didn't like the book so much. ... Read more

Product Description
It's love at first sight when the visiting zoo man asks who at school wants to hold a snake. "Me," Ali says right off--and wears the snake all day. Later Ali buys all the snakes she can at the pet store and wears them all home. For children fascinated by snakes, this is an experience to relish. For those afraid, it is a reassurance. Full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Super Snake Book
When I was an elementary school librarian, this book was an all time favorite with all ages.When my nearly four year old daughter told me she wanted a book about snakes, this was the title I asked for at the library.Children love the idea of Alli being the leader in the bunch by taking to snakes, yet they can also identify with others in the illustrations and story who do no like snakes.The deep rich tones of the illustrations blend so beautifully with the story that it almost seems as if the same person wrote and illustrated the book. This would be a wonderful addition to anyone's collection. ... Read more