Amazon.com
In a wonderful weave of science, metaphor, and prose, David Quammen, author of The Flight of the Iguana,applies the lessons of island biogeography - the study of the distribution of species on islands and islandlike patches of landscape - to modern ecosystem decay, offering us insight into the origin and extinction of species, our relationship to nature, and the future of our world.Book Description
David Quammen's book, The Song of the Dodo, is a brilliant, stirring work, breathtaking in its scope, far-reaching in its message -- a crucial book in precarious times, which radically alters the way in which we understand the natural world and our place in that world. It's also a book full of entertainment and wonders.

In The Song of the Dodo, we follow Quammen's keen intellect through the ideas, theories, and experimentsof prominent naturalists of the last two centuries.We trail after him as he travels the world, tracking the subject of island biogeography, which encompasses nothing less than the study of the originand extinction of all species. Why is this island idea so important? Because islands are where species most commonly go extinct -- and because, as Quammen points out, we live in an age when all of Earth's landscapes are being chopped into island-like fragments by human activity.

Through his eyes, we glimpse the nature of evolutionand extinction, and in so doing come to understandthe monumental diversity of our planet, and the importance of preserving its wild landscapes, animals, and plants. We also meet some fascinating human characters. By the book's end we are wiser, and more deeply concerned, but Quammen leaves us with a message of excitement and hope. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (64)

Science Journalism?Yeh, it rules!
This is the first book I've read by Quammen, an imminently talented journalist who perfectly balances the information and writing style of the book.He follows a chronological progression of island biogeography from Darwin through Jared Diamond (who became hugely famous shortly after the release of this book).Quammen's travelogues are excellent, combining a sympathetic, open perspective that is adventurous and engaged.Late in the book, Quammen describes a climb to the nest of a Mauritius kestrel: "When I'm thirty feet up, a tree branch flicks off my glasses, which drop to the ground.I could go down and retrieve them, sure, that would be sensible, but I'd fall too far behind the cheerful maniacs...
'Do you trust this vine?' I call up to Jones.Gangly but tall, he must weigh two hundred pounds, and from this angle I can appreciate the size of his feet.
'Not greatly.'
We ratchet our way upward, slowly, on the cliff face.It isn't Half Dome but it's more perilous than the average birdwatching stroll.We rise out above the valley.As we move beyond the treetops, I give myself an explicit mental reminder: Fall from here and you don't go home.Finally, Jones and I catch up with Lewis on a narrow rock shelf, like a window ledge ten stories above Lexington Avenue...
I gaze out at the panorama--the forested canyon below us, the deer ranch beyond, and the cane plantation beyond that, all spreading westward for five miles to the crescent of beach and then the great turquoise plane of the Indian Ocean." (562-3)
It's Quammen's excitement and sensitivty that inspire the reader to continue and to care, to take notice of humanity's influence: carving nature into islands, resulting in astonishing rates of extinction and ecosystem decay.But Quammen urges us to cling to hope, not despair, because "besides being fruitless it's far less exciting than hope, however slim." (636)

Desultory fluff
This is by far the most desultory, fluff-filled history of biological evolution that I've ever read. Generally, I am not a skimmer of Quammen's work, and in fact often enjoy his wit and lithesome prose, but after only a dozen pages or so into Dodo I found myself flipping page after page looking for something substantive, looking for meat. In one word, the pace is SLOW. Over and over again in the margins I found myself scribbling "Go! Go! We'd advanced this far thirty pages ago!" But on the plus side I suppose if you are looking for a book to practice your speed reading, Dodo may be it: you can flip ten pages at a throw and hardly miss a thing.

Fabulous
Quammen's book is a rare bird--a clearly written science book that doesn't condescend to readers.It's long enough to go fairly deep, and deep enough to be interesting:it's on my short list of favorites.

As other reviewers point out, the history of squabbles wears a little thin, but neither Darwin nor anyone else sticks in my memory as having been unfairly kneecapped.In fact, the only faintly negative impression I had was of the excessive care Quammen takes in presenting some fairly basic math.Highly recommended.

Plotting the roadmap to species extinction
"Islands are where species go to die." - David Quammen, author of THE SONG OF THE DODO

This book is all about the birth, maturation, and real world applications of the science of island biogeography as it relates to the circumstances of species isolation and diversification and subsequent decline and extinction. Here, "island" means not only the obvious - a bit of land surrounded by water - but any habitat separated from the rest of the world by a geographic barrier which its resident species are unlikely to cross. "Island", then, can refer, for examples, to a lake, a remnant of rain forest surrounded by clear-cut, a temperate mountaintop surrounded by desert, a national park hemmed in by human habitation, a cave, an expanse of jungle bordered by wide rivers, or a literal island in the sea.

Island biogeography inexorably leads the reader to the concept of conservation biology and viable-population theory. You see, the rampant human population is cutting the world's diverse ecosystems into little bits - islands - thus dooming countless species living within them - especially large vertebrates - to eventual destruction.

THE SONG OF THE DODO is a lucid, erudite, troubling, and extensively researched piece of science writing by journalist David Quammen. It's biggest fault is that he just about beats the subject to death. Where, perhaps, just a few examples of past species extinction (the Dodo or the Micronesian honeyeater) and present pending extinction (the indri of Madagascar or the Concho water snake in Texas) would suffice, the author includes at least a dozen more. But, as Quammen is such an excellent writer who feels strongly about this important subject, one cannot award less than five stars. Amidst the record of both realized and threatened animal extirpations, David even manages to be humorous when his narrative becomes a personal travelogue as he journeys to exotic places to observe the pending carnage for himself, as when tripping face-first into a spiderweb on Guam ("My worst nightmares feature tarantulas the size of badgers") or getting mugged in Rio de Janeiro. About the last incident, when confronted at the local police station with the one (of three) of his attackers unlucky enough to get caught, David quips:

"He's looking at five years (imprisonment) I'm told. Cinco anos. Cinco, no kidding? that's a lot of anos, I say. Probably I should feel terrible for the young thug, on grounds of socioeconomic extenuation, but in the weakness of the moment my liberal knee fails to jerk and cinco anos sounds fine."

The most glaring negative is the lack of photographs, both of the various creatures under discussion and the scientists, past and present, who've contributed to, and fought over, the theory and practice of island biogeography.

Recently, I saw AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, a documentary on global warming. Taken together with THE SONG OF THE DODO, my pessimism is kindled to a white heat. I don't have a high opinion of my fellow man: Homo sapiens is a rapacious species ungenerous to the other life forms riding Mother Earth. We blithely defecate on our own doorstep. At some point, the planet, which will ultimately endure, will turn to Man and say, "I'll show you!" Then, as Quammen puts it:

"When we ourselves do go (extinct), the sparrows and the cockroaches and the rats and the dandelions that survive us should eventually give rise to a new inflorescence of diversity. I'll leave it to you to decide whether that represents a gloomy scenario or a cheery one."

Comprehensive
Mr Quammen's work is the finest written on the facts of island biogeography.Broad in scope, the writer visited the leks of the birds of paradise and those nasty lizards on Komodo.Other places of interest the book visits are Madagascar and the Galapagos, known for their weird endemic faunas that can only be explained in an evolutionary, and biogeographic manner. ... Read more

Book Description
After a trip to the zoo, the Doctor and Martha go in search of a real live dodo and are transported by the TARDIS to the mysterious Museum of the Last Ones. There, in the Earth section, they discover every extinct creature up to the present day - billions of them, from the tiniest insect to the biggest dinosaur, all still alive and in suspended animation. Preservation is the Museum's only job - collecting the last of every endangered species from all over the universe.And for millennia the Museum has been trying to trace one elusive specimen: the last of the Time Lords... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

"Dominus Temporis, Location: Worldwide"
If you are looking for a light-hearted but clever "Doctor Who" adventure, then "The Last Dodo" should fit the bill nicely. Jacqueline Rayner does a fine job overall of translating the mood and feel of the show as well as its exciting if frenetic pace (in its 21st-century incarnation, of course) onto the printed page--and also hits on the show's eccentric quirkiness in a way other writers somewhat miss. The concept of a planet-sized museum of extinct species is inventive and ties in well both with the Doctor being the last Time Lord (more should've been made of this, though) and the underlying ecological theme organically weaved into the tale in a manner suitably serious without being preachy (something "Doctor Who" has traditionally excelled at way before it was cool and trendy, starting with Doctor Who - Planet of Giants and perhaps best exemplified with Doctor Who - Inferno (Episode 54) and Doctor Who - The Green Death (Episode 69)). And as with other novels in this series, the main characters are convincingly portrayed but minus the more complex tensions in their relationship, strengthening my impression that these novels are chiefly aimed at older children and young adults, though appropriately frivolous old-timers are welcome along for the ride.

If many of the strong points of the show as it is now are captured herein, though, so many of its weak points are strangely amplified. Telling the story chiefly through Martha's point of view is interesting and the way she addresses the reader as if sharing "girl talk" is a cute touch, but throughout the story it has the increasingly strong effect of sidelining the Doctor until he seems almost like a secondary character. The story meanders from too-easily solved crisis to too-easily solved crisis, and the Doctor's sonic screwdriver functions much like Batman's utility belt, magically answering any need. Most annoyingly, the story starts promisingly on a different planet, an unusual planet in fact, but then quickly reverts to Earth as usual--the geocentric new series' principle drawback for all its greatness.

Still, the overall concept of this novel is creative, the storytelling competent, and a few twists and surprises at the end spice things up a bit. Highly recommended for kids who love the show, and great for kids at heart who want to mentally escape a drudging commute without concentrating too much. And for the latter, you know you're an old-time Doctor Who fan if you get the in-joke of why the author has Martha nickname the last Dodo "Dorothea" (hint: Chaplet).

Enjoyable but . . . .
I enjoyed this book more than I think I should have.

The story has several problems.The book description mentions how the mysterious Museum of the Last Ones has been looking for a Time Lord specimen, yet this really doesn't serve as a major plot point in the story.In fact, this part of the story comes and goes rather quickly.In the end, the story seems to meander: lots of running around, but not for any real purpose.I also thought that Martha felt too young.In Series Three, Martha proved to be a sharp, mature companion, but here she seemed more like a teenager than an adult medical student.

On the bright side--and why I enjoyed the story--it's a fun read, occasionally bordering on cute, including a running I-Spyder tally of rare creatures that Martha finds during the adventure.Jacqueline Raynor has a nice writing style, and she creates a good chemistry between the Doctor and Martha. She uses a couple of unusual devices (for a Doctor Who novel) to move the story along, including the I-Spyder tally and a recurring first-person narrative by Martha, that I found engaging.She also gives the loyal fan a lovely (if short) passage that goes back to the third Doctor: a memory of the pain of being a Time Lord in exile, a Doctor in captivity.Traditionally, the Doctor Who novels have kept the Doctor's thoughts and emotions a mystery, so this passage was a surprise I reread a couple of times.

If you're looking for a light read, it's a fun romp.

The Last Dodo
The Last Dodo is very entertaining in some parts, but, after reading it a few times it does bore you. However, if one were going to read a doctor who book this would be one of the first i would recommend. The story has some rather indepth twists and is a barrel of laughs when Dorathea enters the picture. A book well worth the read.

Good but not great.
Having read Ms. Rayner's Doctor Who books before I was a bit disappointed in this one, although I thought the concept was a very good. There is a sobering history lesson regarding the extinction of certain animal species, most of them caused by mankind, but not all. There are intriguing questions regarding the morality of 'saving' the last of certain species in a museum which is almost crueller than letting them go. And you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by the story of Dorothea, the last dodo.
However....
Although the Doctor and Martha are spot on character wise, they just don't seem to get much accomplished in this book other than run around after the animals and the villains. There are a couple of instances of emotional involvement, especially for poor Martha after she makes what seems to be a terrible decision affecting all the animals and Earth. The Doctor has his own moments; there is an fascinating scene where he reacts with horror at the thought of going to a zoo. His own nightmare comes true for a bit when he involuntarily becomes a last of the Time Lords display. But after these bits, its back to running and chasing again and the mystery of whodunit didn't seem that deep to me.
The Last Dodo is not a terrible book but in my opinion, lacks the emotional punch the old Virgin Doctor Who New Adventures books had, particularly in the earlier titles. Those books went well beyond the TV series but still kept the Doctor and friends in character. These new titles from the BBC seem to be stuck strictly within the confines of the show. Doctor Who - The Complete Third Series

New Who Goodness
I was really intrigued by the description of this new Doctor Who novel.I wasn't disappointed.The characterization of the doctor was spot on.I could easily hear David Tennant in my head saying the lines.There were several plot twists that kept the book interesting.The underlying morality tale involving mankind's involvement in the extinction of animal species is a sobering plot thread that does what science fiction does best:it makes us think about our place in the world. ... Read more

Book Description
The Dodo explores the science and mythology, the history, archaeology, and legend, as well as the dodo's place in art and literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Decent Reference to Everything Dodo...
As past reviewers have mentioned, this book is visually stunning. A very good entry level book to give a historical background on records, sketches, semi-factiods, and assumptions. Fuller makes it very clear (time and time again) that everything we think we know about the dodo is based on written records or sketches. Fuller also points out that we don't have complete facts on the legitimacy of any of the accounts. For example, some written accounts were taken from a boat that traveled by the island...the accountee not even stepping foot on the island. Furthermore, the recognizable paintings may or may not have been created from a live specimen, but a taxidermied version which may have been overstuffed. The book is a quick read, allowing the reader to form their own view and create their own image of what they belive the dodo once was. I recommend merely as a collection of visual reference and general historical accounts.

A Beautiful History of Extinction's Emblem
"As dead as a dodo."Everyone knows the phrase (and it is far clearer than the obscure doornail variant).The dodo is universally acknowledged as a symbol of extinction, not just a dead bird, not just a dead species, but an emblem of wipeout.Although everyone knows the dodo, we know almost nothing about it.It was discovered and wiped out long before the days of scientific observation.Errol Fuller has told us just about everything there is to know about the bird in _Dodo: A Brief History_ (HarperCollins).It is not as big or lush a volume as the one he produced on another goner, the great auk, but it is beautiful and fascinating.

The facts about the birds are slim.They came from the small island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.They were actually large pigeons.They weighed more than fifty pounds, according to an observer from 1634.They had ridiculously small wings that were a parody of flight.We don't know what they ate, what they sounded like, or how they mated."But of one thing we can be sure," he writes, "There are now no dodos."Europeans arrived on Mauritius when the Dutch navy landed in 1598 (there had been transient visits by Portuguese and Arabs before then), and only fifty or so years later, there were no dodos.The dodo had no predators before encountering humans, so it had slipped into a flightless existence, and also did not flee when approached.They were easy prey.After the bird's extinction, no one much cared about it.In 1755, there was exactly one stuffed dodo.It was within the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.It was in such a decrepit state that it was consigned to the flames.The head and right foot alone were saved, and "these pitiful fragments" still exist and have been used for DNA samples.Of course they are depicted here.

After more than a century of oblivion, Fuller explains that one simple event caused "... the general public to take notice of the dodo, and the bird itself to enter the ranks of universal celebrity."In 1865, Lewis Carroll published _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_, with an episode of the "caucus race" which the dodo decides "Everybody has won, and all must have prizes."Prizes, he also decides, have to come from Alice herself.Sir John Tenniel illustrated the episode, with his image based on first-hand depictions.Fuller explains that the dodo, like the book, "... was suddenly in vogue and - again just like the book - it has never since been out of it."Dodo poems followed, and "Dodo" as a nickname for girls, dodos on teapots, tea towels, stamps, coffee mugs, advertisements, table service, and more.We will never forget the dodo.Fuller's handsome, beautifully illustrated volume of all this dodo lore helps in the cause of dodo remembrance.It is throughout good-humored, and in accord with its subject, it is peculiar, funny, and sad.

A vapid performance
Visually this book is stunning.Informative it is.But if you found a book about dinosaurs that said "we know almost nothing about them, except that there are no dinosaurs today" would you be interested?This is how Fuller starts his commentary on the dodo - "We know almost nothing...."dodos equal famous dinosaurs.The moral of the whole book is, "here are the facts but we don't really know and we can't either so there".In its attempt to be critical and parsimonious, it trips over itself in a mess of contradictions (was the Dodo grey or brown? - "it seems to have been greyish though Saftleven clearly shows the head was brown")and a script that reads like watery thin soup.

The fact of the matter is, there is a lot of background interest in the Dodo and this book does not dare to speculate on various assumptions and models that have been made of the Dodo.For example that it may have shed the tip of its bill, that it produced chicks every 2 years or on any differences between males and females of a specific nature.The paintings of the Dodo are not discussed critically in terms of authorship and attribution or history.We don't get to hear about where a few dodos were sent alive and how they contributed to paintings.The map of Mauritius does not clearly mark the spot where lots of dodo skeletons turned up and the general distribution of dodos.Fuller leaves us guessing if dodos lived on the interior of the island or coasts and whether it was a forest or shore type bird.

In the end, the book is more like a log of evidence and we are left to pick out our own picture for ourselves.The author has very little conscious, critical or thought provoking to say.There is too much on dodo paraphanelia/souvnirs as well.

It is in fact more disappointing than his other books on extinct birds like the Great Auk.A lot more could have been said and done.This book remains a vital reference on the Dodo with holes, unapologetic omissions and scientific coyness.

Its price is good and it remains a reference - on the dodo, the Solitare and the mysterious "White dodo" though there isn't much of a story here. ... Read more

Book Description
When Penguin gets pooped on by a goose flying by, he doesnt just get angry, he decides to do something about it. Determined to prove the world wrong, Penguin and his other flightless friends set out to build a flying machine that will give them the birds eye view they have never had. Flight of the Dodo is a hilarious and heartwarming story about the search for adventure and the persistence needed to make dreams come true. This book has the perfect balance of gross-out humor paired with a wonderful story and message, and Peter Browns distinct and striking paintings are filled with fun details and unique perspectives that will capture the readers imagination. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

very funny, both the story and the illustration
My 5-year-old son and I read this book together one night and we both laughed from the beginning to the end. The story was fresh and the drawing was detailed. We couldn't help read it one more time. Then my son read it with my wife. The next morning, he was reading it again while having his breakfast. A very nice book!

Brown Scores Direct Hit with Kids Humor
If you can't enjoy a little potty humor now and again, well, poo on you!I recently watched this book read to a crowd of kids ages 3-7 who were bent over with the giggles.Many of them had never been pooped on by a bird, but they were imagining the humiliation and ick factor with a great deal of glee.Underneath the humor is a well delivered message that revenge is not sweet--but cooperation is.The illustrations are FABULOUS!I cannot wait to see what Peter Brown drops on us next.

Refreshing and funny...highly recommended!
This is an entertaining book for audiences young and old. The story is humorous and original. The artwork is just amazing.

Just Ducky... or Penguiny in this book!
Peter Brown is not just an amazing artist, he can tell a great story about a bunch of poop! The beautiful landscapes and fun birds really create the emotions as the story goes along. When birds are stuck high in the air and the storm clouds come it shows what true "friends" will do for one another and that in the end we can all learn from one another. I really look forward to Peter's next book and find it amazing anyone should not find this book charming, even with the underlying currents of poop! I hear there's a great interview with Peter about this book online at the WMPG radio site too!

What a Fantastic story!!!!
I absolutely adore this book!!!!!!! My family LOVES "Flight of the Dodo" . It possesses a hilarious yet endearing message about being greatful with who you are and where you came from. That we are all truly unique and special in our own way! The illustrations are FANTASTIC and creative, i almost want to frame every one of them. I highly recommend this book and know you will enjoy and cherish it as my family has. We love Peter Brown!!!! ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (9)

A "Must Have" for atheists who don't have time for science!
This book is awesome because it makes fun of people who believe differently than I do...."Dodos"....that's hilarious.I bet they've got cooties too.

I've tried to read books that address the scientific arguments at the center of the origins debate, but they are always over my head.Lately, I've been worried because intelligent design folks seem to be winning the arguments, so I'm glad this book totally changes the subject and makes fun of people who may or may not be part of the debate.Nothing makes me feel more secure in my own personal philosophy.

I was raised a Marxist and an atheist, and I'm starting to realize that those beliefs are totally dependent on evolution being true.You can't spell "Leftist Revolution" without "evolution."(Seriously.You can't.)No wonder Marx dedicated "Das Kapital" to Darwin....duh!The brilliance of this book is that it takes attention away from the evidence and toward the simple art of laughing at strangers...like we used to do in high school.Hats off to the authors.I doubt we'll be hearing any more from the 66% of Americans who believe in creation after this book makes the rounds.

(Dodos.....I'm still laughing about that.So inspired, dude.)

There's "tolerance" for you.
"Here's the problem with America's born-again wackos: only a gifted comic is capable of describing them, but no one with a sense of humor can stomach being around them. That's why there are so few books like Flock of Dodos. With their painstaking attention to historical detail and amusingly violent writing style, Brown and Alston have given the religious right exactly the righteous, merciless fragging it deserves. I wish I could tie James Dobson down and make him eat every page." -- Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone Magazine, author of Spanking the Donkey

Is that Matt Taibbi or Matt Taliban?

Entertaining and Educational-Perfect Combo!
I just watched this on HBO last night and I was so thrilled to find such a funny, entertaining, and educational documentary!
I think the best point that I walked away with rang so simple but true, even though humans are emotional by nature we have a "higher" mind that we can use and this seperates us from other animals.Intuition is the start of brilliant ideas, but in the end testable meathods prove whether that intuition is right or wrong. This is were "intelligent design" reaches its end. Science is and hopefully always will be about the testability!

Hilarious, and just what was needed!
After enduring all the taunts and jokes from ignorance spewing from the mouths and pens of creationists, it is so much fun to read a no-holds-barred counterattack. The buffoons are all paraded before you.

Barrett Brown has written what many want to say but cannot.

Let's laugh these science-fearing fools out of town. Flock of Dodos is a great start.

Despite the lame title, this book delivered
Brown does a terrific job taking shots at the Intelligent Design crowd and their "scientific" theory.The satire was both humurous and intelligent.It is one thing to just ridiclule and poke fun at a group of people that need to be made examples of.It is another thing, however, to poke fun at that group while also making sound, substantive arguments that attack the very heart of the opponents' beliefs.This book does just that.
The book is true to the scietific method that it seeks to support.There is a clear and concise thesis that Brown support throughout the book.Namely, he delivers damning evidence that the Intelligent Design movement is no more than creationism cloaked in bad science.
I suggest this book to anyone that does not have Bible shutters over their eyes and ears.It is an easy, one-day read that will keep you thuroughly entertained from start to finish.Although some people may find the book to be offensive, I found the jokes about Christianity and religion in general to be in gest and secondary to the books overall agenda.
... Read more

Book Description
William Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) was an English novelist, playwright, and writer of short stories. He was hugely popular in his time, and wrote 27 novels, more than 50 short stories, at least 15 plays, and over 100 pieces of non-fiction work. His best-known works are The Woman in White (1860), The Moonstone (1868), Armadale (1866) and No Name (1862). His works were classified at the time as 'sensation novels', a genre seen nowadays as the precursor to detective fiction and suspense fiction. He also wrote penetratingly on the plight of women and on the social and domestic issues of his time. His novel, No Name combined social commentary - the absurdity of the law as it applied to children of unmarried parents - with a densely-plotted revenge thriller. Amongst his other works are: Basil (1852), Hide and Seek (1854), After the Dark (1856), The Frozen Deep (1857), The Queen of Hearts (1859), Man and Wife (1870), The New Magdalen (1873), The Law and the Lady (1875), The Two Destinies (1876), and A Rogue's Life (1879).Download Description
On a summer's morning, between thirty and forty years ago, two girls were crying bitterly in the cabin of an East Indian passenger ship, bound outward, from Gravesend to Bombay. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wilkie Collins in good form..
In general, I have not been impressed with the works of Wilkie Collins outside his "big 4" novels ('The Woman in White', 'No Name', 'Armadale', and 'The Moonstone').'Man and Wife' was written right after 'The Moonstone', the last of his really successful novels.Sadly, this novel is unjustly overlooked by Wilkie Collins fans.It's actually a fun read.

'Man and Wife' is a complicated story about a young couple, and their friends/family, caught up in the consequences of lax marriage laws during the Victorian era.At that time folks in Scotland were considered married if they simply announced it.No need for marriage licenses, blood tests, etc.Wilkie Collins's gift of building the suspense works well, and the book's ending is unexpected (and terrific).

'Man and Wife' is every bit as good as, say, 'The Moonstone'.However for Wilkie Collins neophytes I suggest first trying 'The Woman in White' or 'No Name' (..both are my favorites).

PS - I think the previous reviewer is mistaken.This book has nothing to do with intrusive mother-in-laws.

The Agony of Divorce
This was actually a fun read.It's an anti-mother-in-law book. It's also about divorce.Despite the Victorian horror of the subject, I can't help thinking that we modern folk could learn something from this book.Littlethings mostly, like avoiding temptation and not placing your spouse intemptation.Probably the biggest thing I learned was not to have yourmother-in-law live with you.Good advice in any age. ... Read more

Book Description
Monsieur L'Abbat was a French author and a Fencing Master at the Academy of Toulouse in France in the late seventeenth century. He was the author of the first comprehensive study of the art of fencing entitled Questions Sur L'Art En Fait D'Armes, which was first translated into English by Andrew Mahon in 1734 and called, The Art of Fencing, or, The Use of the Small Sword. ... Read more

Amazon.com
When an eccentric pink bird named Dodo wheedles her way into the life of a cranky retired helicopter captain who lost a leg in a rescue mission, readers might think feathers will fly. Instead, Dodo's obtuse friendliness and Captain Vince's unacknowledged loneliness make a magical connection, and soon the two are sharing sandwiches and stories. By summertime, Vince surprises Dodo with a very unusual proposal, and, true to form, she responds equally uniquely. Now, if only the wedding can go off without a hitch...

Readers familiar with Petra Mathers's charming trio of friends, introduced in Lottie's New Beach Towel, Lottie's New Friend, and A Cake for Herbie, will be elated to see a whole book devoted to the exotic Dodo. Mathers's beautiful watercolors, with their perfect palette and changing, telling details, are reason enough to fall in love with the book. Her sweet, funny story is icing on the (wedding) cake! (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter Book Description

Lottie's friend Dodo is funny, exotic, and utterly charming. Captain Vince is a lonely bird with a heart of gold. Children everywhere will delight inwatching this unlikely pair find true love in Petra Mathers's newest picture book that enchantingly proves there is someone for everyone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Love and Marriage Among the Feathered.....
What do you get when you combine Lottie's funny, good-hearted friend Dodo and an old, cranky and lonely helicopter rescue pilot, Captain Vince?Another picture book winner from Petra Mathers.Poor Captain Vince was injured in a rescue mission and lost a leg.He now sits home alone, day in and day out, feeling sorry for himself.That is until the wonderful exuberant Dodo pushes her way into his life and within no time, the two are inseparable.He proposes marriage in a most unique way.She says YES in a style all her own and the wedding is on.And even a wedding eve disaster can't dampen the love of this match made in heaven..... Petra Mathers' sweet, and engaging story will put a big smile on the faces of children and adults, alike.The simple, gentle and amusing text is complemented by her wonderfully expressive, bold and bright illustrations full of charming, familiar, special details.This is the fourth book of Ms Mathers' Lottie and Herbie series and fans will be thrilled to see a whole book about a favorite character, exotic Dodo.For those new to these delightful stories, make sure you read them all...Lottie's New Beach Towel, Lottie's New Friend and A Cake for Herbie.

Perfect Whimsey
Petra Mathers' books always have charm and wit. Dodo Gets Married has imagination and gives the reader the chance to add to the tale with the superb illustrations that complement the story. It also introduces an element of complexity into the story of a lonesome man, with a sadness in his past, made joyful by the love and affection of charming Dodo. After four books in a series one has a life to follow in the various characters that adds dimension. I look forward to the next in the series with great anticipation. ... Read more

Book Description
From tigers to polar bears, this popular book answers questions about endangered animals, their habitats, and efforts to keep them safe. Sensitive to environmental issues, this is a welcome and timely treatment of a high-interest topic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must for every child's bookshelf
This book teaches about the beauty, uniqueness and dignity of animals. Beautifully illustrated, and full of fun facts, it tells all about exotic endangered and extinct animals. My favourite is the dodo, but there areplenty of animals to entertain and amuse all tastes. ... Read more

Book Description
A title by Augustus Henry Beesley about Sulla's first civil war which was one of a series of civil wars in ancient Rome, between Marius and Sulla, between 88 and 87 BC. The Social War (91-87 BC) was fought against the Socii, Roman allies in Italy, and was the result of Rome's intransigence in regarding the civil liberties of its own citizens (Romans) as superior to those of the citizens of the rest of Italy. Subjects of the Roman Republic, these Italian provincials might be called to arms in its defence or might be subjected to extraordinary taxes. The Social War was, in part, caused by the assassination of Marcus Livius Drusus the Younger. At the beginning of the Social War, the Roman aristocracy and Senate were beginning to fear Marius' ambition. In the last rebellion of the Italian allies, Sulla served with brilliance as a general. He outshone both Marius and the consul Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo (the father of Pompey Magnus). As a result of his success in bringing the Social War to a successful conclusion, he was elected consul for the first time in 88 BC, with Quintus Pompeius Rufus as his colleague.Download Description
General expectation would have pointed to Scipio Aemilianus, the conqueror of Numantia and Carthage, and the foremost man at Rome. He was well-meaning and more than ordinarily able, strict and austere as a general, and as a citizen uniting Greek culture with the old Roman simplicity of life. He was full of scorn of the rabble, and did not scruple to express it. 'Silence,' he cried, when he was hissed for what he said about his brother-in-law's death, 'you step-children of Italy!' and when this enraged them still more, he went on: 'Do you think I shall fear you whom I brought to Italy in fetters now that you are loose?' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Admirable Work
Interesting work on the military history of Rome.I highly recommend it for anyone who likes ancient military history and battles. ... Read more

Book Description
This tale of a unique bird, a lonely professor, and some urban magic is both funny and touching.An unusually smart dodo has managed to escape extinction and is living happily in a big city.The city is also home to a professor, the only person who is sure that somewhere, somehow, a dodo is alive.A chance encounter turns these two into hunted and hunter: the professor wants to capture Dodo and show the scientific world that he was right . . . but Dodo doesn't want to live in a cage.How this standoff develops into a friendship, proving that indeed anything can happen in the big city, is told in Kae Nishimura's fresh, original text and distinctively comic illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A truly fresh voice in children's books
This book is unlike any other I've ever read. Ms. Nishimura has a truly unique vision and a refined sense of storytelling that is refreshing and enjoyable. Her sense of humor and whimsical characters create in the reader a slow, satisfying glow that lasts long beyond the last page. I recommend I AM DODO for anyone who appreciates substance and quality in a picture book.

Many lessons packed in one story
This book can gently introduce young children to some difficult ideas: extinction, and humankind's potential impact on the survival of other species. I found this book to be a great discussion starter when I used it for story time with 4-6 year olds at the museum.

Even children who are a little older are drawn in by Nishimura's humorous illustrations, and the unusual but charming title character, Dodo. As it says on the cover, this is not a true story, and Dodo's not-true-to-life appearance requires a little bit of imagination and artistic license. (One thing it's important to note for young dodo enthusiasts: because it has been extinct since about 1681, there were never any photographs of the Dodo, and artists have always had to recreate its image based on written observations.)

This book also has a positive message about the value of mutual respect and friendship, which is a wonderful lesson for children of all ages. I Am Dodo is a sophisticated, witty, and beautiful book.

Miriam Kessler
Preschool Coordinator at the NY Hall of Science

Not a real dodo
This book was a big let down. The main character, the dodo, isn't a real dodo. The illustrator wouldn't know a dodo bird if it bit her. ... Read more

Book Description
Rafael Sabatini (1875 - 1950) was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance and adventure. At a young age, Rafael was exposed to many languages. By the time he was seventeen, he was the master of five languages. He quickly added a sixth language - English - to his linguistic collection. After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English." In all, he produced thirty one novels, eight short story collections, six nonfiction books, numerous uncollected short stories, and a play. He is best known for his world-wide bestsellers: The Sea Hawk (1915), Scaramouche (1921), Captain Blood (1922) and Bellarion the Fortunate (1926). Other famous works by Sabatini are The Lion's Skin (1911), The Strolling Saint (1913) and The Snare (1917).Download Description
Short Description:A strong and noble Count must save the Prince's beautiful niece from the unwanted attentions of both a loathsome Duke and a treacherous courtier. Politics, war, and romance in 15th-Century Italy.Full Description:Count Francesco battles the forces of the Duke for the attentions of the Prince's niece in this rousing novel that reminds us of the Romance in Adventure. Sabatini's "Love-at-Arms" is an exuberant romp through love and war, heroism and treachery in late 15th-Century Italy. A strong and noble Count must save the Prince's beautiful niece from the unwanted attentions of both a loathsome Duke and a treacherous courtier. Live the siege of the impregnable castle-fortified with much wine and little gunpowder-as the count turns the tables on his enemies in hilarious fashion. You'll see why Sabatini is considered the all-time greatest writer of historical adventure.Keywords:Adventure, Romance, Historical, Swashbuckler, Military, Italy, Castle, FortressCategories: Fiction, Historical, Adventure, Romance, Novel ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Almost a self-parody
I've tried to read this early Sabatini novel twice, but couldn't tolerate it.Sabatini is always perilously close to a parody of pompous pseudo-archaic style, but his charm is that he usually avoids it, even in his earlier works.In _Love-at-Arms_, however, he seems to be trying to be over the top; I'm afraid I had to give up at "But when presently he came nearer and looked with more intentness" in chapter five.

Sabatini romance and intrigue
This is another great Rafael Sabatini book.Full of romance, witty dialog, clever plot and thrilling adventure.If you've never read Sabatini before, try some of his stories. ... Read more

Book Description
Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) was a British writer, mainly of the sort of fiction and fantasy written for children but enjoyed equally if not more by adults. He is most famous for The Wind in the Willows (1908), one of the classics of children's literature. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon, which was much later adapted into a Disney movie. While still a young man, Grahame began to publish light stories in London periodicals such as the St. James Gazette. Some of these stories were collected and published as Pagan Papers in 1893, and, two years later, The Golden Age. These were followed by Dream Days in 1898, which contains The Reluctant Dragon. There is a ten-year gap between Grahame's penultimate book and the publication of his triumph, The Wind in the Willows. During this decade Grahame became a father. The wayward headstrong nature he saw in his little son he transformed into the swaggering Toad of Toad Hall, one of its four principal characters. Despite its success, he never attempted a sequel. ... Read more

Book Description
Reminiscences, recollections and prose focusing on late 19th Century American rural life.Download Description
Our little Mary was dying. The film had gathered over those deep blue orbs, and her emaciated form lay white as polished marble stretched out on her little cradle, around which were gathered sympathizing friends, watching the feeble lamp of life as it burned flickering in its socket. The grandmother and aunt had been summoned from an adjoining village, where they had gone upon a visit the previous morning; and Emma, a sweet cousin not two years old, stood wondering why little Mary did not smile upon her, as she usually did, for she had never looked upon death. ... Read more

Book Description
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE (1881-1975) was a comic writer who has enjoyed enormous popular success for more than seventy years. Wodehouse's main canvas remained that of prewar English upper-class society, reflecting his birth, education, and youthful writing career. Wodehouse was admired both by contemporaries like Rudyard Kipling as well as by modern writers like Terry Pratchett. Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes. His other works include: A Prefect's Uncle (1903), Tales of St. Austin's (1903), The Gold Bat (1904), The Head of Kay's (1905), Love Among the Chickens (1906), The White Feather (1907), Mike (1909), Psmith, Journalist (1909), Psmith in the City (1910), The Little Nugget (1913), Something New (1915), The Man with Two Left Feet, and Other Stories (1917), Piccadilly Jim (1917), A Damsel in Distress (1919), Indiscretions of Archie (1921) and The Clicking of Cuthbert (1922).Download Description
When I said I would marry you, you were a hero to me. You stood to me for everything that was noble and brave and wonderful. I had only to shut my eyes to conjure up the picture of you as you dived off the rail that morning. Now--her voice trembled--"if I shut my eyes now,--I can only see a man with a hideous black face making himself the laughing stock of the ship. How can I marry you, haunted by that picture?" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Another great Wodehouse
It was utterly hilarious, a marvelous read when you are in the mood for somehing light and frothy.

So funny!
This book is so, so funny! Beginnig with a wedding that never happens, thanks to the ingenious plans of a mother, down to the pains taken by an attentive young man to prove his love. Very 'G' rated and ever so funny! Recommended to everyone for a bunch of good laughs!

Good, but not the best book P. G. Wodehouse wrote.
Upper class Sam Marlowe is bitten by a small dog and smitten by its cute, but ditzy redhead owner.

This is not the funniest thing the Master ever wrote, but it is certainly better than some of his. It takes the novel a few chapters to really get going on the laughs.The first part of the book is amusing;The second part is laugh out loud funny, with some genuine momemts of hilarity. ... Read more

Book Description
The Dodo went from being newly discovered to extinction in less than a hundred years. The flightless, odd-looking bird was seen for the first time by Europeans and then annihilated by Europeans in the course of the seventeenth century. And by the end of the nineteenth century, all that remained of what Portuguese explorers called the was a patchwork of tall tales, contradictory reports, incompatible illustrations, and fragments of feather and bone. The dodo had become, in short, an unsolvable puzzle, but a puzzle that persisted in art, literature, and scientific speculation.|Best-selling author Clara Pinto-Correia, in following the birdn, shows in this remarkable book how the human intellect and the human imagination prey on sketchy facts and images, how missing pieces and incomplete lines are merged and fused to make a cohesive whole. By considering the incredibly strong hold of this bumbling, ungainly, and ill-fated creature on our collective scientific and literary imagination, Pinto-Correia teaches us not just about the ill-fated bird from the island paradise of Mauritius, but about our own abiding need to make sense of the world around us.|Clara Pinto-Correia is the author of the best-selling The Ovary of Eve. She has taught in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst; served as a research assistant at Harvard University in the Museum of Comparative Zoology; and is currently Professor and Director of the Masters Degree Program in Developmental Biology at the Universidade Lusofona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisbon, Portugal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

All over the place
I have read a lot on the dodo, but I'm afraid this wasn't one of the better books. Half of the book is not actually about dodos but deals with Portugese and Dutch shipping and history - the dodo isn't really mentioned in depth until a few chapters in, and then it is faffed about with and dragged out on very little information.Sadly disappointing as there are so few resources on the topic, but perhaps of interest to people who aren't so keen on the dodo details. As above, I would recommend Fuller or even Strickland.

Mistaken notions
This book pales having arrived just after E. Fuller's recent book "The Dodo from extinction to icon (UK)".From a scholarly vantage it fails utterly.

Firstly the book is quite parochial dwelling at great length on issues very distant from the dodo such as Portuguese navigation and ignoring the fact that the dodo was painted in India completely.The book makes extraordinary claims like "Why do we know so much about what the dodo looked like?" when the text itself makes clear we know very little and makes tremendous claims on behalf of R. Savery, (a relatively poor artist of animals) in the context of his contribution to Western art - why.The best thing about Savery was he did several pictures of the dodo unlike many other artists though Savery's dodos cannot be trusted for accuracy.

Most of the facts in the book such as the numbers of dodo's that arrived in Europe or how much contact R. Savery had with the dodo are either speculative or from doubtful sources.Though references are copious, some important references are not taken up and there is an over reliance on secondary sources.Much of the content it must be said is therefore presumptious.

There are some new translations such as descriptions by Clusius on the dodo's head, but there is little primary material of relevance in a critical style on the dodo itself.

As a celebration of the iconic place of the dodo and the history of the period and the Mascarenes this book has some claims, but you'd be better off reading Fuller.As there are so few good books on the Dodo I think this book is a reasonable start and the author has written it with enthusiasm.

Slender volume but most interesting read
At a young age, the author Clara Pinto-Correia heard about the long extinct dodo and became fascinated by the bird's fate. The end result is a well-researched and well-written text that takes the reader from the shores of Europe to a small chain of islands where the dodo and it's genetic cousins made their homes.

Sadly, the dodo and it's genetic cousins were doomed to extinction with the arrival of Europeans (starting with the Portuguese). The plump, flightless animals were slow breeders with a single offspring per mating season and no natural enemies. Add ravenous creatures (Homo sapiens included) into their safe mircosphere and diaster was assured.

Pinto-Correia traces the few captive dodos in Euorpe and the fates of their remains. Now, the only things the modern world has of the dodo are a scattering of bones, some paintings and sketches and the cultural understanding that to be a dodo is to be doomed.

A must read for the natural history reader or devotee.

extinct in less than a century!
Subtitle of this book is "The Sad, Strange Tale of the Dodo" and so it is.Pinto-Correia mixes a bit of humor with a pleasant writing style, lots of relevant history and geography, and a sad shake of her head about how rapacious humans are.

It was a marvelously heady period in Europe's awakening after intellectual dark days and Pinto-Correia gives the reader a sense of that emergence.On one level the dodo is a symbol of an eden found and lost on three small islands along the way to spices and riches.In their rush to gather spices, riches and glory men plundered these islands and left them poorer - the islands' inhabitants were decimated and became fearful, the men did not realize what a treasure they had found.

The reader can assign other levels to the story as Pinto-Correia unfolds it. Science came into its own during these centuries, and the dodo's discovery and extinction is a grand example of the days when alchemy gave way to chemistry and astrology became astronomy.Natural history developed as well, with taxonomy seemingly in the forefront.The dodo was classified and plunged into first one species then another, had little to prove that it even existed, finally was declared extinct - all in less than 100 years.

Pinto-Correia packs information about the hapless bird and the European humans of the era into this book.The reader learns painlessly while realizing this is a learning experience.

For this reader Return of the Crazy Bird is a grand vacation read, easy to pick up and put down without losing the thread of the story. ... Read more

Book Description
Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch was a Cornish writer, who published under the pen name of Q. He published his Dead Man's Rock (a romance in the vein of Stevenson's Treasure Island) in 1887, and he followed this up with Troy Town (1888) and The Splendid Spur (1889). After some journalistic experience in London, mainly as a contributor to the Speaker, in 1891 he settled at Fowey in Cornwall. He published in 1896 a series of critical articles, Adventures in Criticism, and in 1898 he completed Robert Louis Stevenson's unfinished novel, St Ives. With the exception of the parodies entitled Green Bays: Verses and Parodies (1893), his poetical work is contained in Poems and Ballads (1896). In 1895 he published an anthology from the sixteenth and seventeenth-century English lyrists, The Golden Pomp, followed in 1900 by an equally successful Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250-1900 (1900). He was made a Bard of Gorseth Kernow in 1928, taking the Bardic name Marghak Cough ('Red Knight'). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

On the Art of Writing
This book is a classic on the subject of writing.It was a favorite of Helene Hanff, author of 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. In a third book, Q's Legacy, she relates how studying this book became the core of her writing education.She found Q to be both articulate and humorous.I find I agree.

The Book that Inspired Helene Hanff's Charing Cross
This slender volume is the book that began Helene Hanff's journey -- a path that led eventually to her writing the 84, CHARING CROSS ROAD series. Because I loved her books, I wondered what the master who taught her might have had to say. All I knew of him was what I had learned through Ms. Hanff.

This series of lectures, delivered in England more than nine decades ago, sparkles with a dry wit that is utterly endearing. No wonder his students loved him. Still, for someone who is the product of a late-20th century education, I must admit I was appalled by my ignorance of the classical references he made, expecting that his students would follow them with ease. Not a light-weight book, despite its compact size.

His challenge to his students, put forth in the first lecture, was to become a person [he said a man, but the statement applies to all of us] "of unmistakable intellectual breeding, whose trained judgment we can trust to choose the better and reject the worse." Not a bad goal for anyone, is it?

A word of warning. He quotes in Greek here and there -- and does not translate it, since all his students were expected to understand that language. Ditto Latin.

If you can manage only two chapters, try the first "Inaugural" and the last "On Style." ... Read more

Book Description
Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823-1901), was an English novelist, known for her huge output. She was devoted to the Church of England, and much influenced by John Keble, a near neighbour and one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Her novels reflected the values and concerns of Anglo-Catholicism. She began writing in 1848, and published during her long life about 100 works, chiefly novels. Her first commercial success, The Heir of Redclyffe (1854), provided the funding to enable the schooner Southern Cross to be put into service on behalf of George Selwyn. Similar charitable works were done with the profits from later novels. She was also editor, for nearly forty years, of a magazine for young ladies, the Monthly Packet. Among the best known of her works are Heartsease; or, The Brother's Wife (1854), The Daisy Chain; or, Aspirations (1856), A History of Christian Names (1863, revised 1884), A Book of Golden Deeds (1864), The Dove in the Eagle's Nest (1866), Life of John Coleridge Patteson: Missionary Bishop of the Melanesian Islands (1873) and Hannah More (1888).Download Description
She dwelt on them, said the Queen lightly. "Ay, I know the chant of the poor folk who ever hover about our outskirts in hopes to sell their country gewgaws, beads and bracelets, collars and pins, little guessing that she whom they seek is poorer than themselves. Mayhap, our Argus-eyed lord may yet let the poor dame within his fence, and we may be able to gratify thy longing for those same purple and white beads and bracelets." ... Read more

Book Description
Thornton Waldo Burgess (1874-1965) was a conservationist and author of children's stories featuring the wildlife of his native state. He was born in Sandwich, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. His first book was Old Mother West Wind (1910). Following its success, he wrote a syndicated daily newspaper column, Bedtime Stories (illustrated by Harrison Cady), which appeared without interruption from 1912 to 1960. His output comprises over 15,000 stories collected in over 170 books. Among his works are: Mother West Wind's Children (1911), The Adventures of Reddy Fox (1913), The Adventures of Johnny Chuck (1913), The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat (1914), The Adventures of Mr. Mocker (1914), The Adventures of Grandfather Frog (1915), Mother West Wind "Why" Stories (1915), The Adventures of Prickly Porky (1916), The Adventures of Paddy Beaver (1917), Mother West Wind "Where" Stories (1918), The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk (1918), Happy Jack (1918), Mrs. Peter Rabbit (1919), The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad (1920), Bowser the Hound (1920), and Blacky the Crow (1922).Download Description
Peter Rabbit was on his way back from the pond of Paddy the Beaver deep in the Green Forest. He had just seen Mr. and Mrs. Quack start toward the Big River for a brief visit before leaving on their long, difficult journey to the far-away Southland. Farewells are always rather sad, and this particular farewell had left Peter with a lump in his throat, -- a queer, choky feeling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Childhood Classic
One of the books that I most remember from childhood.This book would be especially of interest to children who have an interest in animals and nature.I read many of the other books in this series also.

Lightfoot the Deer
I know this book is old, but it's clean, and written well.

This is the favorite book from my childhood and I'm over 40!
This is a wonderfully descriptive tale of the conflict between deer and hunter from the deer's point of view.Lightfoot is a sweet and gentle deer.The description of the process of growing and shedding antlers issomething I found fascinating as a child.To this day, I go back and readthis book again every year. ... Read more

Book Description
Thornton Waldo Burgess (1874-1965) was a conservationist and author of children's stories featuring the wildlife of his native state. He was born in Sandwich, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. His first book was Old Mother West Wind (1910). Following its success, he wrote a syndicated daily newspaper column, Bedtime Stories (illustrated by Harrison Cady), which appeared without interruption from 1912 to 1960. His output comprises over 15,000 stories collected in over 170 books. Among his works are: Mother West Wind's Children (1911), The Adventures of Reddy Fox (1913), The Adventures of Johnny Chuck (1913), The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat (1914), The Adventures of Mr. Mocker (1914), The Adventures of Grandfather Frog (1915), Mother West Wind "Why" Stories (1915), The Adventures of Prickly Porky (1916), The Adventures of Paddy Beaver (1917), Mother West Wind "Where" Stories (1918), The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk (1918), Happy Jack (1918), Mrs. Peter Rabbit (1919), The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad (1920), Bowser the Hound (1920), and Blacky the Crow (1922).Download Description
Farmer Brown's boy, up in the tree by the nest of Hooty the Owl in the lonesome corner of the Green Forest, was fighting a battle. No, he wasn't fighting with Hooty or Mrs. Hooty. He was fighting a battle right inside himself. It was a battle between right and wrong. Once upon a time he had taken great delight in collecting the eggs of birds, in trying to see how many kinds he could get. Then as he had come to know the little forest and meadow people better, he had seen that taking the eggs of birds is very, very wrong, and he had stopped stealing them. He bad declared that never again would he steal an egg from a bird. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Listed reading level is not age appropriate
I do not recommend Thornton Burgess' animal stories as baby level.Chapter books are not appropriate for babies. This book is appropriate for children ages 5 to 8.His books are full of wonderful stories whichincoporate natural animal behavioural concepts which are impossible forinfants to understand. ... Read more