One of the most sought after vintage field guides on the subject. Close to 500 pages in length (most editions) with detailed text, illustrations and charts. Older editions (pre-1950) have become quite a collectible.

This book is a good introduction to the overall principals of geology as well as to the specific geology of the eastern US. There's lots of diagrams, maps, photos and an easy to read text. Sections include background information about geology, the major geological features of an area and what you would see along the major highways of that area.

Whether or not you live near the field and wood habitats described in this charming 160-page volume, your child is sure to be enchanted by the creatures it highlights--from mammals and birds to reptiles to amphibians, slugs and spiders. Each page describes one creature or plant in 250 to 400 words of large, inviting sans-serif type, accompanied by wonderful black and white pen and ink drawings.

Our son spends hours reading this book, which is growing bat-eared from his use. Speaking of which, the book opens with a warm treatment of the only flying mammals--whose front legs are modified to wings that differ greatly from those of birds. "Most bats eat insects, which they hunt by sonar detection," the author explains. "The bat makes high-pitched sounds above the range of human hearing. The sounds echo and return to the bat's sensitive ears, revealing the size, shape and location of nearby objects, including moving prey."

Kochanoff devotes two pages to beavers--one explaining why these delightful animals are commonly described as "busy" and another detailing the beaver's dam, complete with a cross-section of a home with entrance, air-opening, grooming and eating area, underwater food supply and exit. Kids will delight in the large drawing of the beaver's webbed foot. Eleven more pages detail the lives and habits of chipmunks, eastern cottontails, coyotes, white-tailed deer, red fox, mice and voles, moles, porcupines, raccoon, shrews, striped skunks and grey squirrels.

The three pages illustrating the tracks of various animals provide lots more fun. Children also love two pages on other kinds of signs that animals leave behind them--by nibbling on trees, acorns and plants, dropping seeds and conifers parts, or digging teeth marks and chiseling holes. There's something cozy as well about the ways in which diverse species--from bears and woodchucks to turtles, fish and bees--are shown curled or otherwise ensconced in their winter habitats.

The section on birds is also fabulous. It provides information on 10 species of birds--from the black-capped chickadee and common crow to the herring gull, hummingbird and killdeer. But kids also love the pages on owl pellets--which shows both the birds' droppings and illustrations of the kinds of bones that can be found by carefully picking them apart. An equally fascinating two-page spread shows ground, hanging, chimney, mud, tree and cupped nests.

And what would a nature book be without frogs, earthworms and bugs? In this book, children will get their fill, with 40 pages of fun. I'm not sure which is better, the drawings of the frogs and insects or the handsome illustrations of the wasps nests, empty bumblebee cocoons, honeycombs, butterfly chrysalis and the webs and nets woven by caddis flies and spiders to gather their food.

For plant-lovers there are another 30 pages on 39 different varieties of --as they say in the word game--vegetable matter. That includes 10 types of berries on a three-page spread under that sub-heading. Bet you didn't know wintergreen was a berry. I didn't. And did you ever hear of serviceberries? Me neither.

I also never heard of galls until I read this book--no not the kind that irks you--the "poorly understood growths on plants caused by flies, midges, aphids, mites, bacteria and fungi." Two pages on 12 species of those little guys. Plus lichens, how leaves get their color, maple syrup, milkweed, wild roses, skunk cabbage and moss.

For kids who didn't want to know more, there's a two-page bibliography and five on where in the world they can find the habitats housing the featured species.

Your budding biologist will love this book of science light. Alyssa A. Lappen

this tree book is amazing.while i hate science, this book got me into it. its still not my favorite subject, but now i like it.

This is the most comprehensive book on Ferns and Fern Allies common to the United States that I have found. It gives comprehensive descriptions of over 400 species accompanied by color plates. This is an excellent text of interest ranging from the hobbyist to the graduate student.

Inspirational - a great piece on desire,discipline and pride.

The Canadian armed forces are arguably the most neglected in military history. They also, in my opinion, have a combat record second to none. This gem of a book goes a long way to rectifying that mistake.

Canadians have served long and with much valor on the battlefields of the British Empire and Commonwealth. This book, expertly edited by Canadian historian Don Graves (who also contributed one of the chapters) gives in excellent detail and careful research, seven examples of battles which were either fought in Canada or in which Canadian units distinguished themselves. The battles retold range from Ticonderoga in 1758 (which gives an interesting perspective on the French commander, one which is uncommand and very interesting), through the War of 1812, the Fenian Rising, the Boer War, World War I, and ends with two sanguine actions in World War II. All are done with a very high degree of scholarship, detail, and are profusely illustrated with both pictures/photographs and maps.

The characterizations of the key personnel involved are fascinating. Soldiers and commanders seldom chronicled are brought into focus; tales of uncommon valor told for the first time in a history available to all and sundry; interesting anecdotes and comments (the best one in my opinion describing a pet monkey as either a 'staff officer, or perhaps war correspondent' to be particularly hilarious and telling). There are linkages between the chapters to bring the reader into focus with the next telling of the tale, and the book boils down into one of the best chronicles of men at war published in a very long while. Don Graves, a proven military historian, has now shown himself to be an editor of particularly keen insight.

There are detailed orders of battle in the appendices, which are invaluable, and the references are impeccable. Notes are particularly well done. This book is an important addition to literature on fighting men in general, Canadians in particular, and has a little bit for enthusiasts of all periods from the 'Lace Wars' to World War II. It has rekindled my interest in the Boer War and World War I, as well as the bitter fighting in Western Europe in the second half of World War II.

I recognized only one of the authors of the individual chapters as having had a book published before, Robert Malcomson, who did an excellent study of the war on Lake Ontario in the War of 1812, Lords of the Lake. This is undoubtedly due to my own ingnorance. The other chapter authors, Ian McCulloch, Brian Reid (who wrote two of the excellent studies), Michael McNorgan and John Grodzinski, all did outstanding work here and I hope we hear from them again as soon as possible.

This book is highly recommended. In short, it is superb.

This book chronicles the saga of Filipinos in North America from 1763 to the present. It features the inspiring and fascinatinng stories of more than 100 of the most outstanding Filipinos who won against tremendous odds in their own field of endeavor. Among those included in the book are: Ben Cayetano, first Filipino U.S. governor; Lilia Calderon Clemente, smart global money manager; Maria Luisa M. haley, top Filipino at White House & Loida Nicolas Lewis, head of Beatrice International, a $1.8-B business empire.

An excellent compliment to business valuation texts, the book is thorough and well presented.

This book is divided into 2 sections. The first basically shows ways in which the theory of multinationalism that is set out in "Liberalism, Community and Culture" and "Multicultural Citizenship" should be applied in the Canadian context. Kymlicka identifies Quebec and aboriginals as national groups in the Canadian case. While it seems clear that there would be practical problems, were Canada to attempt the national recognition suggested, this section is a thoughtful perspective on a country that has spent a tremendous amount of time over the past decades attempting to manage the multiple nations within the state. The second section looks at the application of multiculturalism to non-national immigrant communities and over all is fairly favourable. This is a refreshing perspective in light of the trend towards negative publications about Canadian multiculturalism.