This is a helpful guide if you are interested in keeping hamsters as pets or if you just want to become familiar with them. Written by Otto von Frisch, it was released in 1998. There are 64 pages, and it is in softcover format. Five chapters are included. I like the layout of the manual, the information, and the impressive color photos of the hamsters. There are handy charts, tables, and sidebars. Examples of topics covered are physical characteristics, sensory capabilities, buying a hamster, housing, breeding, handling (seven rules are included, for instance), nutrition (for example, ten important feeding rules are stated), behavior, and health. The tables--which are interspersed throughout--discuss hamster breeds at a glance, hazards for the hamster, and recognizing ailments and illnesses. There is a page that displays the ten golden rules for hamster care along with another page that outlines the hamster's body language. Also, two pages are devoted to an expert who gives answers to the ten most frequently asked questions regarding the keeping of hamsters. I find this to be a useful publication.

Before we got our hamsters, my brother and I decided to order this book so we could better care for our new pets. It was a decision I don't regret. Along with many adorable color photos, this book provides ample information for the new and not-so-new hamster owner. Covering many topics, including feeding, health, care and breeding, it has an FAQ section in the back, and also several comprehensive charts to figure out what to feed your pet, if it is healthy and, if not, what the problem is and how to solve it, and how to figure out what your hamster is trying to tell you. I really can't think of any real problems I have with this book, although the little section on color and breeds doesn't sound like other stuff I've read and I'm not sure if you should feed hansters strawberries. With a perfect mix of photos and easy-to-understand information, this is an interesting and superior pet book which belongs in every hamster owner's library.

THIS BOOK GIVES ALL OF THE INFO. YOU WOULD WANT IF YOU NEEDED IT. AND THE PICTURES ARE IN GREAT COLOR AND DETAILED. I ALSO RECEIVED MY ORDER ON THE EXPECTED DATE.

Tree Girl by T.A. Barron, is the story of a girl, lost from her mother, on the mysterious adventure to find her mother. The book is a childish, fantasy world, with a wonderful story and good lessons to tell. The book is seen through the eyes of young Anna who is eager to find her mother. As the story progresses Anna matures and learns things every step of the way. I could appreciate this portrayal of a "coming of age" type situation. This is one of the bigger themes in the story. Another theme, believing in your self, is shown throughout the book, as young Anna wanders off into the woods, despite this being forbidden. The book is well written and an easy read, while it can still be appreciated by all ages and gender, some may not like it's childish manner.

Rescued as a baby by a crusty old curmudgeon of a fisherman, Anna still feels the ache of wanting to know who are her parents, and what happened to them. Her answers lie within the forest, but her mentor has warned her to stay away from it. It is a dark, dangerous place, haunted by spirits who could destroy her, as they did her parents.

Yet, this gentle soul is also brave, and she must learn the truth. What lies ahead will amaze her, for her quest will give her more answers than she was looking for, ones about not only her parents, but about who she is herself.

***** With this book, Mr. Barron reaches out to a younger audience than many of his books appeal to. It is, as are his other works, heart warming and insightful. What struck me most is the affirmation of the importance of one's heritage and parents in a time when young people learn earlier and earlier to rebel. If you loved the story ANIMAL FAMILY by Randall Jarrett, this book will speak to the same place in your soul.

Young Anna -- short for Rianna -- has never known the truth about her past. She has always lived with a cranky master next to a haunting, beautiful forest. Warned of the terrible tree spirits that are said to haunt the forest, Anna becomes more determined than ever to find the truth about the mysterious forest. Befriending a bear who is much more than he seems, Anna becomes drawn to the intrigue and mystery of the forest and its creatures. The forest contains many dangers and secrets, but she has a desire to unlock the secrets of her past. But will that mean endangering her life -- and more than she knows? Tree Girl, a wonderful new fantasy by T.A. Barron, the author of the Lost Years Of Merlin quintet. It is a thrilling, wondrous read that I highly recommend.

This book is great for the beginning investor who is just starting out and considering his or her investment options. It explains the basics in clear language and defines key terms. However, if you are a novice or experienced investor and want more advanced guides to making investment decisions, look elsewhere.

Highly recommended book. Besides a very pragmatic approach and rudimentary explainations of the basics the excellent feature about this book is the "further reading" section. It helped me discover "security analysis by graham and dodd". Just for that I'd pay many time over for this book.

The book itself explains things for the lay-person in non-complicated language. Sections on stocks, bonds and high level elementary strategies are also explained. Enough to get you started. What is best about this book is that you can read this book, buy a newspaper and get started.

Highly recommended. Buy the book.

I'm not sure what a 'beginning investor' is, but I used to have some investments, then suddenly had to deal with a lot more money. At that point, I read a number of these what-to-do-with-your-money type of books, and this one was far and away the best. It's not about how to pick individual stocks. But it will give you an excellent perspective on how to think about your needs, your goals, and your asset allocation and really make a coherent plan for handling your investments. It is well-written, clear, covers a lot of ground, pretty solid and can be pretty sophisticated. It doesn't just discuss different types of investments (although the discussion is pretty thorough), it helps you understand how to think about them in the context of your own investments. This is the only one of these books that I still refer to for information. It should be useful to beginning and experienced investors alike. Highly recommended.

This slim volume is disappointingly brief in its treatment of the process of sculpture, and confoundingly obscurant in its discussions of capital-A-Art. "Nature, forming caverns, wanted to open up its heart to reveal moments of living intimacy," this book begins. What?!?

Except for 10 pages on direct carving, the whole first half of this book is utterly useless. The second half delves into process in slightly greater depth, but Camí frustratingly concentrates on such professional aspects as large-scale sculpture, enlarging from models, and site selection and preparation for public monumental sculpture; all of this is beyond the journeyman, and anyone advanced enough to be creating public commissions will have no need for such a summary overview.

The primary problem here is with Camí himself -- he identifies himself as a sculptor as distinct from a "practitioner." In other words, Camí generates the concept of his sculptures, but leaves the actual carving of the stone to subordinates. Almost none of the photos show Camí himself doing anything more than supervising the creation of "his" works, and he spends as much time explaining why the people who do work of carving the stone are less important than the one who envisions the form as he does explaining how that form is created. I wish his "practitioners" had written this book instead of the "sculptor" himself.

While in general disappointing, this book does actually have a few insights -- and, more importantly, photographs -- that expand slightly upon the instruction offered in Liebson's book, but that alone is hradly enough to recommend it. You'd be better served spending the money on a new chisel than on this slim and spuerficial homage to Camí's own genius.

A VERY FINE BOOK, especially for the diversity of carving processes. I recommend it.

Great simple approach to tools and techniques. Identifies what is needed and why. Actual techniques are disccussed for copying those things you like or how to master the process. Strength is the great studio and workshop needs descriptions. Has some inspirational sculpture photos for the begining sculpturer to pick up concepts from as well.

I would not have bought this book in a store, and I should have looked at the dimensions of the book more carefully. It is half the size of the larger Praxis books and it is no bargin. ... The review is very short and some of the test information is out of date and it does not have practice CBT tests. This book will not hurt you but I don't think it is worth the money and you should look at the other books

I loved this book. I feel like it prepared me very well for the test (although I haven't taken it yet). I especially liked the mathematics review, it was very easy to understand and reviewed many key concepts I had long forgotten. The only part I did not like was that the CBT was excluded and the book didn't give you an idea of how the scores are ranked (compared to peers), meaning what score is excellent, good, average ... etc.

I used an older version of this study guide to study for the PPST. I thought it was very helpful, especially the practice questions. Truthfully, I doubt that a study guide is even necessary to take this test since it covers the basic reading, writing, math & essay. But being out of college for several years now, I decided it couldn't hurt to do a review. The quick reviews in each area were great - I concentrated on what I missed on the practice tests. And the best part - it's small in size, I could stuff it into my purse & review while at the doctors office, at the bank drive thru, etc. (I also tried the ARCO guide which I felt was inferior to this guide!)

Overall the book is okay.
The playtree idea was very helpful in constructing the massive tree I now have, the pictures are beautiful, and there's a lot of interesting trivia.

HOWEVER, some of the advice given in this book is outdated and is now known to be rather dangerous.

1) The offering of grit. Budiges, and other hookbilled parrots, do NOT need grit as part of their diet, as they hull their seeds. If they are on a formulated diet they also do not need grit. Grit offered to these birds can cause crop impactions and death. Given that it's not necessary for digestion, there is no reason to use it.

2) Sandpaper perches. Big NO! Sandpaper perches are very hard on the feet and do not "keep nails trim". Sandpaper perches are one of the big causes of bumblefoot.

3) The use of "bird sand"...see grit.

4) The implication that clipping a bird's wings is cruel. The risks associated with free flight far outweigh the risks associated with clipping. Flighted birds are more likely to become injured by flying into walls, mirrors, windows, doors, etc..true, they may know the house layout, but if something should spook them and they take off in a panic, they are literally flying blind.
Full flight also carries the risk of escape; being nomadic birds, budgies have no homing instinct. Once your budgie flies away, your chances of seeing it alive again are next to zero.
The biggest risk of clipping is the bird being accidentally stepped on, but if you keep your bird off the floor (and you should) this isn't an issue.

5) The advocation of a mainly seed or seed only diet. Seed only diets are dangerous to the point of being lethal in the terms of long term health. Budgies, when well cared for and on a good diet, can easily live 10-15 years. On a poor diet, cut that in half for the average lifespan.

For more information on any of the above:
http://budgies-n-tiels.com

When this book was written in 1994, much of the now erroneous information was thought to be correct. Avian medical science has proven a lot of it very, dangerously wrong since the time this book was published.

This is probably the best guide to parakeet care I've seen so far.

When you first open this book, you'll be captivated by the amazing photos. Some of them are truly masterpieces, and show details of the budgie life you've never seen. It includes a budgie mating session, incredible photos of wild Australian budgies, color varieties that may help you identify your bird and much more.

This book is divided in eleven chapters:

1. At Home in Australia. In this first chapter we are introduced in the budgie homeland. Here we learn their habits in the wild and so we can have a better understanding of their behavior. It includes breeding habits, diet in the wild, their history as pets birds and explains in detail why a lonely budgie can easily turn to an unhappy bird.

2. Parakeets as pets for children. A very important chapter that helps a parent to guide a child to be a responsible pet owner/guardian.

3. A bird joins you household. The important chapter for new budgie owners/guardians. It starts with the basics: where to place the cage, what to feed, a recommended shopping list, where to get a budgie, how a healthy budgie looks like and much useful info. In the end of the chapter you'll find two useful guides on the right cage and how to built play gyms and outside perches.

4. Gentle acclimation. The first days in your home and how to help your new friend get used to a new home. It includes useful tips on how to bird-proof the room and how to introduce a new bird to an already existing pet-bird in your home. In the end of the chapter a series of questions concerning free flying are listed.

5. Life with your parakeet. Tips and info on a happier life for your bird and your family. It includes useful tips on taming and talking.

6. The proper diet. No human can live on bread and water alone. Neither can budgies. This chapter will teach you ways to improve your bird's health and life just by feeding it right.

7. If your bird gets sick. The nightmare of every bird owner/guardian. Unfortunately, our feathered friends can hide their illnesses pretty well until it's too late. This chapter will help you identify the first signs of disease, first aid tips, how to set up a hospital cage for a sick bird and how to administer medication prescribed by your avian vet.

8. Parakeet offspring. Do you want to breed your budgies? This is an excellent chapter for new breeders. Here you can learn the budgie mating signs, how to determine fertile eggs, proper nest conditions and many, much more useful info accompanied by incredible photos.

9. Breeding Parakeets. Ok, now that you've got eggs, what do you do? This chapter is here to help you out, especially if you need to take up breeding budgies a bit further.

10. Genetics. Color varieties, how budgie colors originate, and useful info for breeders who want to achieve beautifully colored birds.

11. Watching and understanding Parakeets. Body language, budgie talk, social behavior and much more info, that helps you realize that a budgie is much more than a "bird-brain". It's a very intelligent little creature that can be a true friend and bring joy to your life.

Having been given a couple of parakeets and knowing absolutely nothing about them, this book has been invaluable. It covers everything from what to feed them, space needed, breeding, what to do for sickness, nesting materials, habits, etc. Has good photos throughout and a couple pages of shots with different kinds of parakeet breeds in the rear. Excellent resource, especially for the beginner.

Even though my mother's side of the family is very French I do not know how to speak the language except for bits and pieces yet I found myself sweating as we planned a family trip to Paris. This system really helped me bone up on my language skills. It's easy to follow and the daily lessons really get you moving along on your French!

This book/ audio cassette tape is an awesome start to learning french, one of the best ways I've found so far out there. It actually takes the time to explain to you how to make your own sentences, so you'll actually be able to speak the language. YOu also learn the grammar easy, without too much memorization or confusion. Works great with me.

this is a great book to learning french try also berlitz self teacher and french made simple and the complete idiots guide to learning french bonne chance

I also had to read this book for school, during summer. I can respect the fact that it was a classic but it just was not a book that I enjoyed. It had many unneeded parts and tended to repeat itself. It was especially boring when Jane landed at Moor House. If you are a hopeless romantic then go for it, but I prefer exciting books. The other book I had to read was Lord of the Flies and I liked it much better. So....there^^;

I became a reader in college. I fell in love with this book during my senior year of High School. My report got a standing ovation and I've yet to recommend it to anyone that did not enjoy it.

Charolette has a refreshing style. She includes just enough scenic and psychological detail. I love it when the author writes to me during parts of the story. The characters are interesting. The plot twists. Good read!

I received this book for a gift when I was twelve and found it incredibly boring. I am now eighteen and for lack of any other books to read picked it up again. To my suprise I could not put it down! The character of Jane Eyre was both inspiring and identifiable. Charlotte Bronte's best novel no doubt, the plot was excellently well crafted. Although a few parts are obvious, this classic romantic novel kept me turning pages furiously!

This story is about a kid,his family and his Grandpa. His Grandpa dies and he wonders where he went. I recomend this book to anyone who doesn't mind sad endings.

Where's Grandpa? touches the heart of anyone who has ever suffered the loss of a loved one or tried to explain loss to a child. The family remembers the wonderful times they have had with Grandpa but the child still wonders, "But where, exactly is he now?" The illustrations are wonderful and compliment the story. This book shows a sensitive way of dealing with bereavement.

This is the touching story of a boy who has lost his grandfather. After the family finds out about the death of grandpa, they spend the remainder of the story sharing special memories of him. The boy asks, "Where is Grandpa?" and the father goes onto explain about heaven. I truly enjoyed this book. This would be a wonderful story for children and parents to share together. I am sure the special memories in the story would cause parents and children to remember special memories shared with their grandparents. The illusatrations are fantastic and they help to create the overall mood of the story.