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Katy and the Big Snow
by Virginia Lee BurtonKaty, a brave and untiring tractor who pushes a bulldozer in the summer and a snowplow in the winter, makes it possible for the townspeople to do their jobs.
The Emerald Horizon: The History of Nature in Iowa
by Cornelia F. MutelBeginning with the geological forces that shaped the land, Mutel traces the evolution of Iowa's prairies and woodlands to the present time. She emphasizes the dramatic impact of Euro-American settlement and shows how farming and logging have destroyed fragile prairie and forest abitats. She discusses the potential of restoration and provides information for those who wish to launch restoration programs. The issues prominent in Iowa mirror those to be encountered in other prairie states.
Giants Don't Go Snowboarding (The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #33)
by Debbie Dadey Marcia Thornton JonesThis is a story about children going for snowboarding classes and having an adventure with a giant. They learn snowboarding and also have a lot of fun playing with snowballs.
Wild Season
by Allan W. EckertA story of the living circle of nature Spring. A season of rebirth and struggle, destruction and survival. This is the story of one such spring at a Midwestern lake-a vivid closeup of each animal's fight for life, all under the shadow of the common enemy, Man. Shimmering with the enchantment of the natural world, Wild Season is a triumph of knowledge and love, raising our consciousness and stirring our sense of wonder and respect.
California Blue
by David KlassJohn Rodgers never wanted to be a football star like his father. He prefers the solitude of distance running. It helps him gather his thoughts. John's been doing a lot of thinking lately, now that he's learned of his father's leukemia. In the midst of the pain and confusion, John makes a remarkable discovery: butterflies. Beautiful blue butterflies like none he has seen before. No one else has seen them before, either. It should be a reason to celebrate. But John discovered the butterfly on the property of the local lumber mill, which employs most of his neighbors - and his father. If the government decides that the butterfly should be protected, the mill will have to close. John's little secret could make him the town's worst enemy - and the shame of his dying father. Now John must decide how far he's willing to go for his discovery: the amazing California Blue. David Klass's gripping and passionate novel brings to life the faces and heated emotions found on both sides of an environmental battlefield.
The Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde
by Caroline ArnoldDiscusses the Native Americans known as the Anasazi, who migrated to southwestern Colorado in the first century A.D. and mysteriously disappeared in 1300 A.D. after constructing extensive dwellings in the cliffs of the steep canyon walls. For children.
Free Spirit
by David RookFrom the Book jacket: He was extraordinary. He was the Fox who gloried in the hunt, the Fox who couldn't be caught! Tag knew more tricks than a dozen foxes put together. He could give them a hunt that made every heart beat wild. And for good reason. He had been reared in Asher's kennels, raised with Asher's own foxhounds. Tag's antics made the Belstone Hunt a legend. His bond with the dog named Merlin made that runt of the litter into leader of the pack. Until suddenly sport turned to tragedy. Asher swore revenge. The game was over. His hounds were hot on the trail, teeth bared for the kill.
Silence of the Songbirds
by Bridget StutchburySince 1970 the population of songbirds in the United States and Canada has fallen by 30 percent. From their winter homes in the neotropical rainforests to their breeding grounds in northern Canada songbirds face a host of hazards caused by human-made changes to the environment. The author explores the impact of deforestation, habitat fragmentation, pesticides, city lights, and marauding cats on songbird survival. She outlines steps we can take to save the songbirds before it is too late.
A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf
by John Muir William Frederic BadeTaken from Muir's earliest journals, this book records his walk in 1867 from Indiana across Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida to the Gulf Coast. In his distinct and wonderful style, Muir shows us the wilderness, as well as the towns and people, of the South immediately after the Civil War. Foreword by Peter Jenkins.
The Cats of Thistle Hill: A Most Peaceable Kingdom
by Roger A. CarasFrom the book jacket: The cats of Thistle Hill are the ten-plus cats who live with Roger Caras and his family on their farm in Maryland-along with dogs, horses, birds, cows, and even a llama. Thistle Hill itself is as much a character in The Cats of Thistle Hill as are the cats, with its secret tunnel, barn, pastures and streams, and the staff of workers who care for the thirty-odd animals and the farmhouse and surroundings full-time. In this charming book, cat lovers will meet some of the most memorable felines ever found between covers-Teddy, who holds court in a private room in Caras's house; Xnard, who survived an LSD experiment before being rescued by the the author's son; and Omari, a tomcat who brings back some pretty strange objects from his wanderings around Caras's farm. Each cat has a different history and each illustrates some truths about what cats need and expect from us and what we need and expect from cats. Throughout the book are photographs of the animals of Thistle Hill and of the daily routine of life on the farm. The Cats of Thistle Hill also provides fascinating information for cat owners or those who are thinking about ownership, including valuable sections on feline breeds, behavior, and diseases, with plenty of practical information on topics such as choosing a cat, neutering and spaying, and immunizations. Animal lovers of all kinds will find much to enjoy in The Cats of Thistle Hill With wit and humor, and in charming and telling detail, Roger Caras offers a memorable account of life in the "mostly peaceable kingdom" of Thistle Hill. ROGER A. CARAS is the eighteenth president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the ASPCA, the oldest humane organization in the Western Hemisphere. Prior to taking on the leadership of the "A," he was with ABC Network for seventeen years, the only correspondent with any network to have the title Special Correspondent for Animals and the Environment. He is the author of more than sixty books. A selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club
L'Enfant's Legacy: Public Open Spaces in Washington, D.C
by Michael Bednar(front flap) Many American democratic ideals are embodied in the public spaces of its cities, especially in Washington, D.C. In L'Enfant's Legacy architect and scholar Michael Bednar explores the public spaces of the nation's capital, examining the context of the surrounding architecture and the roles of the spaces in the changing functional life of the city. Bednar examines the ways in which L'Enfant's innovative plan of 1791, along with later developments, symbolizes and encourages democratic freedoms and traditions. In the spaces of Capitol Square, citizens expect to encounter their government directly in a dignified setting, a symbolic public forum. On the White House grounds they expect to meet the president where he works and lives. At the National Mall - America's front lawn - citizens exercise their rights of assembly and free speech, as well as play football, eat lunch, and socialize.
Our Stolen Future: Are We Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence, and Survival? A Scientific Detective Story
by Theo Colborn Dianne Dumanoski John Peterson MyersOver thirty years ago, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring first warned that man-made chemicals were taking a deadly toll on birds and wildlife. Only now, however, are we recognizing the full consequences of this insidious threat, which is derailing sexual development and reproduction-not only in a host of animal populations but, it appears, in humans as well. Written by two leading environmental scientists and an award-winning environmental journalist, Our Stolen Future has already become one of the most controversial and talked-about books of the decade. Picking up where Silent Spring left off, this groundbreaking work gives an utterly gripping account that traces birth defects, sexual abnormalities, and reproductive failures in wildlife to their source-synthetic chemicals that mimic natural hormones, upsetting normal reproductive and developmental processes. And humans appear far from immune to the effects of these "hormone impostors." Male sperm counts have dropped as much as 50 percent in recent decades, while women have suffered a dramatic rise in hormone-related cancers, endometriosis, and other disorders. By threatening the ability to reproduce, these chemicals may be invisibly undermining the human future. Piecing together the clues, the authors detail how these industrial pollutants have spread with ease through the web of life from the equator to the poles, and explore what we can and must do to combat this invasion. Timely, urgent, and scrupulously reported, this riveting story of scientific detection will have a major impact on public debate for decades to come. It is indispensable for those concerned about the profound human impact on the environment, the well-being of our children, and the survival of our species.
Reptile and Amphibian Study (Merit Badge Series)
by Boy Scouts of AmericaThis is the pamplet for the Reptile and Amphibian Study merit badge of the Boy Scouts of America. It includes background material, requirements, suggestions for ways of meeting the requirements, and references for finding more information about reptiles and amphibians, including lizards, turtles, tortoises, snakes, crocodiles, alligators, frogs, and salamanders. It could also serve as a starting point for any teenager interested in nature study or raising reptiles or amphibians as pets.
Tenzing and the Sherpas of Everest
by Judy Tenzing Tashi TenzingBiographical account of pioneer Everest climber Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, written by Sherpa's mountaineer grandson Tashi and Tashi's wife Judy. Tells the story of a poor and illiterate man who left his small ancestral village in a remote part of the Himalaya to climb the world's highest mountain. Includes descriptions of Tenzing's family and the Sherpa people.
Submarines under Ice: The U.S. Navy's Polar Operations
by Marion D. WilliamsThe author beautifully depicts the 1931 submarine expedition of Sir Hubert Wilkins to explore the Arctic Ocean. The book also shows the rapid advance of science and technology in submarines.
Place Last Seen
by Charlotte Mcguinn FreemanDURING AN IDYLLIC AUTUMN-DAY hike in the Desolation Wilderness of the Sierra Nevadas, the Baker family is hurled into a nightmare. Playing hide-and-seek with her older brother, Luke, six-year-old Maggie runs away-and she cannot be found. Her father, Richard, and mother, Anne, search desperately before racing down the mountain to call in a Search and Rescue team. The team arrives with experienced trackers, volunteers, dogs, and topographic maps and begins a thorough search from the place where Maggie was last seen. But the search is complicated by an unpredictable factor: willful and energetic, Maggie Baker is also a Down Syndrome child, and there is no telling how she will move as she wanders in the wilderness. Richard, Anne, and Luke can only wait and hope that she will leave a clue, a trail that will lead them to her. With great empathy, Charlotte McGuinn Freeman conveys the gripping reality of the search and how this tests the bonds of a family as it grapples with guilt, doubt, fear, and frantic hope. Powerful, suspenseful, and deeply affecting, Place Last Seen marks the debut of a gifted new voice.
Messages from an Owl
by Max R. TermanFrom the Book Jacket: When zoologist Max Terman came to the rescue of a great horned owlet in the park of a small Kansas town, he embarked on an adventure that would test his scientific ingenuity and lead to unprecedented observations of an owl's hidden life in the wild. In Messages from an Owl, Terman not only relates his experiences nursing the starving owlet, "Stripey," back to health and teaching it survival skills in his barn, but he also describes the anxiety and elation of letting a companion loose into an uncertain world. Once Terman felt that Stripey knew how to dive after prey, he set the owl free. At this point his story could have ended, with no clue as to what the young bird's fate would be--had it not been for Terman's experimentation with radio tags. By strapping the tags to Stripey, the author actually managed to follow the owl into the wild and observe for himself the behavior of a hand-reared individual reunited with its natural environment. Through this unique use of telemetry, Terman tracked Stripey for over six years after the bird left the scientist's barn and took up residence in the surrounding countryside on the Kansas prairie. The radio beacon provided him with information on the owl's regular patterns of playing, hunting, exploring, and protecting. It enabled him to witness the moments when Stripey was bantered and mobbed by crows, when other owls launched fierce attacks, and when a prospective mate caught Stripey's eye. Stripey checked in occasionally with Terman back at the barn, following him around as he performed chores, usually waiting for a handout. Until now, scientists have generally believed that an owl nurtured by humans becomes ill-adapted for meeting the challenges of life in the wild. Terman's research proves otherwise. Stripey surpassed all expectations by becoming a totally independent wild creature. With Terman, however, Stripey remained tame, allowing the author to explore something one rarely sees in owls: a warm interest in humanity. Terman engagingly recreates this dimension of Stripey as he describes with humor and compassion the daily challenges of probing the life of a "phantom winged tiger."
Halloween Helpers (Pee Wee Scouts #33)
by Judy DeltonMrs. Peters is missing. The Pee Wees' teacher has been called out of town by a family emergency. Who will run their Scout meetings now that she's gone? And who will help the Pee Wees plan their big Halloween party? Captain Spencer is the first substitute to take charge. He makes everyone march in a line and uses big words that nobody understands. Then there's ditzy Brandi. She laughs at Roger's dumb jokes and thinks slimeball art is a fun project. Molly is sure there will be no costume contests or bobbing for apples this year. But then the Pee Wees get another substitute. And she has a plan to make this the best Halloween ever!
Camp Ghost-Away (Pee Wee Scouts #2)
by Judy DeltonDonuts, donuts, a mountain of donuts. Molly Duff rubs her stomach. She'd like to eat them, but the Pee Wee Scouts are going to sell them. Door to door. To earn badges and help pay for a weekend at camp. Mrs. Peters, their troop leader, plus one mother will go to camp too. Molly can't wait to swim and hike and sing around the campfire! But when the Pee Wee Scouts are tucked away in their tents for the night, a strange and scary voice calls out, "OOOO ooo eee.'" Molly shivers. Is it a tiger? Or could it be a spooky ghost? Find out why the Pee Wee Scouts call their camp Camp Ghost-Away!
Spartina
by John CaseyA classic tale of a man, a boat, and a storm, Spartina is the lyrical and compassionate story of Dick Pierce, a commercial fisherman along the shores of Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. A kind, sensitive, family man, he is also prone to irascible outbursts against the people he must work for, now that he can no longer make his living from the sea.<P><P> Pierce's one great passion, a fifty-foot fishing boat called Spartina, lies unfinished in his back yard. Determined to get the funds he needs to buy her engine, he finds himself taking a foolish, dangerous risk. But his real test comes when he must weather a storm at sea in order to keep his dream alive. Moving and poetic, Spartina is a masterly story of one man's ongoing struggle to find his place in the world.<P> Winner of the 1989 National Book Award
Climbing (Merit Badge Series)
by Boy Scouts of AmericaThis book introduces scouts to the adventure of climbing and rappelling. It covers equipment, safety, techniques, etc.
Arthur Goes to Camp
by Marc BrownPoor Arthur. He and the boys can't seem to do anything right at Camp Meadowcroak. Awful food, poison ivy, and losing to the girls in every sport are more than he can take. Arthur plots to run away just as the other campers plot to win the big scavenger hunt against their archrivals at Camp Horsewater. What happens when the two schemes collide makes a rousing finale to a funny, reassuring picture book. Arthur Goes to Camp brings more good laughs and learning to the growing number of Arthur fans.
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How It Can Renew America
by Thomas L. FriedmanFriedman shows how the 2 biggest crises of today (America's loss of focus since 9/11 and the global environment crisis) are linked and how we can restore the world and revive America at the same time
Sailing Escape to Guam
by Bill BeckerSailing ESCAPE to Guam, is a story about a fictitious family of five in a sailboat named "ESCAPE" from California to Guam. They stopped at Hawaii, Marshall Islands, Ponape along the way. They were headed for Guam, when dramatic things happen to the family. Brian, the husband, father and captain is rendered comatose by an accident, some 300 miles east of Guam. His wife, Sharon, who was proficient in domestic duties, didn't have a clue about sailing the boat. Alan, the oldest son, to whom the captaincy of ESCAPE should have fallen, was possessed with a changing hormone mix that interfered with his rational thinking. Steve, the twelve-year-old son and his eleven-year-old sister, Kelly, were determined to sail the boat to a harbor in Guam or at least close enough to land to get help for their ailing father. A maturing process takes place as the children meet each of the challenges presented to them. Though they endured many hardships and surprises, the two young children remained determined to succeed.
Backpacking (Merit Badge Series)
by Boy Scouts of AmericaThis book in the Merit Badge series explains basic guidelines for backpacking. It covers basic first aid, clothing, etc, necessary for a backpacking trip.