100 Butterflies and Moths: Portraits from the Tropical Forests of Costa Rica

Book Description

Walking a forest trail in Costa Rica, a visitor might be struck by the sight of an iridescent blue morpho butterfly fluttering ahead in the filtered daylight, or an enormous silk moth, as magnificently patterned and subtly colored as a Persian carpet, only emerging to fly at night. Elsewhere, vivid yellow and orange sulphur butterflies flock to puddles to sip the concentrated minerals. Such is the dazzling variety of the butterflies and moths unique to this region.

Gathered by biologists Daniel Janzen and Winifred Hallwachs in the forests of northwestern Costa Rica, 100 tropical butterflies and moths represent the diversity in large-format photographs by Jeffrey Miller that document the dizzying variety of shapes, colors, and markings. The photographs are accompanied by species accounts and images of the corresponding caterpillar. The authors recount these insects' feats of mimicry and migration, lift the veil on their courtship, and show how the new technology of DNA barcoding is changing the picture of Lepidopteran biodiversity.

The authors also tell the success story of Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, where the long-term work of Janzen and Hallwachs, a team of caterpillar collectors, and the participation of neighboring farming communities has deepened understanding of Costa Rica's Lepidoptera and has brought about advances in restoration ecology of tropical habitats, biodiversity prospecting, biotechnology, and ecotourism development.

Customer Reviews:

100 Butterflies and Moths: Portraits from the Tropical Forests of Costa Rica.......2007-09-07

Excellent! details in text and photographs. Highly recommended for biologists and folks interested in wild life.

Costa Rican Leps.......2007-05-24

This ia an excellant book that combines coffe-table quality photographs of the butterflies and moths with an excellent text describing interesting aspects of their biology.

Average customer rating:

Very Moving
After the book and the film
Fantastic!
confusing
Las Mariposas

In the Time of the Butterflies
Julia Alvarez
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0452274427

Amazon.com

From the author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents comes this tale of courage and sisterhood set in the Dominican Republic during the rise of the Trujillo dictatorship. A skillful blend of fact and fiction, In the Time of the Butterflies is inspired by the true story of the three Mirabal sisters who, in 1960, were murdered for their part in an underground plot to overthrow the government. Alvarez breathes life into these historical figures--known as "las mariposas," or "the butterflies," in the underground--as she imagines their teenage years, their gradual involvement with the revolution, and their terror as their dissentience is uncovered.

Alvarez's controlled writing perfectly captures the mounting tension as "the butterflies" near their horrific end. The novel begins with the recollections of Dede, the fourth and surviving sister, who fears abandoning her routines and her husband to join the movement. Alvarez also offers the perspectives of the other sisters: brave and outspoken Minerva, the family's political ringleader; pious Patria, who forsakes her faith to join her sisters after witnessing the atrocities of the tyranny; and the baby sister, sensitive Maria Teresa, who, in a series of diaries, chronicles her allegiance to Minerva and the physical and spiritual anguish of prison life.

In the Time of the Butterflies is an American Library Association Notable Book and a 1995 National Book Critics Circle Award nominee.

Customer Reviews:

Very Moving.......2007-10-09

A well written fictionalized account of the revolutionary struggles against Trujillo by three of four sisters in the Dominican Replublic. Memorable. The trouble with fictionalized history for me is that after awhile the lines between fact and fiction blur and I don't remember fact from fiction. I tend to stay away from books like this because of my eventual confusion. But, this book is worth it.

After the book and the film.......2007-04-05

The story of the Mirabal sisters is alive and well today in the Dominican Republic. Still the generation that survived the Dicatorship of General Trujillo seats on elite ground in the Island of the Hispaniola.
Comparing the book , the film and the history we can see gaps, hits and misses. The true story of the island is still covered under a veil of mystery, still to this date most of the characters of the book; maybe even their killers walk freely and with no remorse.
The island in itself is a beautiful set, the human casualties of the Trujillo era has been uncovered ever so gently . Until just recently the horrors of the era were exposed and freely written by authors like Balaguer, in "La isla al revez", by Mario Vargas Llosa" La muerte del Chivo", and Julia Alvarez is brilliant in her descriptions.
She teaches in Middlebury College,VT; I personally love her writing style and descriptive style of colors,enviornments and characters.

Fantastic!.......2007-03-28

This books is absolutely fantastic. I personally really enjoy books that cover the same story from several points-of-view so I didn't find it confusing at all. The story is so moving, especially because it is based on real events. Even though I knew what was coming, by the end I broke down into sobs. Beautiful.

confusing.......2007-03-11

I found this book to be very confusing because of all the spanish names and words. It is really hard to keep track of all the characters also. Each chapter is a different sister. All the sisters are married or going out w/someone and then there are their children and on top of that are all the government officials. I was just lost throughout the whole book.

Las Mariposas.......2006-07-08

This book is really good because it is realistic and it shows the struggle of four young girls growing up in the Dominican Republic during the rise of the Trujillo dictatorship. The way it is written is a little bit odd since it shifts narrators between the four girls and they each talk about a different time period, but it is still very informative and hard to put down. And not only do I recommend this book, but the movie is also terrific and possibly a little easier to follow since it runs straight through without switching points of view.

From Caterpillar to Butterfly (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 1)

Average customer rating:

Great Informational Book for Children
4-year-old loves this book
Transforming Youth
Educational and Fun
The Perfect Butterfly Book for Preschool-Third Grade

From Caterpillar to Butterfly (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 1)
Deborah Heiligman
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Biology | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0064451291

Book Description

A caterpillar comes to school in a jar. The class watches the caterpillar each day as it grows and changes. Soon, it disappears into a hard shell called a chrysalis. Then the chrysalis breaks, and a beautiful butterfly flies out of the jar! This is a perfect beginner's guide to the mystery of metamorphosis.

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children 1997 (NSTA/CBC)

Customer Reviews:

Great Informational Book for Children.......2007-09-14

This book is a great way to introduce children to the metamorphosis of a caterpillar. It contains many great facts about caterpillars and butterflies.

4-year-old loves this book.......2007-08-10

My daughter has been raising two monarch butterfly caterpillars, which are now in the chrysalis stage. We bought this book to help her to understand what is going on, and she not only enjoys the book but has also learned a great deal. The book is very much at her level, but contains quite a lot of information. The drawings are also very appealing. Based upon our experience of this book, I intend to purchase more titles from this series.

Transforming Youth.......2007-03-02

Excellent account of the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly. It's a great gift for children and butterfly loving adults alike.

Educational and Fun.......2005-07-20

My 3 year old daughter loves it. It explains the process at a level she can understand. Great when used with the Butterfly Garden.

The Perfect Butterfly Book for Preschool-Third Grade.......2003-10-22

I am the director of a lower school (pre-k-2nd) and we have used this book for years. It is the perfect way to introduce children to the wonderful world of metamorphosis. And if you can also actually get the Painted Lady Butterflies and "grow" them in your class, it is an invaluable experience. We have our children keep journals and then buy them each a copy of this great book (it's cheap in paperback) and they get to keep the experience forever. One correction to another review: painted ladies and all butterflies do spin chrysalids, not cocoons. They look similar, but the chrysalis usually has little specks of gold in it, which is where the name comes from. Yes I am a huge fan of this book--and a huge fan of butterflies. This author also has a lovely book about honeybees, called Honeybees.

Average customer rating:

Art"full" Wings.
But Where do Caterpillars Come From?
Color,color,color!
A Life's Journey
Toddlers and Babies, too!

Waiting for Wings
Lois Ehlert
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0152026088

Amazon.com

Lois Ehlert, beloved illustrator of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and many other bold, beautiful picture books has outdone herself with this gorgeous (seriously breathtaking) celebration of butterfly metamorphosis. "Out in the fields, eggs are hidden from view, / clinging to leaves with butterfly glue. / Soon caterpillars hatch. They creep and chew. / Each one knows what it must do." As the gentle rhyme unfolds, we turn the small, partial pages that form the larger spread of fabulous foliage in this lush, oversized book. Before our eyes, the eggs turn to caterpillars, the caterpillars to cases, the cases to lovely butterflies. "They pump their wings, get ready to fly, then hungry butterflies head for the sky." The colors become increasingly dazzling, each butterfly springing to life with Ehlert's color-soaked cut-paper magic. Several pages of background material conclude the book, labeling different kinds of butterflies at different stages of development, from the buckeye butterfly to the painted lady to the monarch. A "Butterfly Information" page clearly labels butterfly anatomy and answers basic question about these fascinating fluttery insects, a "Flower Identification" page showcases butterfly-attracting flowers such as the purple coneflower (echinacea), phlox, and lantana, and the last page offers a few pointers on growing a butterfly garden. (Ages 3 to 6) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

Every spring, butterflies emerge and dazzle the world with their vibrant beauty. But where do butterflies come from? How are they born? What do they eat--and how?
With a simple, rhyming text and glorious color-drenched collage, Lois Ehlert provides clear answers to these and other questions as she follows the life cycle of four common butterflies, from their beginnings as tiny hidden eggs and hungry caterpillars to their transformation into full-grown butterflies. Complete with butterfly and flower facts and identification tips, as well as a guide to planting a butterfly garden, this butterfly book is like no other.

Customer Reviews:

Art"full" Wings........2007-06-29

Lois Ehlert takes you on a colorful, intriguing story about the life cycle of a butterfly. Excellent for art students at any level! Text is simple enough for preschoolers and can be enjoyed through the elementary grades. Enjoy this exciting trip through nature and its wonders!

But Where do Caterpillars Come From?.......2006-09-12

This is a beautiful and very clever book. Pages are cocooned within larger pages, with individual illustrations blending seamlessly into the background illustrations. Like the natural world itself, this book rewards the patient observer, with rich details on the surface and others folded in more subtly. Your kids will be focused in on a little book within the big book, as the caterpillar goes on its journey. It makes the launch to the story within the bigger background pages all the more dynamic, striking as the shift from Kansas to Oz.

It starts with the eggs "hidden from view,/ clinging to leaves with butterfly glue." As we turn the pages of a little book enshrouded in the bigger book, we see the caterpillars hatch, "each one knows what it must do," and we follow the path to metamorphosis. Ultimately, the reader will be rewarded with multiple beautiful butterflies launching up towards the sky, a nice Lepidopterian metaphor for the developmental adventures in store for our little ones. It's a good job of story-telling when we know exactly where the story is going but still find ourselves awestruck.

Finally, as if Ms. Ehlert hadn't done enough, we get several pages at the end on butterfly identification, with information on colors, wingspans shown in actual size, the corresponding caterpillars that precede the butterflies, and the like. We get flower information, and then tips on growing your own butterfly garden. Nice stuff.

Get this book, drill it for a few night-night times, and then take your toddlers to a butterfly pavilion to see the real deal. Good times.

Color,color,color!.......2006-03-20

As usual, Lois Ehlert stimulates and educates the young reader about the mysteries of caterpillars to butterflies. Not only are the colors absolutely stunning, she provides factual information about different species. This book was a fabulous preparation for my classroom of small children as they watched their own caterpillars prepare for their magical transformation!

A Life's Journey.......2005-07-27

Waiting for Wings is a picture book showing the life cycle of a butterfly. The story uses tantalizing pictures and simple words to explain how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The book takes the reader through the stages of the caterpillar's life. Once the caterpillar has become a butterfly the story changes to how a butterfly lives its life. The illustrations pull the reader into this book. The print is large and easy to read for young reader. The text also rhymes for two pages at a time. As the caterpillar grows the pages become larger, until the butterfly hatches. As the butterfly begins its flight the pages are full size. The illustrations and page sizes are wonderful for young readers. This book also contains identification pages on butterflies and the flowers they eat.

Toddlers and Babies, too!.......2004-05-24

I have a three year old daughter who must be read to before sleeping. I also have a three month old baby girl who is often in the bed with us while we read. Often, the baby is restless and cries before we finish our books. Waiting for Wings is a fabulous solution. I find this interesting AND educational for my toddler. In addition, the colors are bright and contrasting, allowing my baby to be entertained while the book is read.

Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Book 9)

Average customer rating:

The last book in the serries worth reading
Super Reader
new faces, new places
The Last of the Good Books
Perhaps my favorite novels in the entire series

Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Book 9)
Laurell K. Hamilton
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0515134503

Amazon.com

Anita Blake, the tough, sexy vampire executioner, zombie animator, and police consultant for preternatural crimes in St. Louis, hunts monsters in New Mexico in the ninth book of Laurell K. Hamilton's excellent series. Edward, Anita's mentor in slaying, asks Anita to return the favor that she has owed him since she killed a backup he brought in to protect her. He needs Anita's preternatural expertise as well as her firepower. Something is skinning and mutilating a few of its chosen victims, and dismembering others. Edward has no idea what creature could be responsible for such heinous crimes.

Summoning Anita has its downside for Edward, since it means letting her onto his turf. Anita is surprised to find that this normally aggressive man has a personal life, and shocked by his ability to be entirely different from the stone cold killer she's known. She also has problems with the cop in charge in Albuquerque, who believes her powers must be evil, and with the other backups Edward has brought in. Most of all, she has to deal with her own vulnerability--she's tried to shut down her ties to her vampire and werewolf lovers and go it alone, but it turns out to be harder than she thought.

Anita's usual supporting cast is missing, and she's taking time out from her complex love life, but there's plenty of bloody action, vampires, werewolves, and Aztec ritual. Plus a lot more about Edward. Fans will find this installment similar to the earlier books in the series, particularly The Laughing Corpse. --Nona Vero.

Book Description

There are a lot of monsters in Anita Blake's life. And some of them are human. One such individual is the man she calls Edward, a bounty hunter who specializes in the preternatural. He calls her to help him hunt down the greatest evil she has ever encountered. Something that kills and maims and vanishes into the night. Something Anita will have to face alone...

Praise for the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels:

"In Obsidian Butterfly, Laurell K. Hamilton delivers an erotic, demonic thrill ride. Her sexy, edgy, wickedly ironic style sweeps the reader into her unique world and delivers red-hot entertainment. Hamilton's marvelous storytelling can be summed up in three words: Over the top. She blends the genres of romance, horror and adventure with stunning panache. Great fun!"-- Jayne Ann Krentz

"Hamilton has endowed her heroine with a charming mix of male bravado, feminine guile, and self-deprecating humor."-- Publishers Weekly

"Ms. Hamilton's intriguing blend of fantasy, mystery, and a touch of romance is great fun indeed."-- Romantic Times

"Hamilton takes her world by the teeth and runs with it, devising a whipcrack adventure that moves like the wind, grips you by the throat and doesn't let go."-- Locus

"Mayhem, madness, old spells and older vampires. And Anita Blake at the center of it, struggling to stay on top...perfect!"-- The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

Download Description

"In Obsidian Butterfly, Laurell K. Hamilton delivers an erotic, demonic thrill ride. Her sexy, edgy, wickedly ironic style sweeps the reader into her unique world and delivers red-hot entertainment. Hamilton's marvelous storytelling can be summed up in three words: Over the top. She blends the genres of romance, horror and adventure with stunning panache. Great fun!" -- Jayne Anne Krentz Whenever the phone rings before dawn something big is probably up, and the fact that Anita Blake has been up all night dealing with zombies doesn't make this call an exception. "Ted Forrester needs backup from Anita Blake, Vampire executioner," Edward tells her, using the pseudonym he keeps for those rare times when he needs a legal identity. And she owes him a favor. So by noon she's on a plane to Santa Fe, sun-drenched town of wealthy retirees, where in the last two weeks twelve people have been murdered. The dead ones had it easy; other victims have been completely flayed, but kept horribly alive by magic. Seeing them in the hospital, Anita feels uncharacteristically shaken. Edward's "Ted Forrester" identity has her nearly as spooked as the crimes: He's working with the local police, courting a likable widow with two kids, and generally making like a good ol' boy. Anita knows the real nature he's hiding beneath his mask of normality--and she finds "Ted" perhaps more frightening than Edward. But she must put aside her fear to help Edward hunt down the greatest evil she has ever encountered. It's ancient and devious--and, in the end, she will have to face it alone.

Customer Reviews:

The last book in the serries worth reading.......2007-09-25

This really was the last book in the Anita Blake series worth the effort before it went into decline of the vampire porn it became. This would have been a great place to end the series.

The series up to this point has read like pulp detective stories but the bad guys are werewolves and vampires. They are legal in America now but Anita is the official state executioner for when these beasties get out of hand.

This book takes her out of that world as her sometime contact Edward, no last name, calls in a favor and says he needs her help out in New Mexico. The baddies fear Antia as "the executioner" but to them Edward is "death." What can be so bad the Death needs back up?

What follows are violated graves, a millenia old, delusional vampire who believes she's an Aztec goddess, gangsters, victims violently dismemebered and a normal human named Olaf who scares antia in a way most vampires and werewolves don't, and he's her teammate!

In this book Hamilton rips her character out of her comfort zone and sets her on the road without the usual cast of supporting characters that have become so well known over the earlier books. This could have been a real problem if the support system was a crutch for the lead character but Hamilton proves her talent as a writer by letting it soar.

Super Reader.......2007-08-26

This is a welcome change from all the weres*x angst and the vamps*x angst from the previous couple of books. You can easily point out the reason for this, too. Edward. Yep, Edward is back, so some monster hunting is to be done.

She travels to New Mexico to look at the goings on at a club there.

new faces, new places.......2007-08-23

Assasin Edward has called in his favor, taking Anita to New Mexico to face down a couple new and scary baddies. This is an excellent book, like all of the Anita Hunter novels, a lot going on in her head that takes a bit away from the story, but other than that, its really good.

It introduces two majorly scary monsters, Obsidian Butterfly, an Aztec Goddess vampire, and Olaf. Olaf is proof that the human monsters give the preternatural monsters a run for their money in this series. I think we'll be seeing more of him.

Edward's private life is a bit weird, and very unexpected. Frankly, Ted creeps me out more than Edward ever has.

The Last of the Good Books.......2007-08-07

In my opinion, "Blue Moon" was the beginning of the end of the series, and "Obsidian Butterfly" IS the end. They are both fairly good books, but here is where the "rules" of Anita Blake begin flying out the window (the books that follow have little in common with what has come before).

In OB, I liked that AB was out of her element ... that, excepting Edward, she had no familiar background characters to fall back on.

This read introduces a new, insane (aren't they all?) vampire, Itzpapalotl aka Obsidian Butterfly. Very powerful and very deluded.

There's Edward and his Merry Men: Olaf (the psycho killer) and Bernardo (the stud, whose presence in the story NEVER makes sense), Edward's gal Donna, and her two kids (kids???). And, of course, graphic mutilation and murder scenes wrapped up in a nice little mystery.

There's Anita's new love interest Detective Ramirez (one of Anita's shortest relationships to date), Agent Bradley returns for a cameo, and Anita meets a fellow practitioner, Nicky.

Nicandro Baco, necromancer, also seems a bit of an afterthought throw-in like Bernardo. Sorta of a, I really need something to happen here, let's have AB talk shop with someone. He is pieced into the story, but his background and responses just don't jive.

What else doesn't jive? Exchanges with: Riker and crew, the Red Woman's Husband, and Los Lobos clan. Everything seems slightly off kilter.

One of the things I had always liked about AB is that her life continues off page. The characters will discuss something that never happened "on screen" so to speak, but the reader gets the gist of the conversation. Some of the character arcs in OB seem more like two or three story lines were condensed into one leaving important information out and leaving odd/weird references in.

LKH has done this in other books, but not so heavily. I would guess an editor was not much involved.

On the whole, I did enjoy the book. It will go on my keeper shelf as my final book in the Anita Blake series. RIP

Perhaps my favorite novels in the entire series.......2007-08-01

This is something of a joint review. I recently finished two novels in the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton: OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLY and NARCISSUS IN CHAINS. These represent respectively, in my opinion, perhaps the best and the worst novel in the sequence and highlights both Hamilton's strengths and many weaknesses as a writer. By approaching why I think the earlier novel is quite good and why the latter is so dreadful hope to get at the reasons I've had such a love-hate relationship with the Anita Blake series.

There is something of a formula in the Anita Blake novels: the less sex, the better the book. I'm hardly a prude and sexual content in a novel certainly doesn't bother me. I'm not a home schooler type who fears that any content with sexual matters will corrupt the soul and send one to hell. But neither do I subscribe to the fallacy that writing about sex makes for a better novel. The philosopher Wittgenstein once wrote that raisins make for a better cake, but that didn't mean that too many raisins made a better cake. On sexual matters everyone is going to have their own idea of what constitutes good or bad, interesting or uninteresting sex. In my humble opinion, few writers deal with sex less ably than does Ms. Hamilton. Much of the time when she writes of sex I'm put in mind of the covers those romance novels for which Fabio posed for covers. The passages in her novels that deal with sex are among the most cringe-worthy that I have ever encountered and I often find myself skipping entire paragraphs or pages or groups of pages to escape her libidinously challenged characters. And from what I read in the reviews of her books by other readers, I don't appear to be alone in this. In fact, I seem to be a part of a solid majority.

OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLY has less sex than almost any of the Anita Blake books apart from some of the very early ones. I don't think it is a coincidence that it is perhaps her best book. Because there is so little sex and so little of the horrid love triangle between her and Jean-Claude (my nominee for one the worst characters in fiction) and Richard (can I have two nominees?). I have read the Anita Blake novels because I enjoy the alternative universe that Hamilton has created with vampires, werewolves, fairies, and other supernatural entities living in civil society alongside nonempowered human beings. In reading the books I want that world explored. Instead, we get way too much laboring over poor Anita's sex life. Who gives a flip! A lot of sex does not make these books interesting. The alternative universe I described above is what makes these books fun.

OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLY is great because we focus on a number of characters--some over the top admittedly--with whom Anita is not sexually involved. This forces Hamilton to focus on the world she has created. Anita goes to New Mexico to help her associate Edward solve a series of bizarre murders. The action takes place during a time during which Anita is spending time away from both Richard and Jean-Claude (if only she had left both for good!). Apart from Edward we meet none of the characters who have become fixtures in the previous novels. The action is great, the story compelling, and the situation described is unique and fascinating.

Unfortunately, Hamilton seems to have failed to learn the lessons OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLY should have taught her. Instead, in NARCISSUS IN CHAINS she reverts to the increasing sexuality that afflicted BLUE MOON and earlier books. I read OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLY in three or four days. It took me nearly a month to read NARCISSUS IN CHAINS and even then I toyed with the idea of quitting the entire series. I am something of a completist and if I read one book in a series I usually like to read all. But after this most recent clunker I may join those other Anita Blake readers who found this to be the final straw. Instead of keeping the sex minimal as in OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLY, she ratcheted up the sex to a degree unknown in any previous novel in the series. There were chapters in this book that I found to be close to unreadable there was so much poorly written sex. As bad as Anne Rice is writing about sex (unless you happen to be a sadomasochist), Hamilton is worse.

But sex isn't the only reason Hamilton is such a terrible writer. She violates one of the most important rules of writing: she constantly puts at the heart of her books incoherent, incomprehensible concepts. For comparison, there is a deeply flawed book by the Sci-fi novelist Robert Heinlein entitled STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND. The flaw lies in the fact that a central character, a Martian, is supposed to be deep and wise and insightful, all of which others can only recognize if they can speak Martian. But since the reader cannot speak Martian, we have to accept the testimony of the characters that this character truly is wise and sage. In the same way, we are supposed to accept Hamilton's assumption that "power" can be used in the vague, sloppy, and absurd way that she employs it and still have it refer to something rather than nothing. Her characters are perpetually sensing the power of other characters. Power paralyzes, intimidates, inspires, terrorizes, and afflicts her characters. But her concept of "power" puts me in mind of another philosopher, Gilbert Ryle and his famous essay "Systematically Misleading Expressions." Every sentence in which she employs the concept "power" is a sentence that does no real work because there is nothing in human experience to which her concept of "power" can denote. It is a nonsense word as she employs it and all she can do is concoct more and more nonsense. I find every passage in which one character feels the "power" of another to be infuriating, because we are just supposed to take her word for it that such a thing is possible. One reason that I find BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER so marvelous is that Joss Whedon and his writers never have to leave the kind of existence that we normal human beings experience to tell any of his stories. Yes, he has vampires and monsters, but he never introduces vague and unintelligible ideas like "power." He would be ashamed to do so.

Up to a hundred pages from the end of NARCISSUS IN CHAINS I was convinced that it was going to be my last Anita Blake novel. Luckily, those last hundred pages reminded me of why I continued in the series to begin with. They were exciting, suspenseful, and thrilling, everything the first five hundred pages of the novel were not. I'll try one more novel, but at this point I'm so tired of the horrid tangle of over-sexualized relationships that Hamilton has concocted that it won't take much for me to quit for good. In reading the various reviews others have written here I wonder if she has misread her audience. Perhaps she thinks fans really love the sex and that is why they read the books. Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps there are legions of readers who think the sex is the highpoint. I don't discount the possibility. I find AMERICAN IDOL to be almost inconceivably boring, so obviously I'm not always a good judge as to what most people like. But for my part, I'd love to see more books in the Anita Blake series like OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLY and fewer like NARCUSSUS IN CHAINS.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death

Average customer rating:

Meaning of life
Really makes you appreciate how little you're doing
A must-read
Inspirational and beautifully written
Powerful! Beautifully written!

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death
Jean-Dominique Bauby
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375701214
Release Date: 1998-06-23

Amazon.com

We've all got our idiosyncrasies when it comes to writing--a special chair we have to sit in, a certain kind of yellow paper we absolutely must use. To create this tremendously affecting memoir, Jean-Dominique Bauby used the only tool available to him--his left eye--with which he blinked out its short chapters, letter by letter. Two years ago, Bauby, then the 43-year-old editor-in-chief of Elle France, suffered a rare stroke to the brain stem; only his left eye and brain escaped damage. Rather than accept his "locked in" situation as a kind of death, Bauby ignited a fire of the imagination under himself and lived his last days--he died two days after the French publication of this slim volume--spiritually unfettered. In these pages Bauby journeys to exotic places he has and has not been, serving himself delectable gourmet meals along the way (surprise: everything's ripe and nothing burns). In the simplest of terms he describes how it feels to see reflected in a window "the head of a man who seemed to have emerged from a vat of formaldehyde."

Book Description

In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young childen, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem. After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Almost miraculously, he was soon able to express himself in the richest detail: dictating a word at a time, blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again. In the same way, he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book.

By turns wistful, mischievous, angry, and witty, Bauby bears witness to his determination to live as fully in his mind as he had been able to do in his body. He explains the joy, and deep sadness, of seeing his children and of hearing his aged father's voice on the phone. In magical sequences, he imagines traveling to other places and times and of lying next to the woman he loves. Fed only intravenously, he imagines preparing and tasting the full flavor of delectable dishes. Again and again he returns to an "inexhaustible reservoir of sensations," keeping in touch with himself and the life around him.

Jean-Dominique Bauby died two days after the French publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

This book is a lasting testament to his life.

Customer Reviews:

Meaning of life.......2007-09-24

Reading this book made a deep impact in me. Learning how Jean Dominique gives meaning to his life coming from such a desfavorable experience inspires me to continue the quest in searching for my own purpose in life.

Really makes you appreciate how little you're doing.......2007-07-30

After reading this, it helps put in perspective just how much time you waste. A person who can only blink one eye wrote a book in a matter of a couple of months. I've been working on mine for a matter of years. Almost makes me ashamed to be able-bodied. Great read to put your life in perspective. No matter HOW bad you think you have it, somebody has it worse.

A must-read.......2007-07-17

You will read this in one sitting. It is moving, inspirational and beautifully composed. My heart ached for Jean-Dominique and the situation he found himself in, but what courage he displayed, showing that the human spirit is indeed indomitable.

Inspirational and beautifully written.......2007-07-12

I bought this book after it had been recommended to me. It was inspirational and beautifully written. Astonishing when you consider the physical condition of the author that he was able to maintain a wonderful attitude. It's a testament to the human spirit and a lesson on what's truly important in life.

Powerful! Beautifully written!.......2007-06-10

As it is translated into English from French, I am curious as to how beautifully the French version was written. Translations do such an injustice to original works but I don't think anything was lost here.

I had the privilege of seeing the film based on the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby. It is from his point of view. The film moved me so much I HAD to read his book. Beautiful and powerful!

Average customer rating:

A must have!
WOW!
I Wish...
Wonderful and inspiring!!
It was an inspiration !

I Wish I Were a Butterfly
James Howe
Manufacturer: Voyager Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0152380132

Book Description

The littlest cricket of Swampswallow Pond is convinced only by the Wise Old One that being special has nothing to do with physical metamorphosis, flashy colors, or shimmering wings. “The cricket is every child who stopped the music because someone criticized casually, thoughtlessly. It takes a wise friend to bring the music back.”--School Library Journal

Customer Reviews:

A must have!.......2005-12-08

As a future teacher, I am always looking for books that will be both enjoyable and educational. This is a great book for social studies concepts in younger grades (K-2) and excellent for elements of literature in older grades (3+). The message is one that children can never hear enough: You have gifts that should not be neglected!

WOW!.......2002-04-21

As a teacher, I can not tell you enough how fabulous this book is! It not only has beautiful illustrations it also has a beautiful message! I use this whenever I teach my butterfly unit, and this is always the kids favorite book that I read! Buy it - you will not regret it!

I Wish..........2000-07-19

This is the story of a little cricket who comes to realize his true beauty after being helped by a wise old spider. The little cricket lives in Swampswallow Pond where most of the other crickets are happy spending their days fiddling. This little cricket is not happy. He has been told by the frog at the edge of the pond that he is ugly. He envies all the other creatures that live in Swampswallow Pond. The cricket questions several of the creatures about his beauty, but it isn't until he comes upon the wise old spider that he is able to find his own beauty. Follow Up: Ask students what they think about the story. Students will brainstorm ideas about wishes. Students can write about their own wishes and dreams.Make a class book. Students will write about some things they like about themselves. Draw a different student's name each day and have everyone write the student a letter telling them what they like about that person. Perform this story as a reader's theater.

Wonderful and inspiring!!.......1999-10-29

I am a senior in high school, and our English teacher shared this story with us, and had us to look for a deeper meaning. It is wonderful and inspiring. I want a copy so I can share it with my children one of these days.

It was an inspiration !.......1997-06-09

My son has 6 years old and he is starting to learn the best knowledge in life : to read. Every week he brings a book from his school's library and it is a very special moment for us when we sit together and I read for him. I really enjoy it but this last week was more than special because this book had an important message and it was an inspiration for both of us.

Where Butterflies Grow (Picture Puffins)

Average customer rating:

Butterfly book: "Where Butterflies Grow"
My daughter acts this book out as I read it.
Nature learning experience
Where Butterflies Grow

Where Butterflies Grow (Picture Puffins)
Joanne Ryder
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140558586

Customer Reviews:

Butterfly book: "Where Butterflies Grow".......2006-11-04

"Where Butterflies Grow", is a very informative book with many great pictures. I used it with elementary students when I did a unit study on butterflies at the beginning of the school year. It was well received by students and the material was well presented and easy to understand.The pictures were above the average.

My daughter acts this book out as I read it........2004-11-09

This book tells the complete story of the life cycle of a butterfly, beautifully illustrated. My 6 year old loves it. It is a perfect compliment to your life science studies. The descriptions are also beautiful, almost poetic.

Nature learning experience.......2002-12-04

Lynne Cherry's illustration of this book are so realistic they look like photographs. The book has exceptional detail from the flowery meadow to all the creatures living in it. The poetic text and illustrations describe the life cycle of a swallowtail butterfly with great accuracy. A wonderful story for nature lovers.

Where Butterflies Grow.......2000-04-08

My 3 yr old loved hearing about how caterpillars turn into butterflies. He has been caterpillar obsessed and this book helped to explain metamorphasis in the most simplistic terms.

Disney's Little Einsteins: Butterfly Suits (Disney's Little Einsteins)

Average customer rating:

Colorful Book About Metamorphosis
Disney's Little Einsteins:Butterfly Suits
Disney's Little Einsteins: Butterfly Suits (Disney's Little Einsteins)
Butterflies
Ridiculous in the extreme

Disney's Little Einsteins: Butterfly Suits (Disney's Little Einsteins)
Marcy Kelman
Manufacturer: Disney Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B000MV8HTS

Book Description

This Little Einsteins adventure begins with a hungry caterpillar!Annie explains to the team that Caterpillar needs to go to the Tree of Many Colors in order to get a brand-new outfit. But when their tiny friend misses his ride to the tree, its up to Leo, Quincy, Annie, and June to make certain he gets there safe and sound. Once they get him there, the team is thrilled to discover that Caterpillars new outfit turns him into a monarch butterfly!Stunning real-life photos accompanied by easy-to-understand text help children experience the magic of this fascinating marvel of nature.

Customer Reviews:

Colorful Book About Metamorphosis.......2007-10-09

Using the Van Gogh painting Wheat Fields in the Cypresses, Butterfly Suits is a hardcover Little Einsteins book about the metamorphosis of a monarch butterfly caterpillar and his journey to get a new "suit". As an added bonus, this book has 17 full-color stickers on the inside back cover!

My son got this book for his birthday a few weeks ago, and read it to his grandparents after he opened all the gifts. They (and he) loved the book!

The text encourages singing, too, as well as visual recognition and counting. The best part, for me, is that it's a science and art lesson combined!

If your child enjoys the Little Einsteins series, this is a great book for kids aged 5 and up. (While the pictures are great for all ages, the text and topic seem geared to older children).

Disney's Little Einsteins:Butterfly Suits.......2007-09-29

My grand-son is delighted to know about the immersion of a butterfly.Each time we read the book to him he seems mesmerized by the story and asks many questions.What an interesting way to explain nature!

Disney's Little Einsteins: Butterfly Suits (Disney's Little Einsteins).......2007-09-04

Okay, I rate this book as okay. ONLY okay. I'm not on the "ridiculous" soapbox, but I am disappointed. I agree that most Little Einstein books are excellent. We also enjoy the shows. Further, it's a cartoon designed to educate AND entertain. Little Einsteins does all of this. BUT, and perhaps it is because I am used to such high standards from Little Einsteins, Butterfly Suits DOES fall short of what I'd expect. Monarch Butterfly caterpillars eat milkweed. ONLY milkweed. (I must admit, I'd not have bought the book if my daughter hadn't removed two of the stickers from the back and applied them to her shirt... Lesson there!) I just thought that monarch butterflies eating milkweed was just like--common knowledge. I like what the book does cover with the metamorphosis, that he rides in a truck is okay. AGAIN, it is fantasy, and this is an element that the kids can differentiate as such, but the fact that the catterpillar is eating a fall elm tree seems misleading. Couldn't he have just gone to the colorful musical milkweed plant instead, with flowers around instead of fall trees? And one more nit-picky thing: if they were taking the caterpillar in Rocket to the tree, why is he not in the Rocket picture? My 3-year-old looked all over the pages for him--and was disappointed. Bottom line, they go to so much trouble to do it right usually, that I was just shocked that they missed the target on this one. Buy a different LE book.

Butterflies.......2007-08-03

This book is a delightful blend of science facts and appealing illustrations.The Little Einsteins' interacting with real photographs of the life stages of butterflies both teach and entertain.

Ridiculous in the extreme.......2007-07-17

This book is ridiculous. The story is about some strange kids helping a caterpillar get to the Musical tree of Many Colors via pickup truck and space ship. Huh? Then the caterpillar turns into a butterfly in the normal fashion. The kids learn about this transformation in a space ship. In an attempt to be educational, a Van Gogh painting appears for no apparent reason. It appears to have been written by a committee. "Hey, I know, we can have a bug and a truck!" "Yeah, and a space ship!" "How about some art? Who's a famous artist?" It makes no sense.

If your child would be interested in learning about metamorphosis, you can find lots of good books that don't confuse the subject by requiring the caterpillar to need human (and alien) assistance to get to the right plant. Plus, the biology of this book is all wrong. The caterpillar shown grows on a milkweed plant in the spring, not a mushroom, as shown. Caterpillars don't eat dried yellow maple leaves as the kids feed the one in the story; they eat milkweed leaves. They don't need to move from the milkweed anywhere, and especially not to a maple tree in fall colors, and definitely not in the bed of a pickup truck driven by another caterpillar or by an alien ship manned by someone named Rocket. The butterfly is not a caterpillar in a brand-new outfit, as one of the characters asserts. The whole thing is just wrong.

Personally, I think it's absurd to take what is a magical story and make it bizarre and unrealistic in an attempt to entertain kids so much that they don't notice they're learning. Why not just tap into the natural desire children have to learn? I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

National Wildlife Federation Attracting Birds, Butterflies & Backyard Wildlife (National Wildlife Federation)

Average customer rating:

The Best Book on Attracting Wildlife
Wow alot in a small book
Nice overview, but not helpful otherwise
Lots of great projects you can do with your kids......
Featuring 17 great projects along with a wealth of tips

National Wildlife Federation Attracting Birds, Butterflies & Backyard Wildlife (National Wildlife Federation)
David Mizejewski
Manufacturer: Creative Homeowner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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Product Features:

Creative Homeowner Press #274655 Attracting Birds Book
CREATIVE HOMEOWNER PRESS

ASIN: 1580111505

Product Description

A backyard can come alive by creating an environment with plants and spaces that attract nature's most interesting and friendly creatures. Colorful butterflies, uplifting songbirds, and lively toads can enhance that personal garden space, giving pleasure to nature lovers of all ages. National Wildlife Federation Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife provides over a dozen step-by-step projects for families to do together, making getting back to nature easy, educational, and fun.

More than 200 full-color photographs and illustrations

Over a dozen habitat-inducing projects, including birdhouses, bird feeders, a bat house, a toad abode, roosting boxes, and more

Information on using native plants

How to provide food, water, and shelter

Wildlife-friendly gardening practices, landscape designs

How to certify your yard as an official Backyard Wildlife Habitat site

Resource Guide for further information

Full cross-referenced index and glossary of important terms

Softcover, 128 pages, Published 2004

Customer Reviews:

The Best Book on Attracting Wildlife.......2007-06-07

When you read this book you know you are receiving good, high quality and accurate advice. David Mizejewski, the author, has sound knowledge and experience which he shares with us. After reading this book and following it's instructions, I was able to have my backyard certified a Wildlife Habitat.

Unlike some other books, this one doesn't give outdated information. Invasive or harm plants are identified and cautioned against. If a plant is invasive, beneficial native alternatives are suggested.

The book is full projects that are actually do-able. And not ones that require several power tools. So, read this book and learn about attracting birds, butterflies, mammals, reptiles and amphibians to your garden. And go on safari by steeping out the back door.

Wow alot in a small book.......2007-05-08

This book is WONDERFUL!! I took this to the local nursery so I could buy the right flowers, I noticed folks were looking over my shoulder. It's a great book for ALL your birds, butterflies and just remodeling your yard.
Each topic is condensed on one page, just the facts and photos. Each topic has a photo of some sort to help you understand the reading. There were topics that I would not have even looked up, but now I am glad I know more about it!!! The book is in A-Z format and doesn't used alot of
"tech. terms" I don't understand, and that's great!!! It has receipes on making birds treats and some really great ideas on how to even tame a few wildlife birds and such! A MUST FOR ALL NATURE LOVERS!!! JT

Nice overview, but not helpful otherwise.......2005-09-22

This book outlines several topics, one or two pages per topic, such as birdbaths, artificial ponds, etc., various topics that are all relevant, interesting, and just what you want... but it doesn't treat any one topic thoroughly or well enough. Well before I bought this book, I already knew a bit about how to provide habitats to encourage bees (for example). This book only gave a very rough overview of how to create one type of bee environment (how to make tubes to attract mason bees) but didn't even indicate that there are other types of bees (such as bumble bees... honey bees... various other bee species, each of which need their own particular type of home built for them), let alone give guidelines how to attract them. The most important thing, choosing plants that are bird-friendly or bee-friendly or animal-friends, it handles in a very superficial manner. True, it may list a few species of plants, but it hardly gives a comprehensive list. It doesn't say anything about the plants, such as zones, light/shade preference, etc. In summary, if there's anything you want to do, such as choose plants carefully, you'll need to buy another book. Beehouses? Buy another book or scour the internet. Yes, this book will motivate you, will make you feel, how nice it will be to build a butterfly-friendly garden. But it doesn't really give you what you need to do it, besides make you feel good about it. Do you want to build a birdhouse? Scoure the internet or buy another book. The only thing this book is good for, is to tell you the few topics you should start to think about. And that, you can get just by reading the Table of Contents. Oddly, it spends many pages describing home recipes for making bird cakes and patties, out of animal fat and seeds, that you can hang up in your garden -- a sort of Martha Stewart section slipped in the middle of the book there, as though this was the only "specific" information the author had at hand. I would suggest that instead of this, you buy a book that is positively overloaded with info like Degraaf's "Trees, Shrubs, and Vines for Attracting Birds" which lists a page per specie various plants -- start there. Then look up bee boxes on the internet. Etc.

Lots of great projects you can do with your kids.............2005-04-25

So you want to turn your big back yard into a wildlife refuge? The place to begin is with the NWF `ATTRACTING BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES AND OTHER BACKYARD WILDLIFE.' This book, part of the `Creative Homeowner Series includes all kinds of nifty ideas for making your yard creature-friendly. You will become interested in ridding yourself of noxious grass the upkeep of which is frustrating, a lot of work, and expensive, and probably a source of pollution in your watershed. The book explains the reason why you also want to rid yourself of invasive exotic plants and add native plantings to your yard. Many `exotics carry disease and many fail to nourish the local fauna that grew up with the native stuff. Birds, for example, find the berries from the native Dogwood much more nutritious than the fruit of the Kousa Dogwood. You want to strive for balance in your yard if you want more bird sightings. If you live far enough out in the hinterland, you may also find other creatures visit your yard (though I live in Arlington VA and my neighbor reports a raccoon is having a fish dinner every night from her pond, and I know I have smelled a skunk on many mornings).

The beautiful photos in this publication will inspire you to plan and plant as well as spread peanut butter on your homemade `energy muffins' filled with cornmeal, peanuts and suet or vegetable shortening. You can decorate a Yule tree for the birds the kids might enjoy and/or build a pond with decorative plants. Or if you don't have room for a pond, try making a puddle or a muddy area (the kids will love this) or a container garden for small spaces. You will need to provide cover, which can also be beautiful (we have Cardinals nesting in a Pyracantha bush out front -- my Conure loves to watch them from his window vantage point). We planted Clematis for the butterflies and trumpet flowers for the hummingbirds, and Echinacea for the Finches. The Chickadee loves seeds on the Crepe Myrtle Bush and the Mockingbird loves the Holly.

This is a great book for learning how to attract wildlife (the kind you want) and grow native flora for your fauna, as well as engage in fun activities with your kids or grandkids.

Featuring 17 great projects along with a wealth of tips.......2004-04-03

Illustrated throughout with enticing color photographs, Attracting Birds, Butterflies, And Other Backyard Wildlife by David Mizejewski (Manager, Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program) is an exceptional and highly recommended homeowner's guide featuring 17 great projects along with a wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques to create gardens filled with wildlife sights, sounds, and natural wonders. Featuring advice for obtaining certification for a backyard habitat in the NWF's Backard Wildlife Habitat program, as well as more general suggestions from building amphibian and bee nesting houses, to finding native plants, avoiding West Nile Virus in the water provided for wildlife, butterfly feeders, and so much more, Attracting Birds, Butterflies, And Other Backyard Wildlife is a first-rate informational guide and a welcome addition to personal and community library Wildlife and Gardening reference collections.

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