How to Talk Dinosaur With Your Child

Customer Reviews:

Children are people too.......2002-07-31

This book is a really terrific idea. I am disappointed that there are over two million other books which are purchased more frequently than this one, according to Amazon.com -- it just doesn't seem right.

Querida Pearce has done a great deal of work, in compiling this amazing little volume. Conversations about dinosaurs are one of the few areas where adults and children can really be complete equals together, sharing in a state of wonder. Actually, as often as not, the adults are at a disadvantage here. Children often know MUCH more than the less age-challenged, height-challenged members of their families, about this fascinating topic. Therefore, to help adults bridge this unfortunate gap, Ms. Pearce has created this guide.

Let me just briefly mention that this book came out a couple of years before the film "Jurassic Park." It happens that some of the dinosaurs featured in that film were almost completely unknown, to most folks, before the film came out. Velociraptors, in particular, are only mentioned in passing in "How to Talk Dinosaur With Your Child." And the Tyrannosaurus Rex is always referred to by its full name, never as a "T. Rex." But those are small complaints, of course. This book is basically superb, and has been highly praised by curators at museums featuring paleontology exhibits.

Here are some particularly fun features of this book. In Chapter 8, the author talks about how you could prepare for a visit to a dinosaur museum with your children. She helps you get thinking about how you could create a dinosaur diorama, for example, to help your kids understand how the displays in the museum are made. In Chapter 11, there's a great little section about dinosaur names. It gives handy definitions of all the little Latin and Greek prefixes, suffixes, and other roots which go into composing the names of dinosaurs. You can even use this section to start making up dino-names for family, friends, or pets. For example, if you have a dog with very triangular ears, and a short tail, you could take the roots "spheno" (wedge shaped); "oto" (ear); "micro" (small); and "urus" (tail), and start calling your dog Sphenooto Microurus. This is how scientists really name dinosaurs! You and your children can share a lot of laughs with this section.

The whole book is packed with ideas for dinner table discussions, or for talking about during agonizingly long car rides. For example, Ms. Pearce encourages readers to think about the devastation that would be left behind if a herd of diplodoci crashed through the local jungle. She suggests going to the library, and seeking out accounts of how African jungles have sprung back after rampages by groups of elephants. The whole book is full of suggestions like this. They go on, page after page after page. I don't know how she thought up so many great ideas.

As I said earlier, some parts of this book are realy designed to help adults catch up to their kids, who are most likely miles ahead of them in their knowledge of dino-lore. But the focus is on finding common ground, and things to share wonder about. This book is actually about real wonder, real scientific discovery, and real fun. This book represents what learning really should be like, although of course it rarely actually is.

If you enjoy this fine little volume, I would like to recommend "After Man: A Zoology of the Future," by Dougal Dixon, which is also incredibly fun and interesting. It gets kids asking "what if" we could see into the future, and visualize how present animals might evolve in coming millenia? It has amazing pictures, and provocative essays. Also, you may wish to take a look at "Our Continent: A Natural History of North America," by National Geographic. They did a great job with that book, and it includes actual charts so you can see how various dinosaurs evolved. Also, just a slightly oddball recommendation: I really enjoyed the book "When Geologists Were Historians," by Rhoda Rappaport. It helps you see what early scientists were up against, when they tried to get people to conceptualize the idea that rocks were laid down in layers, some of which contained dinosaur bones.

Anyway, "How to Talk Dinosaur With Your Child" is superb. You owe it to your kids, or maybe even to a co-workers kids, to pick up a copy of this book.

Average customer rating:

Lots of Little Details

Small and Loaded with Information

Forts of the American Frontier 1820-91: Central and Northern Plains (Fortress)
Ron Field
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Old West | 19th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
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Forts of the American Frontier 1820-91: The Southern Plains and Southwest (Fortress)

French Fortresses in North America 1535-1763: "Québec, Montréal, Louisbourg and New Orleans" (Fortress)

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US Army in the Plains Indian Wars 1865-1891 (Battle Orders)

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ASIN: 1841767751
Release Date: 2005-02-05

Book Description

A major period of westward expansion took place in the United States during the first half of the 19th century. Fur trading, the coast-to-coast railroad, the California gold rush and the removal of Native American tribes both facilitated and encouraged America's "manifest destiny" to become a transcontinental nation. The task of protecting the settlers from the tribes that inhabited the Great Plains fell to the US Army, and to do this an extensive network of permanent forts was created via construction and acquisition. This title examines why the forts were built, as well as their design, defensive features and the role they played in the settlement of the American West. The daily lives of the garrison soldiers and fort inhabitants are also covered, together with the fighting witnessed at key sites.

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Little Details.......2007-01-30

A nice introduction to the forts built in the American West during the 18th century. Detailed sections on fort types, defensive features, and construction methods (depending on distance from resources and labor available) follow the section on evolution of fortifications.
A snapshot of life in the forts reveals privation, exhausting labor, severe weather effects, and long periods of isolation broken (rarely) by Indian attack or forces staging from the fort to attack Indian settlements.

The section on forts under seige or attack is neccessarily brief but isn't really the focus of the book. As with most Fortress series books this volume finishes with a look at surviving examples, somewhat rare in this case.

Where this book really shines is in the detail drawaings and plates. The illustrations are easily comparable to a larger book, which generally has more information, but at several times the cost.

Highly recommended as an introduction or general reference to the 19th century American West.

Small and Loaded with Information.......2005-03-20

Do not be discouraged by the small size of this book. The author does an excellent job in covering the forts of the Great Plains describing their construction, history and the human element. Of course, not every fort can be covered, but this book does cover the key forts and provides a good sampling from the fully stockaded forts to those open posts that usually had nothing more than a blockhouse. Like most Osprey books, this one is well illustrated. This book is a must for anyone really interested in the American West in the 19th century.

Book Description

Kurdistan does not exist as a country, yet it certainly does exist as a nation. A people of great number and antiquity, untied by a shared heritage, the Kurds are scattered over five countries: Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and the Soviet Union. For a great many years they have played the unenviable role of pawns in the Middle East's turbulent power struggles, manipulated by governments using Kurdish troubles as a means of outmaneuvering their opponents.

William Rupert Hay was a British political officer who was in charge of the largely Kurdish district of Arbil in northern Iraq from 1918 to 1920. He was given the task of establishing and maintaining British rule in the area in the wake of the invasion of the First World War.

Two Years in Kurdistan is a detailed and personal account of Hay's time in Arbil. It traces his progress from the initial warm welcome given by the Kurds (who were, in the wake of the war, living in terrible conditions and believed that British rule heralded the dawning of a new and better age) through disillusionment at stiffer taxes, tighter laws and the failure of the British significantly to improve the quality of life to the eventual rebellion of 1920. Through all of these events, Hay paints a vivid portrait of the people and places on northern Iraq and many extraordinary experiences, whether it be hunting the outlaw Nuri Bahil ('a patriot and a hero'; a sort of Robin Hood'), conversing with the gregarious tribal chief Hama Agha (who claimed to be 130 and fathered a child when 90) or describing attempts on his own life.

The most important aspect of the book is that it explains the feelings held towards the region by a man who, many years later, was, as a British Political Resident, to play a crucial role in the shaping of the modern Gulf. As he noted in 1921, with remarkable relevance today, 'Poor people, I am afraid they must have been bitterly disappointed of the high hopes for the future which they entertained.'

Book Description

During the nineteenth century, much of the modern scientific enterprise took shape: scientific disciplines were formed, institutions and communities were founded, and unprecedented applications to and interactions with other aspects of society and culture occurred.

In this book, eleven leading historians of science assess what their field has taught us about this exciting time and identify issues that remain unexamined or require reconsideration. They treat both scientific disciplines—biology, physics, chemistry, the earth sciences, mathematics, and the social sciences—in their specific intellectual and sociocultural contexts as well as the broader topics of science and medicine; science and religion; scientific institutions and communities; and science, technology, and industry.

Providing a much-needed overview and analysis of a rapidly expanding field, From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences will be essential for historians of science, but also of great interest to scholars of all aspects of nineteenth-century life and culture.

Contributors:
Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent, Jed Z. Buchwald, David Cahan, Joseph Dauben, Frederick Gregory, Michael Hagner, Sungook Hong, David R. Oldroyd, Theodore M. Porter, Robert J. Richards, Ulrich Wengenroth

From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences - Writing the History of Nineteenth-Century Science

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From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences - Writing the History of Nineteenth-Century Science
D Cahan
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPIO9K

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A Greatly Enjoyed Read

Funny but not hilarious

Great Read

Going Overboard: The Misacventures of a Military Wife

Entertaining and Moving

Going Overboard: The Misadventures of a Military Wife
Sarah Smiley
Manufacturer: NAL Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Marriage & Family | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Homefront Club: The Hardheaded Woman's Guide to Raising a Military Family

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A Year of Absence: Six women's stories of courage, hope and love

Medals Above My Heart: The Rewards Of Being A Military Wife

ASIN: 0451218515

Book Description

In 1999, Sarah was a typical bride-to-be, flustered with wedding details. Then the groom called. "I don't want you to panic, but I might not be able to come to our wedding..."

So began Sarah Smiley's life as a military wife. As a former Navy brat herself, Sarah knew better than anyone that weddings and funerals-even childbirth!-take a backseat to Uncle Sam. But just as the young syndicated columnist gets comfortable with the military wife's routine, her husband is sent away for unexpected deployment. What follows is a true test of strength and wit. From getting locked out of the house in cowgirl pajamas to wrestling with the temptation of infidelity, Sarah exposes it all with candor, heart-and knowing humor.

Download Description

A former Navy brat and present-day Navy wife, Sarah Smiley knows better than anyone that weddings and funerals-even childbirth!-take a backseat to Uncle Sam. And it seems that every time the young, nationally syndicated columnist gets comfortable with her routine, her husband is sent away for an unexpected deployment. What follows is a true test of strength and wit that even Sarah's nit-picking mother-in-law couldn't have prepared her for. From raccoons in the attic to getting locked out of the house in cowgirl pajamas to developing a crush on her handsome doctor, Sarah learns that growing up means taking a leap-and sometimes going a little overboard. In this memoir, she exposes it all with candor, heart, and a whole lot of laughs.

Customer Reviews:

A Greatly Enjoyed Read.......2007-06-29

A friend passed this book along to me, and while I was leery at first, I was thoroughly impressed with Sarah Smiley's account of the partner side of deployment. I am the long-time girlfriend of a military man and have experienced two deployments with him. I could whole-heartedly relate to many of Sarah's experiences and found her description of deployments from the spouse's perspective right on in many respects. What I appreciated most about her book was the humor with which she wrote. Not only was she able to make me, the reader, laugh at her actions and beliefs, but I could tell she was laughing at herself. This author truly has a fine gift of storytelling. Though I thought the book wrapped up and resolved her issues rather quickly, by the end, I found myself wanting to read more by this author about her life. I highly recommend this book, and I hope the author has another out soon.

Funny but not hilarious.......2007-06-09

It was a good read of displaying life as a military wife. I am an army wife but i was able to relate it her adventures an navy wife. It was funny but not hilarious like people made it seem. But all in all i would recommend it. I finished it pretty fast

Great Read.......2007-04-09

This is NOT a guide so if you are looking for a guide or how-to book this is NOT the one to pick up. This is a humorous look on the life of one military spouse during the deployment of her servicemember. It details her goofups and her smart moves. Great laugh and definitely an easy read. You want a guide don't get this book but if you want something to giggle over and read to pass away the time then pick up this book. You'll be surprised at how real she is and how it seems she is talking directly to you detailing her anecdotes from her experience during a deployment.

Going Overboard: The Misacventures of a Military Wife.......2007-03-31

Wonderful! So true! Your husband doesn't have to be a pilot for a wife to have this happen. My husband is with the Air Nat'l Guard and a fireman and is in Iraq for a 4month deployment "we" volunteered for! All those feelings happen! It was so reassuring first to know I wasn't alone and second to know that reservists and national guardsmen go through the same feelings too! God Bless the military and God Bless their spouses and families for supporting them and what they do! Tammy Schnitker

Entertaining and Moving.......2007-03-30

She's been billed as "the Erma Bombeck of the homefront," and in her nationally-syndicated column, Sarah Smiley certainly uses humor to convey truth about life as a military wife. But in "Going Overboard," Smiley serves up something different.

Tracing her husband's year-long overseas deployment, she offers a candid, unapologetic look at her own insecurities and idiosyncrasies and, in the process, allows us to accompany her on a perilous journey from dependant (as the military calls spouses and children) to independence. The book jacket insists it's funny, but I didn't laugh - I cried. Several times. I'm guessing you will, too.

Book Description

Distinguished British historians and past members of the regiment celebrate the 350th anniversary of this famous British guard regiment with a lavishly illustrated account of its history in war and peace.

Average customer rating:

Cromwell would of liked this book!

The Coldstream Guards (Men-at-Arms)
Charles Grant
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Regiments | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0850450578
Release Date: 1971-06-15

Book Description

The Coldstream Guards is the oldest serving regular regiment in the British Army. First called 'Monck's Regiment of Foot' the regiment was formed by Oliver Cromwell in 1650, and was later re-named the 'Coldstream Guards' after the Scottish village where Monck assembled his troops before marching into London. In the years following the English Civil War, the troops saw action in the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimea, Egypt, Sudan and South Africa, and World Wars I and II. This book outlines the history of the Coldstream Guards from its inception to the end of World War II, detailing the uniforms and equipment of this prestigious unit.

Customer Reviews:

Cromwell would of liked this book!.......2005-07-02

As the only survivor of the New Model Army of Cromwell, the Coldstreamers have proved to be very adaptable and above all survivors. (Good traits to have in a soldier) This good book covers the history of this elite Unit from its frist fight at Dunbar to the end of WWII. The illustrations are very good and interesting. Altogether a 1st rate job and well done to all hands involved.

BRITISH HERITAGE - Volume 8, number 5 - August September 1987: Coldstream Guards; The Mystery of Mallory; Longleat; Visiting Card Cases; Constable and Gainsborough; Chester; The Changing Face of the National Trust

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BRITISH HERITAGE - Volume 8, number 5 - August September 1987: Coldstream Guards; The Mystery of Mallory; Longleat; Visiting Card Cases; Constable and Gainsborough; Chester; The Changing Face of the National Trust
Gail (editor) (Christine Techky; Peter Dublin; Stephen Rivele; Sonya Ward; Noel Riley; Bob Barton; Ursula Stuart Mason; Claire Hopley; Dame Jennifer Jenkins) Huganir
Manufacturer: Historical Times
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NRZNYS

Coldstream guards - dress and appointments, 1658-1972

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Coldstream guards - dress and appointments, 1658-1972
Charles Stadden
Manufacturer: Almark Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 085524111X

Coldstream Guards and the Black Watch: North American and Canadian Tour

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Coldstream Guards and the Black Watch: North American and Canadian Tour
Coldstream Guards
Manufacturer: Columbia Artists Festivals Corp.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PNNN6U

Product Description

Columbia Artists Festivals Corp Presents the Coldstream Guards and The Black Watch. North American and Canadian Tour. September 15th through December 7th, 1970.

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Coldstream Guards in the Crimea
Ross-of-Bladensburg
Manufacturer: Naval & Military Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1845740084

Average customer rating:

The Coldstream guards, 1914-1918,
John Foster George Ross-of-Bladensburg
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, H. Milford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

A distant drum: war memories of the Intelligence Officer of the 5th Bn: Coldstream Guards, 1944-45,

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A distant drum: war memories of the Intelligence Officer of the 5th Bn: Coldstream Guards, 1944-45,
Jocelyn Pereira
Manufacturer: S.R. Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

The Fremantle Diary : Being the Journal of Lieutenant Colonel Arthur James Lyon Fremantle, Coldstream Guards, on His Three Months in the Southern States

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The Fremantle Diary : Being the Journal of Lieutenant Colonel Arthur James Lyon Fremantle, Coldstream Guards, on His Three Months in the Southern States
Walter Lord
Manufacturer: Capricorn Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TMS2WM

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A Great Find

Another great reference

How the World is Governed

A one of a kind book

Lavishly illustrated, but disappointingly flawed

The Book of Rule: How the World is Governed
DK Publishing
Manufacturer: DK ADULT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Relations | International | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Reference | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
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Geography of the World

ASIN: 0789493543

Book Description

Providing a clear, comprehensive and colorful guide to how the world is governed both in theory and practice, The Book of Rule examines the governments of all the world's nations -- from major powers to the newest developing countries, from democracies to dictatorships -- and shows exactly how power is exercised in each. In addition to profiling national governments, The Book of Rule also explains the general principles behind today's political systems and charts the evolution of governments from ancient times to the present.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Find.......2007-07-26

Teachers, students and anyone interested in learning more about how the world works will benefit from this book. Thousands of facts, statistics and images make a complex topic interesting, almost addictive. This book is a great find.

Another great reference.......2006-07-08

This like "Geography of the World" this is an excellent resource. It is indexed well and complete. Countries are categorized by government type rather than location therefore it is a very complete look at the governments of the world.

I recommend this for home reference, or for teachers and students. I use it while teaching social studies.

How the World is Governed.......2005-08-30

I love the idea of this book, it's organization, and the wealth of information it presents. However, every page is chock full. There is next to no white space. A sizable part of every page is presented in what seems to be 2- or maybe even 1-point type. I've tried it without my glasses, with my glasses, and even with a magnifying glass. It's too much trouble. If I and my eyes were 30 or 40 years younger, I'd get a whole lot more out of it.

A one of a kind book.......2005-02-01

This is an amazing source of facts and information on "how the world is governed". I haven't seen anything like it before. I was impressed with the details - from the history of the origins of rule to explaining international stock markets, government spending ratios, memberships in world organizations, international law practices or the fundamental differences within the styles of communism. Globalization, politics, history, social commentary on each country - it's all here. The maps, timelines, charts and diagrams of how the government works make this book an exciting read. Though I'm not sure why the nations in each system of rule are ordered by population rather than by name or why some countries received significantly more space than others, overall the book gets my thumbs up. Definitely a fantastic reference book and an interesting read!

Lavishly illustrated, but disappointingly flawed.......2004-12-26

Just like most books from DK Publishing, this book is lavishly illustrated, making it so much more interesting to read. Whereas why the Maldives is classified as a country "in transition" (1 of 9 such classified countries in this book, and the very last country described in the entire volume) is not clear and is debatable; there is absolutely no doubt that the editors need to pay extra attention in checking some basic world facts. Libya was mentioned by President Bush as one of the "axis of evil" countries? The Philippines were ruled, not once, but twice (apparently as recent as 1998), by communists? And the list of factual errors goes on and on. I would have rated this book way higher, but I was disappointed by such flaws.

Amazon.com

Ideas seem to advance in waves upon the modern mind, and one of the concepts cresting at present is the notion of place. This recent swell could be charted back to Daniel Kemmis's 1992 book Community and the Politics of Place as well as his more recent meditation on the inhabitation of cities (The Good City and the Good Life). Wendell Berry's A Place on Earth continued the theme, as has Alan Thein Durning's recent book This Place on Earth. Wes Jackson, a bioligist by training, applies the notion of place to a rethinking of ecological and agricultural policy. His hope is that the concept of place will seep deeply into our thoughts and affect the very way we inhabit the world. In effect, Jackson argues for inverting the slogan "think globally, act locally": when we think of the whole Earth on a local level as a group of loved places rather than territory or resource pools, then we will be headed in the right direction.

Customer Reviews:

Good Principles, Little Information.......2006-12-15

I purchased this book because I have become very interested in agriculture and rooting it and our communities in the local ecosystems of the places we live in. I this book looked like it was going to be a good introduction to this. Well, it was a good introduction to the values of Jackson's practice but doesn't say much about the practice itself. But perhaps that's because trying to apply something other than principles from a book would be counter to the respect for local specifics that Jackson has. Either way the book is well written and inspiring, but i still wish there were more specifics.

Alternative perspective on human interaction with the earth.......2000-06-19

Very easy reading, short book.

Wes Jackson describes a growing perspective that we need to interact symbiotically with the earth rather than considering the earth a "resource" at our disposal. He mixes philosophy with actual personal experiences to further illustrate the story.

The fact that he began the Land Use Institute in Kansas and is still and active participant lends credibility to his dialog.

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