My 4-month-old loves this book. She expecially loves the lion's long fur. She grabs it and will hold on for a long time. Needless to say, we spend most of our time on the lion page! But the other animals are neat too; a bumpy lizard, a smooth dolphin, a frog with sticky pads on its fingers, etc. This is a nice book to share with your child.

This book has the greatest variety of different touch sensations that I have seen anywhere. My 2 year old son received this for Christmas last year and it has been his favorite. The sticky tree frog was the best page for him. It did lose the stickiness quickly, but I found an adhesive at a craft store that was specifically for tackiness. I just put it on the spots whenever they wear out and then we have weeks of fun again.

All of the DK (publisher) books have gorgeous photographs, and this one is no exception. The photos are sharp and bright and the animals are highlighted against a white background, which makes them look like they are about to jump off the page. The textures in this book are really unique too. So many of the touch and feel books have all the same textures (fur, sandpaper, etc). This book has really unique and interesting textures (e.g. a cool, rubbery, soft, smooth surface for the dolphin - it really feels like the skin of sea mammals I have touched; and a bumpy shiny surface for the lizard skin). My 14 month old daughter really enjoys feeling all the different textures and "reading" this book to herself. Highly recommended.

"Chronicle of America" is a capsulized approach to American history from 1492 to present. Significant events are organized as newspaper articles that quickly break down the most important aspects of the event in a simple "who, what, where, when, and how" format. Contemporary illustrations and photographs are interspersed throughout each year to reinforce the newspaper approach.

Although especially handy for young students, this book is also useful when you need to just look up a few basic facts without having to wade through or locate more indepth works. Definitely handy to have around.

As a Librarian I use this book several times a week. There is nothing like it for putting issues in context. The newspaper format and photographs make it attractive to young people. I hope that a new edition will come out soon.

This book is a MUST if you are interested in American history. It very easy to follow having been written as a collection of news articles. I would recomend this book to anyone, even students.

Having never been to Florida, I needed help. This book is fabulous, not only does it give you maps from one end to Florida to the other, the pictures are beautiful. It even has pictures of the food served at various restaurants.
I spent hours looking through all the travel guides at my local book store and this is the one I decided on.
Let me say that it difinitely made our stay in Florida a much more enjoyable experience. With the help from this wonderful book, we knew where to go, what to expect, with maps galore, suggestions on museums, national parks, wildlife,hotels, the whole shooting match............this book is unbelievable!

I bought this book for relatives that are "snowbirds" spending the winter in Florida for the first time. Have used the Insight Guides series but this book is just as good or better. Excellent information, great maps and illustrations and very up to date. Having travelled in Florida, I found its information to be highly accurate. I also received a couple of "thank you" cd roms from the publisher. Highly recommend the book

This guide is excellent in getting you to the most interesting places in Florida. It has many great photos and descriptions that help you decide where you want to go, especially when you don't have as much time as you would like. I really like the overall format.

I being a teenager and knowing practically nothing about baking, this book sure came in handy. I seem to always need to bake a cake for some occasion. I would recommend this book to all people who need a little boost in their baking knowledge.

A truely excellent resource for all bakers. This small book has photos and descriptions of what the consistency of your batter should be at different mixing points. The book doesn't spend pages on descriptive text or childhood culinary memories and none of the ingredients listed are exotic. I even had all the ingredients and already owned all the utensils I needed to start cooking immediately. Trust me - just buy this book!

This book, though small in size, offers a wealth of information on many varieties of cake -- cheesecakes, meringue cakes, whisked cakes, etc. Included are recipes, decorating methods, and useful tips.

The information in this book is not too dense but helpful in quickly understanding the process of wine making and many extras. It is decorated with pictures relating to the respective subjects covered. This book tells you easily how wine works - without the manuscripts you find in other books. It is organized in understandable sections. The diagrams are in color and are specific. If you have absolutely no knowledge on wine (like how I was), I recommended this book to anyone who wants to get a better understanding of wine.

I checked this book out of the library, and liked it so much I had to get a copy for myself! I am organizing a wine tasting group, and my hope is to educate as well as learn along with everyone else. We range from novice to experience wine tasters in our group. This little guidebook is one that I will bring to every tasting as a quick reference for those who want to learn an overview.

My favorite section is "Assessing Wine," which touches on color, tasting do's and don'ts, smell, and wine flavors. I wish DK Publishing would put out a poster with this information on it! I guess I will have to let people flip through this book when I want to make a point.

As with all DK books I own, this book is graphically excellent and it uses photography to illustrate its text in a very effective way.

I think this a great book!

I am currently using this book at work. When I started reading it I knew nothing about wine. I am only half way into the book and feel that I know more then most people would about wine. It is an excellent source for anyone who would like to know more.

I first received a DK Board book when I was expecting my now 20 month old twin boys. Since birth my husband and I have tried to read to them as much as possible an assortment of books. Always going back to their favorites-DK Board Books. Naming them all favorities but the number 1 is the Animals. They love to look at the great pictures and have learned all the sounds. This book and its adjoining set have wonderful pictures that show exactly what an object looks like and ALL children seem to just love them. I am finishing buying the set for Christmas and am waiting for more to come. GREAT GIFT FOR LITTLE ONES!!!

My twin 1 year olds can't keep their hands off this book. I imagine I read it to them at least 5 times a day...and in between they 'read' it by themsleves many times. They love the bright colors and want to know what every animal is called. Their favorite page is the 'noisy' animals page, because there we get to make all sorts of fun sounds! I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting to get a good book for their baby to learn about animals and what they look like. Lots and lots of fun! And as other readers have said, it's a REALLY durable book. Our "Goodnight Moon" board book has long had it's cover ripped off and pages chewed to mush. But our "My First Animals" board book still looks practically new despite the 'mileage' the twins have put on it. My only regret is that I didn't get the entire series when I bought this one. I plan on correcting that mistake soon!

Another "First" book that my son adores!! Many different animals are represented & he loves to go through each page & each animal... GREAT book- highly recommend all "first" books!!

This book is a definite must have for anyone interested in herbs. "Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses" contains color photos of all entries (or at least all of the ones I have looked up so far), and also lists the different uses of each herb. I thought the layout of the book was very well planned, and I found that the book, in general, was very easy to use. This book meets my needs perfectly.

Best reference book I've ever read. Use this book whenever I see a plant I like and can't identify. Excellent pictorial and historical details. Wonderful tips for gardeners, herbalists and people who just love looking at plants.

If you have an interest in herbs this book is a must-have. It lists even the most obsure plants and gives each a very informative overview that includes both the historical and modern uses. -Linda Fry Kenzle, author of Gathering

Dance has once again developed a useful shell book for the beginner. Excellent specimens are shown in full color photos. Some basic info on depth different species and habitat is also given. I have two problems with the book that provent me from giving it 5 Stars. First are the locality maps. The text lists accurate locality but the maps are way off. For example a species only found in the Philippines is shown as occurring across the whole Indo-Pacific. A novice or someone who isn't so hot in geography is going to have problems with that. Second, I wish they had more represenative species. It's a little thin in the diversity of shells. Overall though a useful starter.

However, I was a little annoyed at the scarcity of the other regions in the book,mostly because I was interested in finding out about the shells within the area in which I visit to go shelling. However, I thought it was a wonderful first-field-guide with excellent color pictures, specific descriptions, indication of common\uncommon, and the size of the shells.

This has to be one of the most useful books I have bought. The photography is very clear. The colors are also good. Best of all I can see all of this without my bifocals.

Need I say more? DK's Ultimate Visual Dictionary is one of the most outstanding reference books ever produced offering full color, exploded views and detailed diagrams and illustrations of nearly everything in the world, ranging from scientific phenomena like rivers and caves, to more ordinary stuff like sports and cars. The material is presented in such an interesting and fun way that even if you just skim through this book once, you'll come away learning something you never knew before. (Did you know there are two types of elephants-- the African and the Asian-- or that there are three types of rocks? I didn't!) Don't get me wrong; the book does have its flaws: it does tend to skimp on a few things (I would have preferred an entry on "bowling" and perhaps a few more household items than what's in the book.) Nevertheless, for what it's worth, it is still a very comprehensive reference book that will greatly satisfy kids, artists, or just those of us who are trivia and information buffs. My recommendation? I simply cannot recommend this book enough.

Old habits are hard to break. It's possible, though, that the "Ultimate Visual Dictionary" will cure you of yelling to anyone within hearing distance, "Do you remember what those little petals that sit on the top of a strawberry are called?" but I can tell you that when no one in the house comes running to your aid, you will be really glad to have this reference sitting right on your desk.
Libraries are nice. Heavens, the NET is even nice. But nothing can surpass a good, well-worn reference that you come to know intimately, know its strengths and its weaknesses.
The pictures in this book are colorful, clear and not so cute they're annoying; it is divided into sensible categories like "The Universe," "Prehistoric Earth," and "The Human Body." There is a concise index and an appendix of useful data like mathematical symbols and the ever-confounding metric conversions.
Now, sometimes you will need the name for something like the hole in the face of a guitar. You are praying there is a term that alliterates with the adjective you have already chosen to describe it. You rush to the wonderful book (after getting blank stares from anyone you ask about it first, of course), find the section for "music," and are disappointed to find that it is called a "sound hole." It's not a poetic term. It doesn't have any potential for a lyrical metaphor. Still, that's not the fault of the book, is it? At least you'll know that you are on your own for coming up with a term that is kinder to the ear or that, if you settle for "sound hole," there is nothing more accurate available.
Check out the page for "Books." You'll find wonderful terms about your own craft that you've forgotten or never knew--like "mull," "buckram corner piece," and "tail."

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of "This is the Place"

This book is excellent. Especially for curious kids in your house who would like to see more than just one view of a picture. The pictures show inside of things, how things work. Very detailed. My 4 yr old boy carries it around the house.

This is pretty much the definitive English-language guide for tourists. You'll see people toting it along at all of the major historical attractions - with good reason. Like most Eyewitness guides, it is incredibly user-friendly. This book has it all - useful maps, readable background facts, helpful travel tips. My favorite feature is the list of the top ten sites. My only complaint is that the maps do not include the business districts - a serious oversight for the business traveler. Nevertheless, no one should go to Istanbul without a copy of this book close at hand.

The only book, or map you need to take when visiting Istanbul and surrounding areas. Great directions how and where to find ferries and just really great general travel information. Recommend it after using it this past Christmas.

This book was great. It was short but had all the major information on attractions, lodging, restaurants and travel. It was small enough that I didn't mind carrying it around everywhere also. I really liked the suggestions (for example, you may want to go somewhere friendly for your first Turkish bath, as it can be rather intimidating. Their suggestion was friendly and nice). We were short on time, so the highlighted attractions were really nice too. And it had suggestinos on navigating through some of the larger attractions, like Topkapi Palace (it's huge) or putting together attractions that are near each other (Blue Mosque and Hippodrome). The lodging descriptions were quite accurate, nice hotels were truly magnificent and well-described. The pictures were very pleasant, lots of pictures but generally relevant. Also, the food guide was great, because you have to enjoy the wonderful food in Istanbul. It described local specialties, what's in season and a detailed restaurant price and location guide. Also, the maps were very clear and very well done. All-in-all, a great guide, and that if very useful in Istanbul.