Chasing northern leopard frogs and spring peepers is a worthy pastime for kids. I discovered this when I was six at a lake in southwestern Michigan when I brought home an unexpected new pet from a duck pond. "Frogs: A Wildlife Handbook" is a great guide for moms and dads to help sort through what Junior brings home from his adventures.

This handbook provides the Latin name, a description, habitat, size and vocal call of each listed frog. There's a watercolor illustration of the frog, and a map of what range that frog has. You can know for sure if your find is truly a leopard frog.

More than a mere species descriptor, we read about the anatomy of frog types. Excellent diagrams of their skeletal structure, of how their tongues grab insects in mid-air, and of a tadpole metamorphosis are all highlights.

Predators and disease have their own chapters, and are worth reading. This helps put science (for nonscientists) behind the news about environmental concerns, as well as direct landowners through what's going on in their ponds.

On the fun side, we get a list of other languages' terms for 'frog'. In Hungary, you'll learn it is 'béka,' in Gaelic, 'losgann,' and in Hmong, a frog is called 'hma'.

I've read dozens of frog books for grown-ups and children, and am pleased to have read this one. While a six year-old might be overwhelmed with this one, he'll enjoy the pictures and grow into it. Everyone else will find it a useful guide for knowing one frog from another.

Anthony Trendl

Kim Long's handbook on frogs is exactly what you need if you're looking for any type of information on frogs. I've read a lot about frogs before this book, but nothing has given such a broad variety of topics in such a straight-forward fashion. I've learned so much about this fascinating species from these pages. Trust me, you can't go wrong with this great book!

This book is an excellent choice for any young people longing to know more about space. In the book, Kim Long informs kids how to become ready for the exciting, but tough, life of an astronaut. It explains how to get involved with math and science, which are two keys to becoming an astronaut. "The Astronaut Training Book for Kids" also describes some hands-on vacations, sure to be a lot of fun. The author also describes the future of the space program, and a small bit about the history of it. I'd recommend this book to any individual thinking about their future...in space

My friends and I have been playing a Deadlands game off and on since the game came out-- in our current incarnation, we decided (being Southern by nature) to make Southern characters. Without this book, we would've been lost. New edges, new hindrances (if you don't know what I'm talking about, buy the Player's Guide & see), and marvelously in-depth descriptions of various cities throughout the South, including our very own Savannah-- this book contains all of that and more. Marshals who want to take their campaigns "Back East" will find plenty of inspiration here. Notable inclusions include new edges such as Gallows Humor and Rebel Yell, as well as rules for Southern-style duels. This book will definitely add personality to your posse.

A real gem. Kim Klein shares not only her widely reknowned wisdom and guidance, but she really helps you stay focused on and enthusiastic about the social change your nonprofit is committed to. Especially during these times of tightening budgets and limited resources, this book is a fantastic resource.

This is the best reference book on hummingbirds I own. Small enough to use as a field guide yet covers everything you need to know to study hummingbirds. Good drawings,vital statistics, and range maps of the United States Hummingbirds plus information about the hummingbird family [Trochilidae]

This is an excellent introduction for people who want to understand the motion of the moon across the sky. Great pictures and readable.

If you are going to be fly fishing in Colorado or Wyoming you absolutely must track down a copy of this out-of-print book. It crams an incredible amount of useful information into 149 pages of easy to read prose, charts and illustrations -- nearly all of which is as valid today as when first printed in 1987. Wish I could find more copies to use as gifts for friends!

This book is readable and decently-written. I found myself wishing for more in-depth information. The book is illustrated with good-quality drawings. I enjoyed it, but craved more depth. Probably unrealistic of me to expect it from a book with 150 or so pages of text.

The book has a brief coverage of relevant Indian legends, a surprising amount of information on details of the different species of prairie dog, how the prairie dog fits into the ecosystem, and decent coverage of animals with close ties, such as the black-footed ferret. The main place I felt "shorted" is the brief coverage of prairie dog behavior.

The newest addition to the outstanding "Johnson Nature Series", Prairie Dogs: A Wildlife Handbook by wildlife expert Kim Long is an amazing, informative, "reader friendly" guide to a fascinating species of small mammal. Prairie Dogs thoroughly documents the species, habits, and habitats of the prairie dog as well as relating myths and folklore. A highly enjoyable, information-packed book Prairie Dogs is enthusiastically recommended reading for anyone with an interest in these sociable, energetic creatures and a welcome addition to school and community library wildlife reference collections.

I borrowed this book form the library last month. The one thing I don't like about the book is the part where Pyungsoo tells Junehee that she looks like "an Africa" when she came back from vacationing with her family. If Koreans/Asians think Africans look strange then I wouldn't want my children reading this book(when I do have children). It seems that Asians dislike Blacks and it shows up everywhere,from business/economics to publications and also socially. Otherwise the book is okay,and it gives adolescents good knowledge of Korean culture and lifestyle.

Even though I'm not finish with this book, I think that it is really boring. It doesn't have anyhting interesting about it. Well, maybe in the begining because that was what caught my attention but when it got to the middle it was just plain boring. I think that it shouldn't babble about how the parents fight and talk about how Pyungsoo is doing.

Since this book is told through the voice of an 11-year old it has been deemed "Young Adult Fiction". In reality it is a fascinating portrait of Korean life and traditions.

In Korean tradition, a son is supposed to take care of his parents, and a daughter's job is to take care of her husband and her in-laws. A family without a son, is a family without a caretaker. Women who do not produce sons are shunned and are mistreated.

The oldest child is also given special treatment. The protagonist's mother is referred to not by name, but as the oldest daughter's mother. As the second daughter, of four, Junehee must navigate between her oldest sister's demands, her withdrawn father, her domineering grandmother and her mother's sadness. The family also includes a servant-girl, a young woman of 19 whose parents can no longer afford to feed her.

This book deals with the stark realities of life outside the United States. For young first generation Asians, I think this is a fascinating portrait of their parent's childhood. For those interested in Asian culture and society, at any age, this is a very valuable book.

My husband just gave me this book after I talked about how much I enjoy watching squirrels in our neighborhood and that I wanted to learn more about them. I haven't read the entire book yet, but so far it is very interesting. Sometimes the everyday things in our world can be the most fascinating.

This book is useful as a reference work for the backyard wildlife enthusiast. I maintain a web site about squirrels, and I often refer to my copy to answer online questions from people around the world. My only criticism is that some of the artwork is not entirely realistic. Some of the drawings have the squirrels' heads shaped more like a seal than a rodent.