Now in a newly revised, expanded and updated second edition, The Responsive Public Library: How To Develop And Market A Winning Collection is collaborative written by educator and information science specialist Sharon L. Baker and Karen L. Wallace (Circulation/Reference Librarian, Drake University Law Library, Des Moines, Iowa) is a solid, reliable, and practical guide designed especially for the library staffs of public library systems. Individual chapters address how to know what library patrons need and want the most, choosing appropriate collections at low cost, and effectively evaluating one's collection, marketing practices and much more. An invaluable addition to Library Science supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections, The Responsible Public Library is a well crafted and scholarly book filled from beginning to end with in-depth strategies, rationale, explanations, tips, tricks, techniques and much more for community librarians regardless of the size or nature of the populations they serve.

It might be hard to believe that writing about the making of a telescope could make for a good book. This husband & wife team pulled it off wonderfully. "Revealing the Universe..." takes you easily (even for the novice) through some basic physics and the history of X-Ray astronomy. Then the authors get into the Chandra project proper and the going gets good. They take the reader through the often dramatic process of getting such a complicated and costly project through the cogs of bureaucracy and politics and the infinite patience and perseverence of those scientists and administrators who made the project happen. Among the most interesting parts of the book are the descriptions of the technological miracles the scientists had to perform to make Chandra a reality; the impossibly precise requiements for the mirrors, for example, stretch the imagination and make for great "mind trips". Reading through sections describing crucial "make-or-break" tests of the different components is intense, like watching Robert DeNiro in a great car chase scene. And then, first light...the thing works...just like it was designed...or better! Awesome!
"Revealing the Universe..." is excellent for those interested in astronomy as well as for those interested in expanding your mind with a good read.

City Pig is a cute story of a big city girl with a big city job, drives a big city car and lives in a big city penthouse. She still feel unfulfilled until she meets some pigs living in the country and decides to give up her big city ways. It's a funny story parents will appreciate - especially those who have office jobs. My daughter wanted me to read it to her over and over. It does not put down life in a city, just the job and clothes that came with this particular pig's life. Appropriate for children who live in the city or the country. It is written to encourage children to find the way in life that is right for them individually. Find what makes you happy.

This book brings reality to everyday life - I purchased the soft cover version at Heathrow Airport last Summer (2000) and it was titled Madeline - the City Pig. My 16 month old daugher enjoyed it soo much, the colors and illustrations amazed her as much as the story-line amazed me. The story-line became the topic of conversations at social gatherings and people who read this book to my daughter laughed at poor Madeline who had a work / life balance issue and had to get away from it all and move to the countryside. They too enjoyed it tremendously. Sadly we left the book on a plane over Thanksgiving -so I have spent 4 months looking for Madeline - the City Pig with no success. Now that I have stumbled upon the new title - I will be purchasing it straight away. A wonderful book and one that will be kept in the family heirloom for providing hours of entertainment to our family

As soon as I started reading this book to my 2 year old son I began smiling. It is the wonderful story about Dolores the pig who lives in the city. She appears to have it all, a fast car, a penthouse apartment, a cell phone, but she is just not happy. Her boss tells her to go on vacation and that is when she finds what has been missing in her life. It is a charming story with a great message. I checked it out from the library and now I'm buying it because my son, and I enjoy it so much.

Containing wonderful watercolor illustrations of crocodiles, this is an inspiring introduction to life as seen through the eyes of a crocodile. I especially enjoyed the illustration showing the mother crocodile carrying the baby crocodiles in her mouth. My 8 year old daughter and I had read about this in research she did for a project so it was nice to see this scene depicted. My four year old enjoyed and learned from the book as well.

Before reading this story, the thought of a realistic book about crocodiles being a soothing bed time story seemed unlikely. _Imagine You Are a Crocodile_ manages it quite well. The prose has a nice cadence; the alliteration is wonderful. The words glide off the tongue. The watercolor illustrations are a perfect match for the crocodile's swamp.

The book is written with plenty of action without being too graphic. The crocodile hangs in the water; she jumps and snatches a heron as it flies by; she yawns, closes her eyes and sleeps in the sun. The mother crocodile cares for her newly hatched babies. The book even has some tension as a snake slithers toward the as yet unhatched crocodile eggs.

The words paint a lovely picture of the crocodile's home. The words invoke the senses and invite discussions of the swamp. Flies buzz in the sunshine. The swamp is murky and green. At night, the swamp is steamy and black.

Although this book is a fictional story, it does slide in some interesting information for those newly interested in crocs. Birds pick food from between the crocodile's teeth. The mother crocodile carries her babies in her mouth.

_Imagine You Are a Crococile_ is a favorite at our house with both the parents and the kids. This one I'll never get tired of reading.

For the most part, this book is pretty good. However, I was disappointed that the author uses the term "Killer Whale" instead of "Orca!"

I have a 5 year old nephew I see occasionally. He knows I am a beekeeper and is fascinated, bombarding his grandmother with honeybee questions. The rating on this book is level 1 for pre-school and grade 1- Beginning to read. I think this is a little agressive for that level as many of the words are rather specific to the topic and not commonly used by this age children. I think it would be suitable for older or precocious children with a larger vocabulary. The pictures are actual photographs of good quality and dominate the page. The pictures include details of the "stuff" of the interior of the beehive and accurate descriptions. Closeups of grubs and adult honeybees will hold his interest long after the reading has been commonplace.

My son - just now five - really enjoyed this book. It shows a boy - William looking out his window as the seasons progress. The pictures are colorful and up-to-date. This book would be enjoyable for parents and kids alike. The flow of this book plus the "cool" pictures make it better than average bedtime reading and the with the weather the way it is these days - expanding your child's weather vocabulary seems like a good idea!