Winnicott is so right on with his observations, and in this book his thoughts are accessible to anyone who is interested in learning about how children experience the world and grow into being a part of it. His tone is so compassionate that one just knows he must have been a wonderful therapist - and person. His ideas are easy to follow and he writes as if he is speaking to you, as a friend and a wise person.

Most of the short pieces in this book-a collection of BBC radio talks- are typical of Winnicotts comon-sense views on parents,children and education. The chapter about twins however really stands out and has more to say in five short pages than most other literature on the subject. The difference is that where others see twins more or less as freaks of nature on whom one can test ones ideas about the nature-nurture-issue, Winnicott sees them as individual persons. Where others stress the obvious fact of their similarity, Winnicott stresses that twins are two different persons right from the outset and that being a twin has its advantages, but also its drawbacks for the necessary task of developing ones own personality. he observes that while most twins get along well enough, they often did not manage to distance themselves enough to really love each other. This is a thought-provoking piece. Readers should not be deterred by the books slightly paternalistic tone wich probably went down well during the fifties but does not do so anymore.

Every so often there is a book that is worth reading simply for the pleasure of the words in it, separate from whatever the author is trying to say or tell the reader. This is such a book. The effect is akin to being immersed in the depths of a symphony of words. Otherwise Peattie does an excellent job of explaining the evolution and development of the earths flowering plants. His writing is easily understood and opens botany to the more or less uninformed reader. Read this book for pleasure or for information. You will be pleased you sampled it. This is my second copy. I lent the first out and lost a friend to the book

In this distinguished history of the plant kingdom, Donald Culross Peattie, botanist and nature writer extraordinaire, imaginatively demonstrates that the fates of all living things are bound together. This is nature writing at its best. In the intervening years since this book was written, scientists have made many new discoveries, but few nature writers have surpassed the stylistic beauty and illuminative insight displayed by the author in Flowering Earth. I recommend it to anyone interested in nature. The thoughts expressed are timeless

new and creative vehicle for teaching/exploring analytic thought--the essay--similar in style to Yolam's "Love's Executioner"

This book is a great buy totally the best.

What a gem! I was surprised when I discovered this book. The gist of the book is for the child (or adult) to mark off a square space in the woods and begin exploring and learning. This book is a real integration of activities, suggested observations, and fact. The learner is to explore, dig, look, observe and investigate every inch of this square area. While suggesting the learner look for this or that, the author provides factual information about various findings. The book goes into a lot of detail and there are many things that the author thinks may be found. I bet that the learner won't find everything that is mentioned but that is OK, at least the reader can experience it in reading about it in the book if it is missed "in real life".

The book starts off in autumn, assuming the learner begins in the fall and in an area of deciduous trees. A small sampling of what is addressed in this book is why trees lose their leaves, how trees store energy and make energy, examples of camouflage with animals, migration of birds and butterflies, insects, spiders and their webs, lizards and mammals big and small. As the book progresses winter then spring then summer is discussed.

The illustrations are drawn and in color (just like the cover), these are not photographs. There are loads of details in the drawings. At the back is an illustrated guide to creatures grouped by their classification (leaves, mammals, fungi) and an index.

The learner is encouraged to do creative projects such as leaf and trunk rubbings. Also keeping a nature journal or notebook to record the findings is recommended.

I am surprised that so much information and creative ideas packed into this small and very inexpensive book. This is one in a series of "one small square" books and I plan to buy more to use in our homeschooling adventure. Now this is science!

This book provides a small instant field trip to those students who might not have access to woods. It gives incredible details of what goes on in one small square of woods. For those who have access to wooded areas for exploration...safety tips are included as well as supplies needed for collecting data while exploring. I teach second grade and use all of the Small Square books in my teaching.

Anyone working in the logistics and delivery field must read this book and keep it in your library. The book is all-inclusive so you don't need lots of others. This may help justify the high price.

Impressively presented by Ralph C. Wood (University Professor of Theology and Literature at Baylor University), Contending For The Faith: The Church's Engagement With Culture is a drastic call for Christian churches everywhere to revitalize their role in pointing humankind toward God's way, especially in the face of self-interest pressures exerted on every side of the raucous modern world. Examining neo-conservative and neo-liberal alternatives, presenting means to craft a Christian educational culture, regard for romance in a world where sex is used by the media to sell everything from cars to cigarettes, and much more, Contending For The Faith is a thoughtful and thought-provoking manifesto which is commended to the attention of all Christians, regardless of their creed or denomination.

An outstanding book that must be read

This little book should be required reading for everyone who works with kids who have serious behavior problems. Winnicott was a pediatrician and psychoanalyst who had many years of close, intimate contact with families, especially families of troubled children. He makes a convincing case that children who steal, lie, destroy property, assault others, etc. are attempting to compensate for early separation/loss of an important caregiver. He views such behaviors as attempts to coerce the environment into taking notice and "containing" the child. As such, these behaviors are "hopeful", and are viewed as the child's efforts to reclaim the satisfactions that were lost -- to take back what once was theirs. Children who had adequate care that was lost are the children Winnicott suggests become anti-social. There are numerous vignettes of his personal experiences in trying to treat delinquent kids. He makes a compelling argument for early loss as a decisive factor in later delinquent acts. Although he ultimately felt that "treatment" was only possible after an extended period of "containment", he maintained his conviction that these kids have sustained losses too dreadful for them to think about. He was a good-humored and compassionate clinician with an enduring belief in the profound importance of the child's early relationships. People who work with delinquent kids may just find that Winnicott's understanding of children helps them hang on when the going gets tough. I treasure this book. Another great Winnicott book is "Therapeutic Consultations in Child Psychiatry", an out-of-print classic.

This book is the best reference I've seen for NDS wood design. I found it very useful when I was first learning wood design. It gives a good discussion of most aspects of wood design. The latest edition even covers aspects of the newer industry trends (flexible diaphragm analysis and engineered wood products).

Doctor To The Front: The Recollections Of Confederate Surgeon Thomas Fanning Wood 1861-1865 is the latest addition to the University of Tennessee Press Voices of the Civil War Series and an outstanding contribution to Civil War studies. Military doctors labored through the smoke of battle where impossible conditions and fear of infection compelled them to resort to amputation -- an operation most often performed without painkillers. Thomas Wood's account of his wartime experiences as a Confederate Army surgeon and his recollections of those events provide the reader with a vividly narrated "window in time" to those harrowing days. Very highly recommended for personal, professional, and academic Civil War reading lists and reference collections, Doctor To The Front combines historically significant information with human interest accounts to reveal still another horrific facet of the civil war.