This book is a mix of bad and good rat advice. I will first list the good things about this book. #1 The description of the life of wild rats in their colonies. It's accurate. #2 The pictures : They are by far the best pictures of pet rats I've seen in a book, (so far) #3 It has some OK to Good info on caring for rats but there are other books with much better information like Debbie Ducommuns Rats! #4 The book stresses the need to have more than just one rat. Thats important. The problems with this book are: #1 The author makes blanket statements against any breeding of rats totally not taking into account the fact that there are people who are responsible breeders out there. The author also doesn't explain what needs to be done to responsibly breed, such as before you even think of breeding make sure that you can place all the babies in loving homes, things like that. #2 The author recommends pine bedding, which is well known to have ill effects on rats just like cedar does. #3 On page 36, her logic as to why the life expectency of rats probably can't be increased is muddled and odd. She also states that previously the natural life expectency of rats was thought to be six to seven years. When did anyone think the life expectency of rats was that long? , I've read most books on rats and they all say the average life expectency of rats are two to three years, while some may live to four or five. Anyway this book should be bought with caution, there is alot of good info mixed with bad in this book

I will first list the good things about this book.

#1 The description of the life of wild rats in their colonies. #2 The pictures : They are by far the best pictures of pet rats I've seen in a book, (so far) #3 It has some OK to Good info on caring for rats but there are other books with much better information like Debbie Ducommuns Rats! #4 The book stresses the need to have more than just one rat. Thats important.

The problems with this book are: #1 The author makes blanket statements against any breeding of rats totally not taking into account the fact that there are people who are responsible breeders out there. The author also doesn't explain what needs to be done to responsibly breed, such as before you even think of breeding make sure that you can place all the babies in loving homes, things like that.

#2 The author recommends pine bedding, which is well known to have ill effects on rats just like cedar does.

#3 On page 36, her logic as to why the life expectency of rats probably can't be increased is muddled and odd. She also states that previously the natural life expectency of rats was thought to be six to seven years. When did anyone think the life expectency of rats was that long? , I've read most books on rats and they all say the average life expectency of rats are two to three years, while some may live to four or five.

Anyway this book should be bought with caution, there is alot of good info mixed with bad in this book. For the best book on rats there is, I would recommend Debbie Ducommuns Rats! : For Today's Pet Owner.

All of Kelsey-Woods' books have terrific photos, but poorly organized and often inaccurate information. Sections on hedgehog diet recommend foods that are high in fat, low in protein -- exactly the opposite of what a hedgehog needs. He also recommends the use of gloves while handling hedgehogs -- a true no-no if you ever expect your pet to bond with you. The habitats shown in the book are not large enough for an active hedgehog.

This book is widely distributed, and I am sad every time I see it displayed in a bookstore. Hedgehogs all over the country are receiving sub-standard care because of this book.

My daughter just bought her first hedgehog as a pet. Although she researched hedgehogs before deciding to buy one, she was able to learn some important facts of which she was unaware. This book contains exquisite photographs and stresses the importance of selecting a hedgehog of good health and temperament. It is a good source of information for those who are new to hedgehogs, yet find them totally irresistable. We have all fallen in love with this new prickly family member

This book is laborious, overwritten and poor quality. It is as if the author is trying to demonstrate how many words one can fit into a sentence. For insight into Otters, at a child's reading level, choose a different book.

Otter On His Own: The Story Of A Sea Otter is a children's story by Doe Boyle about a young otter growing up in the natural world. From learning how to eat sea urchins to exploring the underwater cove near where he was born and the world beyond, Otter On His Own is a scientifically accurate, highly enjoyable tale. Simple yet inspiring color illustrations by Robert Lawson add depth to the watery world of the otter pup.

This was a terrible disappointment. As an expatriate with kids, I was looking forward to enjoying this "What is...?" lift-the-flap book, after enjoying What is Easter and What is Christmas. However, this book concentrates on shopping, cooking, and eating. These days Thankgiving is a secular holiday which Americans of all sorts celebrate, so it is not the religious omission I object too, but the oversimplification and glossing over of historical events about which even the youngest of American preschoolers usually hear. Pilgrims are mentioned on only two pages, one of which states that they invited the Indians for dinner, but does not go on to say WHY the Native Americans were part of the first Thanksgiving feast. If it were not for the help the Pilgrims received from the Native Americans, they might not have survived to celebrate. Since four pages are devoted to cooking, I think they could have spared some room for why there is a Thanksgiving at all.

This is the perfect first Thanksgiving book for babies who are old enough to love mice and pumpkins and lift the flaps but much too young to understand history. It covers being thankful for friends and family and food and features an adorable mouse family. My 21 month old loves this book and can't wait to read it every night.

I own one dozen books on rat care, some current, some vintage (ie, printed before 1980). I've read the books by Ducommon, Mays, Fox, Cardinal, Himsel, and Bulla. This book differs from them in that it is intended for the younger rat person, of about 8 or so. It scans the basics of rat care in simple, easy words, copiously illustrated, and with little sidebar snippets of info. It glances briefly at handling your new rat, what to feed him, what sort of home to provide, and how to recognize common health problems in rats, such as ring tail. I've only discovered one outright error in the text, which is a snippet, so it may not be Mr. Viner's words (though the editor should have caught it). On page 7, the norway rat and the roof rat (rattus rattus aka black rat) are confused. This is hardly earth shattering, and the pet care info seems accurate enough.I disagree with the blanket statement that the aquarium home is better than the cage home; both forms have drawbacks and advantages.

I would give this book to a little boy or girl who just got his/her first rat(s). It will inform them of what they need to do and how to do it,and add to the selfconfidence they need in dealing with a new pet. Mom and dad should have a copy of the Ducommon book handy, when more detailed info is needed.

This has the potential for 5 stars, but the clerical errors throughout will become distracting to the reader who pays attention to detail. The prose is riveting from beginning to end. The slice-of-life activities of Bable and his buddies keeps you turning the pages to see what will befall them next. The sketches and vivid descriptions with remembered dialogue all help to make you feel their pain and frustration right along with them. It was a revelation, too, that the rumors were actually true what I'd heard about General MacArthur's reprehensible role during that time. After reading this book, I can believe it all.
SSGT Bable grabs you right off with humor in the first pages, and then he's able to keep you entertained while recalling some of his lowest and discouraging days in some pretty scary places. I'm just glad he made it home and filled in a journal to make this book. It's a slice of history we shouldn't forget.

Mosslachers book on chinchillas is very good in its pictures and general information. In the areas of nutrition and care, however, it is misleading in some areas. It recommends products that cannot be found in the United States and has caused many US owners trying to find the product problems. Its chapter on diseases does not go far enough and does not discuss more than just a few basics. It states that rabbit pellets are "fortified with hormones" [p31] which in the US is not true, and rabbit pellets are ok for chins in this country. It also recommends vinegar in the water to get the animal to drink more, something which is not only not necessary, but unsubstantiated as a problem with chins. E. Cogswell, RN, MS, PH

This book is a good overview at West Africa's attempts to police itself and solve its own problems. It covers the three ECOMOG deployments to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau (this was written before the as of now potential ECOMOG deployment to Cote d'Ivoire) as well as adding several chapters which analyze all three of the deployments and how they succeded or failed in their missions. Finally, a brief view of how ECOMOG and the rest of the world should cooperate is peppered throughout the book. While small, the book is well researched and intelligently put together. It covers the history of each conflict well, and explores the deployments without getting bogged down in details of combat or the establishment of bases, etc. However, I would not reccomend this book to someone who does not already have a basic understanding of West Africa or else of basic peacekeeping principles from operations in other areas of the world. Without this, much of the details needed to fill in some of the gaps in the book would be missing and would bring down the value of the read. This book is not intended to educate a person on each of conflicts, but rather to provide an overview of how ECOMOG/ECOWAS responded to each, and whether lessons were learned.

Lcy Cousins does it again with this colorful Maisy adventure. Follow Maisy during the day, as she dresses, sets the table, plays, and prepares for bed. My child wanted to read this book again and again. The stage-like settings and multiple stickers allow a parent to discuss different action verbs, proper manners, colors, numbers, and a variety of vocabulary words with toddlers. The only drawback--the stickers are not colorforms, they are one-time use only and hard to attach to the slick pages. All in all, a delightful read for parent-toddler storytime.

In a take on the town mouse and the country mouse, Leonni tells the tale of happy forest mice who try to recreate a Mardi Gras celebration of their own, after hearing about it from a city mouse. This fable is, as always beautifully illustrated; although this time, there are no torn-paper mice, but, as my seven-year-old noticed, "really painted" pictures. However, we never find out why the mouse`s tail stays green -- as a reminder, perhaps of the dangers of trying to be what you are not? A little too ambiguous, maybe. Not as captivating as so many of his other stories. Save your money and borrow this from the library.