Draw 50 Birds: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Chickadees, Peacocks, Toucans, Mallards, and Many More of Our Feathered Friends (Draw 50 Series , No 25)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Most Useful
  • Very good
Draw 50 Birds: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Chickadees, Peacocks, Toucans, Mallards, and Many More of Our Feathered Friends (Draw 50 Series , No 25)
Lee J. Ames , and Tony D'Adamo
Manufacturer: Main Street Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0385471637
Release Date: 1996-12-01

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Most Useful.......2005-10-28

This was the most useful book for learning to draw birds that I have found to date. It was easy to follow, the drawings were accurate without being overly ornate, and the diversity of birds was perfect. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to learn to draw, and especially for those who want to draw birds.

5 out of 5 stars Very good.......2003-02-05

good book. when Lee J. Ames draws with someone else it is a bit harder. still easy and fun.
Fine Feathered Friends: All About Birds (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Fine Feathered Friends
  • Learning to love nature
Fine Feathered Friends: All About Birds (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)
Tish Rabe
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679883622
Release Date: 1998-10-13

Book Description

Bee hummingbirds, ostriches, flycatchers, chickadees, and bald eagles! Dick and Sally find themselves on a bird-watching tour led by the Cat in the Hat. After a quick lesson on just exactly what a bird is, they go motoring around the world to observe our fine feathered friends in their natural habitats. Time flies, and soon it's late, but the Cat saves the day by shifting his vehicle into Fine Feather All-Weather Flying Machine mode and winging Dick and Sally back home.  

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Fine Feathered Friends.......2003-11-08

In this book the cat in the hat comes back again to visit Dick and Sally, but this time he doesn't create a mess. This time he has come to teach them all about birds. To start off with he talks about birds in general, how they have feathers and a tail and hatch out of eggs. Then he, Thing 1, and Thing 2 take Sally and Dick to different places to introduce them to several different types of birds, such as the spoonbill, emperor penguin, bald eagle, ostrich and more. The cat then leads them all into his Fine Feather, All-Weather Flying Machine, getting them home just in time so that their mother doesn't notice they were gone. This book is very informative, and is written in rhyme. The pictures are bright, bold and colorful. Somehow though, this book fails to capture my attention and hold it, making it not one of the best books I've read by this author.

Loggie-log-log-log

5 out of 5 stars Learning to love nature.......2000-06-10

This book engaged my 4 year old daughter from the moment she saw the cover. The combination of familiar characters (The Cat in the Hat, Sally) and silly Seuss-like rhymes and drawings is a wonderful vehicle for teaching preschoolers simple biology concepts. My daughter laughed while learning about the biggest, smallest, and quirkiest members of the bird family. This book is part of a series that spans birds, fish, mammals, insects, and dinosaurs. As a group, the series is a great tool to teach children about groupings in nature (i.e., what do mammals, insects, birds have in common?, how do they differ?). Even adults can learn a fact or two while reading to the little ones!
Bird Signs: Guidance and Wisdom from Our Feathered Friends (Book & Cards)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Wonderful Representation of our Feathered Friends!
  • It's an excellent pick for any new age collection or card reader.
  • Lovely Oracle Dedicated to Birds
Bird Signs: Guidance and Wisdom from Our Feathered Friends (Book & Cards)
G.G. Carbone
Manufacturer: New World Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

BirdsBirds | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 157731543X

Book Description

Birds are so common in everyday life that most people take them for granted, viewing them as nothing more than colorful diversions. Bird Signs shows a different and deeper side of our avian friends. The book presents birds as gateways to self-knowledge. According to author G. G. Carbone, birds are symbols that can help us reflect on events, make nurturing decisions, and focus on spiritual growth. Particular birds exemplify characteristics that seekers can find, or search for, in themselves — examples include the flamingo’s balance and the chickadee’s playfulness. Divided into sections of Bird Traits, Bird Wisdom, Broken Wing, Bird Vision, and Bird Lore, the book contains a wealth of cultural and historical facts, along with guided meditations that incorporate chakras, yoga poses, and visualization. The colorful divination deck contains 52 cards that can be used individually or as daily or weekly card spreads.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful Representation of our Feathered Friends!.......2007-07-24

I highly recommend this book and card set. G.G. Carbone did an excellent job of describing each one of these different birds. The representation of them was phenomenal. I am very metaphysical, and I feel these were fabulous. I also thought they gave good insight about each bird species from a Wild standpoint too( Out in Nature). I was very pleased with this Set of cards. I have worked with animals very closely all of my life, and I share my life with a Macaw parrot.( Her Card hit right on with the Parrot.) She described what each bird pretty much has shown me in my lifetime. I am so happy that I have these in my collection. Thanks G.G. I will cherish this Deck forever.

The artwork is also Esquisite. Well worth the purchase for the artwork also. I especially love the Peacock. Great CARDS!

I give these cards a great recommendation. I Love them!

5 out of 5 stars It's an excellent pick for any new age collection or card reader........2007-06-10

BIRD SIGNS: GUIDANCE & WISDOM FROM OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS offers a 52-card deck and book written by G.G. Carbone and illustrated by Mary Ruzicka to explore birds and their connections to divinity. These divination cards can be used individually or in spreads - and each profiles a specific bird or aspect of bird life, with an accompanying book providing a focus on bird relations to human characteristics. It's an excellent pick for any new age collection or card reader.

4 out of 5 stars Lovely Oracle Dedicated to Birds.......2007-03-28

"Birds appear in our lives for a reason. Sometimes these winged creatures are here for a brief time and sometimes for an extended stay. We may not always know why a bird appears to us at a particular moment, but with this book and card deck, you will become more aware of the guidance and wisdom that our feathered friends convey to us every day." - From the Bird Signs companion book

As one who has received many oracular insights from feathered friends over the years, I was thrilled to see a new deck dedicated solely to birds. From cardinal to penguin, lark to owl, Bird Signs covers 52 different birds (and thus has 52 cards). Attractively packaged in a colorful, sturdy box that seals with a magnetic flap, the Bird Signs kit also includes a lovely 133-page glossy companion book featuring full-color illustrations.

When I received Bird Signs, published by New World Library, I was truly impressed with the quality of the packaging/storage box, the guidebook, and the cards themselves. In my mind, no one rivals baba studio/Magic Realist Press (Victorian Flower Oracle, Fairytale Tarot, The Tarot of Prague Kit, etc.) when it comes to deck and book sets. However, I have to say that Bird Signs rivals the quality of those kits!

With her favorite mediums being pen and ink with colored pencils, illustrator Mary Ruzicka infuses each bird with gentle lines, flowing curves, and realistic hues. From the peaceful dove to the beautiful swan, the happy bluebird to the adventurous roadrunner, Ms. Ruzicka delightfully captures the unique character of each bird--inviting humans to study them, learn from them, and contemplate their messages.

Written by G.G. Carbone, the Bird Signs companion book explains the framework of the deck, which constitutes 45 bird cards and 7 feathered friends cards. Bedecked with rainbow-colored ribbons and relevant motifs, the special feathered friend cards represent a specific intention, chakra, chakra color, and physical area of the body. They can be used alone for inspiration or with the rest of the deck for additional illumination. For example, the yellow Egg - Birth card addresses new births of all kinds and the Solar Plexus Chakra. The blue Song - Voice card deals with communication and the Throat Chakra.

Upright meanings for all cards are provided, as well as reversed meanings. Ms. Carbone gives a brief bio of each bird, as well as Bird Wisdom (interpretation), Broken Wing (reversed meaning), Bird Vision (how you can "see" from a bird's particular perspective) , and a piece of bird lore (not necessarily about the bird). Keywords, healing colors, and a message is also provided.

Printed on a smooth matte finish, the Bird Signs cards measure approximately 5 ¼ x 3 ½ inches. Flexible and easy to shuffle, the card backings depict a simple, yet attractive, double feather motif with greens, blues, and purples that are fully reversible.

Some of the birds and their wisdom found in Bird Signs include:

* Waxwing - Curiosity
* Hummingbird - Energy
* Robin - Joy
* Flamingo - Balance
* Woodpecker - Hope
* Jay - Communication
* Duck - Decision
* Hawk - Observation
* Roadrunner - Adventure
* Gull - Laughter
* Raven - Illusion
* Parrot - Creativity
* Oriole - Compassion
* Stork - Reliability
* Pheasant - Opportunity
* Heron - Patience
* Eagle - Freedom
* Penguin - Purpose
* Chickadee - Playfulness

Despite the utter gorgeousness of the box, cards, and companion book, I admit that I'm a bit disappointed in this oracle. I did a few one-card readings the last few days, and each time, the message was totally off base. For example, I drew the Rooster yesterday, which is about 180 from how I am, where I am, and what I know to be at this time in my life. For example, if I'm in sync with this card, I'm an early riser, need courage to face the day, and have difficulty getting out of bed.

Nothing could be further from the truth! I'm a night owl (it's wired in my DNA), get out of bed easily, and joyfully look forward to each day that is filled with promise and abundant blessings. (No, not being a Pollyanna here--it's really how I am!) I did another one-card reading, with equally irrelevant results. However, I DID do a 3-card Past/Present/Future spread (called the Wingspan Spread in the Bird Signs companion book), and drew three of the special feathered friends cards. This reading was highly accurate. Go figure!

As I read through the Bird Signs book, I felt that some of the interpretations were too simplistic and, well, *practical* (e.g. "Go on a picnic" and "try saltwater fishing"). Perhaps I'm just used to, or prefer, more psychologically oriented interpretations. Granted, Ms. Carbone provides quite a bit of information--but it seems a bit superficial at times. Maybe I was expecting interpretations and facts along the lines of Ted Andrews' Animal Speak. (If you're used to that book, you may be a bit disappointed with this deck if you're expecting more depth.)

However, I think Bird Signs could certainly be used in accordance with a book like Animal Speak, which provides depth and breadth to animal divination. Also, the bird cards would be great meditation tools for those with avian affinity, as well as a starting point for looking up birds who fly into your life.

(To see 10 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)
The Ultimate Birdhouse Book: 40 Functional, Fantastic & Fanciful Homes to Make for Our Feathered Friends
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Birds never had it so good!
  • Change of Pace!
  • Great Hobby Book
  • Imaginative designs in a well illustrated book
The Ultimate Birdhouse Book: 40 Functional, Fantastic & Fanciful Homes to Make for Our Feathered Friends
Deborah Morgenthal
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ProjectsProjects | Woodworking | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0806999357

Amazon.com

Many of us have tried at one time in our lives to construct some kind of rudimentary birdhouse, or at least imagined doing so, whether we ever actually saw the thing through to completion and had feathered residents move in. For everyone who has even a slight interest in the idea, this book will surprise and delight. From the most basic box to some extraordinarily elaborate constructions, the sheer variety and inventiveness of some of the designs described in hundreds of full-color photographs will provide lively inspiration. And once inspired, the detailed plans and instructions will get the reader started with the right tools and materials. One is tempted to say, "This book is for the birds," but the fact is, many of these designs are so artful and attractive that they would be completely at home on a mantle or on a desktop as artwork and might never find themselves in the great outdoors housing our fine feathered friends. Perhaps not every bird would fully appreciate the whimsy and art of some of these birdhouses, but the reader certainly will. --Mark A. Hetts

Book Description

Make a Bluebird Cathedral, a Frank Lloyd Wright Wren House, an 1840s Tobacco Barn, a Victorian Flicker House--and more. Plus, use birdhouse designs as other items around the house, including a CD cabinet based on an Egyptian-themed birdhouse; a gilded grape-and-pear-motif birdhouse that's really a floor lamp; or a beautiful ex-birdhouse Distressed Double-Decker Clock. Try several versions of a simple wren house, each contributed by a top designer who started with the same basic design and created his or her own special styles.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Birds never had it so good!.......2003-05-27

Hello All,

Birds never had it so good or, at least that's what you'll be saying after you build a few of the houses in this book. I never in my WILDEST dreams, would have come up with some of the designs in this book! Creative to say the least!! If I have one gripe about this book, it would be that the plans could have been a WEE bit clearer. The directions / drawings on some of the projects aren't as clear as I've seen in other publications so, this is why I'm giving it a lower rating. Also, I think the book could state SOMEWHERE in it that, "birds don't really like painted houses".

Other than those points I've pointed out here, it's a good book at a reasonable price.

Ciao!!

4 out of 5 stars Change of Pace!.......2000-06-24

I have purchased several birdhouse books and have been mostly disapointed with dull clunky outdated designs that are just down right ugly. This book is fresh air with fresh modern designs that are fun for the builder not just the bird! If you just want a birdhouse of clunky 1 inch stock painted in eyesore babyblue dont buy this book. This is a fun easy to build birdhouse book for the discriminating creative birdhouse builder.

5 out of 5 stars Great Hobby Book.......2000-04-23

My dad makes birdhouses as a hobby. Someone gave him this book for his birthday. This is a great book with super ideas. He liked it so much, I plan on getting another one for a gift.

4 out of 5 stars Imaginative designs in a well illustrated book.......1998-11-05

If you want to build a birdhouse and need help with the design, you'll like this book. It will stretch your imagination and teach you a new way of looking at a most common object.

It includes forty birdhouse designs from twenty different designers, each text illustrated with photos and drawings. Designs range from totally "cute" to ultra contemporary and everything in between. Construction difficulty varies from simple, elementary butt joints to more sophisticated and difficult curved laminations. Ya pays your money, as the saying goes, and ya takes yer cherce!

Each plan has a materials list, a cut list, a tools needed list, and step-by-step instructions. I can see an entire family, Dad, Mom and kids, all building different bird houses out of this book, each according to his or her interests and woodworking skill level.

My personal favorites are the Diad, a modern back-to-back "duplex" for two separate bird families; the weathered barn with the Mail Pouch Chewing Tobacco ad on the side; and the design that is patterned after the work of the great architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Whether you build one of these designs or a design of your own, you'll find in this book a wealth of tips on how to attract and protect "our feathered friends."
Birdhouses: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Attractive Homes for Your Feathered Friends
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Birdhouses: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Attractive Homes for Your Feathered Friends
    John Kelsey
    Manufacturer: PRC Publishing
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 1856486494

    Book Description

    “The designs are not only attractive but also include practical features like openings for cleaning and predator-proof designs....The best birdhouse title to come along in some time, this is recommended for all public libraries.”—Library Journal. “A step-by-step guide to building 14 nest box projects, suitable for the beginner and more experienced woodworker.”—Woodshop News.
    My Fine Feathered Friend
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • A Friend Like No Other
    • A mysterious arrival and departure, a story of friends.
    • A very quick and light-hearted read
    • Great gift book
    • One heck of a chicken....
    My Fine Feathered Friend
    William Grimes
    Manufacturer: North Point Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    BirdsBirds | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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    1. Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance: Reflections on Raising Chickens Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance: Reflections on Raising Chickens

    ASIN: 0865476322

    Book Description

    Boy Meets Bird.
    Boy Gets Bird.
    Boy Loses Bird
    An Urban Folktale.

    One day in the dead of winter, New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes looked out the window into his backyard in Queens and saw a chicken, jet black with a crimson comb. Wherever it had come from, it showed no sign of leaving, and it quickly made a place for itself among the society of resident stray cats. Before long, the chicken became the Chicken, and it began to arouse not only Grimes's protective impulses but also his curiosity. He discovered that chickens were domesticated first as fighters, not food; that egg-laying is triggered by exposure to light; that chickens were a fashion statement in Victorian days. He began to probe the mysteries of gallinaceous behavior, learning to distinguish a dust bath from a death dance and how to cater to his guest's eclectic palate. And when the Chicken began to repay his hospitality with five or six custom-laid eggs per week, Grimes had an answer to the age-old conundrum of which came first: the Chicken.

    And then one day, obeying some bird-brained logic of its own -- or perhaps the victim of fowl play -- the Chicken vanished, leaving Grimes eggless but with this funny, enlightening, and heartwarming tale to tell.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars A Friend Like No Other.......2006-01-07

    My Fine Feathered Friend
    By William Grimes
    North Point Press 2002
    $15 USA, $24.95 Canada
    85 pages, illustrations
    ISBN: 0-86547-632-2

    Reviewed by Karen Davis, PhD, President of United Poultry Concerns

    "I looked at the Chicken endlessly, and I wondered. What lay behind the veil of animal secrecy?"

    My Fine Feathered Friend is a bittersweet tale that leaves you aching after you put the book away. In part this is because the main character, a large handsome black hen who appears mysteriously one winter day in the writer's yard in Queens, disappears as mysteriously as she arrived. This is a true story. The author, William Grimes, a restaurant critic for The New York Times, is intrigued, fascinated, and finally haunted, by this hen. He perceives her as a kind of Earth Goddess, as solid as a tree trunk, rugged, compact, able and enduring, yet elusive, vulnerable, and, ultimately, as ephemeral as a fairy princess. She vanishes when he comes to love her. He calls the hen, simply and archetypally, the Chicken.

    When I first started reading My Feathered Friend, I was put off by the tone. Grimes refers to the hen for a number of pages as "it," while referring to his and his wife's cats as "hes" and "shes." His style is pat with similes and cultivated assurance. I thought, okay, Grimes wants to make sure that no one, including himself, gets emotionally involved with this chicken. He's keeping the lines drawn. But I was wrong. The story reflects his growing tenderness for the Chicken, moving through levity and wonderment to love, sorrow and loss.

    The Chicken has an aura of the "familiar" in folklore, an enigmatic being regarded as both a homely acquaintance and a supernatural spirit embodied in an animal that links that animal to a particular person while retaining an inviolable otherness. Grimes's Chicken is like a visitor from another planet (exotic and ineffable) who probably escaped from the local poultry market in Queens (squalid and local). She is a hero and a survivor -- "a brave little refugee"-- who flouts false stereotypes about chickens. "I'd look out back and see a cat chasing the Chicken across the yard," Grimes writes. "Ten minutes later I'd see the Chicken chasing a cat." She is at once endearingly personal and profoundly impersonal. She has her own projects. She is self-possessed. She projects an arch authority, like the author himself. She dominates Grimes's yard, his cats, and his consciousness. She is, he confesses protectively, "a hard read."

    The Chicken tracks through the universe by way of a residential patch of earth -- a "pocket paradise" reclaimed from a "wasteland of weeds" in New York City. She captures the eye of a beholder who becomes a Witness driven to Inscribe Her Being. Grimes attempts to fit what he "knows" about chickens (he eats them and makes his living writing about them as food; otherwise he says "the humble chicken was foreign to me") with his deepening perception of, identification with, and ultimate yearning and mourning over this particular hen. She moves him. He is affected by her "air of mystery," her "appetite for play," her "brilliant evasive maneuvers," her "genuine courage," her "character," her "willful high-spirit," her evocation of what the poet William Wordsworth inestimably versed as "something ever more about to be."

    Grimes reads up on chickens, passing on to us pieces of information (some accurate, some not) about Gallus domesticus in folklore, history, and poultry manuals, as a backdrop to, an explanation of, the Chicken, a creature so definite, and infinite, so solid and numinous, she eludes classification. He muses:

    "Was it pure coincidence that she liked to sneak up on Yowzer, the cat most likely to develop a nervous twitch when caught unawares? Time after time I saw the Chicken trot up delicately when Yowzer had his back turned, squawk a couple of times, and then watch as the cat leaped a couple of vertical feet. The Chicken, after a successful ambush, would run off jauntily, with a cackle that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle."

    At other times, "I'd see Bruiser and Crusher snoozing in the basket, Yowzer draped along a nearby wooden bench, and the dark, shapeless form of Midnight filling out the sagging seat of an old sea grass chair we had bought for a couple of dollars at a yard sale. And in the midst of the group, perfectly content, sat the Chicken. It was a heartwarming sight."

    One night a police helicopter hovers over the yard, causing the pine tree in which the Chicken is roosting to sway violently under a wind of hurricane force. "Somewhere, deep in the branches," Grimes writes, "the Chicken was holding on for dear life. I couldn't begin to imagine what was going through her tiny mind. By now, I figured, she had either suffered a fatal heart attack or had been dashed to the ground. But no. The next morning, amid wreckage out of Apocalypse Now, the Chicken reappeared, brimful of vim and vigor."

    But one spring day, the Chicken is gone. She does not return. Grimes and his wife Nancy look everywhere. They wrack their brains trying to remember if there were any behavioral signs they failed to notice. "The previous afternoon I had watched her resting comfortably in her nest beneath the pine tree," Grimes writes. "I searched for signs of violence but did not find any. The only trace of the Chicken was a single black feather near the back door. The Chicken was definitely, profoundly missing."

    It is hard reading the final pages of this book. The depression Grimes describes is not roguish but real, though he tries to make light. "We had grown to love the Chicken," he says. We believe him: so had we. "She really was a big presence in the backyard," Nancy sighs. You go back to the book cover and study the jet black sweet bird face with its rosy comb and pert expression, framed in an oval mirror. If you know chickens, you know the look of that bright round eye, so attentive yet pensive.

    My Feathered Friend is like an exquisite blade sliced across your bowels in the midst of a light-hearted romp that won't heal. The book ends with unappeased longing and unsettled questions (unhappy questions on many levels), not "closure," nor should it. Though Grimes says the story is "at an end, at least for us," still, he wonders and hopes, maybe the Chicken will come back. Maybe she's on a journey. He bought things for her. He and Nancy wait for her. They keep a light in the window. Maybe he'll wake up one morning, look out the window, and see "a large feathered form bustling around the patio, scattering cat food and clucking."

    But for now, as Alice Walker said about a horse named Blue, in her excruciating essay, "Am I Blue,"* let us not let the animals whom we piercingly perceive become for us merely "images" of what they once so beautifully expressed and are. The Chicken is every chicken. One like no other. Take the next step.


    *In Living By the Word: Selected Writings 1973-1987. This book of Walker's essays also includes "Why Did the Balinese Chicken Cross the Road?" ("[T]o try to get both of us to the other side.")
    _________________________________________________________________
    Karen Davis, PhD, is the founder and President of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization that promotes the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl (www.upc-online.org). She is the author of Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry; A Home for Henny; Instead of Chicken, Instead of Turkey: A Poultryless "Poultry" Potpourri"; More Than a Meal: The Turkey in History, Myth, Ritual, and Reality (Lantern Books, 2001); and The Holocaust and the Henmaid's Tale: A Case for Comparing Atrocities (Lantern Books, 2005).







    5 out of 5 stars A mysterious arrival and departure, a story of friends........2005-06-27

    A poignantly told memoir of a season spent in the company of a somewhat bohemian chicken. I gave a copy of this book to my vet after we tried for several months to save the life of one of my pet chickens. She hadn't much experience with chickens, more so with the fanicier hookbills often found in one's the parlor, so I wanted her to know what it was like to know a chicken on a more personal level. The author accomplishes this very well, sharing valuable chicken lore with his affectionate and often respectful look at the life of a chicken and life from The Chicken's point of view.

    5 out of 5 stars A very quick and light-hearted read.......2003-03-04

    I ran across this book at the library looking for substantive books on chickens--the cute cover caught my eye. This is a very entertaining and enjoyable read!

    I'd recommend this book as one you'll finish quickly, share with a friend or two, and want to read again yourself one day.

    5 out of 5 stars Great gift book.......2003-02-16

    This extremely short book really qualifies as more essay than "book," and as much as I enjoyed it, I wondered who would shell out hard-earned cash for its slim contents.

    Then I found myself handing it around to people as I would share a cartoon or funny email. "Zip through it over lunch," I said, "Take it instead of a magazine while you're waiting for your oil change or dentist appointment."

    And so I learned what this book is best for: for a few bucks, you can pass a smile around to your friends. The eye-catching cover is hard for anyone to resist, and the illustrations are great. If you know someone who's been adopted by a stray animal, this is perfect for them. But if not, pass it on anyway. It's a light, funny read that will make anyone smile.

    In Grime's hands this unusual bird manages a truly universal appeal. I loved the pleasure it seemed to take in sneaking up behind a skittish cat and sending the cat vertically airborne with a sudden cackle. Then there's the pet store employee who tries to explain that they don't carry chicken feed, because a chicken is not a "particular animal." Grimes has an eye and ear for gem moments like these.

    5 out of 5 stars One heck of a chicken...........2003-02-03

    This is an absolutely adorable story about a man who comes to know and love a chicken who suddenly appeared in his backyard. I first read the authors article about the enigmatic and willful chicken in the New York Times and I actually saved that article because I enjoyed it so thoroughly. My Fine Feathered Friend is just as charming as that article was and better since the author is able to elaborate more on the chicken's fantastic personality and the personalities of the numerous cats that interact with the tenacious bird. The author really knows how to describe animals and the cats encounters with the chicken are truly vivid and terribly amusing. You will not forget this chicken. Its personality lingers long after the final page. The book is a joy and I highly recommend it. Thank you, Mr. Grimes, for sharing such a delightful story!
    Architectural Birdhouses: 15 Famous Buildings to Make for Your Feathered Friends
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Architectural Birdhouses
    Architectural Birdhouses: 15 Famous Buildings to Make for Your Feathered Friends
    Thomas Stender
    Manufacturer: Lark Books
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
    ResidentialResidential | Building Types & Styles | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Construction | Civil | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
    ProjectsProjects | Woodworking | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
    Buildings & ConstructionBuildings & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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    2. The New Birdhouse Book: Inspiration and Instruction for Building 50 Birdhouses The New Birdhouse Book: Inspiration and Instruction for Building 50 Birdhouses
    3. Build Your Own Birdhouses: From Simple, Natural Designs to Spectacular, Customized Houses and Feeders Build Your Own Birdhouses: From Simple, Natural Designs to Spectacular, Customized Houses and Feeders
    4. The Complete Book of Birdhouse Construction for Woodworkers The Complete Book of Birdhouse Construction for Woodworkers
    5. Birdhouses You Can Build In A Day Birdhouses You Can Build In A Day

    ASIN: 1579902367

    Book Description

    "...birds...will be singing about Stender's designs. He has created plans for a number of birdhouses that replicate famous buildings or architectural styles...a Gothic cathedral, the Chrysler building, and an Arts and Crafts bungalow...These...are also practical, with hinged openings for cleaning and appropriate dimensions for specific species...clear instructions supplemented by numerous color photos; these designs are within the abilities of most woodworkers. Every public library should consider this title."--Library Journal.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Architectural Birdhouses.......2005-09-29

    This is an excellent book. I'm always searching for inspiration for new bird house designs, and the examples shown here are spectacular.
    Feathered Friends of Texas: A Birdwatching Guide for Children
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Feathered Friends of Texas: A Birdwatching Guide for Children
      Jane Scoggins Bauld , and Gayle Waldrip
      Manufacturer: Eakin Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      NonfictionNonfiction | Birds | Animals | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
      NonfictionNonfiction | Birds | Animals | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
      BirdwatchingBirdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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      1. Texas in Bloom: A Wildflower Guide for Children Texas in Bloom: A Wildflower Guide for Children

      ASIN: 1571687718

      Book Description

      Have you ever seen a cedar waxwing? Do you know what habitat a roadrunner prefers? Or how many eggs a ruby-throated hummingbird lays, and what its nest looks like? This guide will answer your questions about Texas birds, and its beautiful photographs will help you recognize them.
      Birdwise: Forty Fun Feats for Finding Out About Our Feathered Friends
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Birdwise: Forty Fun Feats for Finding Out About Our Feathered Friends
        Pamela M. Hickman , and Judie Shore
        Manufacturer: Addison Wesley Publishing Company
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        NonfictionNonfiction | Birds | Animals | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
        ZoologyZoology | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
        ASIN: 0201517574
        Fancy Feathered Friends for Quilters
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • Excellent !
        Fancy Feathered Friends for Quilters
        Susan McKelvey
        Manufacturer: American Quilter's Society
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        GeneralGeneral | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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        ASIN: 1574328123

        Book Description

        Charming bird designs were everywhere in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They graced linens, china, fabric, jewelry, greeting cards, feed sacks, and more, and inevitably found their way into embroidery kits and quilt patterns, too. From the front parlor, to the bedroom, to the kitchen, bird designs were indicative of the era. Susan McKelvey's much-loved collection of antique bird design items inspired the designs in 'Fancy Feathered Friends for Quilters.' Her aviary of exquisite birds, from the whimsical to the realistic, will enchant quilters of every skill level. Two dozen patterns feature popular bluebirds, purple martins, doves, and swallows, with blocks ranging in style from folk-art to Baltimore Album. Birds swoop in flight, flutter over branches, stand in classic profile, and snuggle together as lovebirds. Susan adds vines, leaves, flowers, branches, vases, and fruits to showcase each bird perfectly. To add to their versatility, patterns can be appliqued, embroidered, or painted. Mix and match elements to create your own unique designs. An extensive gallery of quilts beautifully showcases the designs, providing inspiration and options. Susan shares her expertise on how to use ink pens to create shading and outline details. A section on color shows how to use hue, value, and intensity to advantage. AUTHORBIO: Susan McKelvey caught the quilting bug in 1977 in a quilting class in Greensboro, North Carolina. Although quilting was not a part of her family heritage, it has become a part of her children's lives - they grew up under her design and dewing tables. In 1984, Susan wrote her first quilt book, "Color for Quilters", and many have followed. Through her company, Wallflower Designs, she has produced many patterns and tools for quilters. REVIEW: This wonderful book is crammed full of information, techniques and illustrations.

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Excellent !.......2006-09-14

        The history is interesting.The patterns are full size,and beautiful. You can do a mix and match from the various patterns ,or follow them as they are presented. The birds are folksy, abstract,and realistic .Depending on what you are looking for, you will certainly find it in this book as it relates to birds and flowers. There are color plates of the completed quilts,and the patterns are in clear black lines. The book is very well done.

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        7. Great Britain (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
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        10. How to Build Your Own Aviary, Cages, Nestboxes, Etc. and $ave a Bundle: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide

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