Archipelago: Portraits of Life in the World's Most Remote Island Sanctuary

Book Description

For this project, Middleton and Liittschwager gained unprecedented access to photograph on and around these protected islands that are otherwise completely off-limits to people. Home to nearly seventy percent of our nation's coral reefs, known as the "rainforests of the sea," the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is a remarkable ecosystem that supports a vast array of interdependent native plants and animals that have evolved in this habitat over millions of years, many existing nowhere else on the planet.

The result is Archipelago. With its more than 300 stunning images, the book illustrates the spectacular diversity of these ocean and island creatures, as well as profiles many of the people dedicated to the preservation of this habitat. The inaccessibility of these islands and the need to protect them means that few people will ever be able to visit them in person, though now, for the first time, the area's inhabitants are available for all the world to see through this important body of work. In conjunction with the publication of Archipelago, exhibitions of these photographs will be mounted in Honolulu and Washington, and will then travel to venues around the country throughout 2006.

Customer Reviews:

A Gorgeous Book, but Shoddy Packing.......2007-10-09

I've lived in Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, where many of these photos were taken, for several months while working as a marine ecologist, so I've seen a large portion of these organisms, marine and terrestrial. Yet, despite the thousands of hours I've spent in the water there, Middleton and Liittschwager managed to find and photograph many organisms I've never seen before. Their photographs are unique because they mostly have a white background, so the organism is more starkly highlighted. Personally and as a marine ecologist, I think it's important to see the habitat and the other organisms that the organism may interact with, plus it's more interesting; however, that is what most fish or invertebrate books do and what any person with a camera or dive camera can do - Middleton and Liittschwager's technique is unique, much more difficult to accomplish, and therefore very special. Definitely a gorgeous book to keep on your coffee table - and a great way to see the organisms of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. One of my favorites is the group of images of one albatross growing up - from an egg to looking like an adult - I've always wanted to do that myself. This book will especially be a treasure for those lucky few who will visit Midway in the coming years as the new visitor program begins. I highly recommend it for those who have seen the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and those who haven't but want to.

Secondly, somehow this book was not packed very well. Others before me have commented on this, and I agree. I've ordered lots of things from Amazon and never seen this before; however, for an expensive book with glossy covers that you don't want to get scratched, it really wasn't packed very well. However, my copy was not damaged in any way, so no worries. I just think Amazon should talk to whoever is packing these books!!

Not that good.......2007-02-03

Like most people I purchased this book to use as a coffee table book. Although this book does have some nice images in it. It does not have the wow factor that you would normally expect from a good coffee table book. I would suggest purchasing Ocean by Robert Dinwiddie. (ISBN 0756622050). That book is 1000 times better (in content, pictures, and volume of material), and will keep you entertained much longer.

Exquisite look at hidden world.......2007-01-05

The northwest Hawaiian islands, stretching all the way to Midway are rarely visited because of their remoteness and fragility. This beautiful book gives a comprehensive tour of the area. The coffee table format allows the strange lands and creatures to be seen at their best. The authors' skill and dedication to their topic shows clearly in both photos and text. Recommended for all nature lovers.

5 for the Book, 3 for the Shipping.......2006-08-16

Like the other reviewer, my book was improperly shipped, this time in a box too large so it sloshed around on its journey, getting dinged in the process.

However, the book itself is magnificent. It is a gorgeous, comprehensive collection of images detailing the flora and fauna of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. This thriving Archipelago is beautiful in every sense of the word, and the intimate portraits that Middleton and LIttschwager have painstakenly produced of these creatures are superb. This is a jewel of a book, for photographic as well as conservationist reasons.

Beautiful book, inadequately packed.......2006-01-31

This is a magnificent book, with unique photgographs of sea creatures on white backgrounds. It would have made a splendid gift, except for the unfortunate fact that it was shipped in a box hardly bigger than itself and had obviously been dropped and crushed. Every page was dented, but it was too late to return it and get a new copy. One wonders why tiny objects are so often shipped in a box many times larger than themselves, but books like this one are tossed casually into the mail with no real protection at all.

Will We Miss Them? Endangered Species (Nature's Treasures) (Nature's Treasures)

Average customer rating:

Yes, We Will Miss Them!

Will We Miss Them? Endangered Species (Nature's Treasures) (Nature's Treasures)
Alexandra Wright
Manufacturer: Charlesbridge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Antiquarian & Rare Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0881064882

Customer Reviews:

Yes, We Will Miss Them!.......2000-02-16

I read this book for the first time in my English Block in college. I read this book and I was amazed that a sixth grader could compose something so wonderful and informative. It really enlightens students to know that there are authors that are their ages. It is on a level that students can understand. Furthermore (I think)this book can be used beyond the middle schools and into higher education to let others know what's going on in nature.

Average customer rating:

A beautifully scripted and illustrated homage to nature's delicate balance
Almost as Good as a Trip to the Beach

The World That We Want
Kim Michelle Toft
Manufacturer: Charlesbridge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Antiquarian & Rare Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1580891144
Release Date: 2005-06-01

Customer Reviews:

A beautifully scripted and illustrated homage to nature's delicate balance.......2006-01-13

The World That We Want is written and illustrated by Kim Michelle Toft who teaches young readers ages 4 to 9 about the interconnectedness of the world's environments and ecosystems. A beautifully scripted and illustrated homage to nature's delicate balance from the air that surrounds the planet, to the rivers that make the rain forests possible, to the corals that shape the atolls, to the dangers facing these delicate environments and information about the many plants and animals that thrive in each identified habitat, "The World That We Want" is enthusiastically recommended reading.

Almost as Good as a Trip to the Beach.......2004-10-15

This is a fun book to share with kids. Kim Michelle Toft who has written other children's books such as _One Less Fish_ and _Turtle Song_ has achieved a good balance of illustrations and text in The World That We Want. The text is simple with out being dull, and not so long as to have children wanting to turn the page before one reads the last word. The pictures in _The World That We Want_ demand careful study in the same way that a wonder of nature captures a child's attention. These illustrations, originally made as silk paintings, are bright and eye catching with out being simplistic. Their detail draws one in to taking a closer look. We could not resist meeting the book's challenge to find the 45 creatures that are hiding in the book's different habitats. Reading by younger children is made easy through the book's mimicking of the rhythm from _The House That Jack Build_ while constant repetition builds reading confidence. Listening to my 10 year old son read this book aloud and the time we spent searching through it's pages together shall remain a 'quality time' memory for me and I'm sure for him also. Facts at the back of this book provide enough material to help parents answer any questions about the names, habits, and homes of the beach loving creatures featured in this glossy hard cover storybook. The book's message that the world is made up of environmentally interconnected habitats and we want to keep it that way is clearly presented without being sentimental or pushy. Read _The World That We Want_ for a fun time with kids and an opportunity to build excitement and appreciation for the world we live in.

Hey! Get Off Our Train (Dragonfly Books)

Average customer rating:

My child's absolute hands-down favorite
Not so appropriate for a preschooler/kindergartener (illustrations are good though)
My son still asks for this book
Fun Message: Animals Are Our Friends
Awful.

Hey! Get Off Our Train (Dragonfly Books)
John Burningham
Manufacturer: Dragonfly Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Antiquarian & Rare Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0517882043
Release Date: 1994-07-05

Amazon.com

One night, as a little boy goes to sleep clutching his pajama-case dog, he drifts off into an elaborate, imaginative journey by train. But what's this? One endangered animal after another--an elephant, a seal, a tiger--tries to join the boy and his dog on their global junket.

"Please let me ride on your train. I live in the frozen North and somebody wants my fur to make a coat out of, and soon there will be none of us left," says the polar bear.

At first the boy and his dog are reluctant to let the animals on the train--"Hey! Get off our train!" they shout--but as each critter explains its particular plight, they welcome it on board. Children will learn about the perils facing animals around the world--tusk taking, pollution, marsh draining, deforestation--but they'll also be happy to see the boy and his dog rescuing the animals one by one. John Burningham has a knack for keeping the mood playful while communicating a strong environmental message. With his strikingly original illustrations and gently rhythmic text, this highly acclaimed author- illustrator well deserves his Parents' Choice Award for this unusual book. (Click to see a sample spread. Copyright 1999 by John Burningham. With permission of Crown Publishers, Inc.) (Ages 4 and older)

Book Description

Illus. in full color.

An IRA Children's Choice
A Parents' Choice Award winner for illustration
A California Children's Book Award winner

Customer Reviews:

My child's absolute hands-down favorite.......2007-06-13

My daughter loves this book. It captivates her imagination in a way no other book does. She asks for it by author, in fact.

"John Burningham book, mommy?"

I know that part of what she loves is the mild naughtiness of yelling out, "Hey! Get off my train!" Something she'd never be allowed to do in life. She knows the sequence of the weather and how they connect with what's going to be imagined for play by heart. Honestly, it's hard to convey what "foggy" is unless you happen to have some of it, and in upstate NY it's mostly foggy in the very early morning, or late night, but this book finally got the idea across. She never takes any notice of what people hunting or clear cutting or anything like that means, and I don't undertake to explain it. That part, for us, is just the reasonthe animals want to get on the train. Hitchcock had a word for this kind of plot mechanism: the MacGuffin. The thing everyone talks about that the reader doesn't care about, but gives everyone in the story the impetus be doing their thing.

Anyways, one day we were on the Erie canal and we saw a crane, and my little 3 year old says to me, "Look mommy, a crane!" And I knew exactly where she recognized it from, because it's not as if cranes live in our backyard, so that says something about how wonderful the illustrations are. And I do absolutely love how the little boy conveys so much meaning with so few words. "Don't make too much noise with the shovel," is all he says, but instantly you're cast as a co-conspirator, sneaking out on a grand adventure to who knows where.

I understand the other posters negative comments about the environmentalism nonsense and the rude mother, but it is a book meant for children, not parents, and after all, we are right there to talk about how out-of-it the mother is by the child's standards. Parents do talk to their children in that way. It serves as a reminder to me that sometimes I exasperate my child as much as she does me, and there can't be any harm in that.

Not so appropriate for a preschooler/kindergartener (illustrations are good though).......2006-10-23

My kindergartener brought this book home from the library - his very first book to bring home. He was so excited! The illustrations are fantastic - I know that is why he chose it.
The story is about a little boy who goes to sleep, and dreams about endangered species wanting to come and ride his train with him, to escape dying (basically!). The elephant talks about having his tusks cut off, the polar bear about having his fur used for fur, the tiger about the forest being chopped down, and so on...it is a very depressing book. I believe there are other ways to teach children about how to be good to the environment, and nature, rather than laying all this on them - they can not do anything about it at this young age!

I do not recommend this book. It was a waste of time.

Mom of three under the age of 5!!

My son still asks for this book.......2005-12-02

I checked this book out of the library for my 2 1/2-year old son for 2 weeks. He brought this book to me and asked me to read it to him ALL THE TIME. At the end of the 2 weeks, I renewed it for another 2 before returning it. While it may not be MY favorite children's book, it certainly is his, and shouldn't that be what matters to us moms? I am planning to give him this book for Christmas since he still asks for the "train book" everyday. If he hears me say "hey" he instantly squeals "Get off our train!" Obviously this book left a lasting impression on him and that's more important to me than whether the illustrations should or should have not won the Parents' Choice Award.

Fun Message: Animals Are Our Friends.......2003-08-08

HEY! GET OFF OUR TRAIN is a fun book for children. The book may appear somewhat dark to adults; but that is possibly because we're torn over how to treat endangered species. From the child's point of view, this is a book about a boy who takes a magical train ride with rare and unusual animals. It's fun; it's exciting! It shows a boy who makes room on his train for all of the animals who ask for his help. Because the train looks like his toy train, there is a hint that the train ride may exist only in his imagination. But, in the end, it seems that his nighttime train ride was real. This is great fun for children!

Awful........2003-01-30

First the good news. The art is beautiful. This is a lovely book. If it had no words, I would recommend it enthusiastically.

However...

On the first and last pages, the mother is rude. In the rest of the book, you can see that her son has been paying attention, because he is rude.

And then you get the politically correct dreck. "'I live in the frozen North and somebody wants my fur to make a coat out of, and soon there will be none of us left,' says the polar bear." Um, was my five year old considering buying a polar bear fur coat? No? Then how is this frightening scenario useful to him? It isn't. It's propaganda. It is the least subtle propoganda aimed at small children that I've ever read.

Amazon.com

How do bombardier beetles choose their mates? Why does a firefly's tail light up at night? What does a monk seal talk about, barking out there on the offshore reef? These questions all have some bearing on the way we humans live our lives, strange though they may seem. Diane Ackerman, a tireless explorer of the natural world, looks for answers among animals that are fast disappearing as their native habitats are destroyed--creatures such as the monarch butterfly, the short-tailed albatross, and the wonderfully named golden lion tamarin. She writes with grace and compassion, but also with a considerable command of science, which makes her work essential for students of nature writing.

Book Description

Ackerman journeys in search of monarch butterflies and short-tailed albatrosses, monk seals and golden lion tamarin monkeys: the world's rarest creatures and their vanishing habitats. She delivers a rapturous celebration of other species that is also a warning to our own. Traveling from the Amazon rain forest to a forbidding island off the coast of Japan, enduring everything from broken ribs to a beating by an irate seal, Ackerman reveals her subjects in all their splendid particularity. She shows us how they feed, mate, and migrate. She eavesdrops on their class and courtship dances. She pays tribute to the men and women hwo have deoted their lives to saving them.

Customer Reviews:

Grand Adventures!.......2005-06-12

Diane Ackerman writes with such eloquence. This book was such an enjoyable read, it is easy to forget that it deals with tough environmental issues. The author has collected short stories from many of her travels to various places to witness endangered species first-hand. From the rain forest to a remote island in Japan, she blends the story of her trip with information about the endangered species/habitat and the interesting people she meets along the way. She manages to get us to think about our impact on nature without being preachy, and in an entertaining manner. A must for any adventurer, actual or armchair.

beautiful journey.......2004-07-07

Diane Ackerman takes us on a journey from continent to continent exploring the habitat of several rare animals, including the golden lion tamarind, short-tailed albatross, and monk seal. In every case, Ackerman doesn't just observe, she gets right up close, in some cases risking or sustaining injury. She catches crickets, tags seal pups, and presses bombardier beetles to see them spray a warning. (All this is done under the eyes of experts in the various fields.) Her descriptions of the habitats are, as usual, beautiful but real enough so that you are transported right into these remote locations with her. By simply describing the work of those who study and handle the animals, Ackerman reminds us how important it is to preserve what's left of their habitats, always worth emphasizing.

Collection of essays on endangered species.......2004-03-03

I want Diane Ackerman's life. She gets to visit weird, remote, exotic locations, observe unusual flora and fauna, write about them - and earns enough money to go out and do it again.
In The Rarest of the Rare, she gathers together 6 essays previously published elsewhere; all deal with endangered species such as the golden lion tamarind, the monarchs, monk seals, and others. But she's not just a do-gooder naturalist: she's also a poet, a philosopher, and a heck of a good writer. Some of her musings, the questions she asks of herself, the parallels she makes, remind me of Annie Dillard's nature writing - her books such as Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.
It's a joy to share these things that I will never experience through the eyes of such a consummate scientist and writer and human being.
Also, for an entirely different approach to observing endangered species, see Daniel Glick's Monkey Dancing.

What We Stand to Lose.......2002-01-31

Ackerman's gift is her ability to capture and convey her wonder, delight and fascination with the creatures that inhabit the Earth. She is equally at home with whales and crocodiles, finds cuddling baby penguins as entertaining as discussing bombardier beetles and thinks nothing of tackling stormy seas and the vertical slopes of volcanic islands to catch a glimpse of a rare sea bird.

In this, her latest attempt to help humans see and understand the "interlocking business of species," Ackerman introduces us to some of the world's most beleagured inhabitants. Meet the Hawaiian monk seal with its "bulbous head covered in silky fur, with black-buttonhook-shaped eyes, a snout on which springy nostrils open full like quotation marks, tiny tab shaped ears, a spray of cat's whiskers, and many doughy chins;" the golden tamarind monkey, with its "sunset-and-corn-silk coloring;" and the magical monarch butterfly, "gliding, flapping and hitching rides on thermals like any hawk or eagle."

Then there are the creatures of the Amazon river - armoured catfish, cashew piranhas, striated herons, sphinx moths, yellow-footed tortoises and bewhiskered dolphins. On the volcanic Japanese island of Torishima, we are introduced to the last of the short-tailed albatrosses and the young Japanese orinthologist who is trying to save them.

Whether she is bushwacking through rainforests, fighting seasickness or summoning the nerve to touch a shiny beetle, Ackerman is always fully and actively present for her reader. Reading one of her books is the next best thing to being in the field with her, and certainly a lot less strenuous. This book is a treat that shouldn't be missed.

Heartfelt and beautiful.......2000-07-17

This is one of my favorite books for many reasons: it's heartfelt, knowledgable, deeply respectful of the animals and landscapes she knows personally, enviromentally conscientious, and written in unforgettable language. I don't know which I admire more-- her integrity, her passion, or the poetry of her language. I've read and reread it and will read it again.

ORIENTAL GAMEFOWL: A Guide for the Sportsman, Poultryman and Exhibitor of Rare Poultry Species and Gamefowl of the World

Average customer rating:

Great Reviews - Best Book on Gamefowl

ORIENTAL GAMEFOWL: A Guide for the Sportsman, Poultryman and Exhibitor of Rare Poultry Species and Gamefowl of the World
Horst, W. Schmudde
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1420876813

Book Description

The book, over 30 years in the making and based on worldwide research about the history and evolution of Oriental poultry races with a detailed description, their origin, distribution and current day breeding status worldwide, is a long needed work while nothing like it has been published for over fifty years. This book provides in detail educational information about the ancestors of domestic chickens, whereby it traces the origin of many ancient poultry breeds, how and where they were developed many generations ago for the purpose of sportsmanship before cockfighting was banned in most countries. But that has not stopped enthusiasts and fanciers to save many of these species from extinction and rather promoting them through a worldwide interest in exhibitions competitions, whereby in Germany alone are national poultry exhibitions with over 40,000 and even to 60,000 entries every year excite the public in tough competitions as covered in this work. Moreover, the reader will learn everything essential about purposeful breeding and preserving these breeds for future generations to come. The over 250 pictures of some 35 breeds shown in this book have been collected from various sources worldwide, many are of birds bred and photographed by the author giving the reader information not available elsewhere, which includes a today's analysis of the sport of cockfighting as well as extensive information on genetics of the rarest species.

Customer Reviews:

Great Reviews - Best Book on Gamefowl.......2006-01-02

After reading the raving reviews from different sources about this book I had to buy it and must say, it is the most concise and informative book on the subject with hundreds of excellent color photos of gamefowl breeds from all over the world, Japan, Thailand,Pakistan, Europe etc. The book goes beyong just the description and development of the many gamefowl breeds all over the world, it deals with their breeding, feeding and maintenance and the use for cockfighting in countries where it is still a national sport and part of their culture. I can recommend it to anybody connected with gamefowl and interested in such research.

Almost Gone: The World's Rarest Animals (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)

Average customer rating:

Pleasantly surprised

Almost Gone: The World's Rarest Animals (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)

Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Social Skills | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Antiquarian & Rare Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0060536004
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Book Description

Let's-Read-and-Find-Out about

Endangered Animals

Have you seen a northern hairy-nosed wombat or an eastern barred bandicoot? These animals are so rare, they might disappear forever, and they're not alone. Read and find out about some of the animals that are almost gone.

Introduce basic science concepts to young children and help satisfy their curiosity about how the world works.

Customer Reviews:

Pleasantly surprised.......2006-05-25

My son received this book as a gift from his first grade teacher for entering a project into the science fair. He enjoys reading this book over and over again. This book has made him think about all the different types of animals and how the envoriment can cause them harm. This book gives the description of the animal, size, location and what may be the cause of their extinction. It not only teaches about the worlds rarest animals but in the back of the book there is a world map of all the locations listed within the book. I believe that this book is great for educating our children on both science and geography. I would recommend this book to any science and animal lover.

Average customer rating:

NEW WORLD PARROTS CRISIS PB
BEISSINGER S
Manufacturer: Smithsonian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1560981369

Junkyard Bandicoots and Other Tales of the World's Endangered Species

Average customer rating:

Junkyard Bandicoots and Other Tales of the World's Endangered Species
Joyce Rogers Wolkomir , and Richard Wolkomir
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0471572616

The Crocodile and the Crane: Surviving in a Crowded World

Average customer rating:

The Crocodile and the Crane: Surviving in a Crowded World
Judy Cutchins , and Ginny Johnston
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Zoology | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0688063047

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books