Jay Rossier, "Living With Chickens"

By erika on 7/21/10 5:59pm
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I have read a lot of books about keeping chickens in the last year.  This book has become one of my favorite to read, if not one of the most informative chicken books.  If you are looking for a hard data reference, then this is probably not the best book for you.  But if you want a sample of what it's like to keep chickens, along with plenty of useful information in a relaxed and chatty atmosphere, then this is it.

This book was published by the American Poultry Association, and includes a forward by the APA president.  It was printed by a press in Connecticut, and I have to say that they did a fabulous job.  The typesetting, the photographs, and the layout are all outstanding.  


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Animal Homes

By sarajean on 6/28/10 4:22am
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They say that when you want to learn about something new, you should read a children’s book. In doing so, you can avoid being bombarded with so much information that you’ll surely lose interest, while obtaining a quick, simple introduction that will keep your interest piqued while satisfying some of that curiosity. If animal homes are what you are interested in, then the short book with the same title should do the trick.

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Hey, Little Ant

By sarajean on 4/17/10 8:50am
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Many of us find it challenging to teach children about respecting animals. Indeed, with so many violent television programs, people being arrested for abusing animals every day, and the way we treat our animals raised for food, it’s a wonder they don’t intrinsically wish to harm them upon birth. So when little Jimmy smacks the cat with a stick, instead of being shocked and wondering why he did this, we should be prepared to help show him why it’s not something we do.

Odds are, if children are young, they just want to see what will happen if they strike an animal; but no matter the age, it’s important to nip such actions in the bud as soon as possible by making kids aware of what it means to be humane people and how to take care of our fellow creatures on this planet. One book that can help do this is Phillip and Hannah Hoose’s Hey, Little Ant.

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Butterflies of the World

By sarajean on 2/28/10 8:22am
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Lepidoptera, or butterflies and moths, have fascinated people around the world since the first man saw the first amazingly hued butterfly fluttering across the valley. Butterflies have given us rich stories in mythology, symbolize everything from freedom to diversity, and have even been fodder for theories such as the chaos theory (when a butterfly flaps his wings, a hurricane hits the other side of the world and similar ideas). Rod & Ken Preston Mafham’s Butterflies of the World guide to worldwide butterflies is a beautiful reference book that’s perfect for any family, nature explorer, or fledgling scientist.

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Christine Heinrichs, "How To Raise Chickens"

By erika on 12/2/09 2:28pm
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This big glossy book, published by the FFA (Future Farmers of America) has a fairly good balance between "big glossy pictures" and "useful information," although it definitely leans more towards the former than the latter.  The biggest strength of the book is the section on breeds, which offers a lot of in depth information on a variety of breeds, and (of course!) excellent pictures of each breed.


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Dr. Joseph Batty, "Practical Poultry Keeping"

By erika on 11/18/09 7:44pm
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In the months leading up to my purchase of four baby chicks, I pored over a lot of chicken books.  I bought this one on a lark, partly because it was on sale, and partly because I was curious to see what was considered state of the art in the field of poultry husbandry in 1943.

Practical Poultry Keeping is aimed at the small to medium professional (or aspiring professional) poultry keeper.  Its target audience is someone who plans to have a flock numbering in the dozens, and possibly the low hundreds.  There is a lot more hands on information than would be practical for a flock in the thousands, but more mechanization and infrastructure than would be required for the small backyard chicken owner.


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Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship

By sarajean on 11/5/09 10:49pm
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A tale of friendship, love, and crossing the bridge between the young and the old, Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship contains lessons everyone can learn from. It’s the story of Owen, a baby hippo, and Mzee, a 130-year-old giant tortoise.

Though recommended for grades kindergarten through five, this is really an ageless tale sure to warm the hearts of people of all ages. Owen, displaced from his family in his infancy during the 2004 tsunami, was rescued by an animal sanctuary where he developed a very unexpected friendship with the older Mzee. (Mzee is Swahili for “wise old man.”)

Owen became attached to Mzee, hiding behind him as if for protection. Though Mzee first didn’t like the actions of the young “whippersnapper,” he gradually warmed up to tolerating the young hippo.

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