Product Description

Large, dramatic photographs of a variety of ants and a brief fact–filled text will fascinate developing readers.

Level 2 includes longer sentences with richer vocabulary, type set line to line to aid readability, varied photographic treatments, and brief chapters with simple illustrated diagrams and a glossary.

Special features include How Big?, Take a Close Look, Did You Know?, Words to Know, Fun Facts and full color photographs, as well as a full page, simply labeled diagram showing body parts.

Customer Reviews (1)

A reader and science together.
My 8-year-old son read this to me for reading but it just as easily could have been a science book. It had a lot of good information at a fairly easy reading level with great photos of ants. Includes their anatomy, social system, homes, predators and much more. Recommended for grades K-3rd. A Level 2 Time for Kids book. ... Read more

Product Description
Ants are among the most conspicuous and the most ecologically important of insects. This concise, easy-to-use, authoritative identification guide introduces the fascinating and diverse ant fauna of the United States and Canada. It features the first illustrated key to North American ant genera, discusses distribution patterns, explores ant ecology and natural history, and includes a list of all currently recognized ant species in this large region.
* New keys to the 73 North American ant genera illustrated with 250 line drawings ensure accurate identification
* 180 color images show the head and profile of each genus and important species groups
* Includes a glossary of important terms ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A useful guide to ants
The "Ants of North America" is an essential field/laboratory guide.It briefly describes distribution and ecology as well as the typical characteristics of representative species of 73 genera to be found in North America. The key to workers is quite useable because it is accompanied by concise line drawings showing characteristics used in the key.However, for the casual naturalist, the guide's largest audience, a brief, illustrated discussion of the external anatomy of the ants would be most helpful.For example, the opening couplets of the key assume the reader is familiar with such terms as "distal," "tergite," "scape," and "carina."While these are defined in the glossary at the back, they are not depicted on a body of a typical worker at the front, nearest the key.Since many ant species are likely to be encountered in homes and gardens, it would also be helpful if the guide described how an amateur can submit a specimen for identification by a specialist.These minor shortcomings aside, this small book will soon become tattered and grimy in the hands of anyone interested in the smaller things at their feet.

An instant classic
This book fills a long-empty niche. There is a century-long collection of wonderful ant taxonomy books and books on ant biology and natural history. However many of the technical references are either out-of-date or too dense for all but the most serious myrmecologists. And many of the references are not as richly illustrated as Fisher and Cover's book. The keys in "Ants of North America" are fairly easy to dive into even without an advanced biology degree. When stuck, the glossary and index are useful. The only minor suggestion/criticism, book does not lay flat when open, making it difficult to read while working at a microscope.

Wonderful Handbook For Ant Genera
This book provides a wonderful doorway into the art ofant identification.The keys are well tested and current.The photographs of a representative ant from each genusare stunning.The lists of North American genera and species are very useful as is the list of literature for identifying species.I wish I had had this book 30 years ago when I first started learning to identify ants!This is a must have book for everyone who studies North American ants.It should also be in the libraries of all field stations and any institution of higher learning that teaches classes in the natural sciences.

The most helpful book on ants I have come across
I am a myrmecologist, and this is definitely the most helpful (and portable) ant key I have come across.

It is full of excellent illustrations and intuitive couplets, but aving said that, this book deals only with genera found in the USA, not whole North America.

The first part of the book is the dichotomous key, whereas the second part describes each genus in detail (ecology, morphological characteristics, the most recent literature dealing with that genus, etc.)

The authors have even managed to squeeze in a couple of (ant) jokes and funny anecdotes into this part of the text.
The last part of the book contains the list of all known species in North America.

The authors have made one mistake that I am aware of, and that is on page 111, where they state that genus Monomorium has 11 antennal segmnents while they actually have 12.

A Great Guide to the Life Underfoot!
Ants are one of the groups of organisms that I found fascinating from an early age.I finally settled on spiders, but ants were always in the back of my mind on the numerous field trips on which I went to pursue my eight-legged quarry. However, guides to ants were few and far between and when I was given a copy of Creighton's "The Ants of North America" I was almost as confused as I was before.While the illustrations were good, the descriptions and keys were a bit difficult and of course even by the time I was given the book, it was quite dated.

We have long needed a book such as Brian Fisher and Stefan Cover have produced in "Ants of North America: A Guide to the Genera".Among other things the photos of actual specimens are a great help in determining the genera (and in some cases sub-genera) that anyone might encounter in a backyard or in the wild. The keys are both very good and well illustrated.A good hand lens will be sufficient with many, but the size of some requires a good binocular dissecting microscope (one reason that ants are less popular than butterflies, dragonflies or even moths). Still both professional entomologists and serious amateurs will find this book very useful as a first step in the identification of the ant fauna.

Because I am a professional biologist and an entomologist I found that, although I do not know the authors, I do know at least six of the people listed in the acknowledgements - such is the small size of the entomological community.

I recommend this book highly and only wish that something like it was available when I was becoming interested in the tiny life around us. ... Read more

Product Description
The elephant is the kindest animal in the jungle, rescuing the giraffe, lion, and rhino, but who will return the favor when the elephant needs help? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

By far one of my favorite kids books!
I won't rehash the stories below other than to say that all the
animals with attitude mirror many of the people you meet in
life -- the self-important, the vain, the shallow, the overly
proud, etc.

makes for great lesson on how there are people out there that
are not always so nice -- like you!

Nice attempt at a lesson, but too many "stupids" for my taste
This is the story of an elephant who travels the forest doing good deeds for the grumpiest, most ungrateful group of animals imagineable. Eventually the elephant needs help and it is the tiny ant (the only creature with integrity besides the elephant) and his ant friends who come to his aid.So the "little things and small creatures mean a lot" theme is nicely presented.Possibly the point of the other arrogant animals is to show that the elephant helps out regardless of the thanklessness of the jobs and maintains his own good attitude throughout (a very evolved elephant).

This book was published in 1972 which explains why the word "stupid" appears four times, as well as the phrase "Dad blame it" (which can sound like "god damn it" to little ears who have heard it said in anger already). Years ago, editors weren't always as careful as they are today.I admit I am a bit puritanical about this but I personally would rather not hear "stupid" out of a 5yr old's mouth; children's literature should model the richness and beauty of the language.While this book does contain many great vocabulary words, I would have liked a version with some creative substitutions [maybe there is an updated version; just be aware if you get this version what is here].

If I read this book in class or at home I will "edit" a bit as I go. I like the intended meanings, but I won't be uttering "stupid" in front of bunches of kids anytime soon.

great
this was an amazing story my children both love and it has become our favourite bedtime story...

Fun Moral for Kids
The creatures in the jungle are having a bad day.One after another, they are facing problems that they can't get out of.Then the elephant comes along and helps them all.But who will help him when he needs it?

This is a really a take on Aesop's classic story of the lion and the mouse with a few more creatures thrown in to show unthankfulness.Still, this is a great book that kids will love.The storyline is simple enough for them to follow easily, and Bill Peet's illustrations are outstanding.

With good stories and wonderful pictures, Bill Peet created some excellent picture books.Don't let this great author pass you by.

Timeless and Touching
In this remarkably readable book, Bill Peet captures such an important lesson of life through his straight-forward writing style and exceptional artwork. The story suggests that while one's physical size might not matter all that much, perhaps the size of one's heart does. And you can never betoo small to help someone else. This is certainly a wonderful lesson forchildren of all ages- toddler or adult. This is the second book in what Ihope to be a full shelf of Bill Peet books in my home one day. I encourageyou to read it. ... Read more

Product Description
I'd just like to add me as the illustrator to these books:

by April Pulley Sayre (Author)Trip Park (Illustrator) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Goofy Fun and Educational To Boot! - a review of "Ant, Ant, Ant!: an insect chant'
My two kids -- boy and girl; currently 7 and 9 -- have been pouring over Ant3 every chance they get, sometimes getting into a tussle over who is going to hold the book, or what page they should study. And despite the sometime raised voices, I couldn't be happier as the book is not only entertaining... it's EDUCATIONAL!

The lyrics in this book essentially serve to name the insects in a fashion that helps kids (and adults) to remember their names. (Here's an example.)

Cockroach,
Earwig.
Like them? Can't!

Firefly,
Flower Fly,
Ant,
Ant,
Ant!

I know they don't look like much printed out like this, but if you combine the chants with Trip Park's playful drawings they take on a life of their own. In fact, if you take a look at the picture below, you'll see what I mean. The artwork manages somehow to be both physically accurate and yet preposterous and funny.

And I know the book works as an educational tool because my daughter's already identified a Click Bug based on the picture and description. [This picture --graciously supplied to BooksForKids-reviews by the publisher and Mr. Park-- is one of my favorites. It's sans text if you're wondering.]


Wrap Up:::
An excellent book that can introduce young children to a broad range of insects. The chants name the critters, while the illustrations and the 4-page 'dictionary' make the book both fun and educational.

Both of my children are using the dictionary at the back to find out more about the insects. Here's what you'll find in the entry on Flower Flies: Flower flies, which are flies, are important pollinators. They feed on pollen and nectar. This is a great kid-friendly answer that's not overly detailed, but just right for youngsters.

Ms. Sayre also is wise enough to guess what questions are likely going to pop up in kids' heads. For example, about Earwigs: Earwigs don't hide in ears or wigs. These nocturnal plant-eaters hide in leaves, bark, and other crevices during the day. They pinch attackers with their two cerci or give off a stinky-smelling liquid.

Fear Factor: The insects aren't as sweetly goofy as some of the fish were. Some indeed seem a little menacing -- which my 7 year-old son thought was cool. That said, some toddlers and preschoolers might possibly be put off. You'll just have to test and see if the time is right.

The Accelerated Reading designation for "Ant, Ant, Ant: An Insect Chant" is a generic "2" which means that the book is written on the 2nd Grade level, with no precise month assigned.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer for BooksforKids-reviews

Another great chant!
We love Trout trout trout and Ant ant ant is not a disappointment.The illustrator and author make a wonderful team and I hope to see many more books come from both of them.My 4 year old loves this book!

5 year old loves this!
This along with Trout, Trout, Trout have been two favorite books around our house recently. My son is 5 and thinks this book is great. He especially loves the part about the dung beetle. The fun rhyme introduces children to a variety of insects, and the pictures are super. It's very educational and fun at the same time.

A zany set of bug drawings and facts
Ant, Ant, Ant! (An Insect Chant) receives Trip Park's fun drawings as it follows up on the popular Trout, Trout, Trout! (A Fish Chant) to provide a zany set of bug drawings and facts. Yes, insect facts are included within the zany set of insect identification - and Trip Park's large-size and unique color drawings are quite vivid, adding to the excitement of a top pick.
... Read more

Product Description
A renowned speaker, business consultant, record-setting speed skier and Olympian, Vince Poscente believes in the enormous potential of the unconscious mind. Poscente likens the dynamic between the conscious and subconscious minds to an ant and an elephant: "Our minds are separated into two distinct functions – the conscious and subconscious elements. Our ant is the intentional part of the brain, but our elephant is the instinctual, impulsive part of the brain that houses emotions and memories and even guides the body to perform vital functions. While we tend to know our conscious minds – our ants – rather well, we often overlook the power of our elephantine subconscious minds. When we do, unfortunately, we squander a wellspring of human potential."Having seen too many books focused on what a problem or solution is and too few focused on how to solve the problem, Poscente, with his trademark wit, wisdom and steely resolve, created The Ant and the Elephant – Leadership for the Self:A Parable and Five-Step Action Plan to Transform Workplace Performance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Learn to control your elephant
I love parables and alagories. I don't know what it is exactely, maybe it is a return to the cartoon parables we watched in the 50's and 60's, but parables seem to be a great way of illustrating complex issues simply. THE ANT AND THE ELEPHANT is a great little story by Vince Poscente that represents the struggles between our conscious mind (the ant) and our subconscious mind (the elephant).

Late in the book (in the afterword), Poscente explains that in one second of time the conscious mind uses some 2 thousand neurons, but the subconscious mind in the same second of time uses 4 billion neurons. Is it any wonder why we want to do one thing (stop smoking, eat less, exercise more, get to bed earlier, etc) but we end up doing just the opposite? We make decisions with our conscious mind, but let our subconscious mind control our actions.

This story is about Adir, the ant. Adir lives on the back of Elgo the elephant, although at first he doesn't even realize he lives there. Adir and Elgo both want to reach the oasis, representative of our personal goals, but Elgo (the subconscious) keeps leading them astray. Adir, with the help of a very wise mentor and coach, Brio the owl, begins to learn how to control Elgo's actions.

This is a fun little story and is a quick and easy read. I really liked Poscente's writing style. He interjects tidbits of humor into the story and at the end of each chapter, he reviews the action item that needs to be taken. Follow these steps and you will find your oasis.

Great Audiobook - Great Service from Vendor
Great Audiobook - Great Service from Vendor

I orders this audiobook and it was sent in a very timely manner. The audiobook was great. The vendor did everything it promised.
Thank You

Great Book
This book is a great analogy to how one can accomplish their goals and dreams if they would just "get it together."Remember 2 Billion neurons run your subconcious, it never shuts off.Only 4 thousand neurons run your consious.Which one do you think will listen more????

outstanding insight
This book is brilliantly written, even a child could understand it. Actually i bought two copies so that i could lend one out to friends. I think you will enjoy it and perhaps re-read it just so that you can get the full benefit of it. It will not only challenge you but will give you encouragement too.

Get Ready to Change!
If you want to challenge your mindset, then this book is for you! My book club read this book and the little fictional book gave us greater challenges to become better and more effective leaders. I thoroughly enjoyed the trials that had to be overcome to achieve the desired results. I believe every leader needs to read this book to understand the true value in collaborative leadership. ... Read more

Product Description
Here is the stunning international bestseller in the tradition of Watership Down but with a dark, original twist. Unique, daring, and unforgettable, it tells the story of an ordinary family who accidentally threaten the security of a hidden civilization as intelligent as our own--a colony of ants determined to survive at any cost....

Jonathan Wells and his young family have come to the Paris flat at 3, rue des Sybarites through the bequest of his eccentric late uncle Edmond. Inheriting the dusty apartment, the Wells family are left with only one warning: Never go down into the cellar.

But when the family dog disappears down the basement steps, Jonathan follows--and soon his wife, his son, and various would-be rescuers vanish into its mysterious depths.

Meanwhile, in a pine stump in a nearby park, a vast civilization is in turmoil. Here a young female from the russet ant nation of Bel-o-kan learns that a strange new weapon has been killing off her comrades. To find out why, she enlists the help of a warrior ant, and the two set off on separate journeys into a harsh and violent world. It is a world where death takes many forms--savage birds and voracious lizards, warlike dwarf ants and rapacious termites, poisonous beetles and, most bizarre of all, the swift, murderous, giant guardians of the edge of the world: cars.

Yet the end of the female's desperate quest will be the eerie secret in the cellar at 3, rue des Sybarites--a mystery she must solve in order to fulfill her special destiny as the new queen of her own great empire. But to do so she must first make unthinkable communion with the most barbaric creatures of all.

Empire of the Ants is a brilliant evocation of a hidden civilization as complex as our own and far more ancient. It is a fascinating realm where boats are built of leaves and greenflies are domesticated and milked like cows, where citizens lock antennae in "absolute communication" and fight wars with precisely coordinated armies using sprays of glue and acids that can dissolve a snail. Not since Watership Down has a novel so vividly captured the lives and struggles of a fellow species and the valuable lessons they have to teach us.


From the Hardcover edition.Amazon.com Review
In the early 21st century, in a Paris rapidly turning tropicalthanks to global warming, Jonathan Wells tries to get to the bottom(as it turns out, quite literally) of his Uncle Edmond's obsessionwith ants. Jonathan and his family have been left Edmond's basementapartment; their benefactor's sole request is, "ABOVE ALL, NEVERGO DOWN INTO THE CELLAR." Meanwhile, in the great city ofBel-o-kan, a reproductive ant, the 327th male, is fighting forsurvival, having had his olfactory Identikit stripped by traitors ofhis own tribe.

Both males--human and ant--are determined to solve their separatequandaries, and Bernard Werber cleverly juxtaposes their adventuresand those of their survivors. Their stories must somehow be linked,but it will be hundreds of imaginative and educational pages before wecome upon the solution. Empire of the Ants was first publishedin France in 1991 and eventually in England in 1996 in MargaretRocques's spryly formal translation. ("Ants are not especiallywell-known for their conviviality, especially when advancing information, armed to the antennae.") Werber has studied formiccivilization for 15 years, and his observations more than pay off. Weknew they were industrious little things, but why did no one ever tellus about their powers of invention, accommodation (in both senses ofthe word!), communication, and above all determination?

In fact, as the narrative makes increasingly clear, ants seem to havea lot more going on than the pale pink things stomping around abovethem, who seem doltish in comparison.Of course, as far as the creepycrawlies are concerned, humans are "so strange you could neithersee nor smell them. They appeared suddenly out of the sky and everyonedied." Empire of the Ants is by turns frightening and veryfunny. As more and more humans disappear down the cellar of 3, rue desSybarites, we come to identify with the six-legged of theworld. Werber, too, must have tired of his Homo sapiens, since the antsections increase in length as the human ones decrease. No matter. Whowould miss the perils of the young queen who tries to found her colonyon a strange impervious hill--which turns out to be a tortoise--or thehilarious scene in which a spider swathes the 56th female ininescapable silk, only to be distracted first by a mayfly (they haveshorter shelf lives than ants, who can be eaten slowly alive over anentire week) and then by a younger arachnid: "Her way ofvibrating was the most erotic thing the male had ever felt. Tap taptaptaptap tap tap taptap. Ah, he could no longer resist her charmsand ran to his beloved (a mere slip of a thing only four moults old,whereas he was already twelve). She was three times as big as he, butthen he liked his females big." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (90)

Decent, light reading, but nothing to go crazy over.
EMPIRE is a fine tale from the ant's perspective. That is what makes the story fun and engaging.I enjoyed this part very much.However, the human characters and plot are not believable at all. The human plot makes little if any sense as no human would react this way. A few might but not very many. The ending was disappointing and weak.The book's strength is in the description of the ant society. That is very well done.

Such Drivel in English!Perhaps it is better in French.
Author/Journalist, Bernard Werber, is touted as, "having studied ants for fifteen years", but a few pages in I realized a scientist he is not. If you're as annoyed by technical inaccuracies as I am, this book will annoy.Venus flytraps, being native to a very small region of the southeastern US, do not grow in France, and queen ants don't collect them.If an ant's vision is poor, as mentioned early on, "With their many faceted eyes...They find it hard to make out detail...." they aren't going to be stopping to pick a pretty red flower a few pages later, "...the 327th male spotted a red daisy.He had never seen one like it before and immediately made up his mind to have it."This whimsy comes before the author's great efforts to invent and explain his version of the chemical nature of ant communication and thought.Too late! The credibility is gone...and it just gets worse.

I found myself skimming over the ant story--mostly a boring telling vs showing of ridiculously wild imaginings--to find out how the human sideline would end.The finale wraps up in a schlock-horror, poorly-developed, C-movie quality bunch of nonsense filled with literary mistakes.Translated by Margaret Rocques, if my copy didn't say Bantam on the jacket, I'd have sworn it was self-published.

If you are a discriminating reader, move on.

Disappointing
What a disappointment. I've had this book on the backburner for years. I finally got to it, although it had to be the English translation. I don't know how good the original text is, but the translation is definitely not very good. You just don't translate "malgre tout" as "despite everything". It might be correct, but that just doesn't flow very well in the English language. Doing a reverse translation as I read the book, I could tell that some French idioms were translated literally, which completely misses the point.

As for the book, jumping between the human and ant story is annoying. It's almost like reading 2 books at once except that you'll switch between the 2 every couple of pages. The story has very little substance to it. The author uses cheap tricks to get some suspense going but that's really all there is to it.

Just started "Saturday" by Ian McEwan. What a pleasure it is to read an interesting and well written story. Especially when it's in such sharp contrast to Empire of the ants!

VERY HAPPY THANK FOR AMAZON
I WAS 15 WENT I READ THIS BOOK IN FRENCH,I AM NOW 34 AND I WAS SO HAPPY TO GET IT IN ENGLISH AND I WILL BE READING IT AGAIN AND IT WILL BE IN MY COLLECTION.

great but enragingly disappointing ending
Empire of the Ants is quite captivating and well written - and seems to be leading up to a mind-blowing final act.I found myself completely caught up in the story - the intrigue appearing to point toward some sort of a revelation that ants and humans are the same - not metaphorically, but metaphysically.I believe that the ideas I had for where I thought the story was going to lead me were immensely more interesting than the way the book ultimately finished.That is certainly not to say I am a storytelling genius - it is to say that the ending of this book really, really sucks.I mean, I was so let down I wanted to throw this book into a magma pool.However, there are no magma pools around here so I sold it to Half Price Books instead. ... Read more

Product Description
With numerous black-and-white images and eight pages of color plates, The Lives of Ants provides a state-of-the-art look at what we now know about these fascinating creatures, portraying a world that is rich and full of surprises, and still full of unsolved mysteries. The authors illuminate the world of the ant, shedding light on such topics as the ant's impressive abilities in direction finding and quite amazing ingenuity when it comes to building their nests, finding supplies, or exploiting other members of the animal kingdom. They show, too, that they are capable of aggression and violence, which can embroil entire colonies in fratricidal or matricidal war. Readers also discover that ants are walking bundles of secretory glands (they have about forty of them), which enable them to emit from ten to twenty different pheromones, each of which has its own "meaning." In addition, ants can emit sound signals, made of a high-pitched squeak, and they can even dance, though not as intricately or as well as bees. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Lives of Ants
This book was extremely interesting. It covers just about everything you want to know about ants, at least briefly. I went into reading the book because I was especially interested in kin altruism and how ant's complex social system evolved. The book did a very good job at summarizing those topics.

The only problems I see with the book are the translation and writing styles. Both seem a little... irregular at times. It also gives you the feeling that there is so much more about ants that just isn't covered. And the last few sections about technology were sort of random. I mean studying ants to help produce those amazing technologies... but does that really have to do with the lives of ants? It took me a few months to just go back and finish the book when I started on those chapters.

Overall, I found this book to be quite excellent. It is a very good starting point for learning about these remarkable creatures.

You'll never want to step on another one again...
Anyone who has existed for more than an eye blink on this planet has encountered ants. These creatures, amongst theearth's most ubiquitous, have a talent for squeezing themselves into environments that previously seemed hermetically sealed. And they don't just enter, they occupy, particularly where voluminous foodstuffs lie strewn about (e.g., most human habitats). Many that come face to mandible with these diminutive invaders know next to nothing about their ways, they just want them out. But the curious may want to know how ants completely conquered the undergrowth. In many parts of the world a marching ant army means it's time to leave town, humans included. Though most ants appear no larger than three periods pronged together, as a collective they represent one of the greatest powers in all of the insect world. If you see army ants heading your way, run. Scorpions, spiders, crickets, katydids and even small birds and rodents do. They too have seen and know better than to mess with the ants.

Those who have delved into books about ants, perhaps some meant for youngsters, may have come out wanting. Others may have opened garage-sized entomology tracts with leading sentences incomprehensible to those outside of academia. Up to this point, books for general readers thirsty for details seem rarely to appear. Enter "The Lives of Ants," a book that's not too long nor too short. A book that does flirt with academic language in places, but mostly includes just enough detail without spewing arcane jargon. True, some sections wax genetics and terms such as "polygynous," "haploid" and "eusociality" creep from the text and produce the "I need a dictionary" sensation. But usually such terms receive adequate setup and explanation for even general readers to keep up. Fear fire ants, not vocabulary.

Eight distinct parts chop the discussion up into digestible bits. What remains incomprehensible is the number of ants present on our planet. No one really knows how many, but the first chapter uses the phrase "ten million billions." No other animal known appears in such quantities. And ants shun individualism as they unite and conquer as a "super-organism" revolving around single ("monogynous") or multiple ("polygynous") queens. Though most ants don't live long, some queens can endure for over a decade. Many also mate only once and still produce thousands of offspring. The males don't fare so well (their sorry fates compare to bee drones; most mate and die). Workers of some species lay eggs in the event of queen death. Unsurprisingly, diversity rules the ant kingdom. Substantial evidence has also built up that queens and workers play a political game in deciding the nature of their progeny. Queens lay the eggs, but nursemaid workers decide which larvae receive proper nourishment. Do any beings escape politics? Apparently not. Other sections deal with ant communication (pheromones help find the shortest path to and from food), rampaging army ants (just get out of the way), artistic weaver ants (who use larvae as little glue guns), wood ants (who spurt formic acid as defense), leaf-cutter ants (they use the leaves to harvest fungus), fascinating honeypot ants, livestock (aphids), incredibly destructive fire ants (really get out of the way, they not only bite but sting and can endanger large animals including humans), cloning, and genetics. Later chapters contain more technical, but not inaccessible, material. Debates over genetic determinations of behavior arise in discussions of the Gp-9 gene. In reference to this, the authors state "what we have here therefore is the first genetic element ever to be identified as influencing social organization in any living creature." Some background in genetics helps those with little background. A final section highlights the use of ant behavior in robotics. French scientists apparently discovered that the behavior of one species, Messor, follows Turing's laws - the first such validation, according to the authors. Even entomology and IT mingle.

Anyone looking for a juicier all-pervading treatment of ants will find "the Lives of Ants" a satisfying tromp. Be warned, the book references many Latin species names and, as said before, may throw out some esoteric vocabulary. Lovers of ants will probably find themselves unable to put the book down. Others may struggle through some of the more difficult sections, but the effort will pay off in a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of our most ubiquitous planetary companions. You'll never want to step on another one again.

fascinating read
This book translates the hard core professional stuff to the language of an (oterwise interested) reader. It is really amazing how this creatures cope and how successful they are in evolutionary terms.
Laszlo

An interesting book for anyone
The authors have managed to explain the complex scientific nature of ants, and their evolution, in a very concise and interesting manner for any reader from any background who is intrigued by evolution. The wonderful examples that they point out paint a complete picture of the interesting lives of ants and how they have managed to create such organized societies. We get to learn the various ingenious techniques by which these small creatures have managed to dominate the world and have such an impact on the world. I am not at all a scientist, but this is a very interesting book for anyone from any background.

Interesting but Flawed
Much of the subject matter is interesting but the book suffers from a stiff academic style and a sub-par translation. ... Read more

Product Description
Individual ants manage their incredibly complex colonies with no one in charge--how do they do it? Ants have long been regarded as the most interesting of the social insects. With their queens and celibate workers, these intriguing creatures have captured the imaginations of scientists and children alike for generations. Yet until now, no one had studied intensely the life cycle of the ant colony as a whole. An ant colony has a life cycle of about fifteen years--it is born, matures, and dies. But the individual ants that inhabit the colony live only one year. So how does this system of tunnels and caves in the dirt become so much more than the sum of its parts? Leading ant researcher Deborah Gordon takes the reader to the Arizona desert to explore this question. The answer involves the emerging insights of the new science of complexity, and contributes to understanding the evolution of life itself.Amazon.com Review
For as long as humans have been telling stories about animals,ants have played the role of hard-working, slavish, mindless drudge,the kind of creature that busily prepares for the future withoutresting or reflecting. But at least one species, writes StanfordUniversity professor Deborah Gordon in this engaging study, slips freeof our stereotypes. The harvester ant, an abundant denizen of theSouthwestern deserts, seems to live in a society that is based onsomething like mutual aid, far from the six-legged dictatorships offable--and, indeed, far from the human models that storytellers andethologists alike have imposed on ant congregations. Gordon wonders,"If the ants don't work like a miniature human society, how does agroup of rather inept little creatures create a colony that getsthings done?" She proposes a number of answers in her wide-rangingbook, one of which is this: ants get things done by accident, byexperimenting with and constantly testing their surroundings to seewhat there is to eat, and who else is trying to get at it. Gordonwrites with good humor about the daily work of studying insects in theintense heat of the desert, noting, "Over the years I have evolved acostume that includes a long-sleeved shirt, a cap with a kind ofcurtain around its lower edge, and the largest sunglasses I canfind. I look rather like an insect myself." Readers approaching herbook will find that they learn a lot about ants in the process--andalso a lot about how field scientists get things donethemselves. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

An absolutely fantastic, fascinating, must-read book!
A fascinating book! Dr. Gordon has studied complex organizational systems through her research on Harvester Ants in the Arizona desert over the past 20 years. I found a video of Dr. Gordon's presentation at the TED Conference a while back and have been interested in her work ever since- I was ecstatic to find her book. The nearly 200 page book was an easy read, Dr. Gordon presents her solid research methodology and the details of her years of (certainly mindnumbingly mundane) ant observations in a way that comes alive for the reader, mixing in her own humor and realism to keep the story credible and yet interesting. She builds on the basic concepts of ant behavior, the details of her meticulus study providing the data to bring the reader along the journey with her, eventually exploring more complex topics such as task allocation, role selection, potential influencers, etc. She also presents additional theories and models relevant to other sciences, such as neural network models, to build bridges to other disciplines and highlight additional questions and answers that are to be discovered. There is much yet to be learned but I am enthralled by the insights she shares and very impressed by the results she has been able to show, perhaps more imporantly the questions she has been able to define in her search for greater understading of complex systems. I would like to join her in her quest as I'm confident that finding those answers will provide great insights to the way our bodies, our organizations, and our societies in general work. I highly recommend this book!

Learned More About People
This book I found in a used book store, under a table, in San Luis Obispo, CA.Somehow, it jumped out at me (like all good books do -- they seem to choose their own readers).

I found this to be fascinating!Ms. Gordon and her colleagues went to an enormous amount of work to gather the data, and she compliled it in a most interesting way.It was intriguing to me how ants mange their colony lives, withforaging and hunting, etc.Also how ants cooperate primarily by some sort of chemical process, one that can change as conditions vary.

The graph of colony population vs. age was especially interesting.It shows a real-life application of the Logistics Function.Who would ever have thought such a thing would apply to an Ant Colony, of all things????But it does.Remarkable.

Mostly, though, the analysis of ant colonies seems to have many parallels to human organizations.Like, at a theme park, why do people go stand in long lines at McD's, when an equal-caliber establishment -- right next door -- has very few customers?Or how is it that organizations such as factories really work?And on and on.

I'm really glad I found this book.It will be in my collection permanently, and I will read it again in the future.

Ants Procrastinate??
Yes, sometimes ants work hard.They ALWAYS look like they work hard - until you look real closely - and maybe put up a few roadblocks.

Deborah Gordon spent 17 summers virtually memorizing the same25 acres in Arizona with her students, fooling around with about 300 colonies of harvester ants.She chose them for the scientific reason that they were big enough to see without glasses.

They are efficient?On page 105, Gordon includes a delightful excerpt from Mark Twain about ants."They pick up something too large, go over obstructions instead of around, when and if they finally drag the prize into the nest, half the time it's worthless and has to be dragged off by midden workers," - the garbage collectors of antdom.

They are subservient to the queen?"Look to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways and be wise: Which having no chief, overseer, or ruler, Provides her meat in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest."Proverbs 6:6.Gordon agrees with the good book...there is no guiding force.They just seem to know what to do and frequently change jobs as needed.

They have an elaborate means of communication?Not that we can see.Their eyesight is poor and they communicate by touching antennaes, and by sensing perhaps 12 different chemicals on each other.

At 4:30 AM Gordon et al get up, eat breakfast, and take a 20 minute trip out of the mountains to the site, where they set up the experiment they have agonized over, or analyze the one in progress.Before noon, as the heat sets in, they go back up the mountain and the ants go back into their mound - their foraging done, and the ant watchers' practical jokes accomplished and recorded.The rest of the day is spent tabulating and analyzing data and dreaming up new tricks in order to tease out more secrets of anthood.

Gordon's process is a good example of the tedious, meticulous work of science.As she developed her data of the mindless pseudo-efficiency of an ant colony, a correllation occured to me about the self organization of stem cells as they differentiate, specialize, and mindlessly create a living entity, guided by only partially known processes (admittedly not a perfect analogy).

This is a good read, an easy read and refreshingly out of the ordinary.

You should read this book if...
I'm a bit surprised by some of the negative comments about this book, because they seem to have missed its point.This isn't a formal presentation of the author's research.It therefore lacks many details, does not review the full range of other relevant literature, and it has not been honed by a committee of reviewers.What it DOES do is to give the reader who doesn't know anything about ants a very readable narrative account of how one might go about finding out something about them.This book is as much about how to apply the scientific method to the messy world of animal behavior as it is about ants in particular.Gordon's account of how to do that seems to have been mistaken by some as self indulgence.If you're looking for a detailed account of ants, you should see Holldobler and Wilson's 700+ page "The Ants."If you want an introduction to what's interesting about ants and how people go about studying them, Gordon's book is a great read.

A whole world opens before your eyes
I LOVE this book. What a rare peek over the shoulder of a true scientist with an inquisitive mind and appreciation for the art and beauty of science, applied to these tiny but incredibly interesting creatures. Within the same nest reside 5 or more ant types based on function. In that nest, some live up to 20 years while others "don't live long enough to EVER eat." I will never look at ants the same. Thank you for an insightful and wonderful story that makes life worth living. ... Read more

Product Description

Can you find an ant in the name Anthony? A black ant? A red ant? A fire ant? How about a carpenter ant? Or is the ant in Anthony not an insect at all?

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent source for writing innovations for word chunks.
I would recommend this book to all elementary school teachers. The pictures are a little less colorful, but the content is excellent. We ended up writing there's an end in Brenda and other books. Kitchen-no end insink, no end in stove, but there's an end in blender. Fast Food Place- Noend in Happy Meal at McDonalds, no end in the ice cream sundae at Dairyqueen, but there's an end in Chicken Tenders at Burger king, etc. etc. ... Read more

Product Description
Written in the style of the cumulative poem "This Is the House That Jack Built," this story is a delightful look at doubling, as ants steal food from a family picnic.Soon, all the food has gone down the ant hole! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Easily Learned Math Concept While Enjoying the Story
My son and daughter - aged 5 and 7 love this beautiful little book. The concept of continuous doubling of the number of ants that keep returning to the nest intrigues them. Although the book stops at 512, my children insisted that we keep doubling the number "up to infinity". Well, we kept on doubling until we ran out of paper!! The illustrations are wonderful, complementing this terrific children's treasure.

a wonderful story/math concept book for young children
my four- and five-year old children love this book. it's one they request over and over again when it's story-time at home after dinner or at bed time. they love the little ants who invade the neighborhood picnic and discover a treasure trove of treats that they eventually haul little bits back to their labarynthian home. each time they make the trip they bring more ants, each time doubling their number. my kids very painlessly learned their first multiplication lesson - doubling the number each time. a very cleverly conceived, thoroughly enjoyable book.

Praising the "512 Ants on Sullivan Street".
This charming, beautifully written and illustrated story helps young children understand the concept of "doubling" numbers. Each time the ants revisit the picnic, they bring more ant friends(in fact, exactly twice as many) to help haul the goodies back to their ant home. The simplicity of the story and each successive illustration with the ever increasing ant army subtly teaches the "doubling" concept. This is a must for any home library.

Engaging rhymes and recurring numerical refrain.
Engaging rhymes and recurring numberical refrain made this book a favorite of my 3 year old.Fun to read and replete with follow-on exercises building on the concept of "doubling".Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Lucas learns a lesson about bullying when he is pulled into the ant hole he has been tormenting. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

My class loved this book!!
My first grade class in Texas loved The Ant Bully so much when I read it aloud in class.Our favorite part was when Sid the neighboorhood bully was skrunken by the ants at the end.We thought Sid would have to work like an ant.We would recommend this book to all the first grade classes around the world.

Excellent
The book came on time in great quality. It was wrapped securely and undamaged.

This is a re-vamp of a book from 1960...
(I wonder if the orig. author knows of this book/movie? Her name/title do not appear anywhere in the credits) Somewhere around 1966, my third-grade teacher read aloud to our class the story "City Under the Back Steps" by Evelyn Sibley Lampman in which 2 children get shrunk down to ant-size and go to live in the ant colony under their home's back porch, the predecessorto Ant Bully. (search in Amazon for this title and see the reviews) The story teaches thoughtfulness along with "ant facts". Unfortunately, this book is no longer in print but it is so close in story line to Ant Bully, that I'm sure many others will recognize it. If you can get your hands on a copy of City Under The Back Steps, buy it!

You must get this book!
I cannot say enough wonderful things about this book. As a student teacher I used this book for a conflict resolution lesson with fourth grade students. They were captivated, enchanted and unable to sit still as we read the story . The Ant Bullyis the story of a child who-picked on by the neighborhood bully, in turn picks on ants. The ants decide they have had enough and shrink Lucas down to their size. Lucas learns a lesson, and so do the children.The Ant Bully teaches a wonderful lesson about looking at things from someone else's perspective. It also provides an ending that gives the perfect opportunity for a writing topic. My students could not wait to write their own version of what happens between Sid and Lucas. I recommend this book for any age group- its lesson is that important, and it is that enjoyable a read!

The Ant Bullyis a must read!
I loved this book so much when my teacher read it, I had to buy my own copy.I'm a senior in college and I thought it was so cute.It also had a good moral...Be kind to everyone because you never know when you may needthem on your side! ... Read more

Product Description

A wasp lays its eggs under a
caterpillar's skin so that its young can
eat the caterpillar's guts as they grow.

A young head louse makes its home
on a human hair and feasts on
human blood.

Frogs use their eyeballs to help
swallow their food.

From small worms that live in a dog's nose mucus to exploding ants to regurgitating mother gulls, this book tells of the unusual ways animals find food, shelter, and safety in the natural world.

Ifanimals all ate the same things and lived in the same places, it would be impossible for all of them to survive. So they specialize. Some animals eat the bits that others leave behind, such as skin and mucus. They find all kinds of unusual places to shelter, includingthe cracks and holes in another creature's skin or its internal organs. They use their own bodies to protect themselves from predators by imitating unsavory items such as bird droppings and even by blowing up.

These habits that may seem disgusting to us are wonderful adaptations that make it possible for a great variety of creatures to live and thrive on Earth. Read about them and marvel at the amazing ways animals adapt to the natural world. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
A different kind of book for a different kind of leader!

The Ant and the Elephant is a simple story presented in a powerful metaphor that can have an immediate impact on your life and the life of your organization.

This book is a practical guide for us on our journey of reaching our full potential.It teaches us that we must first master leadership of the self before we can expect to be an effective leader of others.

A terrific book! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Harness your subconcious!
This book is a great parable about the power of & how to harness our subconscious mind.It's an easy read but the points are very powerful.Enjoy!

A wonderful resource for charting your destiny
Vince Poscente is an incredibly gifted speaker, and his wisdom shines through in The Ant and the Elephant.The story of Adir's journey to the oasis, and the helpful action steps and "Notes to Self" that are liberally sprinkled throughout this delightful story, can help any reader dream bigger dreams and think more clearly about how to overcome the barriers that stand between them and the realization of those dreams.I plan to highly recommend this book to the readers (all over the world) of my Spark Plug newsletter, and I highly recommend it to the readers of this review.--Joe Tye, CEO of Values Coach America

okay
I didn't get a lot out of this book. Yes, it's humor makes for easier reading. I did make me think about a few things. The parable aspect of it just wasn't all that great for me. I am more of a straight forward sort and prefer writing like that of John C. Maxwell.

ant power
A simple but illuminating parable that takes the reader into a childlike state of wonderment that leads to learning some valuable lessons about creating and reaching worthwhile goals. Like Kandee G, Bud Bilanich, Laura Lewis, and Tony Beshara, this guy has a knack, in the realm of motivational books, for sensitizing the reader's mind before inserting real humor and practical advice that works.

One may be disarmed by the fantasy orientation of this book and its ability to stay out of "scenes from the boardroom." I found it refreshing and edifying. Open Your Mind!

Elephant training is possible
The best thing I took away from this book is the idea that life actions are much more powerful and effective when they stem from beliefs that you 'have' things rather than from beliefs that you 'want' things. Reaching nirvana is all about believing you already have it.This book helped me figure out how to spend about 12 hours total over a few days in a heightened state of contented 'having'. It's only fair; the lessons do take commitment from the reader to achieve extended periods of contentedness. Mileage may vary. ;-)I know I can go back to the book and get there again; it's a pretty good roadmap. ... Read more

Product Description
From friendly dolphins to giant pandas, from icebergs and glaciers to energy from the sun, from magnets to solids, liquids, and gases, Rookie Read-About Science is a natural addition to the primary-grade classroom with books that cover every part of the science curricula. Includes: animals, nature, scientific principles, the environment, weather, and much more! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great photographs!!
My 3 year-old daughter was so excited to see what it looks like inside an ant colony.This book has wonderful photographs of ant hills and ants.

Interesting text and photos for young readers
Allan Fowler takes the young reader inside various ant colonies. Thephotos are outstanding and will capture the interest of even the adultreader.A truely outstanding book for young readers interested in theworld of ants and insects. ... Read more

Product Description
The most widely used build tool for Java projects, Ant is cross-platform, extensible, simple, and fast. It scales from small personal projects to large, multi-team J2EE projects. And, most importantly, it's easy to learn. Java Development with Ant systematically explores what Ant can do and how to apply it to your project. Whether you are new to Ant or an experienced user, this book will show you powerful and creative uses for Ant. The book emphasizes basic concepts you need to know to effectively use Ant starting with Ant's XML-driven build process. It leads you step-by-step through everything you need to know to compile, test, package, and deploy an application. It then guides you through the maze of more complex situations common in larger projects such as enterprise Java applications and Web Services. With this book you will gain access to a powerful tool to automatically build, test and deploy your Java software, no matter how simple or complex it might be.

What's inside:

*The new Ant 1.5 features

*Ant's datatypes and property handling

*JUnit testing and reporting

*Continuous integration techniques

*XDoclet for attribute-oriented programming

*EJB generation, building, and packaging

*Writing and testing native code

*Building Web Services with Apache Axis

*Deploying your system to multiple remote servers

*Using and writing

*Loggers

*Listeners

*Selectors

*Custom tasks ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

This is the OBSOLETE 1st edition. Buy the 2nd edition "ANT in Action" (2007)
This is the OBSOLETE 1st edition. Buy the 2nd edition "ANT in Action" (2007).

Dear amazon,
You need a forward pointer to the current, 2nd edition of this book which was *renamed* to "ANT in Action".

No one should buy this OBSOLETE 1st edition.

Great reference on Ant
I read the first 4 chapters of this book to get a basic understanding of Ant. Since my employer already uses Ant, the skills that I need is to understand an Ant build file and how to modify it to satisfy new requirements. Using this book as my only Ant's reference, I could find a solution for any requirement that I was asked to implement. Maybe it's not the best solution, but it works.

Excellent
Sorry for the short review...

I was completely new to Ant before buying this book, now I feel like an expert.It's a very well structured book.If you want to know what Ant is all about, just read the first part of the book.If you want to know how to do some more advanced stuff, this book covers it all.

I'm going to now be using Ant as my deployment tool in development and production, dealing with static content, CVS, Struts, and more.

One of my top 5 Java books
Ant is a great tool that lets you pretty much automate any process- whether Java build-related or not. This book is then THE one-and-only book to buy - it serves as a tutorial AND a reference. The author's breadth of knowledge on Ant is amazing and the examples he presents are wonderful.

The key areas I found the book very helpful on were
1) JUnit integration & report creation (using XDoclet /JUnitReport)
2) Deployment-related activities
3) Breaking out commonly used Ant targets for reuse

But there is so much more - my edition has been well thumbed
and has many yellow post-it notes for quick lookup.

Based on what I've learned in this book I've been able to quickly and easily integrate the following components into my build process
1) Checkstyle (syntax checker)
2) PMD ("bad practice" checker)
3) JUnit & Clover (code coverage)
4) JDepend (Class interdependcy reporting)
5) Javadoc
6) An automated nightly build of the code and deployment to WebSphere

I can't say enough about this book - but I would be lost without it and thus am loathe to lend it. If you use Ant or WANT to use Ant then buy this book.

Wow, I never would have thought ant was so rich
Ant to me was just a build script, nothing more or less.I got curious about what you can do with ant and figured, how could you make a full book with this topic.I am floored with all the aspects of this tool.How easy it is to make a build, deploy it to any number of servers, then test to make sure your install is complete.And that is still a small portion of what is possible with ant.If you are an experienced java developer looking for an easy way to automate your daily routine this is the book and topic for you. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Don't expect same magic as "Ant on a Railroad Track"
I have to agree with the other reviewers. I regard "I Saw an ant On a Railroad Track" as one of the most brilliant children's books ever, and this one tries but falls short.Don't get me wrong, it's not bad--still a jaunty rhyme, still some suspense, still fun--but the poem in this book is somewhat contrived and way too sophisticated and abstract for kids.Ant on a Railroad Track is perfect--suspenseful, fun, heartwarming and the rhyming is flawless and easy to understand.Both books have incredible animations.If you haven't read the original, buy it and read it out loud to someone--you'll see the magic.

Not as good as the first...
I got this book because we love, love, love "I Saw An Ant on the Railroad Track." But this one falls a little short. My 3 year old can't follow it as well. Still a cute book but maybe for older kids.

I Saw an Ant in a Parking Lot
Another great book for my 3 yr old grandson.This also has become one of his favorite stories.

Good, but not AS Good
As the sequel to "I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track" this book is a tad disappointing. While the illustrations are as beautiful, entertaining, and interesting, the poetry is a bit more forced than in the first book (which was excellent, by the way). Overall, it's a good read for someone who liked the first one and wants something similar, but be prepared to find it a bit less intriguing than the first. After this one, I would still look to buy a third in this series, but I would read it in the bookstore first to be sure.

Fun to read
Just as cute, clever and brilliantly illustrated as "I Saw an Ant on a Railroad Track".My toddler loves these books and I have fun with the rhymes while reading to him. ... Read more

Product Description
The ants are marching through the rain, but there is always something to distract Little Ant!Can you find him on each page, even though the column of ants gets bigger?Can you count the ants on each page? Rows of ants help introduce the concept of repeated addition.Bouncy illustrations, innovative die cutting and popular rhymes make Books with Holes a must for every child. Available in three formats, suitable for babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers and the nursery or classroom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

bright colors & great pictures
son loves this book....bonus he's learning his numbers....he's almost 5 months & these pics keep him looking...plus he loves the song! :) ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

A MUST read for any AD or ADHD child/parent
This book is absolutely one of the best on the market - I read it at a local library and needed to have a copy in my home.The child responds well to the hints and play.

A hands-on resource for sensory-play activities and more
Education collections will also welcome Aerial Cross' ANTS IN THEIR PANTS: TEACHING CHILDREN WHO MUST MOVE TO LEARN. Here's a fine survey of busy children who are constantly in motion and curious - who require tactile experiences through the day to thrive. Educators learn how to tailor atmospheres for these kids, offering a hands-on resource for sensory-play activities and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Book
Full of witty information and interesting stories.Anything but a boring archaeology book.

painstakingly artful
The kalingas are a proud people.One author withstood 4 months of pain and gain of course, to write a book about a tribe, nay a community; not even - a nation!

The Philippines would be better of as a nation to read this art of a book, and learn from the customs and practices of an older civilization - close to 5,000 years old (my fact); their songs and wine and love and adventure deserves a niche in the heart of Filipinos, to help undo centuries of colonial mindedness (the effect of "liberal theology" as conspired to by the catholic leaders in colonizing the country) (you - [spanish] clerics think we don't know what you did to our culture? Ha Ha)

Back to James skibo: James skibo, may your tribe increase- but one thing. Stay there longer (than 4 months)for some real-life imersion please. And do another book on the "budong" which means peace pact but more than that - it is a government!

A real life Indiana Jones!
In Ants For Breakfast: Archeological Adventures Among The Kalinga, archeologist James Skibo shares the story of his archaeological pursuits in the remote Philippine highlands where he lived with the Kalinga people,former headhunters and one of the few groups in the world still usingceramics for cooking. Ants For Breakfast is an exciting tale ofarchaeological adventures worthy of any movie or television mini-series.But this true-life account of danger, mystery, sex, violence, and death ismore gripping than any Hollywood fiction. In the course of his story Skibolinks his experiences to the development of modern archaeology, and suchsubjects as human evolution, the populating of the world, animaldomestication, cultural logic, food taboos, Imelda Marcos, and a great dealmore. Ants For Breakfast is highly recommended reading for students ofarchaeology and anyone who ever wondered what a real life Indian Jonesadventure would be like.

Food For Thought
Food For Thought

"Ants For Breakfast" is an easy read, yet a curiosity-piquing one for us archaeologist-wannabes.Author Dr. James Skibo skillfully mixes fact, humor, and his own experience with the Kalingaof the Philippines to show the reader that life as Americans know it, isnot the only way to live.On one level, our modern conveniences seemunnecessary and wasteful and yet after reading his account of the 4 monthshe spent living in the mountains with the Kalinga, one has to be gratefulfor life's simpler and more basic conveniences [running water, electricity,modern restroom facilities].

His description of a Kalinga funeral and hiscomparision with our funeral traditions, makes one wonder why is it thatfunerals have become a somber event that is dreaded and struggled through,when it could be a celebration of life as Dr. Skibo observed in theCordillera mountains of the Philippines.

As a registered nurse, thestories of their healthcare practices I found especially interesting.As awoman, I tried to imagine myself in his wife, Becky's place.An incrediblybrave, resourceful woman in her own right, Mrs. Skibo is an example towoman everywhere.A followup book from her perspective would be aedge-of-the-seat page-turner as this one is!

Dr. Skibo's explanations ofdietary differences do not diminish his message.Rather, they add to thereader's understanding that dietary habits are cultural, a learnedbehavior.Foods we see as repulsive to eat may be a delicacy elsewhere,and vice versa.

Openness and acceptance of those different than us isthe food for thought that Dr Skibo offers us in this most interesting book. And just for the record, I think I'll have some of those black 'blueberry'bugs with my bowl! ... Read more