Best of
Animals

1981

Fritz and the Beautiful Horses


Jan Brett - 1981
    "Brett has created magnificent paintings that glorify her simple but engaging story." -- Publishers Weekly

After Man: A Zoology of the Future


Dougal Dixon - 1981
    Looking 50 million years into the future, this text explores the possible development or extinction of the animal world through the eyes of the time-traveller.

Death in the Silent Places


Peter Hathaway Capstick - 1981
    With his characteristic color and flair he recalls the extraordinary careers of hunting men like Colonel J.H. Patterson and Colonel Jim Corbett, who stalked legendary man-eaters through the silent darkness on opposite sides of the world; men like Karamojo Bell, acknowledged as the greatest elephant hunter of all time; men like the valiant Sasha Siemel, who tracked killer jaguars though the Matto Grosso armed only with a spear. With an authenticity gained by having shared the experiences he writes of, Peter Capstick eloquently recreates the acrid taste of terror in the mouth of a man whose gun has jammed as a lion begins his charge, the exhilaration of tracking and finding a long-sought prey, the bravery and even nobility of performing under circumstances of primitive and savage stress, with death all around in the silent places of the wilderness.

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale


Verna Aardema - 1981
    A cumulative rhyme relating how Ki-pat brought rain to the drought-stricken Kapiti Plain. Verna Aardema has brought the original story closer to the English nursery rhyme by putting in a cumulative refrain and giving the tale the rhythm of “The House That Jack Built.”

Orca: The Whale Called Killer


Erich Hoyt - 1981
    The largest member of the dolphin family was then considered too dangerous to approach in the wild. That all changed when Erich Hoyt and his colleagues spent seven summers in the 1970s following these intelligent, playful creatures in the waters off northern Vancouver Island. Working alongside other researchers keen to understand the life history of the killer whale, Hoyt's group helped to dispel the negative mythology about orcas while uncovering the intimate details of their social behavior.This revised fifth edition includes Hoyt's original account, plus exciting new chapters that bring readers up to date on the revolution in public awareness and orca research that has taken place. Hoyt's youthful adventures turned into his life's work. Now a world-renowned expert on whales and dolphins, he shares orca wisdom along with stories gleaned from decades of additional field study in the Russian Far East as well as return trips to Canada's West Coast to visit with the descendants of the killer whales he encountered 45 years ago.

Henry's Awful Mistake


Robert M. Quackenbush - 1981
    Children and parents alike will love following disaster-prone Henry through his adventures in cooking, cleverly written and illustrated by Robert Quackenbush. Don't forget to snatch up the other three books in the Henry the Duck Series: Henry's Important Date, Henry Goes West, and Henry Babysits.

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones: A Book About Animals that Lay Eggs


Ruth Heller - 1981
    Ruth Heller's prose and pictures are the perfect means for discovering the variety of oviparous animals and their unique ways of laying eggs.

The Patchwork Cat


William Mayne - 1981
    Tabby sets out to retrieve her beloved patchwork quilt.

Walt Disney Productions presents The Fox and the Hound


Walt Disney Company - 1981
    Especially when the puppy is destined to grow up into a hunting dog . . .The Fox and the Hound is written by American novelist Daniel P. Mannix and illustrated by John Schoenherr. It follows the lives of Tod, a red fox raised by a human for the first year of his life, and Copper, a half-bloodhound dog owned by a local hunter, referred to as the Master. After Tod causes the death of the man's favourite hound, man and dog relentlessly hunt the fox, against the dual backdrops of a changing human world and Tod's normal life in hunting for food, seeking a mate, and defending his territory. As preparation for writing the novel, Mannix studied foxes, both tame and wild, a wide variety of hunting techniques, and the ways hounds appear to track foxes, seeking to ensure his characters acted realistically.Endearing, exciting and funny, this Disney creation will delight and thrill all children everywhere."

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies


Robert Michael Pyle - 1981
    It features a durable vinyl biding, color plates visually arranged by shape and color, and thumb-tab silhouettes for quick and easy identification of butterflies in the field. The species account for each butterfly provides measurements, descriptions of each stage of the life cycle, and information on coloring or distinguishing markings, flight period, habitat, and range.

A Circle in the Sea


Steve Senn - 1981
    Through the powers of a ring, a 13-year-old girl with problems adjusting to her new school enters an undersea world where she becomes a dolphin and aids the whales in retaliating against slaughter by whalers.

The Dinosaurs: A Fantastic New View of a Lost Era


William Stout - 1981
    Dinosaurs that are swift, stunning, scary and stupendous, presented in a lavish format with over seventy pages of full color illustrations and dozens in black and white. Using the latest paleontological research, The Dinosaurs presents a scientifically accurate and fantastic new look at the way dinosaurs lived: how they moved, ate, dueled, drank and even made love. From ten ton brontosaurs to thirty foot hadrosaurs, here is a story more fantastic that fantasy itself.

Carnival of the Animals: Classical Music for Kids


Camille Saint-Saëns - 1981
    There's the majestic lion, the braying mules, the dancing elephant, and the bouncy kangaroos. Even the fossils join in with a fast and rattly dance. Everyone is invited!Nearly 150 years ago, the composer Camille Saint-Saëns was asked by his pupils to write a musical joke for them. He wrote the Carnival of the Animals, a piece people enjoyed so much that it has now become one of Saint-Saëns's most famous works.This accessible commentary, in a picture-book format, helps children follow each section of Saint-Saëns's classic piece while they listen to the CD. Whimsical illustrations, a simple text, and evocative melodies create an ideal introduction for young children to the world of classical music.

Babar's Anniversary Album: 6 Favorite Books


Jean de Brunhoff - 1981
    Includes: Babar the King, The Story of Babar, The Travels of Babar, Babar's Surprise, Babar's Mystery, and Babar and the Wully-Wully. Features an introduction by Maurice Sendak. Full color.

Black Beauty


Betty Evans - 1981
    

Mrs. Pig's Bulk Buy


Mary Rayner - 1981
    Pig stocks up on ketchup, their favorite food, until they realize it's all they will be eating.

The Mockery Bird


Gerald Durrell - 1981
    The tiny island paradise of Zenkali is turned upside down when a civil war breaks out, and the island is invaded not only by the British Military, but by the world press and a fanatical group of conservationists - and all because of a silly bird.

The Little Red Hen


Lilian Obligado - 1981
    The little red hen finds none of her lazy friends willing to help her plant, harvest or grind wheat into flour or to prepare the dough or bake it, but all are eager to eat the bread she makes.

Draw Horses with Sam Savitt


Sam Savitt - 1981
    He demonstrates how to draw the different parts of a horse, from the head to the hocks, the horse in motion, and the kinds of horse and riding techniques.

The Zoo That Never Was


R.D. Lawrence - 1981
    A heart-warming story of animal psychology, The Zoo That Never Was describes the adventures of the wild menagerie when RD Lawrence and his wife Joan became keepers of orphaned and abandoned animals, including bear, otters, skunk, raccoons, lynx, Canada geese, ducks, turtles, porcupines and more.

Beak of the Moon


Philip Temple - 1981
    The chaos they bring forces Strongbeak and his friends to seek a brave new world beyond the mountains.

Danza!


Lynn Hall - 1981
    . . . The characterization of Paulo and his relationships with Danza, his grandfather, and Major Kessler are beautifully depicted".--School Library Journal. Full color.

The Education of Koko


Francine Patterson - 1981
    

Prince What A Mess


Frank Muir - 1981
    

Journeys to the Past: Travels in New Guinea, Madagascar, and the Northern Territory of Australia


David Attenborough - 1981
    He watched a tribe making stone axes and met a pygmy people who wore extraordinary bulbous hats made from their hair clippings and woven to their scalps. On the island of Pentecost he marvelled at the courage of the sensational land-divers who jumped head first from a tower over eighty feet high with vines tied round their ankles. On Tanna he observed a cargo cult and talked to its leader, and on Tonga he filmed the Royal Kava ceremony, the most important and sacred of all the surviving ancient rituals.David Attenborough describes Madagascar as "one of Nature's lumber rooms, a place where antique outmoded forms of life that have long since disappeared from the rest of the world still survive in isolation". Here he observed many species of lemur, including the enchanting snow-white sifakas and the 'dog-headed man', the indris, about whom there are many legends; he collected fragments of the largest eggs in the world laid by the now extinct Aepyornis, and saw the ritual of the turning the dead.Finally, in the Northern Territory of Australia he filmed the aborigines' way of life, examined the remarkable rock paintings which parallel the first drawings made by mankind, learnt about the legends in which they describe their myths of the creation of the world, and met an old man who lived a hermit's life in a remote part of the outback in an upturned water tank.Vivid descriptions, hilarious incidents, and extraordinary encounters makes this book superb family reading.

Professor Cockatoo's Amazing Weather Dust


Dan Vallely - 1981
    The animals and birds try to produce rain to break the drought. A fun-filled book to delight all ages.The Possum Creek series:The Lost World of Possum CreekThe Great Possum Creek Bush FireThe Possum Creek OlympicsPossum One: The Outback Rocket ShipThe Great Possum Creek DroughtPossum Creek's Big FloodThe Great Possum Creek EarthquakeProfessor Cockatoo's Amazing Weather DustPossum Creek's Exciting Moon AdventureWritten by Dan Vallely, and beautifully illustrated by the late Yvonne Perrin (except for Possum Creek's Exciting Moon Adventure, which was illustrated by Zoe Bowles).

The Seasons in Fern Hollow


John Patience - 1981
    

Dear Fred


K.M. Peyton - 1981
    To Laura's parents, her passionate hero-worship was an embarrassment. The only people who understood her feelings were Uncle Harry and his strange protege, Tiger, a runaway boy with a lithe body and fiery nature who kissed Laura secretly behind the stable door.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Portfolio Seven


Grant Bradford - 1981
    Presents the winning and commended images from the 1997 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, organized by BBC Wildlife Magazine and The Natural History Museum, London.

A Natural History of Raccoons


Dorcas MacClintock - 1981
    Topics covered include: behavioral characteristics (curiosity, raccoons in motion, winter denning); feeding habits, controlling their numbers (disease, parasites and predators); mating, and cubs; and habitat requirements. The book includes a chapter on caring for raccoons, which will be especially helpful for those who - like the author - have been called upon to nurture orphaned raccoon cubs. Raccoons are ecologic opportunists of the first order, living in forest, marsh and coastal environments, and forever exploring new habitats in suburb and city. Many people who have only occasionally glimpsed these predominantly nocturnal creatures will welcome this opportunity to become more familiar with them. Dorcas MacClintock is a mammalogist who is currently a Research Associate at the California Academy of Sciences and a Curatorial Affiliate at Yale Peabody Museum. She is on familiar terms with raccoons, having reared a number of orphaned cubs. J. Sharkey Thomas's sensitive interpretations of wildlife are familiar to animal lovers throughout North America. Two solo exhibitions of her art in New York City have established a widening circle of collectors. "Delightful, painstakingly researched work that introduces the reader to just about every aspect of the structure, habits and life history of the raccoon. Packed with information. While the treatment is thoroughly scientific, the brisk writing style makes for easy, enjoyable reading. Illustrated with many truly exquisite sketches. A fine book." The Conservationist "MacClintock supplies here just about everything you could think to ask about raccoons. Thoroughly informative and smoothly integrated." Kirkus Reviews "A sprightly and detailed study of the appealing animal. The many drawings here are striking." Booklist "Informative and charmingly illustrated." Country Journal

A Field Guide To The British Countryside


Alfred Leutscher - 1981
    

The Honeybee & the Robber


Eric Carle - 1981
    But when a robber bear comes looking for honey, all the bees must rush out to defend their home. This classic Eric Carle story is brought to life by movable pull-tabs that children can use to animate the action, as well as a beautiful pop-up butterfly. Available again for the first time in years, The Honeybee and the Robber will delight both longtime fans and first-time readers.

Where Do They Go?: Insects in Winter


Millicent E. Selsam - 1981
    

Goodnight Horsey


Frank Asch - 1981
    A request for a bedtime glass of water results in a fantastic horsey ride with a surprise ending.

All Those Girls in Love with Horses


Robert Vavra - 1981
    

The Stallion


Joyce Stranger - 1981
    

A Sierra Club Naturalist's Guide to the North Woods of Michigan, Wisconsin & Minnesota


Glenda Daniel - 1981
    

A Comic and Curious Collection of Animals, Birds and Other Creatures


Bobbie Craig - 1981
    

Whalesong


Robert Siegel - 1981
    Seals, dolphins and Ala the seagull all guide him on his travels and help him during times of great danger and great joy.And before his song is over, Hruna is put to the ultimate test when he leads a daring rescue amongst the icebergs, and saves his pod from the whalers.

Champion's Story


Bob Champion - 1981
    

Treasury of Chinese Design Motifs


Joseph D'Addetta - 1981
    Its extensive vocabulary of design motifs is based on four timeless principles: spirit, rhythm, life, and movement. True Chinese design is never meaningless ornamentation. Its exquisitely beautiful combinations of blossoms and sprays, birds, animals, inscribed medallions, and symmetrical designs are artistic puzzles in which words and syllables are represented by pictures or symbols. When sounded in sequence, they become auspicious phrases and afford the solution to the puzzle.Yet, aside from their inherent wisdom or sly humor, these designs of unusual zest and elegance demonstrate the aesthetic capabilities of one of the world's richest artistic traditions. They are remarkable for their subtlety, finesse, spontaneity, and skill; but most importantly, for their enduring beauty. Modern-day artists and designers will find in these immortal designs fresh insight into today's graphic and design challenges.In this volume, noted artist Joseph D'Addetta offers his own careful and sensitive pen renderings of motifs taken from first-rate examples of Chinese objets d'art in leading museums and private collections. Included are motifs from ceramics, textiles, jade, lacquer, bronzes, and furniture beginning in approximately 1300 B.C. and continuing through the Qing dynasty, which lasted until the early twentieth century.These 284 outstanding and royalty-free motifs are divided into eight categories: Flowers and Plants; Wave and Cloud Forms; Medallions; Horizontal Bands; Animal Life; Symbols; Allover Patterns; and Ceramic Objects. Dates of the dynasties and periods are provided, with names in both pin yin and Wade transcriptions.

Teddy Bear Postman


Phoebe Worthington - 1981
    Presents the activities of Teddy Bear Postman on the day before Christmas, as he does his best to make sure everyone gets letters and packages before the holiday.

Take Another Look


Tana Hoban - 1981
    By viewing nine subjects both in full-page photos and through die-cut pages, the reader learns that things may be perceived in different ways.

Rambling Willie: The Horse that God Loved


Donald P. Evans - 1981
    

Work Horse Handbook


Lynn R. Miller - 1981
    They also seek the craft of good farming and the faith that comes of thankful farming. Small Farmer's Journal wants to be defenders and agents of and for good farming and they realize that they are a small endeavor with small consequences.Work Horse Handbook has become a classic and the standard reference. This popular, highly regarded text is filled with current information and hundreds of photographs and drawings. It is a sensitive and intelligent examination of the craft of the teamster.From care and feeding through hitching and driving, every aspect is covered. Find out for yourself why this book is considered by thousands of people to be the volume on working horses in harness.

National Geographic Book of Mammals


National Geographic Society - 1981
    -- A complete family reference guide with more than 850 photosThis acclaimed book is filled with marvelous photographs of over 500 animals in their natural habitat.

Harper & Row's Complete Field Guide to North American Wildlife: Eastern Edition


Henry Hill Collins Jr. - 1981
    

Pugs


Filomena Doherty - 1981
    1995, trade paperback edition, TFH Publications, Neptune City, NJ, 224 pages, loaded with full-color photos, nearly 200 photos and drawings in all.

Intelligent And Loyal


Jilly Cooper - 1981
    Jilly Cooper collected stories from hundreds of owners to write this engaging and affectionate tribute. She presents a delightful account of the lives and natures of a vast assortment of dogs of doubtful parentage: a fascinating, moving and entertaining chronicle of their exploits and accomplishments, their bravery, devotion and wisdom. Jilly's special method of classification enables you to tell instantly if your pet is a Woolly Whitejaw, a Borderline Collie, a Bertrand Russell or a Lancashire Hot Pet. At last, our mongrels have achieved the recognition they have so long deserved...

Emergency First Aid For Dogs


Sheldon Rubin - 1981
    In an emergency, knowing what to do before you can get an injured animal to the veterinarian may save the animal's life. But would you know what to do if your dog were in shock, or choking, or had a broken back? With this book, the answer is "yes."EMERGENCY FIRST AID FOR DOGS, written by a practicing veterinarian, guides you step-by-step through the emergency situations most likely to befall your pet. Simple but detailed instructions, accompanied by clear, precise illustrations, show you exactly how to handle such injuries as broken bones, burns, electrical shock, eye injuries, bleeding, poisoning, and other common emergencies.EMERGENCY FIRST AID FOR DOGS is a book no responsible dog owner can do without. It could help save your dog's life.

Encyclopaedia of animals in colour


Maurice Burton - 1981
    

Canine Hip Dysplasia and Other Orthopedic Problems


Fred L. Lanting - 1981
    

Sketches Of Bird Life


Charles F. Tunnicliffe - 1981