"No pretty little thoughts, no fake faith-restoratives -- just hard solid craftsmanship and style." -- The New York Times (An Outstanding Book of the Year). The High Sierras, the Oregon back country, Hollywood, and San Francisco provide the backdrops for these two novellas and eight shorter pieces by the acclaimed author of Hard Rain Falling. The stories display an impressive range and variety, from the stark shocks of "Limbo" to a compassionate study of loneliness, "One of Those Big-City Girls."

The laughter never ends with Oi Frog and Friends! Jam-packed with the silliest of animals, this bestselling rhyming story will have the youngest of readers in fits of laughter. Over 1 million copies sold! Cats sit on mats, hares sit on chairs, mules sit on stools and gophers sit on sofas. But Frog does not want to sit on a log. Jam-packed with animals and silliness, this original rhyming story is guaranteed to get children giggling! 'An absolute treat.' Daily Mail 'Hilarious.' Guardian 'The most outstanding children's book.' Jo Wiley, BBC Radio 2 Can't get enough? Look out for: Oi Dog, Oi Cat, Oi Duck-billed Platypus, Oi Puppies Oi Frog and Friends is a top ten bestselling series. Loved by children and parents, the books have won numerous awards, including the Laugh Out Loud Picture Book Award, and been shortlisted for many more!

This very readable book will get you all fired up about small-town life in the 1950s! Flaunting a Dave Barry brand of humor, dozens of period photos, 50 unique drawings, 31 stand-alone stories, and often a literary level of writing, it rides the reader on a metaphorical Whizzer motorbike journey through life, from days of innocence through forsaken virtue. Along the way, village fires are both personal tragedies and popular roadside attractions. Actual events and historical personages mist over like foggy mornings. How much of each account is fact, how much is fiction? The author asks the reader to decide--and offers help with two different beginnings and endings! Everything in this book is, of course, absolutely, positively true. Sort of.

Portelli offers a new and challenging approach to oral history, with an interdisciplinary and multicultural perspective. Examining cultural conflict and communication between social groups and classes in industrial societies, he identifies the way individuals strive to create memories in order to make sense of their lives, and evaluates the impact of the fieldwork experience on the consciousness of the researcher. By recovering the value of the story-telling experience, Portelli's work makes delightful reading for the specialist and non-specialist alike.

"The Witch and Other Stories" belongs to the famous collections of works by Chekhov, the prominent Russian writer. He is a master of creating complex characters, often torn between sins and virtues, trying to find their place in this world.

In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

“A huge, beautiful compendium of 600 frogs from around the world, from the famed poison-arrow variety on up to the intriguingly named plaintive rain frog.” —Wired With over 7,000 known species, frogs display a stunning array of forms and behaviors. A single gram of the toxin produced by the skin of the Golden Poison Frog can kill 100,000 people. Male Darwin’s Frogs carry their tadpoles in their vocal sacs for sixty days before coughing them out into the world. The Wood Frogs of North America freeze every winter, reanimating in the spring from the glucose and urea that prevent cell collapse. The Book of Frogs commemorates the diversity and magnificence of all of these creatures, and many more. Six hundred of nature’s most fascinating frog species are displayed, with each entry including a distribution map, sketches of the frogs, species identification, natural history, and conservation status. Life-size color photos show the frogs at their actual size—including the colossal seven-pound Goliath Frog. Accessibly written by expert Tim Halliday and containing the most up-to-date information, The Book of Frogs will captivate both veteran researchers and amateur herpetologists. As frogs increasingly make headlines for their troubling worldwide decline, the importance of these fascinating creatures to their ecosystems remains underappreciated. The Book of Frogs brings readers face to face with six hundred astonishingly unique and irreplaceable species that display a diverse array of adaptations to habitats that are under threat of destruction throughout the world. “If you are a serious (and I mean serious) fan of the frog, you are in for a real treat.” —Boing Boing