The suburban lawn sprouts a crop of contradictory myths. To some, it's a green oasis; to others, it's eco-purgatory. Science writer Hannah Holmes spent a year appraising the lawn through the eyes of the squirrels, crows, worms, and spiders who think of her backyard as their own. Suburban Safari is a fascinating and often hilarious record of her discoveries: that many animals adore the suburban environment, including bears and cougars venturing in from the woods; how plants, in their struggle for dominance, communicate with their own kind and battle other species; and that ways already exist for us to grow healthier, livelier lawns.

Tips and advice for creating a bird-friendly yard Identifies foods, plants, and landscaping features that birds find attractive Examines how bird behaviors and needs change throughout the year Hundreds of color photos aid in identifying common backyard visitors

Peter Hathaway Capstick first earned a name as an outdoor writer in the pages of such magazines as Guns & Ammo, Petersen's Hunting, The American Hunter, and Outdoor Life. In this, the first of a two-volume collection of his hunting, fishing, and shooting tales, you'll find twenty-four examples of his keen eye and steady hand with rifle, shotgun, bow, and typewriter. The critically acclaimed successor to Hemingway and Robert Ruark repeatedly put himself in harm's way and writes about close scrapes with his trademark wit and dash. He tells what it's like to be in the path of an express train with Horns--the Cape buffalo; describes the heart-stopping sensation of sharing the immediate bush with several sickle-clawed lions that most certainly were prone to argue; and recounts his adventures bow-fishing for exotic species in the piranha-filled rivers of Brazil. Capstick's experiences, painfully gained (and almost lost) with the most dangerous of game, are the yardsticks against which most modern exotic and hunting adventures are gauged. The finely rendered drawings by Dino Paravano do justice to the text.

Nancy’s Earth Day project turns into chimpanzee chaos in the nineteenth book in the interactive Nancy Drew Clue Book mystery series. Nancy, Bess, and George need to create an Earth Day project for school, and they’ve landed on the perfect idea: Chimpiñatas! These globe-shaped piñatas are enrichment toys made for the chimpanzees at the Hairy Hideaway animal sanctuary to enjoy. The girls have filled them with the chimps’ favorite healthy snacks, like seeds and fruit, but when the chimps crack open the piñatas, they find that one of them is filled with candy! Who could have switched out the Chimpiñata, and why would they want to make the chimps go bananas? If anyone can find the schemer behind this sugar rush, it’s the Clue Crew!