A teenaged fairy and her friends organize to save the rain forest.

The Hero of Fern Gully delivers a fascinating glimpse of Jamaican island life-past and present. You will be transported to historic Fern Gully, in the parish of St. Ann, and the leafy, meandering hills that shoulder Lovers Leap in Southfield, St. Elizabeth. You will celebrate Christmas in the rustic countryside of Woodlands: feel Mattie's struggles in her quest to build her dream home, be drawn to the treats, the delights of Miss Bailey's Cold Supper Shop, and see tourists through the eyes of an innkeeper. Adults and teens will enjoy reading this treasure trove of stories celebrating ordinary happenings around ordinary people with an extraordinary legacy.

Crysta, a tiny rainforest fairy, discovers humans have accidentally released Hexxus, the forest's ancient enemy. Aided by Pips, her elf friend, Batty Koda, and Magi Lune, the keeper of the Old Powers, she sets out to save Ferngully from destruction.

In settings ranging from Kansas City's West Bottoms to Quality Hill, you'll follow the lives and fortunes of five very different men, the women they love, and the families they create, in G.P. Schultz's historic saga about the settlement and growth of one of America's great cities. You'll follow the adventures of Jack and Kevin, two spunky Irish orphans just off the boat and determined to make their fortunes in America. They arrive in Kansas City when it is a rugged town built along mountainous gullies carved in the mud along the Missouri River--thus earning it the name "Gully Town." For Kevin, early Kansas City affords the opportunity to fulfill his ambitions to be a newspaper reporter and to pursue his avid interest in women--until the captivating Mary, herself and Irish immigrant, steals his heart. Jack settles into the business community and his life takes a completely different turn as he helps create the Boss System of politics that continues to dominate the city for half a century. Red is a young man who witnesses the horror of Quantrill's famous raid on Lawrence, Kansas, in the early days of the Civil War and later participates in the Battle of Westport. Red finds the woman of his dreams in the beautiful Melissa--only to lose her when she learns of his past and flees, taking with her the secret that could save Red from a life of crime. Adam, schoolteacher, historian, state senator and newspaper columnist, chronicles the lives of his friends and the growth of Kansas City in the journal he faithfully keeps through the years. Through him, we learn about the turbulent political system that puts Jack on top--and frequently threatens his life. We experience such history making events as the great Centennial celebration in 1900, and the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. As the next generation comes of age in a more civilized Kansas City it faces its own challenges. Michael, a product of Gully town's Little Italy, grows up in violence and becomes chief of the Kansas City underworld. Michael falls in love with the beautiful Beth, and must face the inevitability of his career in organized crime destroying the life they have built together.

"Using the work of great Australian painters and poets as an entry point, this cultural study counters the popular myth that early colonial settlers were environmentally irresponsible and offers both aesthetic and historical evidence that suggests nature always figured prominently in the Australian national consciousness. Preserving endangered species, protecting forests, maintaining public land rights, and staving off climate change were at issue in the first environmental law of Australia enacted in 1788. Parlimentary debates, personal observations, and artistic renderings explore the texture and dimensions of early Australian environmentalism."

Fern Fever (or Pteridomania, to give it its official name), hit Britain between 1837 and 1914 and peaked between 1840 and 1890. Although in previous centuries ferns played an important role in customs and folklore, it was only in this period that they were coveted for aesthetic reasons and that man's passion for them reached its zenith. The craze for collecting ferns reached such epidemic proportions that it affected the very existence of some species. The fern craze started to gather momentum in the 1840s; books and magazines maintained that fern growing was a hobby that anyone could enjoy as ferns would grow in the glazed fernery, garden, shady yard, window box or even indoors in Wardian Cases. The mania also spread from the living plant to depicting it in architecture and the decorative arts. Even roads, villas and terraced houses were named after the fern. This book, the first to deal exclusively with the subject for nearly forty years, looks at the how the craze developed, the ways in which ferns were incorporated into garden and home, and the spread of the fern through Victorian material and visual culture.

Leverage the power of effective writing Be a Brilliant Business Writer gives you tools for mastering the art of persuasive writing in every document you create, from email and client letters to reports and presentations. Jane Curry and Diana Young will show you how to convey your message with clarity and power, increase your productivity by reducing rewrites, and provide just the right tone for navigating the minefield of office politics. With its smart, savvy advice, Be a Brilliant Business Writer will help you write to boost the bottom line, win professional accolades, and gain greater job security.