'Such an animal is difficult to tame and always likely, when suddenly alarmed, to give our finger a nasty nip with its teeth'While dipping into The Children's Encyclopaedia of 1910, Axel Scheffler came across a small but indispensible guide to procuring and caring for your pet squirrel. Intrigued by the unlikely notion of a child attempting to keep so wild an animal, Axel created a series of delightful, beautifully finished illustrations to accompany the text.

Entertaining and informative, Pets in America is a portrait of Americans' relationships with the cats, dogs, birds, fishes, rodents, and other animals we call our own. More than 60 percent of U.S. households have pets, and America grows more pet-friendly every day. But as Katherine C. Grier demonstrates, the ways we talk about and treat our pets--as companions, as children, and as objects of beauty, status, or pleasure--have their origins long ago. Grier begins with a natural history of animals as pets, then discusses the changing role of pets in family life, new standards of animal welfare, the problems presented by borderline cases such as livestock pets, and the marketing of both animals and pet products. She focuses particularly on the period between 1840 and 1940, when the emotional, behavioral, and commercial characteristics of contemporary pet keeping were established. The story is filled with the warmth and humor of anecdotes from period diaries, letters, catalogs, and newspapers. Filled with illustrations reflecting the whimsy, the devotion, and the commerce that have shaped centuries of American pet keeping, Pets in America ultimately shows how the history of pets has evolved alongside changing ideas about human nature, child development, and community life. This book accompanies a museum exhibit, "Pets in America," which opens at the McKissick Museum in Columbia, South Carolina, in December 2005 and will travel to five other cities from May 2006 through May 2008.

An engaging and informative survey of medieval pet keeping which also examines their representation in art and literature.

Running into the school to escape a hungry owl was easy. But with the door locked and an angry dog chasing him, how will Twitch the squirrel get back out? He'll need a hand, of course. . . . and maybe a paw, a fin, and a wing, too. Can the classroom pets—including Sweetie the library rat, a snake named Angel, and the first graders' Green Eggs and Hamster—help Twitch get back to his cozy home in the trees? Each chapter is told in the voice of a different animal as the squirrel works his way through the school, visiting each classroom and trying to stay one step ahead of the principal's menacing dog, Cuddles. The different perspectives make this a perfect introduction to narrative point-of-view—and an extra-funny read-aloud. Lively black and white illustrations add to the humor, depicting Twitch's mad dash through the school and the chaos created by a band of class pets on the loose. With short, funny chapters, young readers will race through this novel to find out what the pets do next. For more of Twitch's adventures, check out Squirrel in the House and Squirrel in the Museum.

An introduction to the physical characteristics and behavior of squirrels, with fact tables for nine different squirrel species.

Just in time for spring, the popular Squirrel Wars book has received a new cover that is sure to catch the eye of home owners everywhere. Despite our reverence for wildlife, many of our most favorite species raise havoc in lawns and gardens from city to suburbia. This book solves backyard problems with squirrels, raccoons, deer, crows, insects and a host of other "pests" who raid backyard bird feeders and garbage cans, nest in chimneys, eat shrubbery, dig holes, tunnel in lawns, and attack garden foliage. Informative tips, devices, and methods are explained that will lead to a peaceful coexistence with all animals, great and small.

"I’m loving it! Laura has managed not only to write a clear and incredibly important book, she’s really funny too! Her way of writing, the images in her language, and the diagrams make this book really stand out; there’s no way to misunderstand the concepts she’s presenting." —Emelie Johnson Vegh, co-author of Agility Right from the Start Some dogs need a little help. Some dogs are afraid, or excited, or reactive. Dogs that “don’t listen” and “go crazy” don’t live the lives we—or they—want. Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out can change that. Simple steps and an accessible, conversational tone from award-winning, internationally-known trainer Laura VanArendonk Baugh CPDT-KA KPACTP make calming the agitated dog not only possible, but pleasant. Inside you’ll learn how to: - Achieve change in short, simple training sessions of a minute or less - Maximize the effects of natural brain chemistry - Know when to call in medical help - “Clean up” unreliable behaviors in both overexcited sport dogs and pets at home - Recognize how fear, aggression, and excitement are variants of the same root problem The conversational tone is both informative and fun—very accessible, and it feels like the reader has a consulting trainer standing at her shoulder! Bring your dog from emotional to thoughtful, and enjoy a calmer, more enriched life with your best friend.