Learn to communicate with your dog—using their language “Good reading for dog lovers and an immensely useful manual for dog owners.”—The Washington Post An Applied Animal Behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years’ experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell reveals a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs—sharing insights on how “man’s best friend” might interpret our behavior, as well as essential advice on how to interact with our four-legged friends in ways that bring out the best in them. After all, humans and dogs are two entirely different species, each shaped by its individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (as are wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. This marvelous guide demonstrates how even the slightest changes in our voices and in the ways we stand can help dogs understand what we want. Inside you will discover: • How you can get your dog to come when called by acting less like a primate and more like a dog • Why the advice to “get dominance” over your dog can cause problems • Why “rough and tumble primate play” can lead to trouble—and how to play with your dog in ways that are fun and keep him out of mischief • How dogs and humans share personality types—and why most dogs want to live with benevolent leaders rather than “alpha wanna-bes!” Fascinating, insightful, and compelling, The Other End of the Leash is a book that strives to help you connect with your dog in a completely new way—so as to enrich that most rewarding of relationships.

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.

An in-depth look at local, community-based...

Arnold Hap Fox tells the story of his adventures with Henry Hawk when they run away from the sixth grade in Cleotis, Indiana, trying to join their fathers in Biloxi on the Gulf. Inspired by Huckleberry Finn, they patch up a derelict canoe to float down the Wabash to the Ohio and then to the Mississippi. Cap'n Veech warns them, These days Huck's trip couldn't happen. There'd be Amber Alerts and squads of social workers on his tail to bring him back home and put him in counseling. Wouldn't get much past Paducah. Hap and Henry with Hap's dog Shep nearly drown, wash up in Kentucky, and begin hiking. Henry is a talented liar. Hap is more innocent and imagines the dangers ahead. They are arrested for vagrancy, thrown in jail, and wind up in protective custody on a farm where Augusta and Arbutus Gorch are experienced foster parents. Ignoring warnings about bears and snakes, Henry insists they run away to head south. After three nights in Bobcat Woods, Hap decides he isn't cut out to be an explorer. He is happy to hole up at Eve's Orchard, a floundering commune, that keeps afloat selling goat cheese and marijuana. From his reading about motherless boys, Hap worries that he will receive his comeuppance for his rebellion, but he cannot imagine what that comeuppance will be. Along the way he learns that he is more comfortable at home in his bed instead of playing Daniel Boone. He also finds out that even when adults are confused, there is more than one kind of family that cares about its children.

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Tradd Street novels comes an enthralling southern gothic saga about one woman's quest for the truth... When Vivien Walker left her home in the Mississippi Delta, she swore never to go back. But in the spring, nine years to the day since she’d left, Vivien returns, fleeing from a broken marriage and her lost dreams for children. What she hopes to find is solace with her dear grandmother who raised her, a Walker woman with a knack for making everything all right. Instead Vivien is forced into the unexpected role of caretaker, challenging her personal quest to find the girl she once was. But things will change again in ways Vivien cannot imagine. A violent storm has revealed the remains of a long-dead woman buried near the Walker home, not far from the cypress swamp that is soon to give up its ghosts. Vivien knows there is now only one way to rediscover herself—by uncovering the secrets of her family and breaking the cycle of loss that has haunted them for generations. READERS GUIDE INCLUDED

Titles in the First Garden series are the ideal books for those just getting started in gardening, featuring custom advice for four distinct regions. Each book includes information on site and soil evaluation, plant types, watering, planting and plant maintenance, and sun and shade conditions.