Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel's Life of Pi. So begins his "lovely and human" (Jenny Lawson, author of Furiously Happy) tale of obsessively pursuing a dream, overcoming failure, and finding meaning in life. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I found myself standing dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. Far below me was an incredible abyss with no end in sight. I could turn back and safely return to where I had come from, or I could throw caution to the wind, lift my arms up into the air . . . and jump.” —From The Elephants in My Backyard What happens when you spend ten years obsessively pursuing a dream, and then, in the blink of an eye, you learn that you have failed, that the dream will not come true? In 2003, Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. Mesmerized by all the similarities between Pi and himself—both are five-foot-five with coffee-colored complexions, both share a South Indian culture, both lived by a zoo—when Rajiv learns that Life of Pi will be made into a major motion picture he is convinced that playing the title role is his destiny. In a great leap of faith Rajiv embarks on a quest to embody the sixteen-year-old Tamil schoolboy. He quits university and buys a one-way ticket from Toronto to South India. He visits the sacred stone temples of Pondicherry, he travels to the frigid waters off the coast of rural Maine, and explores the cobbled streets of Munich. He befriends Yann Martel, a priest, a castaway, an eccentric old woman, and a pack of Tamil schoolboys. He learns how to swim, to spin wool, to keep bees, and to look a tiger in the eye. All the while he is really learning how to dream big, to fail, to survive, to love, and to become who he truly is. Rajiv Surendra captures the uncertainty, heartache, and joy of finding ones place in the world with sly humor and refreshing honesty. The Elephants in My Backyard is not a journey of goals and victories, but a story of process and determination. It is a spellbinding and profound book for anyone who has ever failed at something and had to find a new path through life.

A rhyming picture book that introduces backyard animals by baby and family group names while counting them from one to ten, followed by a "For creative minds" section with animal facts memory game and information on caring for wildlife.

After years of adventuring around the globe – running, kayaking, hitchhiking, exploring – Beau Miles came back to his block in country Victoria. Staying put for the first time in years, Beau developed a new kind of lifestyle as the Backyard Adventurer. Whether it was walking 90km to work with no provisions, building a canoe paddle out of scavenged scrap or running a disused railway line through properties, blackberry thickets and past inquiring police officers, Beau has been finding ways to satisfy his adventurous spirit close to home. This book is about conscious experimentation with adventure, making meaning and inspiration out of tins of beans, bits of rubbish and elbow grease. Beau’s Backyard exploits are funny, authentic, insightful and being copied all over the world by everyday people. YouTuber, new dad, and self-described oddball who needs to shower more, Beau is what happens when you cross Bear Grylls with Bush Tucker Man. With a PhD in Outdoor Education, a string of successful short films under his belt and a boundless passion for discovery, Beau is the real deal.

In their own backyard, the Baker family observes a pair of hummingbirds from their courtship dance through the day the fledglings are ready to leave the nest and return on their own. Includes facts about hummingbirds, and related websites and books.

Want to introduce children, toddlers, and babies to the colorful and amusing world of birds? Out of all of nature's wonders, birds are chattering, swooping, squawking creatures that kids see every day. Birds in My Backyard is a whimsical introduction to the show going on outdoors. Learn to look and listen! Each page presents a new bird with a playful, descriptive rhyme: Robins go fishing for worms. Blue jays boss other birds. Hawks play with breezes. And so on. Children discover new chirping friends with Birds in My Backyard! This book celebrates colorful birds artistically rendered in imaginative collage. It's a picture book that entertains while educating. Birds in My Backyard starts at dawn and ends at dusk so that kids might "soar with the birds" in their dreams. Like any favorite bedtime story, the book concludes with soothing, enchanting images and text. While budding bird watchers have fun learning about feathered friends, Birds in My Backyard also boosts language and affective learning skills, creativity, and cognitive abilities. In this book, you'll encounter: ✅ Visually-stimulating illustrations of birds in collage form ✅ Engaging stories and playful verses ✅ Passages with easy-to-read fonts for emergent readers ✅ Creative and gift-worthy book with an artistic cover Your kids' new bird buddies are waiting. Add the Birds in My Backyard book to your cart TODAY!

Diamonds in my Own Backyard is a self-improvement manual designed to encourage, enlighten, and empower readers to utilize the innate gifts and talents that they possess in order to produce financial freedom and positive social change.