Master dog-biscuit baker Mother Grumpy hates dealing with customers and is headed for disaster until friendly Ernest tries to help.

Matches quality children's books with each day of the year to provide a focus for story time. The lessons in this book will help children develop creative connections between reading and the world around them, introducing them to many other people and places throughout the world.

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.

With the world’s food supply controlled by greedy, evil corporations, the Earth is dying and needs help. Mother Nature and Father Time knew this day would come and have devised a plan. Long ago, they sent twelve families of magical creatures—two elven changelings, two skyroamers, and several gnomes—to different forests around the globe, with a chest and a codex. To help save Earth and humanity, the leader of each family is to unlock their chest using the codex on a special date. Though most of the families hide their chest and codex to protect them when they arrive at their new homes, one family doesn’t. Wanting humans gone and elves and gnomes to rule Earth, the sly gnome Napoleon opens his chest right away and tricks his family to help him persuade big corporations to take land away from small farmers and poison the Earth with chemicals. With big corporate farms affecting their homes, the other magical families are having difficulty retrieving their chests and codices. Gnomes Mik and Min were in charge of hiding their family’s codex, but when the day to open their chest is only weeks away, they can’t seem to find it either! Will the families find their chests and codices in time or will they be too late? The first book in the Saga of Mik and Min series, Mother Nature’s Plan is an enchanting and adventurous tale about the importance of working together to save and care for our one-and-only Earth.

One in four pets is obese, and every year owners spends thousands of dollars treating allergies, joint problems, digestive disorders, and serious diseases that could improve dramatically with a nutritious diet. Yet despite promises of complete and balanced meals, most commercial pet foods contain chemical preservatives, indigestible fillers, and dangerous by-products. If your pets are overweight, ailing, or aging‚ or you just want them to be as healthy as possible‚ THE WHOLE PET DIET offers a straightforward plan to achieve lifelong health and well-being. Featuring twenty-five easy recipes for homemade meals and treats, a guide to natural supplements, and practical tips for no-stress grooming and play, this holistic approach to pet care creates optimal health for dogs and cats‚ and it just might change the way you eat, too.