NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The heartfelt, unforgettable story of how one man found his life’s work—and true love—among a gang of wild parrots roosting in San Francisco. The basis for the award-winning documentary!“A healthy dose of inspiration . . . the perfect read for anybody who believes that success means more than a corner office.”—ElleMark Bittner was down on his luck. He’d gone to San Francisco at the age of twenty...

The man-eating proclivities of Komodo dragons. The complicated art of being a cowgirl. A picaresque ramble with a merry band of tree-cleaners. The big-wave crusaders of the world's best surfers. For the past twenty years, Outside magazine has set the standard for original and engaging reports on travel, adventure, sports, and the environment.Along the way, many of America's best journalists and storytellers--including such writers as Jon Krakauer, Tim Cahill, E. Annie Proulx, Edwar...

Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers.Fly-fishing’s finest scribe, John Gierach, takes us from a nameless stream on a nameless ranch in Montana to a secret pool off a secret creek where he caught a catfish as a five-year-old, to a brook full of rattlesnakes and a private pond where the trout are all as long as your leg. As Gierach says, “The secret places are the s...

An “optimistic, warm, unpretentious” (San Francisco Chronicle) guide to unlocking your inner poet, blending thoughtful anecdotes and practical exercises to foster inspiration and promote creativity“This is a wonderful book—smart, wide-eyed, joyful, helpful, inspiring. You’re going to love it, and love writing poetry more for having read it.”—Anne Lamott, author of Bird by BirdIt’s impossible to teach anyone to write a ...

America's sweetheart, impassioned lifelong animal welfare advocate, and New York Times bestselling author Betty White shares intimate, funny, and enlightening stories about her very best friends in the world…All her life, Betty White has had a menagerie of pets, many of them rescued, and has donated countless hours and resources to animal welfare. Animals are her passion, and that passion extends to zoos and their importance for the conservation of species...

Giant pandas are one of the most loved of all animals. Here are some fun facts you may not have known about giant pandas.Is a giant panda an herbivore or a carnivore?Do giant pandas hibernate like other bears?What do a giant panda's pupils look like?Which has more fingers; a giant panda or a human?Learn the answer to these questions and many more in this 15-Minute Book. Giant pandas look like cute, cuddly creatures from the Far East. How much do you kno...

How many lenses does a dragonfly's eye have?Which is bigger, an eagle's eye or a human's?How many eyes does a scallop have?How do lizards keep their eyes wet?Animal eyes can be really strange and wonderful. How much do you know about the eyes of your animal friends? Find out more in this book.LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices t...

New Yorker writer and author of The Library Book takes readers on a series of remarkable journeys in this uniquely witty, sophisticated, and far-flung travel book.In this irresistible collection of adventures far and near, Orlean conducts a tour of the world via its subcultures, from the heart of the African music scene in Paris to the World Taxidermy Championships in Springfield, Illinois—and even into her own apartment, where she imagines a very...

Everyone has heard of the dodo bird, that strange creature that would waddle up to hungry sailors only to be eaten for dinner. Dodo birds have often been looked at as stupid animals that were too dumb to survive. But the more we find out about this bird, the more we find out that they might not have been so dumb after all. Here are some things we have found out about them!What color were their beaks?Where did dodo birds live?Did they like the forest, the grasses or th...

Why do big cats have pads on their feet?Which is the largest big cat?Which big cat lives at the highest elevation?Which is the only social cat?Which is the only cat that runs its prey to the ground?Find out the answers to these questions and more in this 15-minute book. Amaze your family and friends with these fun facts.LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give child...

Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers.“Good fishing and good writing use the same skills,” writes John Gierach, “whether you’re after a trout or a story, you won’t get that far with brute force. You’re better off to watch, wait, and remain calm…letting it all happen, rather than trying to make it happen.” As the wry and perceptive essays in Another Lousy Day in...

The inspiring biography of the adventuresome naturalist Carol Ruckdeschel and her crusade to save her island home from environmental disaster.In a "moving homage . . . that artfully articulates the ferocities of nature and humanity," biographer Will Harlan captures the larger-than-life story of biologist, naturalist, and ecological activist Carol Ruckdeschel, known to many as the wildest woman in America. She wrestles alligators, eats roadkill, rides horses barebac...