Some Flowers by Vita Sackville-West

$16.00 NZD

Category: Gardening | Reading Level: very good

In "Some Flowers", first published in 1937, Vita Sackville-West took the step of choosing 25 of her favourite flowers and describing their appearance, origins and characteristics - the best ways to grow them - in a series of expressive pen portraits. The flowers she selects are not those which only have an effect en masse, but those which are lovely in shape, colouring, marking or texture. She describes native British species such as the Meadow Fritillary, and imports such as the half-hardy annual Salpiglossis. Whereas in the original edition of this book black and white photographs did less than justice to both flowers and text, here the water-colours of Graham Rust provided a fuller complement to Vita Sackville-West's descriptions. ...Show more

Succulents for the Contemporary Garden by Yvonne Cave

$20.00 NZD

Category: Gardening | Reading Level: very good

Helps the succulent lover to make sensible choices when deciding what species are appropriate for their contemporary garden. Descriptions and cultivation information are given for 60 genera and hundreds of species of these fascinating water-storing plants. Illustrated with 350 colour photographs.

Teach Yourself Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis by David A. Rothery

$12.00 NZD

Category: Natural History | Series: Teach Yourself - General | Reading Level: very good

Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis is the essential guide to what causes the most frightening geological events with which we are faced today. It covers plate tectonics, the intricacies of each terrible phenomina, and their effects as well as the impact they have on each other, how they can be predicte d and, if possible, controlled. NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Extra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding. THINGS TO REMEMBER Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. ...Show more

Complete New Zealand Gardener: A Practical Guide by Geoff Bryant & Eion Scarrow

$20.00 NZD

Category: Gardening | Reading Level: very good

Whether starting from scratch with a new garden or redeveloping an existing one the Complete New Zealand Gardener will guide you through the major decisions you will need to make, and help you to create and look after your ultimate garden. Two well-known New Zealand gardening authors, pool their knowled ge and experience as both home gardeners and commercial horticulturists to provide a New Zealand gardening guide to inform and inspire. The concise, authoritative text and fresh innovative design is combined with superb colour photographs, clear diagrams and handy colour tables. Shortlisted for the Montana Book Awards, 1996. ...Show more

On Natural Selection by Charles Darwin

$6.00 NZD

Category: Natural History | Series: Penguin Great Ideas Ser. | Reading Level: good

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves--and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives--and destroyed them. Now, Penguin brings you th e works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are. Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers, and each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-drive design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped the world.   ...Show more

The Future Eaters: An Ecological History of the Australasian Lands and People by Tim Flannery

$15.00 NZD

Category: Natural History | Reading Level: very good

This is the story of how human beings have consumed the resources they need for their own future. It examines the original "future eaters" who were the first people to leave the Afro-Asian homeland and travel down the chain of islands to Australasia and became the Aboriginal, Maori and other Polynesian peoples. They changed the flora and fauna in ways that seem inconceivable. The book then continues on to discuss how Europeans have made an even greater impact and how today "future eating" is a universal occupation. ...Show more

What Am I? In the Bush by Gillian Torckler

$6.00 NZD

Category: Children Non-fiction | Reading Level: very good

This fascinating book introduces 11 unique living things that can be seen in the New Zealand bush.Meet: a moth with no mouth that lives for only one night; an insect with four ears; a mischevious parrot that likes to pull cars apart; and a bird with nostrils at the end of its beak! Guess the identity of each animal from clues set out in rhyme, then learn some interesting facts about the mystery creature! Each of the 11 animals has a fact-file and a question page to test memory skills. What Am I? In the Bush will appeal to readers of all ages. ...Show more

The Tuatara ( Nature Kids ) by B. O'Flaherty

$5.00 NZD

Category: Children Non-fiction | Series: Nature Kids in New Zealand S. | Reading Level: very good

The Tuatara contains information about the family trees of these animals, what they eat, where they live, what they look like, how they look after their babies and what we can do to preserve the species. This title is part of the Nature Kids natural history series. These books aim to make information about popular aspects of New Zealand’s natural history accessible to children 5 through 8 years of age. ...Show more

Pathfinders Birds

$5.00 NZD

Category: Children Non-fiction | Reading Level: good

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

$14.00 NZD

Category: Natural History | Reading Level: very good

"I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are," reports a fourth-grader. Never before in history have children been so plugged in and so out of touch with the natural world. In this groundbreaking new work, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation he calls it nature deficit to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as rises in obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and depression. Some startling facts: By the 1990s the radius around the home where children were allowed to roam on their own had shrunk to a ninth of what it had been in 1970. Today, average eight-year-olds are better able to identify cartoon characters than native species, such as beetles and oak trees, in their own community. The rate at which doctors prescribe antidepressants to children has doubled in the last five years, and recent studies show that too much computer use spells trouble for the developing mind. Nature-deficit disorder is not a medical condition; it is a description of the human costs of alienation from nature. This alienation damages children and shapes adults, families, and communities. There are solutions, though, and they're right in our own backyards. "Last child in the Woods" is the first book to bring together cutting-edge research showing that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development physical, emotional, and spiritual. What's more, nature is a potent therapy for depression, obesity, and ADD. Environment-based education dramatically improves standardized test scores and grade point averages and develops skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making. Even creativity is stimulated by childhood experiences in nature. Yet sending kids outside to play is increasingly difficult. Computers, television, and video games compete for their time, of course, but it's also our fears of traffic, strangers, even virus-carrying mosquitoes fears the media exploit that keep children indoors. Meanwhile, schools assign more and more homework, and there is less and less access to natural areas. Parents have the power to ensure that their daughter or son will not be the "last child in the woods," and this book is the first step toward that nature-child reunion. ...Show more

Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen

$15.00 NZD

Category: Travel | Reading Level: very good

Winterdance is an unforgettable account of Gary Paulsen's most ambitious quest: to know a world beyond his knowing, to train for and run the Iditarod. Fueled by an all-consuming passion for running dogs, Paulsen entered the grueling 1,180-mile race across Alaska in dangerous ignorance and with fierce de termination. For seventeen days, Paulsen and his team of fifteen dogs ran through breathtaking and treacherous Arctic terrain. They crossed the barren, moonlike landscape of the Alaskan interior and witnessed sunrises that cast a golden blaze over the vast waters of the Bering Sea. They endured blinding wind, snowstorms, frostbite, dogfights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, hallucinations - and the relentless push to go on. He crossed the finish line, but it wasn't enough: Paulsen was obsessed and wanted to race again. Though the dangers of the Iditarod were legion, more frightening still was the knowledge that he could not stop racing dogs of his own free will. ...Show more

Persimmon Culture in New Zealand by Hirotoshi Kitagawa and Paul G. Glucina

$10.00 NZD

Category: Gardening | Series: DSIR Information #159 Ser. | Reading Level: good

PERSIMMON CULTURE IN NZ New Zealand is well-suited to growing Persimmons but there was very little information in English on their cultivation. There was however information in Japanese and with the help of Hirotoshi Kitagawa, the DSIR published Persimmon Culture in NZ based on local experience and Japa nese experience. ISBN: 9780477067416 Title: PERSIMMON CULTURE IN NZ Author: KITAGAWA HIROTOSHI Year: 1984 Format: PAPERBACK  Pages: 73 Dimension: 240mm X 180mm ...Show more