Betty A. Wright

I have used these books for years as a way of getting my students to put expression in their reading while exposing them to poetry. Students have delighted in practicing their parts and performing for other students and school staff. Now I can share with them one way of presenting the poems.

The narrators, and there are a few, do excellent presentations of these fun poems. Joyful noise is mostly insect poems, I love the Honey Bee one. I am Phoenix focuses on birds. Listen, enjoy, laugh, listen again, buy the book and read it with someone you love.

I will never take antibiotics for granted again. After listening to this book, I realize just how fortunate I am to live at this time when so many conditions are easily cured with antibiotics. People died from sore throats? Or a splinter in their foot? As I read I thought about the scene in Pride and Prejudice when Jane gets sick. Mr. Bennett makes a joke about her dying, but after this book I realize that people did die from things we consider rather common, like colds. Made me very grateful, not only for scientists who work hard to discover these drugs, but for the chances that made these discoveries possible.

Wow, I had no idea how much prions affected our world! From cannibals, to mad cows, to inherited conditions. Mad cow hit the head lines and we all learned some, but this book exposes and explains the stories behind the headlines, and why these diseases are so scary. Nothing graphic, good language, highly recommend this book to all interested in disease, science, and a good listen.

A fun read, full of interesting details, fascinating stories, and memorable explanations. I learned a lot, shared much with my students, and will listen again and again because it is that interesting.

Disappointing. This is a weird production with lots of annoying "sci fi" music between sections. I could live with that, but then I got to the second part of the book, the rise of the Mule, and that part is missing entirely, just lots of funky (in a bad way) music. Don't waste your money.

I freely admit that I did not finish this book. I managed to get about half way through before my stomach could take it no longer. Mary Roach adds lots of interesting facts to her story and adds insightful comments by many whose position leads them to work with the dead, but this book is not for those who are squeamish or who have a delicate stomach. I thought myself quite tough, but the subject matter got to me as well. It is interesting, but I could only handle so much. Maybe later I will be able to go back and finish it.

If you are looking for a book about the San Francisco earthquake, read chapter 10. If you are interested in earthquakes, eclectic information about quakes, and a story that jumps like a conversation, this is it. It is an interesting book with information on seismographs, beliefs about the causes of earthquakes by various groups (before modern understanding of quakes), and how at least one religion got its start because of the San Francisco quake.

Wonderful stories and details. I enjoyed learning about these amazing creatures that share the world with us.

From the remarkableness of our being here, now, in our present state, to how scientists discovered almost everything, this book is fascinating, informative, well read, and fun.

I found this book very interesting. I appreciate the narrator being able to pronounce the Olde English and other foreign words. Interesting stories explaining or illustrating concepts. I recommend this book much more as an audio read than a visual one!