The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

The Naturalist's Companion
Dave Hall
Mountaineers Books
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134-1161 www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680515763, $19.95, PB, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Naturalists-Companion-Observing-Understanding-Wildli= fe/dp/1680515764

Synopsis: With the publication of "The Naturalist's Companion: A Field Guid=
e to Observing and Understanding Wildlife", Dave Hall fills an important vo=
id in outdoor education by teaching readers how to become more learned and = patient observers and, ultimately, more proficient naturalists.

Through exhaustive time in the field, Hall has developed a comprehensive un= derstanding of nature awareness and refined his skills to enhance any time = spent outdoors and to foster closer, more respectful encounters with wildli= fe. Through personal anecdotes and detailed explanations, Hall teaches the = principles and ethics of stealth walking, calling, tracking, interpreting b= asic animal behavior, and much more. Each chapter concludes with a list of = exercises, prompting readers to study and put these skills into use, while = introductory sections discuss gear, safety, ethics, and thoughtful engageme= nt.

"The Naturalist's Companion" will deepen readers' connection with the outdo= ors and help them to establish and maintain consistent, intimate, and infor= med wildlife observations.

Critique: Impressively illustrated with full color photography in support o=
f an informative text, "The Naturalist's Companion: A Field Guide to Observ= ing and Understanding Wildlife" is an inherently fascinating and practical = guide that will prove to be of special value for readers with an interest i=
n observing North American wildlife in their native habitat. Of special not=
e is the Introduction (Why Observe Wildlife), a two page listing of Sources=
& Resources, and a seven page Index. While also available in a digital boo=
k format (Kindle, $9.99), "The Naturalist's Companion: A Field Guide to Obs= erving and Understanding Wildlife" is especially recommended for personal, = professional, community, and academic library North American Wildlife colle= ctions.

Editorial Note: Dave Hall (www.davehalloutdoors.com) is the founder of Prim= itive Pursuits, a youth-focused nature awareness program offered in partner= ship with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, New York. He ha=
s worked as a naturalist and guide in Massachusetts and New York and has se= rved as an instructor with the Adirondack Mountain Club, the State Universi=
ty of New York at Cortland, Cornell Outdoor Education, and Ithaca College. = Dave is also the co-author of Winter in the Wilderness: A Field Guide to Pr= imitive Survival Skills.

Pacific Salmon Field Guide
Sean Godwin & Martin Krkosek, authors
Joesph R. Tomelleri, illustrator
Tavish Campbell, photographer
Lone Pine Publishing
https://lonepinebooks.com
9781774511343, $24.95, PB, 60pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pacific-salmon-field-guide-sean-godwin/114= 1846585

Synopsis: Pacific salmon are of immense cultural, ecological and economic i= mportance to the west coast of North America. They are the most commonly se=
en fish on the western side of North America but identifying among the seve=
n species is difficult for most of their life stages.

Two salmon researchers, Sean Godwin and Martin Krkosek, have worked extensi= vely in the field with this iconic group of fish and have developed "Pacifi=
c Salmon Field Guide" the first comprehensive field identification guide fo=
r Pacific salmon in a functional format. This guide presents information an=
d identifying characteristics for the seven Pacific salmon species (sockeye=
, coho, Chinook, pink, chum, steelhead and coastal cutthroat) across five l= ife stages, with strong emphasis on detailed and intuitive illustrations.

This guide is an ideal identification resource that includes natural histor=
y, life stage descriptions and conservation status of Pacific salmon and ho=
w to observe these fish in the wild. The identification portions are organi= zed into five life stages: fry, smolt, post smolt, ocean adult, and spawner=
..

The many scientific illustrations for each species are drawn from real spec= imens representative of their species and life stage. Joseph Tomelleri, who=
drew all the brilliant illustrations in this book, painstakingly measured = every part of each fish, counting every fin ray and row of scales while lay= ering colour upon color. In addition, dozens of photos by Tavish Campell sh= owcase these fish in incredible detail.

Critique: Expertly organized and thoroughly 'user friendly in presentation,=
"Pacific Salmon Field Guide is impressively comprehensive and detailed -- = making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, profe= ssional, community and academic library Marine Life instructional reference=
collections in general, and Salmon research and fishing guides in particul= ar.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
s from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these=
reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, inte= rnet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested indivi= duals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: ---:- FTN<->UseNet Gate -:--- (3:633/280.2@fidonet)