The age-old question of which comes first is finally answered in Chicken and Egg! For the purposes of egg-centric chicken keepers, it’s the egg! A new approach to chicken keeping, Chicken and Egg is specifically geared toward hobby farmers and casual chicken keepers who wish to produce eggs of a particular color, flavor, and type. Whether the reader desires the delectable turquoise eggs of the Araucana or the chocolate brown eggs of the Blue Copper Maran, learn how it’s possible to put the egg before the chicken. Written by two expert poultry breeders and specialists, Andy Cawthray and James Hermes, this new colorful handbook offers an edifying overview of the natural history of chickens and the science of egg production so that keepers better understand how to care for egg-layers, improve the quality of their eggs through diet and housing, and maximize their egg production for years to come. The authors have rounded up a few dozen chicken breeds and offer their hardboiled advice about which hens offer the most egg-cellect daily output.

-Directory of the best egg-laying chicken breeds, plus colorful two-page spreads of the 20 most popular choices

-Advice on how to select and set up your flock, including safe and affordable housing, runs, and coops

-Selecting the best diets for your flock to maximize production and avoid egg failure

-Essential information about brooding and laying, the birds’ behavior, and solving problems within the flock

-Specially commissioned artwork from watercolorist and illustrator Kate Osborne

When renowned British geneticist J. B. S. Haldane was asked what could be inferred about God from a study of his works, Haldane replied, ?An inordinate fondness for beetles.” With 350,000 known species, and scientific estimates that millions more have yet to be identified, their abundance is indisputable as is their variety. They range from the delightful summer firefly to the one-hundred-gram Goliath beetle. Beetles offer a dazzling array of shapes, sizes, and colors that entice scientists and collectors across the globe.

The Book of Beetles celebrates the beauty and diversity of this marvelous insect. Six hundred significant beetle species are covered, with each entry featuring a distribution map, basic biology, conservation status, and information on cultural and economic significance. Full-color photos show the beetles both at their actual size and enlarged to show details, such as the sextet of spots that distinguish the six-spotted tiger beetle or the jagged ridges of the giant-jawed sawyer beetle. Based in the most up-to-date science and accessibly written, the descriptive text will appeal to researchers and armchair coleopterists alike.

The humble beetle continues to grow in popularity, taking center stage in biodiversity studies, sustainable agriculture programs, and even the dining rooms of adventurous and eco-conscious chefs. The Book of Beetles is certain to become the authoritative reference on these remarkably adaptable and beautiful creatures.

Many girls in elementary and middle school fall in love with the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. What they don’t always realize is that Wilder’s books are autobiographical. This narrative biography describes more of the details of the young Laura’s real life as a young pioneer homesteading with her family on many adventurous journeys. This biography, complete with charming illustrations, points out the differences between the fictional series as well as the many similarities. It’s a fascinating story of a much-celebrated writer.