Appalachian Spring

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This finely written journal details the natural history of the four months of ``a typical Appalachian mountain spring'' in the author's central Pennsylvania home. Naturalist Bonta ( Outbound Journeys in Pennsylvania ) combines scientific accuracy with a lyrical sense of wonder and excitement as she describes her daily explorations around her 500-acre hillside home. Exhorting those who would preserve nature to ``watch rather than manage the land,'' she observes and meticulously limns the mating rituals of all kinds of creatures, from earthworms to grouse; the activites of a myriad of birds, including American pipits and phoebes; and the blossoming of plants and shrubs such as trailing arbutus and Dane's rocket. We feel her awe when she comes upon 100 wood frogs crammed into a tiny pond: ``In the intense, prehistoric silence that settled over the pond, the first amphibian head appeared, its eyes just above water level and turned purposefully in my direction. I sat ramrod still as head after head emerged.'' This is a lively introduction to the pleasures and rituals of nature study. (Apr.)

Library Journal

Although the chapters bear musical subtitles, this is not about the Copland ballet; it is a journal of the seasonal changes at the author's central Pennsylvania mountain-top home during one typical spring. Weather, plants, and animals are all carefully observed and accurately and sensitively recorded. While little that happens in field, forest, or brook escapes Bonta's notice, her observations of mammals and birds are especially rewarding: a sequence on a red fox family is outstanding, and all birders will share her delight in a spectacular warbler flight. She expresses a strong conservation ethic without resorting to preaching. Recommended to public libraries, particularly in the Northeast.-- Paul B. Cors, Univ. of Wyoming Lib., Laramie

Booknews

Offers a foundation in the fundamentals of what fourth-generation languages are, how they are used, and what factors contribute to their successful use. Includes case studies, design techniques, and realistic applications. Available from Southwestern. A micro-natural history of central Pennsylvania. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)