Spotlight: Hares is packed with eye-catching, informative colour photos, and features succinct and detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist. With their wild glare, swift turn of foot and secretive nature, hares are the rabbit's mysterious and untameable cousin. Always a thrilling wildlife spot, the hare has long been a symbol of Britain's sweeping, open countryside. Hares have also been associated with human culture and folklore for many centuries - their associations with spring can be traced back to the druids. Focussing on our two British species, the Brown Hare (found throughout the UK and widely distributed in Europe and Asia) and its more northerly relative the Mountain Hare (found in Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia and the Russian Federation), RSPB Spotlight Hares offers exciting and up-to-date information on these incredible lagomorphs, with chapters covering their biology, evolution, natural history, behaviour, including courtship rituals, and ecology. Information on some of the more charismatic species of hare found elsewhere in the world and on hares' other relatives, the rabbits and pikas, is also provided. The author discusses in detail Hares' interactions with humans, in agriculture, habitat management, shooting and hunting, as well as in more culinary matters, and reveals why this almost mythical animal of hill and meadow is so sensitive to the changes we make to age-old farming landscapes. The presence and significance of hares in our culture is also discussed, including the Easter hare, Lewis Carroll's mad March hare, and hares as shape-changers. Nancy Jennings also offers useful tips on where and how to see hares for yourself in the wild.

From the day they arrive on campus, college students spend four years-or sometimes more-making decisions that shape every aspect of their academic and social lives. Whether choosing a major or a roommate, some students embrace decision-making as an opportunity for growth, while others seek to minimize challenges and avoid risk. Practice for Life builds a compelling case that a liberal arts education offers students a complex, valuable process of self-creation, one that begins in college but continues far beyond graduation. Sifting data from a five-year study that followed over two hundred students at seven New England liberal arts colleges, the authors uncover what drives undergraduates to become engaged with their education. They found that students do not experience college as having a clear beginning and end but as a continuous series of new beginnings. They start and restart college many times, owing to the rhythms of the academic calendar, the vagaries of student housing allocation, and other factors. This dynamic has drawbacks as well as advantages. Not only students but also parents and faculty place enormous weight on some decisions, such as declaring a major, while overlooking the small but significant choices that shape students' daily experience. For most undergraduates, deep engagement with their college education is at best episodic rather than sustained. Yet these disruptions in engagement provide students with abundant opportunities for reflection and course-correction as they learn to navigate the future uncertainties of adult life.

RSPB Spotlight: Bats is packed with eye-catching, informative colour photographs and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist Thanks to their speed, size and nocturnal habitats, bats are among the most interesting, and least understood, mammals that frequent our homes and gardens. From their ability to make sounds that are above the range of human hearing, to their reliance on echolocation to navigate objects and find prey, their unique behaviour means that bats are seldom seen or heard. With nearly 1,400 species worldwide, bats make up around 25 per cent of all mammal species. Spotlight Bats features all 17 species that live and breed in the British Isles, as well as an array of the most fascinating bats from around the world, including some of the more charismatic species such as vampire bats and fishing bats. Nancy Jennings uses up-to-date research to provide insights intothe lives of these elusive mammals, covering the biology, diversity, evolution and ecology of bats, as well as their interactions with humans and folklore. The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and behaviours of our favourite animals with eye-catching colour photography and informative expert text.

All the practicality of a Rick Steves travel guide, but way more fun to read

Are there places you want to go but never do because you think you can't afford the travel costs? Do you plan your vacations on a budget, but find that your budget doesn't get you very far from home? Shereen Travels Cheap was written for you

From flights to hotels to dining and entertainment, this entertaining book will teach you how to plan the vacations you have always dreamed of taking, but for a lot less money than you ever thought you would spend. You will discover hidden gems - items and websites that are not in the mainstream but are exceptional at what they do - and learn hundreds of common-sense but rarely considered tips for packing, dining, traveling with children and multitasking items.

Using a combination of proven tips and techniques and the best the Internet has to offer, Shereen shows you how a little effort can reap big savings and allows you to do more on your trips

What others are saying about Shereen Travels Cheap:
"From those new to travel, to the experienced jet-setter, Shereen Travels Cheap is packed full of extremely useful tips for every type of travel, and every step along the way, that the reader is bound to come away with numerous ways to both save money and enhance their travel experience. It is a solid reference book that I will be using, and recommending to others, for whenever a trip is being planned." - Paul Shrater, Co-Founder, Minimus.biz
"Travel tips that read like a book - you can't beat that Shereen expands on tips she shares on her blog, includes stories of personal experiences, and lists websites that offer awesome deals. The information is easily organized so you can flip to whatever section you need, but it is also a great book to read straight through - something you wouldn't expect from a book of travel tips Highly recommended to use for everything from long-term trips to weekend getaways." - Allison Renner, Travel (and book) Blogger
Awards:
e-Book Cover Design Award Winner for December 2011 in Nonfiction

Nancy Jennings examines the impact of policy decision-making in the classroom, and details how classroom teachers implement state-level policy directives in reading. The book looks at policy implementation through a teaching and learning frame exploring how and what teachers learn from state policy and how policymakers "teach" their messages.

In this work, Nancy Jennings examines the impact of policy decision-making in the classroom, and details how classroom teachers implement state-level policy directives in reading. She raises questions about the relationship between teacher learning and changes in classrooms.