Leo

'There remains the greatest of all novelists-for what else can we call the author of War And Peace? [Tolstoy's] senses, his intellect, are acute, powerful, and well nourished...Nothing seems to escape him. Nothing glances off him unrecorded...Every twig, every feather sticks to his magnet. He notices the blue or red of a child's frock; the way a horse shifts its tail; the sound of a cough; the action of a man trying to put his hands into pockets that...

A little chameleon, distressed that he does not have a color of his own, is comforted to meet another chameleon who offers to stick around so at least the two of them will always be the same.

The old bell-ringer at the Mission of San Juan Capistrano tells Juan about Father Serra, the founder of the first missions in California, and about swallows that come to Capistrano every St. Joseph's Day.

Alexander, the mouse, makes friends with Willy, a toy mouse, and wants to be just like him until he discovers that Willy is to be thrown away.

Jessica the frog befriends the animal that hatches from an egg she brought home, thinking it is a chicken.

"Caught in a storm, Arnold the elephant washes up on a tiny island. Along comes Mouse in a little dingy and Arnold steps aboard...uh-oh! They use the wreckage to make the island bigger. And here's Dog--can this boat take Arnold's weight? Uh-oh! None of the animals can save the shipwrecked elephant but each broken vessel provides new materials for another intricate construction. Wheels and pulleys create a Ferris wheel, an elevator, a waffle maker....

"The Power of Less" is a blueprint for reducing the clutter, noise, and unnecessary work that fills a modern day. Babauta's lessons enable readers to do less, be more effective, get more done, and simplify their lives.