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Not for the experienced WWII reader but a nice overview to put in your library. This book is still light reading in comparison to books like "Hells Gate"about the Cherkassy Pocket, Not the definitive book on the topic as I say but still good reference material. In the light of new material available and better divisional and unit accounts keep reading what is coming out now and build your knowledge one book at a time.

Ryan does such a superb job in knitting together the state of so many things happening in the city prior to being abandoned by its leaders and being taken by the Soviets. Mayhem, confusion, lies, and destruction abound, whilst life somehow continues for so many. This is very well researched, supported by many first hand accounts, and recounted in mesmerizing fashion. I've read Beevor's book too, "The Fall of Berlin 1945," which is also a fine account, but this one tops it.

When I first read this book 25 years ago I could barely put it down, and I've read it several more times since then. This is simply the best single title on the battle for Berlin.

Cornelius Ryan is a wonderful writer and throughout this and all of his books you can picture the events that unfold. I could not put this book down and spent several late nights because of this. I would highly recomment this book to anyone interested in history, military or otherwise. I have to say I was amazed at the service I received from Amazon.com. I ordered this book on a Sunday and received it on Tues. all the way to Cave Junction, OR. Thank you! Rudy

Excellent how so manay different events were put in such a good sequence.

Cornelies Ryan ceases to amaze me with his meaningful and destinct historical details of some the 20th century's most important events. This book achieves what most histories fail to do. It gives great amounts of information without becoming dry and repititious.

Ryan drags you through the last days of the third reich, through the good the bad and the ugly. This non-partisan view is an achievemewnt in itself. If you have any remote interest in history you will find Ryans books fasinating and the sources of his information astounding. Modern historians write books based mostly on second hand knowledge but all of what Ryan puts down on paper is straight from the horses mouth and is verified.

The cliched phrase "The movie doesnt do the book justice" Applies in every sence. Read it today!

I haven't had time to read for fun since graduating from high school. Nor was I about to, until I was assigned to read LBM for a Lit class in college. I was only assigned to read a small section.

But damn if I couldn't put the book down once I reached that assigned point. Berger created an absorbing novel with many good points. The most obvious is the narrator, Jack Crabb. By the time I finished reading LBM, Crabb had got my sympathy whether he wanted it or not. His cynicism from being surrounded by people during the first thirty-four years of his life, yet never quite connected to them, seemed tangible at times. The ending is especially moving, when he literally becomes alone in the world.

I can't speak of the ending without mentioning another fine feature: the settings. Berger describes places in a vivid manner, which is all the more impressive when considering he likely did not visit all of those places before writing LBM. Some of my favorites include Crabb's sighting of the so-called millions of buffalo (probably an exaggeration but a nice image nonetheless) on the plains, the description of the Little Bighorn valley and, of course, the aforementioned final scene at the mountaintop.

Although my class read LBM because of its historical references to the American Indians, I must admit I was more drawn to the theme of alienation that Berger crafted.

The last thing of note is the epilogue. Says Ralph: "A pity that we will never get the account of his later years, which he led me to believe were no less remarkable than his first thirty-four" (439). Well, Berger did provide that account with The Return of Little Big Man (which I will find and read this summer). And, assuming he divided Crabb's life about even in both novels, that means some more years of Crabb's life remains untold. So hopefully a third novel featuring Jack will be made in the future.

(Just an aside if the author ever reads this: is that a typo on p.360? "I was thirty-six..." Yet on p.432 Crabb is "only thirty-four years of age." I'm aware that Crabb interjects future events to Ralph, like when he says he reads about Amelia's bigshot husband in the papers, but at the point where he says he's thirty-six, it seems like he's in the moment so to speak. Thus since his story is in sequential order, for the most part, the contradiction is obvious)

Many reviews have been written about this book, so you already know that it is a great read. I just wanted to add that this is one of those books that you keep and pick up again many years later and then loving share with your son or daughter on a boring rainy afternoon.

What a wonderful literary adventure is Little Big Man. This is a genuine American saga as told by a genuine historical novelist, Thomas Burger. While this is a work of fiction, Burger allows the reader the impression that it is a true story. The source of this story is one lovable, sagely old man, Jack Crabb. Crabb, interviewed by the author in his wheelchair in a nursing home, at age 111; delivers a recollection worthy of a raconteur of royal proportions. Each of Jack's adventures and misadventures, childhood through manhood, are told with uncanny wit and wisdom; in the unrefined nuances of a wise old geezer who has literally seen it all.

Jack's story begins at age 10 when heading west with his family in a wagon train. Jack's dad is fascinated with the Mormon faith's concept of multiple wives. So, it is for Salt Lake City they are headed. Furthermore, Dad believes, as do the Mormons, that American natives are a lost tribe of Israel and therefore speak Hebrew! When the wagon train is stopped by a band of Cheyenne, a failure to communicate of titanic proportions ensues, directly resulting in Jack and his sister being kidnapped by the Cheyenne. Thus begins Jack's life as a Cheyenne Indian, "Little Big Man". Six years later, during a losing battle with the 12th Calvary, Jack abandons the tribe, deciding it is better to be white than dead.

Jack specialized in the art and craft of coincidence. At age 17, he was taught the quick-draw by none other than Wild Bill Hickok. Later, he had the distinction of facing down Wyatt Earp, yelling, "Draw, you belch you". Jack called Wyatt "belch" because he said his name sounded like one.

At age 18, he joined the Calvary, serving under General Custer at the fateful battle of Little Big Horn. Owing to his acumen as an erstwhile redskin, Crabb was the only survivor.

Aside from the plethora of twists of fate and fancy, this heartwarming story is replete with trivial, yet fascinating facts of the lives of American Indians during the most tumultuous era of their history. These facts will paint the "redskins" for you, as for me, in a very sympathetic light.

The lives, loves and lore of Jack Crabb, Little Big Man; deserves a conspicuous place in every one's library of classic American literature.

I was pretty much hooked by the narrator's first words: "I'm a white man and never forget it" (followed by "but I was brought up by Cheyenne from the age of ten"). A few paragraphs later: "I never suspected it at the time, being just a young boy, but I realize now that my Pa was a lunatic," and I was a complete goner.

Little Big Man is an extremely humorous novel of the American west, wonderfully narrated in a breezy, informal style, peppered with humorous colloquialisms and directness, reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn, by the 111 year old Jack Crabb, a (so he claims) surviver (and the sole survivor) of Custer's last stand.

But it's also touching and heartbreaking at times, and with tension as he rides with Custer to the Little Big Horn.

As Crabb recounts his life, moving between the white man's world and that of the Indians, stopping at many stations along the way in the kaleidescopic West, we are often given a detailed pictured of what various aspects of life were like back then. From what it's like eating dog in the tepee to Hickcock's advice on gunfighting, to the traveling snake oil salesman and his occupational risks.

In this way also it's much like the Last of the Mohicans, giving an inside view, hopefully a researched, accurate one, of the frontier to those of us safely and comfortably ensconced at home in greater civilization.

Definitely high in the echelon of American novels I've read.

I got this book as an Easter present from my parents when I was [...], back in the late 1970's, so the book was at least 15 years old then. I think I had not long before seen the film with Dustin Hoffman. I'd always had a fascination with American Indians as they were known then and at that time was just about beginning to read/ see more than what I had been exposed to through John Wayne style westerns - about the same time one of my uncles bought me 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee'.

The book is - as usual- far more broader in its scope than the film, although the film is excellent too. It begins with an amateur researcher tracking down a survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The 111 year old survivor begins the story in 1852 when as a ten year old boy he (Jack Crabb)and his elder sister end up living with a small group of Cheyenne who have killed his father and the other men on their wagon train during a drunken mistake. The elder sister runs away the first night leaving the young Jack with in his own words "newly joined a pack of barbarians".

The book takes the reader through Jacks life up to the age of 34 in 1876 when indeed he survives the Battle of the Little Big Horn (Custers Last Stand) - saved by a complex relationship to a Cheyenne playmate from his youth. Throughout the intervening years between 1852 and 1876 Jack oscillates between living with the Cheyenne and frontier society. Often feeling fundamentally 'white' when among the Cheyenne, and feeling fundamentally 'Cheyenne' when among the whites.

The book is laced with great humour, great characterisations (Caroline Crabb, Old Lodge Skins, Little Horse, Younger Bear, Lavender, Reverend Pendrake, Sunshine, Allardyce. T. Meriweather and Botts for example) and moments of pure reflections upon the great and most mundane things all of us encounter within our lives. I especially liked the fact that the whole book is written in the vernacular of the American frontier. That and the historical accuracy of the book are testament to the research Thomas Berger put into the work.

Read it and hopefully you'll love it as much as I did.

my son really likes these books, the shipping was fast and easy. just click and read. no need to spend gas money when you can shop with ease at home.

They are wonderful. My six year old twins are fascinated. We read two chapters to them a night and they are transfixed. The parents and the children in this house highly recommend this series!

Mary Pope Osborne is such a talented writer. I really like her books. I wonder how she got her ideas...

This Magic Tree House Boxed Set has proven to be a wonderful past time for my granddaughter. She reads every evening before bed and it's a time to quiet down and prepare for sleep!! She loves her Magic Tree House books and I intend to get her the rest of the series very soon. The books are just the perfect length with lots of thrills. Your kids will love them.

I made the decision to purchase some of the books to the Magic Tree House series due to the fact I got tired of having to wait for the books to be check in at my library. I am glad I did, and so is my son. My son loved how they came in a "boxed" set.

This is a classic. The art work is very nice and it will be a great read every Christmas with the kids.

The drawings are excellently crafted. This book is a pleasure to read and view!

This version of "The Night Before Christmas" is by far the best illustrated edition I have ever seen. The artwork is incredible. My children love looking at all the vibrant, detailed pictures, and I even pause while reading the story so I can look at the pictures too. It seems like I find something new in the artwork everytime we read the story. Make sure to get a copy of the book for each of your children. You will want to pass this down to them so they can read it to their own children some day, and I would hate to have to choose who would get this beautiful book, and deal with the ramifications of the one who did not!

Book is so beautifully illustrated, it does the classic poem justice. It made a great "first christmas" gift.

This is a beautifully done book. It is the same classic story we all know and love, and the illustrations are brilliant. Mary Engelbreit's drawings fill the page, are colorful and detailed. Everytime you look at the pictures you will notice a small detail that you've previously missed. My daughter is 3 months old, but when I read this to her, she actually stared at the page with wide eyes as if she was amazed at all the colors. This is certainly one book I will buy for my friends' children, and I highly recommend it.

I gave this book/CD to my daughter for her 6th birthday party. After the party while she played with the neighbors I was exhausted and just wanted to take a nap. Before I did though I put this 68 minute CD of poetry on and found it to be very entertaining and relaxing. 29 of the readers are the poets reading their own words.

Now my daughter has been listening to it every night before bed and often I play it early in the morning to gentle wake her before kindergarten.

There are some classic recorded poems here such as "The Raven" by Poe, "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll, "The Tyger" by William Blake and "Casey at the Bat" by Earnst L. Thayer.

There are also some very nice multicultural poems recorded such as "Eagle Poem" by Joy Harjo, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes, and perhaps my favorite poem in the collection "Okay, Brown Girl, Okay" by James Berry which is reassuring, touching, and can speak to everyone about what it's like to be different among other people.

Not all of the poems are included on the CD--some are just included in the book. Familiar poems and poets in the book only are "from Macbeth" by Shakespeare, "The Tale of Custard the Dragon" by Ogden Nash, "Frodo's Song in Bree" by J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Land of Counterpane" by Robert Louis Stevenson, from "The Bed Book" by Sylvia Plath, "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" by Eugene Field, and "Letter to a Bee" by Emily Dickinson among many others.

In all there are 95 poems. Some of them recorded and/or published for the first time. The illustration are delightful and done by three different artist with different styles. They are Judy Love, Wendy Rasmussen, and Paula Zinngrabe Wendland.

This book/CD combo is a winner. It's very educational, fun, and will be enjoyed by the whole family.

My child is 3 1/2 and loves this book, as do I. While she's not into the CD YET, she loves sitting w/me and exploring the poems which are neither too complex or too simple. There are classics and more modern works and they've done a wonderful job finding an assortment that represent various ways that poetry is used in other literary works (ex. excerpts from Macbeth and "Lord of the Rings"). I'm not a poetry expert, so I love that there are poets and writers of whom I recognize such as Robert Frost, Nikki Giovanni, Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allen Poe and that it introduces me and my child to others who I don't recognize. A great way to introduce poetry to your kids.

This book is fantastic. I've used it in the classroom with first, third, fourth and sixth graders -- because of the high quality of the poetry, it holds up to the scrutiny of middle schoolers and keeps the attention of six year olds. Hearing the poets read their own work gives the children an introduction to reading their own poetry out loud.
We use many of these poems as writing prompts for our own poetry in the classroom. The resulting poems are exiting, high-quality pieces the children and parents treasure. I would also recommend the Kenneth Koch-edited books "Rose, Where did you Get That Red? Teaching Great Poetry to Young Children" and "Talking to the Sun". The former gives lesson ideas, while the latter is a beautiful anthology of poetry paired with great works of art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

My 5-year old daughter LOVES this book. She listens to this CD over-and-over again. A lot of the poems are fun to read aloud, too. My daughter was a fan of Shel Silverstein -- but, this collection is a fun way to inspire an interest in a variety of poetry...I highly recommend this book.

Poetry speaks to children indeed. Although this book is actually meant for younger age lkie my 7-year old sister, my two older brothers (11 and 12) seem to also enjoy it, especially the CD recording. I highly recommend Poetry Speaks to all kids in the age group from five to ten. For slightly older kids I highly recommend Why Some Cats are Rascals, Book 2 - a collection of touching stories from the world of cats.

Delightful stories of the Hundred-Acre Wood and all of its lovable characters. Pooh and friends have quite a few adventures (or misadventures) in this collection of Winnie-the-Pooh stories. The stories remind me of childhood, making them special each time I reread them. I wouldn't even be able to choose my favorite chapter in this book -- each one is full of wonder, laughter, and Pooh.

The charming and timeless story of Christopher Robin, Winnie-the-Pooh, their friends and their adventures. I truly enjoyed this more than I thought I would. After all the years working at TDS where we had the Disney version of Winnie-the-Pooh shoved at us from all directions, I'd taken to having a distinctly soured view of the bear and all his friends.

It occurred to me one day that I had never actually read the original, and thought maybe I should give that a chance, and am glad that I did. It's a simple and direct story, and proved to be a joy to read.

What does it say of a reader who, as an adult, reads 'Winnie the Pooh' for the first time - and - and - feels it one of the best novels he ever read.
So pristine, so perfect - would I have appreciated it as a child? Who knows (I was too busy feeding my literary hunger with comics). Anyway I have my copy of 'Winnie the Pooh' on the top shelf of my book case, next to the others I consider great (Ulysses, 1984, Great Expectations ...) for all to see.
And who can contest that for "I am a bear of very little brain, and big things bother me".

My 2 1/2 year old loves this! It is soooo much better than letting her watch tv as this uses her imagination. I'm very happy I bought this.

This book was such a sweet little something to come home to at night. This book isn't just for kids, but for adults too! relax and enjoy!

A very deep map indeed, the second of Heat-Moon's three literary tours-de-force is the story of a county in Kansas. In his first excursion, the best-selling BLUE HIGHWAYS, the author reported on a ten thousand mile sojourn along the old Federal Highways (blue on most maps). PRAIRYERTH grew out of three years of hiking, conversation and archival research in Chase County, Kansas and the result is a living history of both the particular locale and the European invasion of the west. From Knute Rockne's death in a commercial plane crash to Sam Wood's murder to Native medicine, dream walking to newspaper accounts of life on the prairie, and fossils to legends to The Land Institute where Wes Jackson explores the looming demise of the liquid fuel era, this volume casts a wide net. Heat-Moon is clear eyed enough to see the facts and then see beyond the facts to the life between the lines of old courthouse documents and pioneer diaries. He is open to less tangible subtlety as well, admitting susceptibility to hunch, daydream or the message from another's Ouija board. He tells a tale of hawks, buffalo, cowboys and beef, notes the profound damage wrought on the American prairie by McBurger mania and the possibility of recovery in a place of vast flatness and endless wind and sky. He lunches with the dead in old cemeteries and stakes out to observe life in a dying town where nothing happens. There are midnight moonlight hikes and journalistic experiments, pertinent quotes by the truckload and poignant still lifes of moments of love and loss. Such a deep map makes for a long read, but well worth the effort as pieces click into place in later chapters and a pastiche emerges, a hologram in which you can walk between the hills and dip a cupful from a clear flowing spring.

In Blue Highways the inimitable William Least Heat Moon drove across the backroads of America. In River Horse this courageous, spiritually-venerable man floated in a barge across this nation's waterways. In Prairy Erth, he does his exploration mostly on foot. Confining himself to a microcosmic canvas, Least Heat Moon spends over 600-pages describing how he spent months delving into a single county in the heart of Kansas. Packed with maps of Chase County, its hills, waterways, roads and farmsteads, the author tells a sometimes dry but often rich story of one remote but improbably charming spot on planet earth. He meets many of the county's 3,000 residents, hears and tells of the folklore, the history, the textured layers to life in such a location. By the book's end an unknowingly begun spiritual journey reaches its conclusion, which is the way with all of William Least Heat Moon's writings. If you have the time to put into Prairy Erth, it is a compelling book that challenges the nature of individual outlook.

New to William Least Heat Moon, I wasn`t quite sure what to expect with Prairyerth. Having heard about the critical acclaim of Blue Highways, I thought a lesser known work would be the place to start. And I am glad I chose Praityerth.

With Prairyearth, William Least Heat Moon has dug down to the heart of a specific place, in this case, the Flint Hill country of Chase County, Kansas. Not unlike Thoreau`s Walden, Prairyerth is an exhaustive chronicle of one man`s journey to the bottom--historically, geologically and geographically speaking--of one particular and rather insignificant place in the American landscape. Prairyerth, like Walden, is impossible to lump into one clean-cut literary category. Neither pure history, nor pure geology, nor `storytelling` per say, it is rather a brilliant concoction of all three. It is, as the author pens it, a `deep map` of one tiny piece of the New World. And deep it is. Least Heat Moon delves into every square inch, every prehistoric layer of his subject. The result is a stirring and fascinating ride through the discovery, settling, exploitation and ultimate destruction of the American prairie. Half Native American himself, Least Heat Moon walks through the tall grass of the American Sea with much the same spirit of his ancestors. Here was not emptiness as thought the first Europeans, but rather a vast ocean of endless natural wealth. Home to the once vast bison herds, the tall-grassed hills of Chase County were once giant mountains of the Kansas range that were slowly worn down into the Flint Hills of today. Least Heat Moon follows the tracks of the Osage and the Kansa, `people of the wind,` who traversed this area long before Zebulon Pike and John Fremont made their tentative forays across the prairie towards more secure landscapes. The author vividly captures the reverence that the Osage and Kansa held for the `prairie.` Tracking down the stories of the few remaining pure-blood Kansa, Least Heat Moon paints a metaphor for what looms in the future for us, lest we ignore the lessons of the past. Not only does the author richly expose the layer of Native Americana within Chase County, but he does justice to the natural elements of the place as well. Some of the most fascinating parts of Prairyerth are the sections on two of the county`s most enduring denizens, the Osage Orange tree/bush and the Wood Rat, aka Pack/Trade Rat. Least Heat Moon has an ultra sharp eye for interesting detail and oddity and knows how to bring such things to life.

The structure of the work is as ambitious as it is groundbreaking. Every other chapter covers another quadrant of the county. Least Heat Moon spends most of his time analyzing the present inhabitants of the county, trying to distill the essence of `Kansasness.` He chats with the weathered old farmers and ranchers who`ve survived every tornado and flash flood over the last half-century and who entertain no thoughts on living anywhere else. Every voice in the county gets its chance. Feminist cattle ranchers give him the lowdown on castrating bulls, local high schoolers divulge their dreams and the regulars of the Emma Chase Cafe unload gossip unaware of who`s writing it all down. Kansasness, according to the author, is a baffling mix of progressive politics and constrictive convention. A place of often violent contrasts. Kansas was the first state born out of the fires of abolition, first to stimulate integration (Board of Education vs Topeka), yet the `n word` is still commonplace all over the county. The forefather of the county, Samuel Wood, was one of the most eloquent voices among the abolitionists, yet he stopped short of pushing for full integration. Kansas was a place where all people had freedom of opportunity (especially to better oneself economically), as long as everybody kept to his/her own. One of the first states to allow women`s suffrage, it was also one of the first to embrace Prohibition. It also kept its archaic and puritan sex laws on the books until the recent Supreme Court ruling overturned such laws.

In between his quadrant explorations of the county, Least Heat Moon has interspersed chapters comprised of nothing but various epigrams and short passages regarding the state. Coming from sources as disparate as Horace Greeley and Black Elk to graffiti found at the KU library, these chapters are some of the most entertaining and enriching of the book.

William Least Heat Moon is one of the greatest prose stylists I have ever encountered in modern American letters. His writing is rich with metaphor and digression, begging second and third readings of certain passages. While sometimes he expands profusely, Faulkner-like, for paragraphs, clarity is rarely forsaken. It just means reading carefully and slowly. Prairyerth is definitely a book that needs digesting. I took me almost six months to finally devour it up and when I did, I had the distinct feeling of having consumed something grand and very nutritious, albeit a bit heavy. In fact, those without persistent natures would best choose something else to read. Prairyerth is meat and potatoes and requires a lot of chewing. And perhaps that is where the work falls a tad short of its possible ancestor. Whereas one can open Thoreau`s Walden anywhere and revel in the beauty and wisdom (albeit often cryptic) found therein, Prairyerth is nothing if not taken in its entirety. Its just too dense, with too much stuff packed into its innards. In fact, a little editing could have helped the book. Some chapters are a bit superfluous and leaving them out would have only helped the work as a whole. Moreover, Least Heat Moon`s astute observations serve his examination of the natural world far better than they support his delving into the human realm. Somehow a lot of the `characters` of Chase County never fully come to life in Prairyerth. Rather, they seem two-dimensional and oddly trapped on the page. Yet, taken as a whole and for what it is, a grand archaeological and sociological dig through the layers of New World settlement, Prairyerth succeeds grandly. Never has one tiny and often ignored section of the American quilt come to life so vividly and richly as does Chase County, Kansas in Prairyerth. A place so seemingly devoid of life, is, in actuality, overflowing with the past, present and future. All you have to do is look,look carefully. The author himself says it best: `A traveler(who cannot even remotely detect the thousand-mile-an-hour spinning of the planet he rides through space at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, to say nothing of its solar and galactic movements and its precession) writes in his notebook, ~nothing is happening~. Man muses, God guffaws.` Next time you feel that nothing has ever happened or is happening now or will happen where you`re at, pick up Prairyerth and be amazed.

If only every county in the United States had as passionate and articulate a chronicler as William Least Heat-Moon.

I came to "PrairyErth" after having read and loved "Blue Highways." This tome--though longer and less expansive, geographically--possesses many of the qualities I admired in Heat-Moon's earlier work: the narrative tone (there's none of that stuffy, impersonal, third-person prose one finds in some travelogues; the author is himself part of the story), the occasional dips into philosophy and history; the candid interviews with "locals"; and the intense search for meaning in the most ordinary of places.

I have never been to Chase County, Kansas, but after spending a month or so accompanying Heat-Moon through the pages of his book, I feel as though I have. The book is subtitled "a deep map," and that is indeed what the author provides here. Square mile by square mile, the reader is introduced to the prairie, its topography and history, its residents and its wildlife. Heat-Moon correctly understands that the essence of a place is often best captured through anecdote and observation. There is nothing sweeping or grand about his narrative, and that's what makes "PrairyErth" such a delight. It's a detailed, intimate read; one almost has the feeling of looking over the author's shoulder (and back through history) as he ambles and rambles about the quadrangles of Chase County.

If there's one criticism I would offer, it's that Heat-Moon sometimes lapses into needless digressions about himself and the challenges he faced while writing the book. It struck me as a bit self-absorbed--as did the occasional Faulknerian stream-of-conscious, punctuationless prose. These stylistic excesses add little to what is otherwise a magnificent and fascinating travelogue.

If you want to experience Kansas, with its excruitatingly boring places that slowly creep up on you and leave you blissfully satisfied and in awe of beauty; if you're willing to read long passages of flat text just to discover the beauty of burning fields; I highly recommend PrairyErth.

I grew up in Kansas, about 2 hours from Chase county and was always facinated by the hills, the people, and just the auroa that came from Strong City and Cottonwood falls. After reading "PrairyErth" I am even more mesmorized by the locale.

I have been out of the state for 2 years now, and long to go back. Many friends have complained about the long drives through Kansas, the flat scenery, and boring people. PrairyErth brings to life these flat lands and opens up new worlds of community and life.

For me, reading Moon's book was much like experiencing life in Kansas. I did find some of the chapters long, dry, and dull.. but, that's how some Kansas life is. Moon always concludes these sections with a gorgeous snapshot of the land. He shows us what it is like to be in relationship with the land just as we are in relationship with one another.

He concludes the book with a beautiful journey down the Kaw Trail.
"How do you know when the Prairy is in you?"
"When you see a tree as an eyesore."

"Ramona And Her Mother" is a later entry in the Ramona & Beezus series, and yet it is also one of the finest books of its kind, another in a long line of great books by the masterful Beverly Cleary.

First pubished in 1979, the book finds the gauzy comfort of the Eisenhower era (when the first Henry Huggins and Beezus books were written) replaced by the strain and worry of the recessionary 'Seventies. Ramona's dad, who recently lost his job, has found new work at a local supermarket, but he doesn't like the position, and having both parents out working full-time places new strains on the family. Ramona, who is now seven years old, is no longer an overt brat, but there's a lot going on in her little head, as she struggles with the demands that come with growing up. She is envious of her teenage older sister, who she sees as a goodie-goodie and as her parent's favorite. Her relationship with her mom seems to be up in the air as well, and her parents, both tired from long days at work, have started to argue, which worries the kids. Of course, Cleary finds the silver lining, and while young readers may both recognize their own families (and become anxious for exactly the same reasons as Ramona does) Cleary magically produces happy endings that still do not deny the hardships and imperfections of life. If you've enjoyed Ramona's earlier adventures, you will not be disappointed with this funny, quick volume. (ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

The book Ramona and her mother is about a 7 year old little girl who is jealous of her big sister Beatrice and she wants to spend time with her mommy as mommy's little girl but Beezus has already taken on that role. In the end, Ramona Quimby gets her wish...To spend time with her mother. You'll need to read this book and find out how it all actually ends. Though this book does have some boring parts, I would recommend this book to any elementary or beginning middle school girl who loves Beverly Cleary books or any girl who might be experiencing what Ramona is going through. I myself can relate because I go through this almost on a daily basis. Sometimes I'm jealous of my baby cousin who gets most of all the attention but in the end (just like Ramona), I get my mommy all to myself.

G.B.M. Sanders - 6th grade - Hammond Middle
Alexandria, VA

Ramona is seven-and-a-half-years-old right now. She is going through a difficult time trying to figure out if she wants to be mommy's little girl or grow up. Ramona's mother invited Ramona's best friends family over for brunch. When Howie's little sister Willa Jean arrives Ramona can't stand to be jealous. Willa Jean is a little girl with curled hair and has pretty little dresses. When Ramona sees her bear, Roger she will do anything to get her hands on it . Ramona's mom puts her in charge of watching Willa Jean. While Beezus and the adults eat brunch the adults refer to her as mother's girl. Ramona is trying to figure out why she doesn't get in trouble for anything and gets away with everything. Ramona never gets away with anything and is always in trouble. When she squirts the whole tube of toothpaste in the sink, she gets yelled at and when she has a tantrum, she is told to stop right away. In Ramona's world nothing is fair. She can't stand that her mother has to work and she is forced to be watched by Willa Jean's grandmother evryday after school. Ramona would rather stay at home sewing, cooking, reading, and watching T.V. with her mom, but things never seem to work out. All she wants to do is be mommy's little girl forever. Now time passes by and she realizes she will just have to grow up.

Ramona is seven-and-a-half-years-old right now. She is going through a difficult time trying to figure out if she wants to be mommy's little girl or grow up. Ramona's mother invited Ramona's best friends family over for brunch. When Howie's little sister Willa Jean arrives Ramona can't stand to be jealous. Willa Jean is a little girl with curled hair and has pretty little dresses. When Ramona sees her bear, Roger shes will do anything to get her hands on it . Ramona's mom puts her in charge of watching Willa Jean. While Beezus and the adults eat brunch and she keeps getting called mother's girl. Ramona is trying to figure out why she doesn't get in trouble for anything and gets away with everything. Ramona never gets away with anything and is always in trouble. When she squirts the whole tube of toothpaste in the sink, she gets yelled at and when she has a tantrum, she is told to stop right away. In Ramona's world nothing is fair. She can't stand that her mother has to work and she is forced to be watched by Willa Jean's grandmother evryday after school. Ramona would rather stay at home sewing, cooking, reading, and watching T.V. with her mom, but things never seem to work out. All she wants to do is be mommy's little girl forever. Now time passes by and she relizes she will just have to grow up.

Being seven-and-a-half-years-old (right now!) may seem like a simple task, but for second-grader, Ramona Quimby, it's proving to be a mix of difficulty and confusion. After all, she's between two strange ages - seven and eight - and can't figure out what she wants to do. Part of her is determined to stay her mother's little bunny, twitching her nose and being babied; while the other part wants to act like a grown-up, and do whatever she pleases. When Ramona's parents throw a New Year's brunch to celebrate her father finding a new job, she's thrilled to get the chance to eat a mix of breakfast and lunch. But when her best friend Howie's younger sister, Willa Jean arrives, Ramona can't help but feel jealous of the "little angel." For one, Willa Jean has ruffles sewed onto her underpants; and two, she's holding a stuffed bear - aptly named Woger - that Ramona would do anything to get her hands on. But, alas, even at her young age, Willa Jean is determined not to part with Woger. To make matters worse, Ramona's mother leaves her in charge of Willa Jean while Beezus and the rest of the adults get to fraternize with one another over hot muffins, coffee, sausage, and so much more. Ramona can't understand why her parents are treating her like a baby, while Beezus is constantly called her "mother's girl." Beezus doesn't even get in trouble for anything, because everyone says that she's at a "difficult" age. Ramona feels that she's at a difficult age, as well. But she never gets away with anything. When she squirts a whole tube of toothpaste into the bathroom sink, she gets yelled at; when she has a tantrum, she's told to "stop this instant," when she wants to stay up later than her bedtime, she's not allowed. In Ramona's eyes, nothing is fair. She can't stand that her mother has to work, and that she's forced to be watched by Willa Jean's grandmother everyday after school, and the fact that Beezus gets to go to her friends houses only makes matters worse. Ramona would do anything to just spend everyday with her mother - sewing, cooking, reading, watching TV. But things never seem to work out the way Ramona wants them to. All she wants is to stay her mother's little girl forever, but the more time that passes the more Ramona begins to realize that, perhaps, her wish will never be granted, and she'll be forced to grow up.

I first discovered Ramona Quimby when I was about six-years-old, and instantly fell in love with her pesty antics, and penchant for throwing tantrums at the worst possible moments. Now, with the re-publication of the RAMONA series, however, I am beginning to realize that I missed out on quite a few of Ramona's tales, and have decided to re-immerse myself in the life of the Quimby family. Now, even though so many years have passed, I find that Beverly Cleary's tales about Ramona are still enjoyable, and quite irresistible. Ramona, as always, is the perfect example of a precocious child embarking on the trials and tribulations that accompany growing up. Her ability to act slightly mature at times, then revert back to full-blown childish behavior is spot-on with how growing children truly act; while her jealousy, and ability to find herself in countless bizarre situations only prove to make her even more hilarious. Cleary manages to balance humor with family problems by placing a slight emphasis on difficulties with money, a parent losing a job, and being bombarded with bills. While subjects such as money problems, and not wanting to grow-up are often sore spots, Cleary presents them in a neutral way that offers parents the opportunity to discuss such issues with their children in an effort to put their minds at ease. However, even by introducing these problems, Cleary never overshadows the humorous side of Ramona, and never talks down to the reader. In fact, Ramona remains as lovable as ever as she traverses the muddy waters of second grade, and works to accept the new teacher whom she's still unsure of; while, at the same time, working overtime to twitch her nose to remind her mother that she is, and always will be, her little bunny. The most obnoxious - yet entertaining - little sister in fiction!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

I LOVE reading this book to my kids.

Julia Donaldson works her magic again. In this book we meet a growing cast of instantly likable characters who become friends and end up sticking together to fight off a baddie.

The story is so beautifully written it feels like I'm singing when I read it, and my kids are not the only ones who, despite the fact we have read it countless times, still travel the full emotional road along which this story leads us.

This book is so much fun to read! Both my kids love it, but my 3 year old especially.
It's a cute story, with a little adventure and a fun ending, and the pictures are adorable. My kids where never scared, even though the main character is a witch. (she smiles all the time)
I definitely recommnend it.

My 3 1/2 yr old grandson LOVES this book. Great pictures Just enough drama! Discovery possibilities on the pages for a second look. Wonderful pictures and some anticipation on the right hand pages of what will come when the page is turned.

Both my 4 year old daughter and I love this book. It is so much fun to read and so much fun to hear. She laughs everytime I read it. The story is adorable and pictures are great. It is a nice story about friendship and rewarding acts of kindness. I bought this book for Halloween and we are still reading it several times a week.

My son loves this book so much, we wore out the first copy to the point that it was beyond me being able to tape the binding back together anymore. We bought him a second copy that has been "loved" as much as the first, and so we had to buy a third copy for my toddler so she had her own book that didn't have pages falling out while we were reading it. At one point, I had all the words in the book memorized, which came in handy while we awaited the arrival of our replacement book. At first glance, it may seem that this is a Halloween book. Let me assure you, you will enjoy reading this book all year long (I believe that my son asked to have this read to him every night for about 6 months) and the verse never gets tiresome. The story teaches children about compassion and the need to help others, despite the fact that you may not really be in the best position to help at the time it is needed most. Random acts of kindness by the witch thoughout the book are rewarded at the end of it when her friends save her from a fire-breathing dragon, and in return, she builds an even better broom to house her friends as a way of saying thank you. It teaches kids how important it is to be nice to everybody, and to be ready to lend a helping hand, because you never know when you might need a little help yourself.

One of my students wrote the following review:
If you are a baseball fan you should read this book. This book is about a kid with a power. He can go back in time. He goes to 1919 to make the White Sox win the World Series by not letting Shoeless Joe Jackson take money. What will happen next?
It was so fun to read it! I couldn't stop reading this book. It is a long book but it is fun when you read it. There are more books that this author wrote about baseball.
-Brian

The book I am reviewing is Shoeless Joe & Me written by Dan Gutman. I think this book deserves five stars because Dan Gutman doesn't stretch the book and he does not rush it. This book is about a boy named Joe Stoshack who can travel through time with baseball cards. The problem in this story is that when Joe had lost a game because of a bad call, he complains to the sponsor of his team, Flip Valetini. He says that it wasn't fair, and Flip tells him about the Black Sox sandal and Joe Jackson. Now he wants to fix it. But the rest... you will have to figure out. I would recommend this book to anyone from 3rd to 5th grade that loves fantasy books.

Shoeless Joe was a fun book to read. It was about baseball. He was a good player but did not have power. I liked this book because it was about baseball. He was a player on the White Sox. The story was in Chicago where Shoeless Joe was a famous baseball player.
The kid in the book went back in time. The boy wanted to meet Shoeless Joe, so he went to the store to buy the card. Then he packed his tooth brush and clothes. Then he went to his room. Then he hugged the card and went back to the past. This was the most exciting part of the book.

Shoeless Joe and Me is one of my favorite books! The book is about a kid who can Time-Travel by using Baseball Cards. He tries to go back in time to stop the Black Sox Scandal. The Black Sox Scandal was when 8 players on the White Sox were tricked by gamblers into losing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds on purpose.

Even if you don't like Baseball, I'm sure you will love this book. I loved it SO much that I couldn't take my face away from the book. I recommend this book to ANYONE, as long as they love a good book. It is part of a series, which include:

Honus and Me
Jackie and Me
Babe and Me
Mickey and Me
Abner and Me
Satch and Me

Haven't you ever wanted to go back in time to prevent something that happened to you? Shoeless Joe Jackson was one of the best baseball players in 1919. His career was destroyed by a gambling scandal. Joe Stoshack was a young boy and he heard about the famous player from a guy named Flip who worked at the baseball card shop he always went to. Flip told Joe that Jackson was not allowed to make the Hall of Fame because of the scandal he was in. Flip gave him Joe Jackson baseball card and the little boy thought to himself what it would be like to go back in time to see what the scandal was all about and even maybe prevent it from happening. He thought if it works in movies then it should work now. The next day Joe Stoshack found himself going back to the 1919's and found Joe Jackson at the stadium. He talked to Joe and asked him to leave the game before it started. He told Joe if he didn't something bad would happen. He told Joe he came back from the future and he knew that if the great Joe Jackson did anything to lose this game, he would never get all the rewards he deserved. He wanted to prevent the "Black Sox Scandal" from happening so Shoeless Joe Jackson could get into the Hall of Fame.
I would rate this book a 5, on a scale of 5, with 5 being the best. Grades 4th and up would love it and its great family story.