Audio Books

The Twelfth Angel was a very emotional book that portraid the life of a man with a broken heart. It used a lot of forshadowing wich was hard to follow at times but was a main part of the story. It was a very predictible book that at times had you hanging by tip of your seat. I didn't rate the book very high because it was at times hard to follow but had a good plot that showed that he was a deep writer. Over all I thought it was a fine book and suggest that if you like drama and sad books with good endings it is the book to read.

This book just makes you want to count your blessings! I absolutely loved it!

I've read every book that Mandino has written. This was the first book that got me hooked on this author. He is a great story teller and a great motivational/inspirational writer! This is a must read for anyone over the age of 12. If all little league coaches read this book, there would be less problems with out of control coaches. This is not about baseball but about how to deal with life and how to treat people.

I have read everyone of Og Mandinos Books and all I can say is that he writes with brilliance, clarity, enthusiasm, and spirit. You can never go wrong with any of his books. He points out the path to success and motivates the spirit within to achieve all that we as human beings are capable. He helped me to tap into my innate genuis and create a life of prosperity and creativity. If you havent raed his books, start now and your journey of the spirit will begin. He was a born writer and even after his passing continues to have a great influence on many people old and young. He truly lived a purposeful and divine life. Go buy all his books and enjoy the growth and enlightenment. After that Buy my Book " Your daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present". Enjoy and rememeber you are capable of great things in your life.

The Twelfth Angel, by Og Mandigo, is truly an inspiring and heartfelt story. This story left such an unforgettable impact on me that I know I'm likely to ponder it for years. Everyone should absolutely read this book, especially those in need of inspiration and hope. This book leaves you with tears, with hope you never knew you had, and with the wanting to never give up.

I don't want to give away too much, but this book is about a young, diligent, succesful, loving man who moves back to his small hometown of Boland, NH, with his wife Sally and their young boy Rick. When tradegy strikes, John has to struggle to cope. His life is shattered and he ultimately looks to suicide as an answer. Fortunately, his old friend, Bill helps him out of the gutter, which is where his life now lies, by asking him to help coach the boys little league. Uncertain, John finally accepts.

The day of tryouts John notices a boy who is smaller than any of the other kids, whose baseball hat and clothes look about two sizes too big on him. This little boy isn't very good at baseball, but he kept on trying, the whole time with determination and a big smile on his face. Although some of the older and better kids laughed and smirked at his constant mistakes and misses, this little boy was never put down and never stopped. And to John's surprise, this boy was amazingly the splitting image of his boy Rick! At first John had even thought he could have been Rick. This little boy, Timothy Noble, was by far the worst player of all the kids who tried out, and who had managed, almost as if by destiny, to end up on John's baseball team, receiving a jersey with number twelve on it.

Early on in the baseball season, John noticed that there was something very genuine and original about Timothy. What John and Timothy both don't know, is that their relationship will become very close, as they both need each other more than they can imagine.

I absolutely loved this heartfelt story. I even had tears gushing down my cheeks as I neared the end of the book. I think that this book is truly inspiring and comforting. I loved how caring and concerned John was of Timothy, and I especially loved little Timothy Noble and how happy he was. I was truly touched by this story and will always cherish everything I learned from this book. The lesson I think that Mandigo was in a way trying to get across is that you must be positive and have at least a good-maybe even a great-outlook on life, no matter what comes your way. If you are positive, you have a positive feedback, making your life richer everyday and in many different ways.

I really enjoyed Og Mandigo's writing style, as he was very, very vivid with his descriptions. I definitely plan to read more of his books in the future, and I would recommend this book to anyone who can read!

I have recommended this book to everyone I know!!! I am listening to it again! Even my 15 year old son listened to it and enjoyed it.

I am so thankful for this book. It puts in perspective what is eternal and what is temporal. I bought the audio and started last year to listen to it but because the topic was about the final goodbye, death, I freaked out and put it away. Just a few weeks ago I decided to hear the whole book. It spoke! and Spoke to me and reminded me again that people was more important than material things, jobs, ministry activities and etc. I am listening to it again to keep my focus on eternal things.

I bought 3 books as gifts, the book has been read by several of my friends, and I'm just waiting for my turn to read it!! I've not read
it myself but the others LOVE it! It causes them to reflect on the
importance of life and those in it that they value, as well as the
unimportance of the material things in their lives.

While some of the concepts in this book are similar to those in the Purpose Driven Life, this book is far better. Ortberg does an amazing job of putting things into perspective and helping the reader realize that there is much more to life than material things, specifically relationships (with God and with others).
He recites stories that capture the heart while proving his points and illustrating ways to implement the concepts he's introducing.
This book has impacted my life in a way no other Christian book has. It has changed the way I think and they way I act and react.
I am planning to buy another 6 copies to give to friends and family.

When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back in the Box is a book on life by John Ortberg, a Presbyterian pastor. His argument is thus: you will die, and when you do, you will lose all the stuff you have. Therefore, instead of focusing on things you cannot keep, focus on things you can.

Ortberg says that the object of life is, as Jesus said, to be rich toward God. Pleasing God is part of this; part of it is putting a greater priority on personal relationships. This also turns out to be the place where we find true fulfillment. Ortberg's main target is those who say they will work less and spend more time with their families "when things settle down." His message is this: things never settle down until it's too late.

The book is written with an amusing game theme. Ortberg borrows a lot of anecdotes from a lot of different authors, which is fine. He gives credit where credit is due. Ortberg has a surprisingly good sense of humor. Sometimes his jokes are pretty corny, but on the whole he seems like a funny guy. My only criticism of his writing is a small one: several chapters tend to run a little long (the reader has gotten the point and is ready to move on).

There is criticism due the publisher: on nearly every other page, there are excerpts from the text blown up in boxes on the same page. Perhaps this is done for those flipping through the book in a shop, or for those who skim, but for the actual reader, it is incredibly annoying and distracting.

On the whole, When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back in the Box is an accessible, engaging, humorous book on Christian living and eternity. This is obviously a Christian book, but the theologizing does not get heavy-handed, and Ortberg does not beat the reader over the head with the Bible. It can benefit any Christian as well as some who are feeling unfulfilled.

RECOMMENDED

This book serves as a constant inspiration to me in my own meditation practice; I have read it countless times. As a psychotherapist whose modality involves working with my clients in a state of mindfulness (www.wisemenopause.com), I also recommend this book as a clear, concise introduction to meditation.

I have an edition of this book that I picked up about 15 years ago. I keep returning to this book year after year and have never tired of it. It has survived many purges of my spiritual library over the years. This book is sweet, easy to understand, and helpful. It defines a meditation practice that is easy to apply to one's daily activities. It is helping me relate more gently to the world and my life and is helpful in learning to awaken to the spaciousness and freedom that are ever present.

Fabulous book. Chapters are different talks given during a retreat. Insightful, down-to-earth as usual for her writing.

This is one of my favorite books by Pema Chodron. It not only does a very good job of describing the essence of Buddhism, but it goes beyond that in making Tibetan Buddhism more understandable and relevant to a Western audience without deveating from the tradition. In short, it contains the heart of the teachings of the Vajrayana. A nice complimentary book if you are interested in going deeper into Tibetan Buddhism is Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism. These books compliment each other and the latter puts all of the Buddhist traditions in historical context. Huston Smith's essay in The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions or Buddhism: A Concise Introduction. You get more bang for your buck with the former Huston Smith book, however.

The fundamental teaching of the Buddha involves the following realizations: 1) Life is suffering; 2) The cause of suffering is selfish desire; 3) To get rid of selfish desire, follow the eightfold path. The essence of the eightfold path is a moral life grounded in a strong loving-kindness practice (A Mahayana emphasis, but true of all schools). This book provides precisely that -- a path of loving-kindness that any person could follow and apply to their life. When asked what religion the Dalai was, he once said... "my religion is loving-kindess." While the Dalai Lama didn't officially endorse the book that I know of, certainly it is written in keeping with this spirit.

This book covers a LOT of ground in short volume of about 108 pages. It looks at the existential situation of not being able to escape our life and the human condition which is characterized by suffering. The Buddha said as his last words, "be a lamp unto yourselves." I believe the intent here was that no super mommy or daddy in the sky is going to come down and save you from the human condition. You must look deeply to see the truth and this will liberate you from samsara or the cycle of suffering. In this book, Pema Chodron describes the Buddha's teachings and more importantly practices to help you to arrive at a place of loving-kindness and equanimity.

What I most like about this book is that she keeps things simple. She also describes Tonglen practice and other forms of meditation and habits of thought that cultivate a mind that is not locked in conditioned thinking. Krishnamurti once said, "seeing the truth deeply is what liberates, not your efforts to be free." A corallary to this might be... yes... but what limits how deeply you can see is your depth of compassion for others, but primarily for yourself. This book is a manual about how to cultivate a loving-kindness that allows you to penetrate the insufficiency of living for things like money, sex, power and status. It is a good read for anyone.

If you are interested in a somewhat different Western perspective or something to contrast these writings with then try A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life. This book by Jack Kornfield emphasizes an earlier Buddhist tradition namely the Theravada (Way of the Elders). Mahayana Buddhism was an outgrowth of these teachings and Tibetan Buddism (Vajrayana) a further extension and elaboration. Jack Kornfield is a Western psychologist who spent a number of years in Thailand as a Buddhist monk and his perspective is accessible, entertaining, practical and complimentary to this book. If you are looking for a more integrative read that relates to Western Psychology directly try Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation. This is a more difficult read, but extremely worthwhile. There are other recommendations on my listmania lists of this is your area of interest.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good book, but there are just a couple of things about it that make it not quite as good as I was hoping. First, her interpretation of the Four Noble Truths is problematic in my eyes. Basically she take Tibetan teachings on egolessness (which are great teachings in their own right) and superimposes them on the Four Noble Truths. Her interpretation does not ring true for me - she states that the 2nd Noble Truth is "resisting life causes suffering" and that the 3rd Noble Truth is learning to let go of our "selves"/ego. These are valuable teachings but do not represent the more usual (and probably academically correct, as well as more powerful, in my opinion) translations that I have read: that (very summarily put) the 2nd Noble Truth is that that craving/desire/grasping causes suffering and the 3rd Noble Truth is that ceasing to crave/desire/grasp results in the cessation of suffering. Her interpretation is not wrong, but it is a bit of a Chinese whispered version of the Four Noble Truths and I would have liked her book better had she not re-interpreted them like this. Secondly, she writes "from above" a little. I feel that she comes across like a lovely, cosy, caring and wise Aunty. For me this made her teachings have less impact. I preferred Tara Brach's "Radical Acceptance" (which deals with a similar subject - accepting life as it is) to "The Wisdom of No Escape": Brach's writing is a bit more raw and personal and she writes like one sister to another sister (or brother)).

This is a very good book, but not great. Matthiessen's writing is engrossing and it is difficult to put it down. However, the vileness of some of the subject matter is a bit hard to swallow. This is, no doubt, a realistic tale, written after Matthiessen had traveled throughout the continent. The movie does have an influence, as one keeps thinking of Ms. Hannah. The plight and evolution of the natives and their values is intriguing. The disaster that results from outsiders forcing culture and religion down the throats of the "savages" is thought provoking and relates to many situations one sees. The characters aren't all that likable, but certainly very real. Hazel is a sad case. The jaguar shaman-to-be is a character about which it would be nice to learn more. Matthiessen says that he rewrote the last journey many times. This is the toughest part of the book to follow; is it real or a dream? I actually did reread parts of the end. There's no escaping the depression that comes from dwelling on the conflict in the jungle. I still feel that, despite the author's beliefs, his nonfiction work is better. But this is an enjoyable novel, regardless.

An excellent adventure story that is both fast paced and well developed. I've read a number of books by Matthiessen. This is the best I've read yet by him. His fiction is far better than his non fiction in my opinion.

I see there are many 5 star reviews here on Amazon. I 2nd these reviews. Recommended.

I am reading this book as a book on tape which is a good way to "read" it. This is a "good read" and worth your time. Recommended. Email Boland7214@aol.co

Why do I never hear Matthissen's name come up when there is speculation about who will win future Nobel Literature prizes?
AT PLAY is surely one of the great novels of the last half-century, and the reviewers hit on all of the reasons why. But add to that FAR TORTUGA, and the Watson Florida trilogy; and then add to THAT his brilliant and important non-fiction, from The Tree Where Man Was Born to The Snow Leopard, to In the Spirit of Crazy Horse; then, for good measure add in Matthiessen's involvement in The Paris Review, and you have a resume that is Nobel-quality.
Hey, I love Roth, too (admittedly not everything), but get serious!

This case study of culture clash is the story of Protestant missionaries trying to bring the Word of God to jungle savages. They think themselves heroes of The Lord, but there are no heroes here save, perhaps, Louis Moon a reservation half-breed who lost his faith. Moon is now an aimless mercenary staggering through life, bouncing off one obstacle after another. When it becomes his job to massacre the indigenous people, he is revisited by drug-induced dreams of his youth and instead joins them as their rain god fallen from the sky (and a failing airplane).

Self-righteous missionary Martin Quarier, becomes less certain of his beliefs as the novel progresses, but seems incapable of moving beyond them. He sees the absurdity of the doctrinal feud between Catholics and Protestants, yet cannot think of priests as anything but the Enemy, in league with Satin. And Satin seems to be working on him, as well, churning up lust for the wife of another missionary.

The religious beliefs of the natives give a glimpse of how faith gets started. Their minor gods clearly provide more for them on a day-to-day basis than the major one Quarier tries to serve. He creates a "rice convert" or two, but is ultimately a miserable failure.
At Play in the Fields of the Lord is a classic tragedy of misunderstanding and miscommunication. If you haven't read it, it's worth that first read. If you have, it was probably long enough ago that it deserves a second look.

This is a really great book, but i can't find it anywhere! If anyone here knows where i can get it, can you e-mail me at sharabear@hotmail.com? I'd appreciate it!

peace

I love the art in this book. Every time I look at the illustrations it makes my heart beat faster. Really it is a joint effort between two very talented and creative people. If you like art that is not very Thomas Kincade-ish, Keep your eyes peeled for this book. Thanks Jimmy A. Thanks Kevin.

I truly love this collection of poems and artwork. It's truly a collectable. Essentially, poetry is personal, so you'll have to judge for yourself, but here are the ones that really impressed me the most:

SECRET INTRUSION
CAPTURED
TREE CLIMBER
YOU GAVE ME AWAY
ENDEAVORING TO BE WILD
VANITY
SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID

Also, the artwork by Jimmy Abegg which illuminates the background of each poem is bold and brilliant. I only wish I owned an original piece. Enjoy.

I love Kevin Max, he's my role model and this book is totally amazing! If you love poetry, like me, then get it. The tape is good too, he has some emphasis in his voice than he does in "Alas My Love" or "There's A Treason At Sea" which is on the dc Talk CD's. Really good. I had to go to eBay and bid on it!

I heard about this inventive little poetry book after stumbling upon Kevin Max's very original and poignant musical album, "Stereotype Be." As a college English student and a lover of good literature and poetry, I was curious to see if Max's written words were as inspiring and lyrically original as his music, and I was willing to spend a little extra to obtain a copy of this rare book. Needless to say, I found myself captivated by this work, which is an intriguing exercise in untraditional but very well-written meter, rhythm, and vocabulary in contemporary poetry. In addition, Max's (writing as Kevin Max Smith, a last name I understand that he had dropped) themes are clear and his imagery is provocative, and while he doesn't attempt to be too abstract with his work here as most contemporary poets strive to be, he does present very well-written poems with simple messages and well-executed meter.

As I have stated, the most interesting aspect of Max's work is by far his exercise in vocabulary and meter. Max is very interested in maintaining traditional meter in most of his poems, bringing to mind, at least rhythmically, the best of Roethke and even Yeats. The poems in particular that demonstrate this talent are the excellent "Queen of the Nile," "Draw Nigh," and "Awake at Night." While these poems are never quite in perfect iambic pentameter, Max clearly knows his poetic devices and uses them effectively, creating his own interesting rhythms within the meter. Even in poems which are free-verse in nature, Max successfully keeps a steady rhythm throughout and displays some creative usage of assonance and particularly alliteration (a good example of both can be found in "My Reoccurring Desert Dream," "Vanity," and "Wilt Thou?"). I would say that this book must be best read aloud to appreciate Max's unique rhythm to its fullest potential (as all good poetry should be).

In addition, Max clearly engages in a breathtaking love affair with word play which is often so clever that the reader will only catch it after several reads. Take the poem "Jordan's Kiss and Then Some," in which Max cuts the word "Mother" in half at the end of a line, so that the word reads "Moth-/er." Here, we are given a clear description of this "mother." By simply cutting the word and emphasizing "moth," the reader understands the motivations and characteristics of this particular character. There are many little details thrown into this book similar to this example, and in addition, Max's vocabulary includes words I never thought could fit into a poem as well as he utilizes them. Words like "retroaction," "placation," and "kamikaze" somehow manage to find themselves seamlessly placed into Max's poems, and they manage to maintain both meter and rhythm. Who knew? Evidently, Max did.

Thematically, "At the Foot of Heaven" is a little more under whelming, but this doesn't make them at all disappointing. Clearly, this book is an exercise in meter and form, so if the themes and images are a bit simplistic, that is only because they were intended to be. Max's poems are not particularly long, but they all serve as interesting and complete thoughts unto themselves. He conjures up some fascinating images ("Tonight I wish to touch the stars./ To swing the moon in my cradle/ To pull the sky around my neck") but none of these images cast any question as to what direction he is going with them. Occasionally, Max finds himself with lines a little too simplistic in nature (i.e. "I would count ever speck of sand/ every bit of stardust to be with you"), but for the most part, he simply concerns himself with creating simple messages of love, faith, and humanity (indeed, the book is divided into sections with these titles) using extremely well-crafted poetic lines and some provocative, if obvious, metaphors and similes.

I must also note the fascinating layout of the book, which is actually a collaborative effort which an abstract painter named Jimmy Abegg, who I haven't heard of before or since. Mr. Abegg has a truly gifted eye for color and striking images, and his work compliments Max's tremendously. If for no other reason, this book is worth owning for Abegg's wonderful paintings. In addition, Max continues to exercise creativity in form often in fonts that he uses for many of his poems. Some of the fonts are so large that single words will overlap one another fill up entire lines. The result makes particular poems literally leap off of the page, in a creative approach that I have not seen before. Neither Max or Abegg are afraid to push boundaries in this book, and the creativity pays off.

A fellow student who is not an English major but who loves this book hit the nail on the head regarding its significance better than anything I could add: Max's fascinating use of form and simple messages very effectively bridge the gab between the literary world and the everyman who is not necessarily interested in reading poetry. Whereas this individual shied away from poetry in general, finding it too intimidating, this book, in its creativity and simplicity, made him want to take a second look at the literary world of poets. As the wonderful world of poetry seems to have lost its impact in America in this modern world (and most contemporary poets are starving), and that its appeal seems limited to English classrooms, such a statement pays Max the highest compliment imaginable. Indeed, after reading "At the Foot of Heaven," I am convinced that his unique style makes him one of the most gifted and promising contemporary poets currently writing in America. Keep an eye out for this guy.

There was not one moment during this book that I wasn't totally captivated. The author puts a human face on the struggle of those in Iraq who lived under Saddam Hussein. And throughout, you are constantly reminded that she was among the "fortunate" by comparison. I found it to be an excellent education in the history of the country and the evolution of it in recent decades as well. I read this book on a recent camping trip in New England when I should have been mesmerized by my surroundings. Instead, I found I could not put this book down.

Short and sweet.. This is an awesome book. You see so many sides of Suddam. His dark side certainly made him a candidate for his execution!

it took a while to get here, but it was in good condition when it did.

Zainab Salbi's life seems idyllic, but even as a child she senses the tension felt by her wealthy parents as they entertain and are entertained by Saddam. Salbi's story shows two sides of Saddam: the cruel and abusive despot and the genial manipulator. In spite of the web Saddam spins around her family, Salbi experiences adolescent rebellion, ignorant of the danger her parents see threatening her, just as it threatened her mother and eventually ruins her parents' marriage. Salbi's story is a fascinating portrayal of a family living in luxury under tyranny and the dangers faced whether the choice is to endure or to escape.

Wow! This book knocked me out. I could NOT put it down. It really helped me understand some of the conflict within Iraq, but more importantly, the author and tone of this book is just very human, real, and accessible. As a youngster, and for all of her formative years, Saddam Hussein is in the background as a family "friend". Though her parents resisted his friendship, they found it more and more dangerous not to be his friend. It's like living with the devil! However, the author eventually gets out of Iraq and away from Saddam Hussien, due to an arranged marriage. I won't say how that goes as I don't want to ruin the ending.

I do feel that this is one of the absolute BEST memoires I ever read and it was written with a lof of grace and humility. For me, it was an important book, and I highly recommend you read it. I think it will become a classic memoire.

The Blue Djinn of Babylon is mouth-watering continuation of the Children of Lamp series. The twins learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of their djinn powers and discover some fascinating facts about their mom. Not to mention twins get separated by the Blue Djinn and have some wild hair-raising adventures trying to find each other. I'd tell you more, but its more fun to read the book! Let your imagination do the walking.

My daughter is a big fan of the series and really enjoyed this book and the first one as well.

this volume and the one after it kept us all involved till the end

The Blue Djinn of Babylon
By: P.B. KERR

The Blue Djinn of Babylon by P. B. Kerr is a story of magic and adventure that I would recommend to children who like fantasy books. The story begins with two unidentical twins John and Philippa Gaunt go practice there Djinn powers on one of the last warm days of the year. John and Philippa have just recently discovered there djinn powers when there Uncle Nimrod told them in a dream. Djinn also known as genies are made of fire so they can't use there powers to its fullest when it is cold. When Philippa enters a Djinnverso tournament (which is an ancient game only played by djinn) she is disqualified when someone takes over her body and says Philippa cheated. During the tournament the Blue Djinn assistant tells John and Uncle Nimrod that Solomon's Grimoire was stolen by himself accidentally! Now they have to arrange a meeting to get the book back. But little do they know it will put the twins in danger!

The Hanging Palace of Babylon is a enormous structure that the Blue Djinn lives and gets to design. The Blue Djinn is the ruler of all djinn good or evil so she must be beyond good or evil to so that it is fair for all djinn. Only women Djinn are allowed inside. The Blue Djinn has invisible maids to clean her house. The Hanging Palace of Babylon is underground in Baghdad. Outside the palace is guarded by terrible creatures. To get to it you must take a boat because it is a underground island. A Giant Bird guards the island and lets no one except the Blue Djinn past. A wish monster guards everything on the island including the Hanging Palace of Babylon.

You should read this book because this book you on the edge from beginning to the end.

Even though I am definitely not a young teen (unless 65 qualifies) I love the Children of the Lamp series. One of my granddaughters bought the first book at a school book fair; I had run out of my own reading material for relaxation; and, as they say, the rest is history.

After I finished The Akhenaten Adventure, I bought the Blue Djinn and Cobra King of Kathmandu. I am awaiting the next three books as much as my granddaughter.

I am an elementary school music teacher with students ranging from pre-K to 5th grade. I read this book to all of my pre-K and kindergarten through second grade classes and sometimes the mood strikes me to read it to older students. There is something in here for most every age. Everyone loves it.

So why does Raschka draw chicken feet in such odd places, e.g., on overshoes, alphabet letters, pancake flippers?

Well, rumor has it that one day Charlie Parker was driving back to his boarding house and, as luck would have it, he hit and killed a chicken that had run out into the street from someone's front yard. Such chickens are called "yardbirds". The alleged events include Parker doing the unthinkable, namely, backing up his car, picking up the dead chicken (aka "roadkill"), taking it to his landlady (hey, it was fresh!), her cooking it, and him eating it. When friends heard this story, Parker was known forever after as "Yardbird", which was eventually shortened to just "Bird".

If you didn't catch the part about the chicken feet on your own, don't feel badly. Insiders like Rachka and myself know it and now you do too. Rachka has done a terrific job in providing a lot of feeling about some very notable personalities. Plus he does it with humor, some of which is very subtle.

My students probably have as much fun going through Parker's history as with the book itself. But all of that is just the preliminaries: I then have to read it several more times with the students reading and acting out the story. We have a rockin' good time.

This book introduces jazz to a young audience. It explores the sounds, rhythms, and emotions of the genre through colorful pictures and rhythmic words similar to the beat of "scat" singing.
Lots of the words are there just for the sound of them. By focusing on the sound words, students could develop spelling strategies that help them move from phonemes, the sounds they make, to graphemes, the written representations of those sounds.

This book is excellent. The illustrations and musical text allow for early readers to really enjoy and learn from this book. Perfect for preschool and kdg age. I used this book as the basis of a jazz unit, it worked wonderfully.

"Charlie Parker Played Be Bop" was my son's favorite book when he was two and nine years later we still have fun reading it. I now purchase a copy for new parents to read to thier babies. As a speech language pathologist, I want to share to magic of words and the music they can make! This book is an absolute MUST read for all children.

I wasn't sure how my little one would respond to this book even though I love it. If I ask, "Do you want to read about Charlie Parker?," she lights up and starts literally starts to bop. The baby digs it. Just more evidence that the jazz is a universal language. I like the introduction to poetry, rhythm and randomness ("Never leave your cat alone"). I bought two other copies and gave them to my friends for their babies.

The first time I read this book was in 2001, and it made a tremendous inpact on me. It's about an English woman in her early twenties being called to go to Hong Kong and start working among the drug addicts in the so called "Walled City". A couple of years later she met someone telling her about the importance of speaking in tongues, and she started praying in tongues 15 minutes each day. She had been talking to people in the "Walled City" about Jesus from the time she got there, but after 6 weeks of praying in tongues each day, the people she was talking to started believing what she was saying and received Jesus. She also saw that there was no way the drug addicts were able to get off drugs, if they didn't imediately started praying in tongues. "Each had his fascinating story and all without exception came off heroin without pain and trauma." This book is not only a story about what happened to Jackie Pullinger, but also a great teaching about the power source we have on the inside of us. Before she started praying in the Spirit she said: "Lord, I don't know how to pray, or whom to pray for. Will You pray through me - and will you lead me to the people who want You?" All of us who are baptized in the Spirit and received the gift of speaking in tongues can say the same thing and then start using what He has given us. We have "dynamite" on the inside. Let it "explode" each day, and people around us will want to have what we have!

I LOVE this book so much because it is one woman's testimony of what GOD did & is doing with her-through her.
HIS HOLY WORD IS TRUE!
HE IS With Us, and just as HE did with the first Disciples of JESUS,
THE HOLY SPIRIT still works with those who preach the Gospel with signs and wonders following, confirming THE WORD.
I must confess, I don't have the book now - I gave it to my daughter.
I actually came in search for another copy for myself.
:) Well, for me until I give it away again. :)

My wife and I could not put this book down as we read it together. It is filled with excitement as the author battles against opium and drug abuse as well as every other kind of demonic evil. In every case, she wins the battle for the souls, minds, bodies and spirits of men and women in Hong Kong. There is one victory after another as men and women are set free by the power of God's Holy Spirit. We highly recommend this book for those seeking release from drugs, alcohol and demonic bondage.
Sincerely, Rev. Richard and Holly Lang

The testimony of Jackie Pullinger, and her life among the poor and addicted in Hong Kong. This is a reality to be in touch with.

Finally, a woman follows Jesus with ALL her heart. Then, she lets Him teach her how to win the desperate and depraved that she has been trying to do without the power of the Holy Spirit. She receives the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, follows advice to pray in tounges 15 minutes a day and miracles start happening. She has lived by the Lord leading her already, but now she shifts into high speed Holy Spirit action. Mostly boys and men are saved, delivered from (Satan's kindom into The Kindom of God,) are baptized (in the sea,) and are given a prayer language, usually immediately upon conversion. Then follows healing and deliverance from herion and opium addictions through prayer. She is often catnapping in buses and on ferries because she is available day and night to help these guys. She helps many women too, but it is men whom she really has an impact with.
Well, the story is so amazing everyone should read it.

A Child's Christmas In Wales CD: And Five Poems
Hurrah! Now I won't have to wait for the radio to play Dylan Thomas reading his wonderful Child's Christmas every Christmas. Truly a beautiful recording of the other poems as well.

My goodness, these illustrations are ugly. They completely detract from the beauty of the language. Either read it out loud to a blind person or stick with the version illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman.

This reading of A Child's Christmas in Wales is tops! It wouldn't be Christmas for us without hearing Dylan Thomas tell his story. He recounts a holiday of simple, family and neighborhood doings, and paints a picture of snowy, seaside Wales of the 1920's.

I love this story, as do all my children, who, from their earliest years, have not much struggled with the density of the language nor the scatteredness of the story. 5 of my 8 great-grandparents are from Wales, and the remaining 3 have the blood in them as well, so maybe it is like drinking water for us.:-D Our minds are all scattered, and words, even English words ;-D, fall on us in clumps....which makes it doubly hard to keep a clean house. LOL

The sort of prose-poetry imaginative way of seeing and describing the world unique to Welshwomen and Welshmen and Welshchildren, which does not seek to keep up the pretense that history can be separated from myth, story and desire, and which requires loving with eyes wide open to [and eventually embracing] one's own and others' bumps, bruises and idiosyncracies included, is extraordinarily well represented here. So, by the way, is speaking and listening to the close and Holy darkness!

My favorite version isthe one illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. To me she has captured the complexity of the Welsh personality best, though i have nothing to say against the other illustrators praised in these reviews. I DO have a warning for you: there are some skinny versions flying about which do not have the poem-story complete and correct. This sort of work cannot suffer removal or modification, IMHO.

gbg

If you have read A Child's Christmas in Wales, you know that it has to be a classic. But you can't fully appreciate it until you have heard Dylan Thomas read it. What a deep, expressive, poetic voice. For years, I have listened to the recording on a Caedman record. It is wonderful to have it on a CD.