Titles Books

A great book for showing girls as heroines and teaching about giving to others. A Native American folktale told by Native Americans adds to the richness of the story. Lends itself to several classroom studies including northern lights, heroes, folktales & legends, ladyslipper flowers and Native American culture.

This beautifully illustrated edition of the Ojibway legend lends itself easily to reading outloud to groups of children in the classroom or anywhere else. The colorful pictures help the flow of the story, both of which help hold the youngsters spellbound. Young children identify with the characters in the story and having one of their own age group in a situation of bravery and steadfast love empowers them. Excellent book.

I read this book as part of an assingment for a class (Children Resources for Children and Young Adults). I loved it. I am also currently taken Ojibwe and enjoyed how the authors incorportated Ojibwe words. The illustrations are simple, yes, but add charm to the well told (or rather retelling) of the origin of the lady slipper.
I recommend this to any teacher. Please, incorporate it in your class (high school teachers, too!). On a latter note, after reviewing it for class, I realized that this book was written by my teacher. Margi is the nicest person and an excellent teacher. And her book reflects her spirit.

This book is excellent for all ages. It contains beautiful illustrations to compliment the story of a little girl's courage. A good one for use in a classroom.

This is such a pretty book that tells the tale of the Ojibwe legend of the laddy slipper or moccasin flower. The illustrations are simple and colorful and greatly add to the folk atmosphere of the book. A little girl must go on a heroic journey through a freezing wintry night to find healing herbs when her whole village is stricken with terrible disease. She is encouraged along her route by the spirits of the stormy environment who speak to her in the Ojibwe tongue. This is an exciting and satisfying story and makes an excellent conversation starter to teach little ones about communing with the elements of Nature.

Mr.VanFranknhuzen was in our area schools in Clinton Township for 5 days this spring and used his wonderful books as lessons for the children to draw. He was so good with the kids the time just flew. One of the things he shared with us was about the "secrets" of the Loon book. He told us how much fun he had painting hidden loons in almost all the paintings and the children as well as the adults had fun trying to find them all. I don't think we succeeded but we're still looking. The magical story in combination with the beautiful paintings are a joy to read and see. We wait anxiously for your next legend. Thank you.

My mother-in-law loves loons! This book was perfect because it is about grandmas and loons. I would not suggest this book for the baby-preschool level... This is really a book that is written for the 4-12 yr old range. (4-6 if you are reading it to them and 6-12 if they are reading it for themselves.)

Great revelation! Grandmothers throughout the world should be such a guardian for their precious children. Warms my heart, and passes on great love from one generation to the next. Outstanding prose and melodic writing, great for young and old.

I read this story to my grandchildren today, and they loved it! We live on a lake where loons nest, and their call has always captivated us. I don't think I have ever heard a more beautiful tale that this one! My grandchildren are now calling every loon they see "grandmother lom". This story will be read again and again.

The legend of the Loon by Kathy-Jo Wargin is another one of her great legends. Although it doesn't specifically mention Michigan it certainly could be. The grandmother becomes concerned when her grandchildren go out in a boat and are late coming back. The children are lost and finally find their way back by following the loon. Grandma turned into the loon to show them the way back to safety. Great for older kids, although our younger ones enjoy the story as well.

With illustrations that make you want to step right into the picture, this book is a great telling of great classic for little kids. Sometimes I think we forget or don't realize just how powerful certain images and impressions we get from our early childhood books really are, and just how much they can impact our lives. My 4-year old adores this book. And what a great image for her to take through life - the realization that she might be hindered by fear of her own reflection.

For 20 years I've delighted in the story collections of Idries Shah. I'm very pleased with his entire new series of children's books especially, "The Lion Who Saw Himself in the Water". As my wife and I read this story to young children in our family, we can see their eyes light up.

The kids strongly identify with all of the animals in the book, especially the lion as he overcomes his fears and learns something about his own individual identity. I have to confess that I've picked up the book several times and read it for my own enjoyment. It somehow soothes my mind after a tough day at the office.

[....] It's clear that we need to provide our kids - especially boys - with tools to counter the violence and knee-jerk aggression ubiquitous in popular culture. These children's stories by Idries Shah are just this kind of tool. They're not preachy. They don't offer simplistic lessons or moral platitudes. They're more like exercises for "mental muscle groups" grossly underdeveloped in this culture: A strong sense of one's own value. Empathy. Flexibility in thinking and responding. Appreciating that not everyone is the same, not every outcome is predictable. Seeing that there are more than two sides to a situation. A sense that patience and perseverance can pay off, sometimes in unexpected ways. Not demanding easy answers. A sense that things are not always as they seem, that the viewpoint of "experts" - or even the whole community - is not always right. The experience of seeing something that even adults don't see, of creating clever solutions. The sense that taking positive action is possible and rewarding-even when one has to buck the tide. That help can come from where and when we least expect it. The sense that life has interesting "loose ends" for us to reflect on. And so much more. At least one of these books should be on every child's book shelf.

My daughter is two, and she really enjoyed this book. Did she understand it? Perhaps not; but she loved all the animals, especially Share the Lion. Cheerful illustrations, and yet underneath it all an important message. This book fills a tremendous gap in our children's literature in that it is a fun and light-hearted look at the ways in which we understand or misunderstand both people and events. For conscientous parents who are neither moralistic nor trendy. This charming book deals with problem solving in an innovative way.

I have used this tale with many children ages 6 to 12 in schools around the United States. It is a terrific vehicle for asking higher order questions and for teaching thinking and questioning strategies. In Central Asian educational systems, the "teaching story" is a vehicle for indirectly teaching concepts that are not always possible to get across in more direct, intellectual ways. They also have a deconditioning effect, that is, they prepare the listener or reader so that when faced with difficult circumstances he/she can chose a less automatic, more conscious solution. My students have thoroughly enjoyed this tale and easily understand the concepts that many adults have trouble getting. It's a great discussion starter for helping children understand the differences between irrational and beneficial fears.

I have both "Little Pear" and "Little Pear and His Friends." Little Pear is really naughty, but it's so funny to read what kind of mischief he will get into next. Good read for I'd say 5 years old and up.

I thought this was a cute book but not particularly noteworthy. I purchased it because it was on the Sonlight reading list and our library didn't carry it. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase it. Little Pear is a cute character and the simple back and white drawings scattered throughout focused my 5 and 7 year old's attention. Each story was short too, which made it a nice book for both levels. I liked this book, I just didn't love it.

Little Pear was always in mischief. He was also a kind boy. The pictures are exciting and Little Pear only had a little pony tail. On Chinese New Year, Little Pear's father bought some kites and gave to him and his youngest sister. She had a butterfly kite and Little Pear had a goldfish kite. Her sister flew her kite so high that she lost it and Little Pear almost lost his as well.So he and his sister played with little pear's kite. When they went home it was supper time of fried cornmeal, bean sprouts and hot tea. After that they got ready to sleep.

A wonderfully universal story of a 5-year old chinese boy interested in 5-year-old adventures. Lattimore has a simple style that appeals to the young mind. It's not too scary and not too silly.

The Little Pear stories are fabulous. My four year old loves them and we read them over and over.

This book is a really cute cowboy take-off on the old Little Red Riding Hood story. It is appropriate for 3 through 8 year olds. They would enjoy reading and comparing both stories.

This book entertains in an olde, but new fashioned manner.
It is a wonderful take-off of the Big bad wolf theme, and my granddaughter loved the cowgirl twist to it.

An American Southwest setting for the classic "Little Red Riding Hood" tale. Red's cowboy hat replaces Red's hood and the rest is literary history. Great illustrations of the Southwest and a right-on grandma from strong American pioneer stock: "That yellow-bellied, snake-blooded, skunk-eyed, rancid son of a parallelogram! . . . This time he picked the wrong grandma".

This book is WONDERFUL! I like it a lot because it made us laugh! It had good pictures and they made us feel happy. It is a good book. "This book reminded me of when I went to a farm," Yasmin said. We want other kids to read this book because they will like it too.

Far from the thoughtless, shrinking-violet waif-girl of older European tales, the red-headed, red-hatted Little Red of this fairy tale is a rootin' tootin' pre-feminist with a pistol for a granny. Our young cowgirl recognizes the Big Bad Wolf for the baddie he is but she was taught, in proper Texas tradition, to be polite to strangers....Granny and Little Red outsmart ol' Big Bad and hang out afterward to chew the fat about how girls can look after themselves. Hilariously illustrated and with authentic Wild West language, this tall tale will steal your heart!

What a well done little book. This is a story of a little girl, during the Great Depression, who lives on a farm with her family and figures she is "just a little poor." This is a story of friendship and strength and simply helping others that need help. The illustrations by David Catrow are very well executed and a delight to the eye. They also go perfectly with the text which is nice when reading to a group of young ones. There are several lessons to be learned from this tale, all good ones. I have read this to several classes of children at school and it quite holds their attention and is very useful in helping to open up discussions. THe kids all seem to like it, and often times ask for a seconed reading. This is probably the best indorsement a children's book can have. All in all, there is not much to not like about this book and I do recommend it highly.

I enjoyed Patricia Mckissack & James Carville's lovely story set in the Lousiana Depression-era about a little girl hearing lots of talk about hardtimes with people out of work, no jobs and about her adventures in the swamp meeting up with a real swamp ghost, or so it seems at first. Little Lu shows her big caring heart when she be friends the ghost only to find out he's a little orphan boy. It is here we see her joy in finding one good friend and feeling mighty rich from it. David Catrow has out done himself again with his fabulously fun illustrations. This book also comes with a CD read by James Carville giving the listener a good flavor of that Lousiana drawl. A great story about family and friends.

I read the book to my son and he loved it. I think Paula should read the book before she reviews it. Unfortunately Paula hasn't taught her child the old saying "don't judge a book by its cover". Maybe Paula should see if the FOX News Channel will let her fill in for Bill O'Reilly when he reviews a book. There is one book I think her child will love its called "My Pet Goat".

My son is only 2 1/2 but sits still for this story aimed at 4 -6 year olds. He just likes the story and the art. And wonderfully imaginative art it is by David Catrow. It's written by James Carville...yes THAT James Carville. KNown most for being a former advisor to President Clinton, Carville grew up in the swamplands of Louisiana and writes a captivating children's tale of the mysterious bayou country.

Lu is a poor little girl who has no friends her age. One day she encounters the legendary swamp ghost of whom tales have become legend in her neck of the woods. But all is not what it seems with this "ghost" and soon Lu finds a true friend as Carville teaches a well thought out lesson about impressions we have about people. Nicely done and the fact that it's about a "ghost" really intrigued my little one.

Lu and the Swamp Ghost is a wonderful book that should be read to kids of almost any age and a sure to be classic.

Young Lu has always been told that as long as you have wonderful friends and family, you're never actually poor. But Lu, who has a great family, knows that she must be a little poor, for she doesn't actually have any friends. However, all that changes one day while Lu is taking a stroll along the Louisiana bayou, for she comes face-to-face with a real, live swamp ghost, who ultimately becomes her one true friend.

Taking place during the Great Depression, James Carville has created a wonderful story that will show even the youngest reader that friends and family are more important than material items. Filled with super-adorable illustrations by David Catrow, LU AND THE SWAMP GHOST is sure to earn a place in the hearts of readers the world over.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

I had to find this book for my own kids since my parents' copy was badly damaged. I have great childhood memories of this book and my daughter loved it by the second reading. "Why?" . . . "Never mind why," said the woman. . . "I don't want to go," . . . "Go," said his wife. The wonderful rhyme and nagging wife make this book a classic. I miss the old pictures but it has the original text which no other version of this Grimm's fairy tale has matched.

The story in this book is one of the most important because it teaches that we should be grateful for what we have. Gratitude seems to be one of the forgotten virtues of our day. The world would be a much better place if everyone had read Magic Fish.

This book has a "forever" place in my heart. As a child I would never tire of listening to my mother read it to me. Imagine her surprise when I was able to read it back to her! (Okay, so I probably had it memorized, but it still felt good to be "reading") I have looked all over for it. I am glad I finally found it.Thank you Amazon.com. I would love to share it with my children.

This folk tale is unlike most of the storybooks that you'll find marketed towards children. It is much closer to the original grim fairy tales in that it has something of a sense of menace and danger about it, and also lacks the now-requisite happy ending.

It tells the story of a fisherman who earns the favor of a magic fish through his own good-heartedness. He has no thought of reward, but his wife convinces him to ask the fish to upgrade their hut to a house, which the fish seems happy to do. But then the wife continues to convince the fisherman to go ask the fish for upgrades, until she is Queen of the land and wants to be Queen of the Sun and the Stars.

Every time the fisherman goes to ask the fish for something else, the sea is stormier, although the fish says nothing. In the end, the fish decides that the wife has asked for too much, and takes away everything.

There is so much going on in this story that a child can enjoy it for years. The characters and their relationship to each other provide for an instructive discussion about why we do favors, and why we should be reasonable in our requests. It also tells us a lot about what it takes to be happy.

The repetitive nature of the plot should also be comforting to children.

I really recommend the 1967 edition, which was masterfully illustrated by Ed Arno. The pictures are done in blue and black, with a funky thick-line-drawing style which perfectly captures the mood of each page.

The Magic Fish is a classic fable of greed that all people (not just children!) should read and familiarize themselves with. An old fisherman and his crabby, demanding wife live by the sea. She demands that he go catch some fish, and the fisherman snags a bug-eyed, yellow talking magic fish. The Fish is really a prince, and the fisherman frees him. His wife, angry that he returned empty handed, demands that he go back and demand a pretty house from the fish. Her wish is granted.

One can see where this leads to: the wife continually demands more and more wonderful things for herself (is this where the term "fishwife" came from??) until the magic fish becomes angry and takes EVERYTHING back. The fisherman, who meanwhile didn't WANT to keep going back to the magic fish, was perfectly happy with what he already had.

"The Magic Fish" is a fable that we simply don't hear enough of these days, and I think it would be good if we heard it more often. Our culture is one where we are constantly encouraged to buy, buy, BUY and our spiritual wealth is often judged by our material wealth: more stuff = happiness. The tale of the magic fish, with it's stout, heavy illustrations by Pels, reminds us that sometimes what we HAVE is all that we NEED, and greed comes before a fall. Highly recommended for all ages.

[....] It's clear that we need to provide our kids - especially boys - with tools to counter the violence and knee-jerk aggression ubiquitous in popular culture. These children's stories by Idries Shah are just this kind of tool. They're not preachy. They don't offer simplistic lessons or moral platitudes. They're more like exercises for "mental muscle groups" grossly underdeveloped in this culture: A strong sense of one's own value. Empathy. Flexibility in thinking and responding. Appreciating that not everyone is the same, not every outcome is predictable. Seeing that there are more than two sides to a situation. A sense that patience and perseverance can pay off, sometimes in unexpected ways. Not demanding easy answers. A sense that things are not always as they seem, that the viewpoint of "experts" - or even the whole community - is not always right. The experience of seeing something that even adults don't see, of creating clever solutions. The sense that taking positive action is possible and rewarding-even when one has to buck the tide. That help can come from where and when we least expect it. The sense that life has interesting "loose ends" for us to reflect on. And so much more. At least one of these books should be on every child's book shelf.

When she was a child, my daughter adored this tale. It is wonderful to find it again, in a volume of its own with splendid illustrations. It seems to provoke in a child courage for the difficult experiences of daily life, and enthusiasm for the realm of the imagination. It would be a valuable contribution to any child's library.

There are so many mysterious twists and turns to the telling of this amazing and complex story. I read this book to all my classes (third graders). The kids hang on every word in spellbound silence. How important in this technological, materialistic culture for our kids to be exposed to the very notion of a "heart's desire," to the idea of life as a richly complex journey with multiple dimensions and possibilities beyond our wildest dreams - possibilities that we must stretch ourselves to discover and realize. I highly recommend this book for kids of all ages.

The notion that certain folk tales, "mere playthings" might have more noble capacities is beautifully exemplified in this ancient tale.This story appeared in a collection of tales, "A Caravan of Dreams" some 30 years ago and I am now delighted to see it turned into a richly illustrated, children's book. The story has multiple meanings, and can evoke deep examination, such as children's grappling with the tensions between technology and more simple realities, academics and practical views. A school librarian I visited in Seattle, WA, places this book in a section called "For Readers of All Ages" because she realizes that there is a genre of picture books that has many layers and can appeal to all. Teachers realize the great need to help children learn how to develop thinking skills and this story allows children a situation that they can reference when trying to explain certain issues they might not otherwise be able to verbalize. It gives them a story which acts as vehicle on which to hang their experiences. This is a function of certain folk tales that surpasses the usual moral endings we are more used to expecting. We are all storytellers, and use story to explain our sitations and make the complex simple. There is a genre of tales, "The Magic Horse" being part of this genre, that allows the reader an opportunity to experience insights into his/her own psyche that are often hidden by more dominant patterns. The fact that this is done in an entertaining fashion, often confuses the reader into thinking that this is just a "mere plaything." But stories can have many levels of capacity, just as orange juice is refreshing, tasty, and provides Vitamin C. Idries Shah spent years collecting and making available these amazing tales, intuitively understanding this was something needed in our evolving culture. They are like nothing else I have ever read. And this one has always been one of my very favorites. One can learn so much about oneself and others by reflecting on this story and using it as a mirror to see one's hidden prejudices. And, the tale itself echoes the notion that things that appear to be "mere playthings," like magic horses, are really much more powerful than we realize. There are children's books with messages, morals, and meaning. "The Magic Horse" is an instrument that both entertains and helps the reader "learn how to learn." But to give the story away would be like trying to "Send a kiss by messenger." It's a story that I will keep on reading to kids.

This book is a real treat, both visually (the illustrations are gorgeous) and narratively (the rich plot is sure to keep adults as well as children enthralled). My 10-year-old daughter loves it, and each time I read it with her I notice something in it that I hadn't noticed before - which is rare indeed for a children's book. The story, which has been told for more than a thousand years in Central Asia and the Middle East, doesn't batter the reader with clumsy morals, but instead seems to offer something subtler and, I suspect, of far greater value. It revolves around a boy who finds and achieves his heart's desire with the help of a magical wooden horse that carries him on its back as it flies through the air to wondrous places. Readers of this marvelous book are sure to soar right along with them.

The rapid development of technologies that enable superior program and project management has been accompanied by quality research on the impact of both the technologies and project management itself. Russ Archibald has successfully integrated the results of this research into a coherent platform for progress. The third edition is loaded with fresh new insights that reflect both the progress that has already been made and the crystal clear thinking we have come to expect from Russ Archibald. It Is the most definitive formula available for success in high technology.

This is a great resource for all those interested in improving their project management skills. The author will guide you through entire process from organizing the project to closing it out. This book is a must for anyone involved in managing high-tech projects.

As a project manager, I am always looking for helpful resources to stay ahead of the game. This book focuses on dealing with the high-tech end of project management---a focus I've been having some problems grappling. This book is great go-to guide & provides a clear vision on how to manage more complex projects. I'm glad a colleague recommended it.

This is a stellar resource for all project managers as well as for executives who need to understand how to configure the project management office within their organization. Russ Archibald is a leading light in the field, and this third edition is stronger than ever.

Archibald has done it again. This is not your normal "Xth Ed.". It is a significant rewrite of the prior edition and more importantly contains much new material delivered in Archbald's clear, concise, insightful style. This not a book with academic content or one written by a "consultant". It is writtten by a project manager whose been in the trenches with the work (read project) for over 40 years AND still is. The work contains much "true fact" and in addition several adds in areas that previously have not been addressed in ANY publication to my knowledge; an example is the addition of the material on "What an executive/manager can and should expect of his project managers. There are special notes on this subject throughtout the book. NET CONCLUSION: Grizzled or experienced, managing it or doing it or did it - you can't afford to be without it. What Archibald writes of will assuredly happen to you sooner or later; forewarned is forearmed - - - and he provides both!!

This is as good as it gets,score-wise, for Handel's best known piece. Unless you want to spend a lot, this is it !!!

This edition of Messiah by Alfred Mann dates from the early 1960s. It is a good edition at an excellent price. For the latest scholarship and all of Handel's variants, however, you should consider the 1998 Oxford University Press edition edited by Clifford Bartlett. For the best guide to the work, read "Handel: Messiah" by Donald Burrows in the Cambridge Music Handbook series.

Paul N. Van de Water

Even to atheists and other skeptics---thanks to G.F. Handel.... I don't know anyone who doesn't love this masterpiece. Handel sets the dry prose of Revelation and Isaiah to Baroque rock n roll, and has earned a place as one of the great vocal composers of ETERNITY... This Dover full score is priced lower than some piano reductions!

Handel's Messiah is one of my favorite works of all time. And nothing goes with a great recording of this exquisite music like a fantastic score - exactly what Dover has provided for us here. Dover sews their books (they don't glue), so you can count on this score's durability, and the print is legible (which can't be said for all music) so you don't have to search out the magnifying glass to read the notes.

Masterful music in a high quality book and at a more-than-reasonable price. Do not delay in acquiring this score.

This is a wonderful book if you love to sing. Even if you just love the songs and have a copy of the concert on tape, now you can learn the words! My commumity has Messiah all sing concerts and even though I know the songs, it's always nice to have the music on hand. I ,personally, have been looking for this book everywhere!