I Books

I am - or was - an overweight teen. I really love the show Growing Up Gotti and once I heard that Frankie had a diet book comng out I thought that this would be a perfect oppurtunity for me to loss the weight for good. I ordered the book and it exceeded my expectations. Frankie is truly a great writer. This book encouraged me to follow his diet steps! Now, only half way through my diet, I have lost 24 lbs. And it is thanks to Frankie! So thank you for helping me and others lose extra weight for good.

I wish there was more publicity on this book. I had watched the show and goggled the show for images and came upon a picture of him before the show and was shocked to see his weight and even more shocked at what he is today. After viewing the sample pages provided by Amazon, I knew I had to grab a copy. I am 10 years older then Frank but he touches the core of my problems. He is an admirable writer that can be respected by all ages. I really appreciate his honesty, sincerity and encouragement. He taps into emotions and experiences that I have yet to see in any book, and for it to target the young generation is phenomenal!! Thanks Frank :)

The author of this book was just arrested for drug posession. Diet and exercise, or was there something more?

Lies and scandals.

i love the growning up gottie show
it of the chin, but anywayz, hi frankie, i just wanna say that u look soooooo fooooone,now we girls can see ur the real frankie
u look amazing

Frank Gotti's diet and exercise book really reveals the trauma of being overweight as a kid/tennager. I couldnt believe the before and after pics! And the heartfelt text inside. Frank was not afraid to show his sensitive side, in an effort to help others lose the weight as well. I applaud him--he has guts!....(and he's gorgeous!)....Katie Ross

There's nothing I love more than Klingons heading into battle. Even the phrase, "It is a good day to die," makes me smile whenever I read or hear it.

Another great book that deals with the Klingons.
Years ago I had quit reading Star Trek, but now I am back.
This is very original work and very interesting to read.
You have a long running space battle and an equally long running ground battle, and every crew member is important and well developed by the author. Very fun to read.
Worf and Martok make a very brief appearance, but that is what I like about this series, it is wholly original with very good characters and both the men and women have equal parts.

With all of the proper introductions taken care of in "A Good Day To Die," Keith R.A. DeCandido's second I.K.S. Gorkon book, "Honor Bound," wastes little time on catching up the reader and dives right into the battle between Captain Klag and his allies in the Order of the Bat'leth and the honorless General Talak and his legion. With so much fighting going on (superbly illustrated in DeCandido's written word), you'd think that there would be little room left for character development. However, the reader gets to learn even more about Klag, Dorrek, Kurak, Leskit, Toq, B'Oraq, Goran, and even a few of the Children of San-Tarah as the battle on land and in the stars gets more violent and savage.

DeCandido cleverly intertwines combat sequences with flashbacks (especially in the mind of Kurak) and keeps the action at a quick pace. The bulk of the story is the actual battle, but DeCandido ties up everything nicely in the end and leaves the reader hungry for more in the third installment of the Gorkon trilogy, "Enemy Territory."

For anyone interested in "Star Trek" and especially those who love the Klingons, I highly recommend the I.K.S. Gorkon book series. Be sure to read "A Good Day To Die" in order to get a solid basis for the entire trilogy.

Brad R.A. DeCandido should write every novel focusing on Klingons from here on out. He not only incorporates characters from the televised Star Trek Series (TNG and DS9), but creates his own characters that are thoroughly Klingon and very intriging. I believe KRAD has a better feel for Klingons than any other Star Trek novelist.

Captain Klag has just lost San Tarah though honorable combat after judging the Children of San Tarah as honorable foes in the previous novel "A Good Day to Die." However, the PetaQ General Talak has ordered Klag and his crew to violate their word and surrender their honor as Klingons. Klag decides to call on the Order of the Bat'leth, the age old association that Chancellor Martok has once again commissioned to be the champions of honor within the empire. The resulting battle is one that Klingons will sing operas of for at least a generation.

The writing in this work is of high calibre. The battle scenes are described so vividly, you can picture the ships and subspace eddies in your mind. The San Tarah are developed as a fascinating species who not only have a strong warrior ethic and are highly effective fighters of their own, but as the denoument of this story will show, they also place a very high premium on honor and integrity.

This was a great read and I can't wait to get to installment three "Enemy Territory."

The first two books in Kieth R.A. Decandido's new Star Trek series, The I.K.S. Gorkon, are, in reality, one story. These two novels follow the adventures of the Klingon Defense Force ship Gorkon and her captain and crew as they embark on a new mission:


"to explore strange new worlds...
to seek out new life and new civilizations...
...and to conquer them for the greater glory of the Klingon Empire!"

In the beginning, the reader finds himself witnessing the honoring of a ship's captain and the rebirth of an Order. That captain, called Klag son of M'Raq, is being inducted into the esteemed Order of the Bat'leth, an Order devoted to honor and duty and the precepts of the greatest Klingon to ever live: the Emperor Khaless, who created the Klingon sword, the bat'leth, from a lock of his own hair after throwing that lock into a volcano.

More than this, though, Klag and several other captains are ordered to enter a system called Kavrot to find worthy planets on which to plant the Empire's flag. Klag and his crew find such a planet, but then things take quite a change. The natives of this world, called San-Tarah, wish to compete in contests to decide their fate. Should the Klingons win, the San-Tarahns would willingly cede themselves to the Empire. Should they lose, Klag leaves and no Klingon will ever set foot on the planet again.

Of course, nothing is ever so simple as this. Inevitably, there is treachery afoot. Klag's superior does not think much at all of this contest or of the captain himself. What happens to Klag and the San-Tarahns? Read and find out.

This reviewer found the first two books of the I.K.S. Gorkon series to be fast-paced, fun, and very funny at times. It was also very "real", which is not always easy to portray in a sci-fi setting. The characters and their motivations, for the most part, were believable and this reader shouted "'Qapla!" with every success and consigned the villains to Gre'thor every time the crew of the Gorkon met any kind of defeat. The writing was wonderful, with very few editorial mistakes. The settings were vivid, to the point that the reader could feel the grass and smell the blood, hear the battle and taste the smoke and fire in the air, could almost feel the touch of a bat'leth or mik'leth handle wrapped around his fingers. If you like sci-fi novels, and specifically Star Trek novels, pick these two up. You'll be in for a rare treat

A very good piece of work with some precious pearls of wisdom. An excellent read. Great for newlyweds and seasoned couples alike. Highly recommended.

I am reading this book now. I wish I would've read this book before I got married. Unfortunately, I am divorcing, but I can say that this book is a real pick-me-up. I am now understanding the role of a man and a woman in a marriage and now I know what to look for when I do get married again. The responsibility of a man in the household, How men and women are different, how to get past hurts and how not to be manipulitive. God wants relationships to have order. Work as a team under the guidance of the Almighty. Women and men are the same in the spirit, but they provide a different function. If one person doesn't fulfill their role, the marriage will not work. The love emotions will fade and it will end in disaster! Amen! I went through it. I haven't finished reading all the chapters yet, but I can't put it down. Decide for yourself, it is a real blessing to me. Thanks Bishop Long!!!

Eddie Long presents a book attempting to teach people about Godly relationships and what both sexes require in them. While his intentions are certainly noble, they fell short of pleasing or helping me in several important areas. Before I start my ranting, let me say that he does make some very good points about marriage and the sexes. Heck, the man even points out that Delilah wasn't all bad, and you gotta give him gutsy points for that! I applaud him for certain comments, such as telling men not to blame their wives for their problems and to listen to and value their opinions; he also gives women some good advice about men. So what's my problem with him? Well, in spite of all his seeming understanding of the female spirit, his ideas of a woman's role in society are nothing short of old-fashionedly sexist.

First of all, he began with the fatal error of telling me that wives should obey their husbands. Not submit to, but obey, as though wives are children. Now, I believe that a wife should love and honor her husband, submitting to his needs as he submits to hers (hey, I've read the Bible and I know what a Godly marriage requires). However, the word "obedience" is an absolute no-no in the marriage vocabulary as far as I'm concerned. This obedience thing honestly surprised me, since he had claimed that women are equal to men. Apparently, someone should have explained to him the meaning of equality, because several of his other comments contradict his supposed belief in it.

When he talks about female obedience, he doesn't draw the line at marriage alone, but indicates that a woman's lot in life is to be obedient to a male force: "her father before marriage, her husband after marriage, and possibly a pastor in an intermediate period." So, where's the equality? As an independent woman, there is hardly anything that offends me more than a man presuming to tell a woman that obedience is best for her (isn't that similar to what Southern whites used to tell Africans about slavery?) Other contradictions are visible in his writing; for example, in spite of saying that it's okay for a woman to be single, he indicates that women were made for men, both to give them companionship and to bear them babies. Men NEED women, he says, and women so need to nurture their men. He even pulled the age-old trick of saying that a woman can influence a man by submitting to him. He basically seemed to be saying that we're supposed to obey our husbands and be their mommies at the same time.

Maybe Long realized that he sounded sexist, because he went way out of his way to praise women's strengths and to emphasize how much men need us, so much so that he actually made me wonder why men SHOULD be in charge if we're so great and they're so needy. The final straw for me was his comments about women having jobs. He said, "I think I understand why women take on men's jobs. Either they've been abandoned and forced to work, or abused in the past and would rather work than rely on a man." Um, you forgot a third possiblility, buddy: Maybe we take on "men's" jobs because we're perfectly competent and capable of doing so! Why imply that a woman only works if there's something wrong with her? With this comment, his claim of belief in equality flew out the window once and for all. But then, I should have seen this coming when he said wives should be obedient; how are women to be equals in society if our own husbands don't treat us as such? Marriage is about two people coming together, NOT about the wife morphing into the husband.

I suppose Long and his wife have the right to practice one-sided marital submission, but he doesn't have the right to pass this off as God's will and attempt to cram it down our throats repeatedly. His agenda is clear when he calls disobedient wives "ungrateful" and tells women that if they don't obey their husbands, their marriage will be miserable and their children will be dysfunctional because they won't know how to deal with male/female relationships. Whatever, fella; I fully intend to get married without obeying my husband. I guess I'll just have to pray that my heinous ingratitude doesn't drive my poor family into therapy. Don't be fooled by his sweet talk, ladies; what his message really boils down to is this: it's perfectly okay for a woman to be strong, but only if she stays in her place. Which, in case you weren't paying attention, is consistently under a man's control.

This is an excellent book on relationship within the family and the body of christ. It helps woman and men to know there place and function in the physical and spiritual.

This book helped change my life. The Lord works in wonderous ways!

Almost every parent wishes happiness upon their children more than anything else. "I Just Want My Kids to Be Happy!: Why You Shouldn't Say It, Why You Shouldn't Think It, What You Should Embrace Instead" is a guide to help parents accomplish that goal and plant the seeds of the traits that bring happiness - the seeds of optimism, kindness, and more. A must for any parent striving to promote a good psychological future for their children, "I Just Want My Kids to Be Happy!: Why You Shouldn't Say It, Why You Shouldn't Think It, What You Should Embrace Instead" is highly recommended for community library parenting collections.

This book could not have come at a better time. I was panic-stricken about getting my 15 month old daughter on the wait lists for all of the 'best' pre-schools in my area. I was writing checks, completing forms, filling out more paperwork than I did for graduate school. Why was I doing all this? So she would be happy, of course. As a new parent, I am guilty of saying 'all I want is for her to be happy' but with no thought as to what that means, or why I even say it. This book took my vague concept of happiness and helped me understand what 'authentic happiness' really is, and how to work toward acheiving it, not only for my daughter, but for me as a parent.

I found it to be a very easy read, well-researched, and I really appreciated the fact that the book gave real-world examples on how to apply the theory into our busy parenting lives. I can't recommend this book enough, both as a parent and as a clinical social worker.

I am certain I will refer to this book often as a guide to good parenting as my child grows older.

Helpful, insightful, and filled with great advice, "I Just Want My Kids To Be Happy!" is a book today's parents must read...While parents are more committed than ever to their children's happiness, kids today are more worried, more anxious, and more depressed--a fact the authors point out so well through the use of statistics and examples...If I could afford it, I would purchase a copy of this book for all expectant and new parents. It sheds light on how changes in the focus of what is important have created a society of children who aren't prepared for the realities of life..."I Just Want My Kids To Be Happy!: Why You Shouldn't Say It, Why You Shouldn't Think It, What You Should Embrace Instead" shows parents in an easy and helpful way how to bring up children who are truly happy, not ones who experience short-term pleasure at the expense of long-term happiness...I highly recommend this book to parents, grandparents, and caregivers everywhere!

Many parents confuse happiness with short-term pleasure. Instead of allowing their kids to work through unhappy times, they feel it's necessary to make sure kids never experience disappointment, sadness, and other unpleasant emotions. What parents don't realize is that those feelings help kids grow up to be emotionally mature adults.

Just because your kids appear to be happy doesn't mean they really are. Kids try to please their parents, and you might be surprised to find they're wearing a smile because you've told them you just want them to be happy.

If you're truly concerned about your child's long-term happiness, I'd encourage you to pick up a copy of this book. Both you and your kids will benefit from these suggestions.

Reviewed by: Alice Berger
Bergers Book Reviews

What? We shouldn't want our kids to be happy? Not really, say Aaron Cooper, Ph.D. & Eric Keitel, M.Ed. Instead of focusing on their being happy all the time (causing them to pretend to be happy when they really aren't), we should teach them to accept the full range of feelings so they can handle disappointment, fear, anger, etc.

The authors say that this "...want them to be happy" mantra makes us captive to our kids' moods, feel guilt when they aren't happy, and prevents their learning to cope with adversity.

As co-author of THE COMPLETE SINGLE FATHER, I've heard how single dads who often have their kids part time, every other weekend, or just on holidays, feel they need to make their kids happy to "prove" that they're still a good parent. No doubt single moms feel similarly.

Rather than focusing on our kids being happy, we need to let them know that it's important to be healthy, caring, find meaning in their lives, have fine character, practice acts of loving kindness, and be spiritual.

I JUST WANT MY KIDS TO BE HAPPY is a most unusual and thought provoking book. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, teacher, spiritual advisor, etc., this is a special book to open your mind to what really matters in your life and your children's lives and to prepare them for whatever life brings.

I highly recommend this book.

Elaine Fantle Shimberg
ElainesBooks.com
TheCompleteSingleFather.com

This is an excellent book for guinea pig lovers ages 3-8. It gives information on guinea pigs while entertaining and enjoyable.

A cute story of how someone likes their guinea pigs and alot of pictures that children can look at, pictures are drawn very accurately.

I love this book!
It is a favorite for me.
first because I love cavia porcellus. My children learned those words from the book.
second the art work is beautiful, inspiring, and acurate to the experiences of having guinea pigs. I did my own artful representations of my guinea pigs after getting this book.
third each time i look at this book my heart warms over thinking of my dear guinea pigs. one lived 10 years, what a great gal she was.
fourth the content is accurate, and helpful.
I would suggest leaving a copy near your guinea pig home, cage, whatever you call your cavy space, for reference that is visually engaging, basic in content, and motivating, for self and especially children, in caring for your bouncy cavy companion.

I am sure that this is an excellent book, but I bought it for my great-grandson for his birthday at the suggestion of his mother. However, his guinea pig died before he received it.

I'm not sure if you don't have a guinea pig or your child doesn't have one at school but my son was very excited because it talks about types of guinea pigs and we enjoy it as we can compare it to ours behavior. The author clearly likes and has owned many and it gives advice about care without it just being a manual.

This book is the perfect little gift book for young children. I love to watch their eyes light up when they see the colorful pictures, which are just beautiful.
The words are simple, but so meaningful and little people can understand what is being read to them, or if they are old enough to read, what they are reading.
I have given the book to several of my little friends, who have a new baby in the house, which makes them feel very special.

everyone loves to hear those three special words, "i love you," but when you tell them to a child, do they truly understand the depth of your love for them? this book gives children a deeper understanding of those words in a fun and wonderful way. the rhymes are melodious, the illustrations are fabulous and once you see and read it, you'll want to pass a copy on to your friends and special little ones in your life.

Great book with illustrations to match the words that pop on the page. Great for any preschooler. Colors wonderful. Way to go Susan.

I love this book. The words and illustrations are beautiful; I love reading it to my daughter!

Imagine what you love most, and then imagine that someone loves you more than that! This book is a great conversation starter for children to explore what love means and how it feels. Whether the book is for a child that needs to know you love them more than the thing that they love most, or for a library at school, this book communicates a freedom to love and to express that love!

I read this book 32 years ago and became a Christ lover. Real love was evident to me in this story and I wanted real love. The pastor in the book explained so beautifully what love was and how it was to be waited for, made choices towards and fully expressed in the sacredness of marriage, I got completely and radically saved.
I have purchased this book for so many girls over the years and my son's friends have picked this book up from the coffee table and in just reading a little bit of it, comment, "That's a good book -".
You cannot help but be moved and challenged by the couple's story, the TRUTH they are hearing and their candid responses.
I highly, highly recommend it for anyone wanting to understand the love of God and see how His love manifests in the paradigm of marriage.

This is an excellent story about real people who have real struggles and yet, through it all, are seeking God and His will. Francois is a modern day Jacob who wrestles with God and refuses to give in until God blesses him. All the people in this story disappoint at one time or another. However, that serves to illustrate God's love and faithfulness all the more. It is a true example of Romans 8:28 - All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Because the book is a compilation of private letters, there is a real sense of the pain and struggle that Francois is going through, and of the sympathy and compassion of Pastor Trobisch. One can easily relate to the characters.

As one aspiring to become a pastor this book was incredibly helpful, the compassion that Pastor Trobisch shows toward Francois while at the same time being firm and clearly and convincingly discussing Biblical principles regarding sex, love, and marriage, is truly moving. It was an excellent example of how to counsel someone who is truly struggling and seeking God.

And as a young man myself, it was helpful to see I have a brother who struggles with love, hope, and disappointment. The words Pastor Trobisch writes to Francois were very helpful and encouraging to me as well.

Some secondary issues: Because Francois is a young African man, the problems he faces, and the interaction between him and Pastor Trobisch - a European missionary - has an added color which both makes the story interesting and demonstrates the difficultly of trying to balance Biblical principles, and respecting cultural traditions. Furthermore, Francois, despite being spiritually immature in many issues demonstrates a remarkable understanding for the importance of the Lord's Supper which is lacking in most Western evangelical churches. Also, church discipline comes up a number of times and demonstrates the human tendency to be a pendulum. The African churches misuse church disciple, using it to punish instead of draw people to repentance (I Cor. 5). At the same time, it is obvious that the Western church has neglected the use of church discipline out of fear of misusing it. It should be noted that although the African church was too strict and unforgiving, Francois would not have been driven to write to Pastor Trobisch if he had not be disciplined. By neglecting church discipline churches damage their members instead of showing them grace and mercy.

This is an excellent book, and, although not without its faults, certainly worth the money and time. I strongly recommend it.

Every teenager should read this book. It is straight to the point. The moment you open the book, it has you enchanted! It isn't even long! I finished it in a day. Nobody will be intimitated by it. It is a great book!

This book is one I think everyone should read. It is inspirational, and expresses in totality what true love really is.
"I Loved A Girl" is a book of private letters written between two young Africans, Francois and Cecile and their Pastor. In these letters they express their unconditional love for each other combined with the love of Christ.
This is definitly a story that should be shared with couples, or those who ever been in love.

Earlier this year, a man I respected gave me a copy of Trobisch's book Love is a Feeling to be Learned. It was very challenging. When the former pastor of my church gave me a copy of I Loved a Girl a few weeks ago, I was excited to read it. I was not disappointed.

This is a chronological collection of letters between two young lovers from Cameroon and their pastor, Trobisch. Initially the concern is the nature and place of sex--"knowing" a woman--it quickly turns to much deeper matters: those of true love and what it really means to fight for a woman's heart. I started reading it last night and stayed up until I finished it, which is rare for me. If you want one book to succintly drive home straight talk about sex, relationships, love, and pursuing your beloved, then this is it!

I really appreciate all parties' transparency and candor in the letters that were written; these are real letters from real people struggling with real issues. Beware: you will be moved and challenged!

Also, I've found that this might be a great book to give to someone considering Christianity but wary of its "outdated" morality. Trobisch really highlights the beauty and purpose of taking male-female relationships God's way instead of man's way.

I have two grandsons 5 & 7. They love to share the I Spy books and see who gets the most answers.

Careful with the purchase of this book. It is an excellent "I Spy" in the series. However, the inside pages are the same as another; only the front cover is different. If you're adding to a collection be sure to view inside pages.

The I Spy books are a play on the children's game of "I Spy" a game I played often during long car trips except that each book is themed. I Spy Mystery centers around buried treasure, a sunken ship and some other shenanigans. Most of the items photographed are miniatures and toys though what is often being sought in the riddles isn't as obvious as the photograph would first imply. The photographs themselves are deceptively simplistic. A photograph of a green house would appear to be nothing but flowers but may in fact hide things like anchors or race cars.

I Spy Mystery seems to be a tougher book than I Spy Spooky Night. I've read the book now twice and still haven't found all the mentioned items!

Fantastic! My 6 and 3 year olds really enjoy these books. My husband and my self find it very educational and fun for family time.

This has provided hours of fun for one and sometimes several kids all at once. I love the series.

It's been a while since I read the book, so let me endorse it by sharing with you the comment I remember telling others: I learned more about directing in a few weeks (by reading this book) than I did in 2 1/2 years at my film school! (And I'm keeping my school a secret. Not ashamed at all, just don't want to partake in any "liable".) As it turns out, the author teaches at my school but I never had him for an instructor.
This book not only teaches principles, but uses real-life situations and examples as experienced by the author. In fact, there are several contributions by actual actors/directors - submitting their personal point of view on various directing techniques that they have found either work or don't work on them when they are on set.
As I recall, the principles are not nearly as detailed as in the book "Directing Actors" by Watson (which would normally diminish the number of stars the book would receive), but this one holds its own as a compliment to such books; Badham doesn't give step-by-step "how-to" direction on directing (pardon the pun) so much as he gives advice and pointers obtained from experience - which can be invaluable. That's why in its own right it received 5 stars.

I've worked in the film business for 30 years and enjoyed reading stories and tips from these film makers. Everything they say is true!! Most Thespians ARE neurotic and if you're going to work with them, you had better be prepared.

No matter what the filmmaker's experience may be, John Badham's book is a necessary tool in becoming a greater director. Through stories, quotes, and excellent instruction, this book illustrates top notch methods of working with actors as the creative partners they are. It bridges the gap between crew and talent, and combines the efforts of both for a greater end result that flows easily and successfully conveys the natural emotions and feelings of a directed scene.

As a film student, I have constantly gone back and referenced the book, as well as reading and re-reading particular chapters that are easily outlined and provide excellent advice on everything from holding rehearsals to working with potentially "difficult" actors on the set. Reading this book has changed my methods of directing for the better and given me a greater understanding of how to work with actors for the greatest result of acting. Since I began practicing the techniques found within it, I have seen improvements in my directing, leading to greater performances and all-around better end results. With a fun reading style combined with priceless advice and entertaining stories, I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to become a greater filmmaker.

John Badham has had an amazing career in film and television. He has had great success in every genre, including directing SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER which is, possibly the greatest 'coming of age' film ever made. It is certainly one of the best films of the amazing decade of the 70's which featured so many great films about the Mean Streets of New York. Any aspiring or seasoned director would do themselves a big favor by buying and STUDYING his wonderful book, I'LL BE IN MY TRAILER. Calling upon nearly 40 years of directing, Mr. Badham fills this book with a myriad of object lessons. Mr. Badham focuses, with great insight and humanity, on the relationship between the director and actor. In addition, he incorporates dozens of interviews and quotes from great directors, actors, cinematographers, etc., to give his reader a rich and broad picture of the movie-making process from casting to post-production. It is a rare book that can encapsulate such a range and depth of experiences about the art of filmmaking into all of 200 pages. Mr. Badham's tone is friendly and conversational. Reading this book is like having lunch with a legend and casually discussing the work of directing actors. A rare opportunity indeed; and one that should not be passed up.

Most directing books, I've noticed, are either basic primers (how not to cross the "line") or books of chatty anecdotes by major directors. Sidney Lumet's book is about the only one that gives away trade secrets, and he doesn't give many of those.

Finally John Badham has written the book I was hoping to get to read. I'll Be in My Trailer: Creative Wars Between Actors and Directors is as full of director tradecraft as you might hope, coming from the very crafty director of Saturday Night Fever, Stakeout, WarGames and The Jack Bull. Badham hasn't stopped at his own knowledge; he's interviewed fellow directors like Mark Rydell and Richard Donner, and quoted from interviews with other directors.

The tradecraft I'm talking about includes things like shooting closeups first if you're dealing with a scene that might wear out your actor emotionally (generally you shoot the master first, closeups last); the two points of view about rehearsals; what it means when an actor says, "I want to talk to you about my costume; and how not to waste your casting sessions looking important.

This book only focuses on dealing with actors. I'd love to hear what Badham and his colleagues have to say about the more subtle uses of different lenses, when to shoot at a location and when a studio, six day shoots vs. five day shoots, and other technical and production questions. But that really does deserve another book.

If you want to direct, or if you're just a writer or actor who wants to appreciate all that a director has to deal with, buy this book.

This is a great book for cat lovers, or animal lovers.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home"

Our daughter begins every day saying "I'm not going to chase the cat today!" Jessica Harper's books --- and every single one of her CDs -- just couldn't be more popular around our house. This story is delightful, the rhymes clever, the whole cast ebullient and full of spirit. Jessica H. has created a universe where tolerance, good will and great fun reign-- what more could you ask? Linsday Harper Dupont's illustrations are lively, marvelously quirky, gorgeously colored. Couldn't recommend this book more highly.

I'm Not Going To Chase The Cat Today is a fabulous choice for those who pride themselves in discovering new & different choices for kids! Not only is the chasing theme adorable, but the illustrations of the animals in their "people" garb are hilarious and imaginative and just great, silly fun! I also wholeheartedly suggest that you check out Ms. Harper's CDs for children---she is a terrific songwriter with a GLORIOUS voice. Her lyrics range from funny to funky to sweet & cosy. Her style is classy, smart, stylish and diverse--truly different than any other artist out there. I promise you'll find yourself slipping her CDs into your player--even when the kids are outside chasing each other!

Once more, Jessica Harper hits a home run with my two young boys. As devoted fans of her music and previous book, I Forgot My Shoes, my sons giggled with delight while reading her latest work aloud together. The words are lyrical, the illustrations vibrant and the joyful spontaneity of the content is infectious. Our entire family wholeheartedly recommends I'm Not Going to Chase the Cat Today, and urges newcomers to Ms. Harper's work to jump right in and enjoy!

After reading and thoroughly enjoying the high-spirited book, I'm Not Going to Chase the Cat Today,I began using it as part of my book list to teach English as a second language to 4 to 7 year-old children with whom I work. The book, along with its delightful and humorous illustrations, is a wonderful tool for introducing children to the joys and engery of the American language. The book has many common expressions in it, which are repeated so they can be learned not to mention reinforced by the colorful pages filled with animal and human antics. Word and phrase repetition helps children become comfortable with language - strong illustrations give language life and clarity. My young pupils clearly enjoy the book each time I use it, and ask for it over and over. It provides a story whose actions and attitudes they can understand, with a meaningful and gratifying ending. I'm sure other teachers and parents will find the strengths and delights of this book to their liking, and certainly in line with their children's tastes and emotions.