Distributors Books

Mary Pecci's teaching method is the best I've seen. As the homeschooling mom of two boys, one now graduated and the other in high school, I used At Last! with both boys. I've looked at other reading programs, but I don't believe there is anything better. Ms. Pecci incorporates logical sequencing with repetition and clever seatwork activities for guiding teacher and student to success. Definitely five stars!

I wish more teachers and parents knew about this reading method. It is a well designed approach that really works!

*A quick idea for those familiar with the book -- I like to separate the "Good Guys" into two groups -- those that say their sounds at the beginning (B,D,J,K,P,T,V,Z), and those that say their sounds at the end (F,L,M,N,R,S,X).

This program turned around reading problems in our homeschool. In addition to clear instruction in the book, the author also provides lesson plans (word lists, etc.) for some basal reading series at her web site www.onlinereadingteacher.com She has a series of complementary work sheets that greatly decrease the preparation for the parent. You may also post questions on her message board, and she is quick and thorough in her answers. I have found this to be a highly successful reading program. My "problem reader" exclaimed yesterday as we deciphered words, "Oh! This is my favorite part of school!", and she now reads with confidnece. What more can I say?

Just a note to praise AT LAST! A READING METHOD FOR EVERY CHILD. I was introduced to it last year, my first year of teaching first grade, and AT LAST has since been an invaluable guide. I'm teaching a 1/2 split this year and using this program again. In fact, I've introduced my primary-level colleagues to AT LAST and, hopefully, by next month, all four first grades will be employing a variation on this program. Last year I enjoyed enormous success with AT LAST! and I anticipate even better results this year. My thanks to the author.

As a special education teacher for 22 years, I highly recommend this book to reading specialists, teachers, tutors, and parents who want the best method available for teaching people to read. I recently started tutoring using this book and am having great success.

I love these beginner books the binding is so sturdy on them. The story is so cute and what an adventure these birds have in their quest for a new home. They set out cause the wife decides she just can't stand their old place so off the couple go trying things from a hole in a tree to a shoe to a mailbox! But in the end the wifey bird has a change of heart after a disastrous event in a bell tower only to realize theres no place like home! The only qualm I have with this book is the wife bird uses the word hate and I prefer not to introduce that word to my toddler so I just edit it! P.D Eastman is a great author were a big fan of her P.J. Funnybunny books as well.

I bought this for my niece because I always liked PD's other books as a child and this is one I hadn't seen. I previously bought her "Flap Your Wings" which is a great, fun little story, so I thought this book would be as good. It's not. It's kind of dumb, really, and there are a few things that I really don't like for little kids. First, Mrs. Bird says she "hates her nest" and she gets her way and they move. Teaching kids to say they "hate" something to get their way? Nope. Second, toward the end, Mr. Bird thinks his wife is DEAD. He thinks she's been eaten by a cat. Wow. That's bad for little kids, right? No warning there, as PD's other books involve dogs in race cars, teaching an alligator to fly, or looking for your Mom. Dead wife? Yikes. Why couldn't he just wonder where she went? Why make him think she's been digested by a cat? It's not even consistent with the story!
I should have read the book before reading it to my niece, but there was a time crunch. I give it a 3 because even though I'm not sure it's so good, she really likes it. The second time I read it to her, I edited it so that it wasn't so harsh. She's 2.5 years old, and even after 1 reading she could answer questions about the story. So as a learning book, it's right on par. I just wish they would edit it a bit. Change Mrs. Bird's objection, and take out the cat page, and it's a much better book for toddlers!
But honestly, I would recommend "Are You My Mother" "Go Dog Go" and "Flap Your Wings" and say leave "Nest" for another day...

I first read "The Best Nest" more than 27 years ago, when I was 8-years-old. I still have my somewhat tattered copy in my home library and now I plan to order a copy for my twin 2-year-olds. The story is a true classic with the underlying message that we should appreciate our home and our loved ones. The story is all told through the eyes of Mr. & Mrs. Bird who grow tired of their old nest and go through many challenges trying to find a new one until something horrible and wonderful happens that makes them appreciate the simple things in live. A must read for all little kids. Grown-ups might enjoy it too!

Both my daughter and I enjoy the tale of finding your own current home to be the best. Eastman's illustrations are always so wonderful and distinctive.

The only gifts we exchange in my family during the holidays are gifts of the heart. So, I decided to surprise my 33 year old daughter -- who now has her own young son -- by reading from the book "that I had read more times from cover-to-cover than any other book in my life." When I reached into my bag and pulled out "The Best Nest," tears of joy came to her eyes. Then, much to my surprise she jumped up and pulled her own old tattered copy from her bookshelf, which I had read to her so many times nearly 30 years ago. Yes, the book may have a few stereotypical notions about the roles of Mr. and Mrs. Bird; however, my daughter -- who is now a professor of Women's Studies -- still loves this old friend as much as I do.

this book is written in a fun and repetitive style, so that its offers a surprise element and yet predictable text for the child. everyday my 2.5 year-old would ask me to read this favourite book to her, and each time she would be as excited as the first time we read this book, to tell me to flip to the next page to see who rang the bell. i would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fun read with a young child.

I first bought this book at my school's bookfair back in the mid-eighties and have loved it ever since. My two year old daughter loves the book with its colorful images and repetition. I'm delighted that its still in print for future generations to enjoy!

I have been reading Pat Hutchins books to children for many years. They are all wonderful. The Doorbell Rang is great for learning problem solving, math concepts,and the joy and sometimes the dilemma of sharing!

Your children will love this story about sharing. The repetitive lines are even perfect for younger kids.

The story is about sharing. good for kids to read.

I really enjoyed reading this book with my [...]nieces. I like that it can be different lengths (a quick read when the night is getting late, or a lengthy discussion when there is more time). Often the kids like to read the same books over and over, and it's nice that this story can be different every time. The illustrations are cute and the little old woman is persevering.

I teach four year olds and they love books. A good picture book speaks to them and this wonderful book by Tomie dePaola is absolutely the best. Up until recently, the only picture book without words of which I was aware, was THE SNOWMAN. My students love sitting in the "Storyteller's Chair" and reading to the class. I discovered another book of this type and it's a Caldecott Honor Book - THE RED BOOK by Barbara Lehman. Of the three books, I love Tomie dePaola's book!

The story begins with a picture of a woman who is just waking up in bed with her cat and her dog. You follow her as she washes up and gets ready to make her breakfast. She is happily thinking about pancakes. You move along with her as she gathers all the ingredients. Alas, her pets almost spoil her plans but fortunately she has wonderful friends and neighbors next door.

How do you read a book with no words? The same way you did before you learned how to read - you look at the pictures...

What do you see?

The sun comes up over the hills on a still winter's morning. It seems we're in New England. The book's protagonist, something of a Yankee babushka, is nestling under her very warm covers. Her pets, a fat feline and a common looking brown hound, are just beginning to stir...

The morning ripens with potential as the thought of a tall stack of fluffy pancakes enters the mind of our lady of the house. So begins a quest, and several unexpected obstacles will have to be surmounted before desire ultimately is fulfilled.

My eldest daughter, now in college, remembers this book as one of her favorites. I asked her what stands out after all these years. It's the golden blob of butter, centered on the top of each tall stack.

For this, a recommendation of four stars certainly seems in order.

This is a great book to use with young children to teach predicting and inferencing skills. Also excellent for teaching children about cooking from scratch and supplying your own resources.

Of course with a wordless book a story can take many directions. This story is a simple tale about an old woman with single-minded determination for...pancakes. Her trials and tribulations about getting pancake ingredients on her farm and ultimate failure at the hands of her dog and cat ends with her "following her nose" to the neighbor's house where the pancakes are just coming off the griddle.

Good to read to 18 months and older. Of course, its the skill of the reader that makes this fun. If one doesn't approach it with creativity and flair, it'll be flatter...than a pancake.

The more I read this book to my 2-year-old son, the more I like it. He liked it right away. It really is a peaceful "goodnight" book.

My children have this book memorized, and so do I. We recite it sometimes without the book as a going to bed poem.

It is a wonderful addition to any parent's repertoire. If you have a friend expecting, be the one to buy this book.

It's better than "Good Night, Moon" by about 78%, at least.

This counting book uses tempera paints to create a warm inviting feeling as we watch a loving father put his daughter to bed. The book counts backwards in an almost hypnotic way sending the child to dreamland on a cold snowy night. The pride and love this father feels are beautifully shown in the illustrations. One almost feels as if they are intruding in on a magical bedtime ritual.

The illustrations are realistic in style showing detail in every picture. The colors are warm and dark to help the setting with a night time feel. Bang uses many patterns, as in the floral wallpaper and the rocky chair, but the pictures are not to busy or cluttered. If the illustrations are watched closely an underlying story of the cat can be seen as well. The reader might wonder where the missing shoe might have gone from under the bed on the number seven page. It is found on page five as the cat plays with it beside the rocking chair. It seems as if the cat is woken from its nap at the beginning of the story and has a little playtime before it retires to some other corner to continue with its sleep.

As a counting book Ten, Nine, Eight reinforces counting backwards. It can be a little confusing on the number nine page however. When counting the "friends" there is a horn that stands out but if the reader looks closely there is a small mouse on the dolls lap so there are actually ten objects in the picture. This could bewilder a small child trying to learn to count for themselves. Over all this is a wonderful book that would be a loving addition to any library to be shared with that special little sleepy child.

Finally a book that can by all means cannot be considered contravesial I'm really tired of all the so-called "critics" out there giving classic authors bad reviews. Many author/illustrators have suffered from this: Maurice Sendak, and even Molly Bang(not to mention, Helen Bannerman). I can see why these authors would be targeted and I even agree with some of the views that reviewers on amazon express, but these authors don't mean any harm, do they?

10 small toes all washed and warm
9 soft friends in a quiet room
8 square windowpanes with falling snow
7 empty shoes in a short straight row

Please if not buy, check this book out from your local library.

This book is on my entering-kindergartner's Summer Reading List and I can certainly understand its inclusion: good art and good story.

The drawings of father and child are just so sweet and endearing. My children can not get enough of it. Every night they want to put their little toes over the ones that are 'washed and warm' in the book. We count our window panes, and give kisses on 'cheeks and nose' too.

An excellent bedtime book. It is also the only book out of the 30 or so that we have read thus far, that made me say: darn I wish that I had run across this book alot earlier.

Definitely worth adding to the home library.

my wife swears by it. Bad news is... she has discoved a whole new range of illnesses to cure me of.

I'M USING CMDT SINCE 4 YEARS AND I THINK IT IS BEST FOR USMLE STEP 2 AND 3. THIS BOOK IS REALLY A QUICK GUIDE FOR PHYSICIAN WHO ARE PRACTICING IN FAMILY MEDICINE OR INTERNAL MEDICINE. BEST INVESTMENT. I ESPECIALLY DON'T LIKE THE ONE OF THE REVIEW WRITTEN ABOVE SAYING THAT THIS BOOK IS FOR LAY-MAN. LOOK AT THE PAGE # 699 IN CMDT 2002 FOR DRUGS CAUSING PANCREATITIS.

Despite the fact that user-flexibility was not uppermost on the minds of its designers, the "CMDT on CD-ROM" is a quality companion for the medically inclined. Both medics and medical scientists may find this software irresistible. Detailed diagnostic and therapeutic descriptions, which spanned across hundreds of diseases and disorders were provided in a clear and sequential order.
The contents of this CD-ROM are updated annually, and although it would be nice to own the most recent copy, one would not be lagging too faraway with any issue that is not more than five years off the pace.

This is an excellent book--as a medical student I have found it invaluable. I have no idea what futuredoc is talking about in his review---this book has many pertinent details. Regardless, the purpose of this book is not to be encyclopedic, but instead to give the reader a brief yet detailed synopsis on specific disease entities. If you want to know everything, then obviously you should go to Harrisons. But carrying Harrison's around is impractical for most people, and it is nice to glance at a text in-between patients when you need to look something up, or brush up on something you haven't seen in a while or can't remember off the top of your head.

Additionally, an important detail to remember is that this text is updated yearly, and has a reasonable enough price to consider buying it at least every other year to keep up with all of the ever-changing aspects of General Internal Medicine.

I highly recommend this book with no hesitation to anyone interested in a basic Internal Medicine Text that is still detailed enough for clinical use.

Without a doubt, this is one of the best paperback books on current medical diagnoses and treatments that I had ever used. Certainly, the book does not go into DEEP detail like Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, but the two books have different goals. I would recommend Harrison's for extreme depth of learning and I would recommend CMDT to help you slug it out through your day at the hospital or clinic. I refer to this book more than any other because the depth of information is good for every day practice, and it is written extremely well. In fact, it is a pleasure to read over when you have time to pass.

Someone told philosophy is simply a specific genre of European literature; I would tend to agree if permitted to add that to validate itself as "philosophy" the opus has to include references to the previous philosophical works. Otherwise, however similar in vein and content, a book of philosophy it will not be.
According to that definition philosophers are writers doomed to retell stories heard from their predecessors; far is the day when the Allegory of the Cave will drop off that rambling and overburdened philosophical cart (driven by the Buridan donkey, no doubt) and be moved out of readers' sight.

Whether this definition is true or not, Taylor in his book behaves exactly as described, repeating and condensing others' treatises and opinions. They are many in the long history of our civilization, so the author's tactic is to find connecting "narratives": here is the great "Inward Turn", from which premises of Romanticism easily follow, there came "veneration of the ordinary", which brought about the phenomenon of the modern novel.
It is precisely in this that both the greatest weakness of the oevre and its greatest utility lie: the book has collected innumerable praises from the horde of us, intellectual sloths, for in it we immediately spotted the opportunity to use the results of this marvellous compression, with the narratives as aids to jog our lazy memories, without reading the whole philosophical library of Taylor's sources shelf after shelf, and cover to cover.

The weakness of the approach could be in a certain arbitrariness of the found stories and connections. They make what was announced as "history of the central terms on which the modern man appreciates himself" seem too logical and inevitable. Those threads or constantly developing themes, when historical rather than invented, could be simultaneous, interweaving and interplaying - not consecutive and orderly.
In short, they are patterns half discerned and half imposed on history and philosophy by Taylor himself.

The second peculiarity of the book is the Taylor's style.
Once, they say, physisists came to a University bursar to ask for funds. The bursar studied their proposal for a long time, and then complained: "It's always like this with you, physisists. You always ask for huge sums to do your experiments. Mathematicians are so much better! All they use is paper, pencils and erasers." Then he thought a bit and added: "And philosophers are best of all. They do not even need erasers."
Taylor's style is unnecessarily dense and repetitive. I had an impression that he was more engrossed in wording than in laying out logically when writing. Very often, when the thread has been followed through to the very end, one realises, it could have been greatly reduced, and reduced to almost a platitude, I caught myself thinking at times: yes, "the original unity" of religious worldview was shattered and became multiple disciplines in modernity, emergence of protestant churches is habitually used to explain the Western individualism et cetera et cetera et cetera.
The "difficulty" of the book may be in the density of its style, and not always in the subject matter being discussed.

But still...
they say laziness is the King and true source of all Good in the world, so I cannot help but give the deserved 5 stars to this crash "immersion" course in the ideas of Western philosophy (in the guise of a treatise about Good, Ethics and sources of Modernity), nicely condensed and organized in a number of stories to follow for a curious reader but less than dedicated philosopher.
Digesting the Taylor's tome is the easiest way to read one book and then be able to convincingly claim to know many, many more.

Sources of the Self is an exceptional piece of scholarship. In SOS, Taylor engages in a course of philosophical anthropology to demonstrate that our understanding of the self as interior is by no means universal. For Taylor, understandings of the self are inextricably linked to our understandings of the good. Thus, self-understanding is directed by evolving conceptions of the source and location of the good. This idea has been lost, according to Taylor, because of the narrow conception of the good in our modern world and the naturalist suppression of moral ontology.

Taylor defends this argument in two ways. First, he provides a strong argument that the self exists within inescapable moral frameworks. "To know who you are" Taylor argues, "is to be oriented in moral space." These frameworks are composed of hierarchical moral distinctions (i.e., some things are viewed as better than, or more important than others -- for instance, in our time, the notion of respect for persons). Second, Taylor argues that previous goods have been victim to historical suppression.

The bulk of the text is aimed at re-articulating historically suppressed goods. This illustration provides a fascinating romp through the history of ideas from Plato, Augustine, Descartes, Locke, Rousseau and MANY others, as well an interesting pieces about cultural history (e.g., the Puritans, art theory, etc).

One caution -- this is NOT an easy read. The argument itself is in the first few chapters, the remander is illustration. But keep the argument in mind the whole way. You will have to work to get through it - but it is well worth it! You will never see the self the same way again.

I read this very popular, yet scholarly, and extolled book when it first was published, and found it elegant, helpful, and problematic. The title is the subject of the book: What sources have gone into making of modern identity? Obviously philosophy and theology are the dominant contributors, with psychology pulling up the rear (which is as it should be, since the latter only came to be 150 years ago).

While I agree with Taylor that philosophy, more than either theology or psychology, actually informs our sense of self, particularly the modern self, I'm not sure psychologists would agree. In today's marketplace of ideas, it's psychology that crowds bookstore shelves with a panoply of "self-help" books. Conversely, while the sense of self is implicit in earlier philosophy, not many modern philosophers address the matter at all. Ergo, the need for this book.

Taylor weaves his theory through the prism of philosophical history and the evolutionary unfolding of how the sense of the modern self has come into being. It's a compelling, perhaps unattractive, pinnacle to which we have come. The "modern" sense of self begins with the works of Rene Descartes (i.e., the thinking being), which may or may not have improved on Boethius's medieval ontology (i.e., the rational animal). Still, the sense of "self" is far more complex than either a rational animal or a thinking being alone would suggest. Perhaps either thesis is the starting point, and obviously necessary, but it's certainly not sufficient, to capture what we mean by "self" today.

To Taylor's credit, he begins to add other necessary features, and the features he adds aren't uncontroversial. Yes, phenomenology is a part of the structure; so too is language a key feature to the identity of the modern self; but where are the well-spring of the emotions? This particularly salient feature of emotions barely registers on Taylor's radar. And it's this deficit, the failure to bring our emotional features to bear, that makes this work such an enormous disappointment.

For the other facets, dimensions, and features, Taylor elegantly, eruditely, and heuristically surveys philosophical history and culls most of its ideas. But how could the emotions (e.g., love, hate, joy, grief, etc.) not figure into Taylor's conception of the "modern self." Even if Taylor relies primarily on philosophical perspectives, the philosophy of emotions is not a nil set. David Hume devoted Part II of his seminal "Treatise on Human Nature" to the passions; numerous contemporary philosophers have addressed focused on the emotions in the years immediately preceding the publication of this book. And even if Taylor had been deprived of the philosophical accounts, he certainly could not have been deprived of psychological accounts. So, the minimalist attention to this most salient of features is jarring.

Why such a fuss about this omission? Robert Solomon, whose works both precede and follow Taylor's book, insists that it is the emotions that make life itself meaningful and valuable: Not independent of the other salient features, but intrinsically integrated with them. The "passions" are what give life zest and interest and dynamic. When's the last time that looking at language's performatives brought "joy" to one? What happens when the self ratiocinates that makes it meaningful to us? Of course, the "eureka" of discovery, the pride of accomplishment, the joy of understanding, the hope of implementation, the desire to act, etc., are what make ratiocination interesting and valuable. Cogitation qua cogitation is significant, no doubt, but we cogitate in order to understand, and understand to implement, and implement to enjoy. Thus, pleasure is integral to the cogitation, for without it, it's simply cold, calculating, and indifferent ratiocination. Per Solomon, the passions (i.e., emotions) are what give life meaning.

If Solomon's thesis about emotions giving the self meaning is true, and it is, how could something so obvious and necessary have been overlooked in this magisterial tome? This singular omission marrs this otherwise fascinating and comprehensive history and analysis of what it means to have a "self." It's as if Taylor started to analyze the pictures on the wall, but ignored the elephant in the middle of the room. The emotions are what give life meaning, and any examination of "the self" that omits them may have given us the container, but has also forgotten to fill it.

Happily, despite this serious omission, Taylor provides a probing and detailed exegesis of the development and structure of the modern self. As long as one supplements this massive tome with other reading (e.g., Solomon's "The Passions," "Love," "The Philosophy of Erotic Love," etc., or Martha Nussbaum's "The Therapy of Desire," "Upheavals of Thought," etc., or Ronald de Souza's "The Rationality of Emotions"), Taylor's work provides the outline and identity of the other salient features, but having given us the wall, but missed the nucleus, of the cell, the work lacks life.

Charles Taylor is among the most learned of contemporary philosophers, and has the gift of taking a familiar story or idea from the history of philosophy and giving it new life, allowing it to reveal insights that are both unfamiliar but become obvious once stated. Reading "The Sources of the Self" is like a re-education into the significance for us and our sense of self and of what is of ultimate importance of the shifts that took place away from the ancient world to the modern. At its most basic, the shift is from a conception (and corresponding practices) of reality itself as having a normative structure to which our actions and ideas must conform toward a conception of reality as in itself neutral and only invested with value by our projects and goals. Taylor traces meticulously some of the motivations behind this seismic shift, while emphasizing that his project is primarily interpretive rather than explanatory. The question, ultimately, is one of who we are and how we define ourselves and whether such self definitions can be ultimately satisfactory.

There are some brilliant insights along the way. In fact, it is the kind of book where there are so many intriguing insights that you want to follow up, you could easily get lost along the way and never get to the end. The solution, of course, is to read it through once and then go back, as I plan to do a few times.

The book opens with a thorough and convincing (to me) critique of naturalism as applied to ethics. Values can't be explained naturally because they are presupposed by selfhood. To be a self is not merely to be capable of experiencing, but is to have concerns, which means to encounter what there is in terms of what matters to oneself. The neutrality that is presupposed by science, and built into naturalism, is an achievement and not a starting point. The broader concern with which Taylor opens the book and returns to several times is that technical philosophy has defined the scope of ethics far too narrowly upon the question of permissible and impermissible courses of action -- what we really need is an ethics of everyday life, and ethics of self-definition. It is not just a question of what we can and cannot do but of what we should aspire to, of how we should define ourselves and live our lives, of what really matters.

Another intriguing set of insights comes with Taylor's careful reinvestigation of the processes involved in "secularization" (the subject of his newest book, nearly as long as this one). Secularization can't be explained as the natural result of progress, as if faith must of necessity fail in the face of science. In fact, he argues, enlightenment is not so much a radical departure from, but is closely connected with and anticipated by developments in Christian thought and practice in the modern period. At the same time, secularization does not result from a rejection of traditional morality in favor of a more rationalist outlook. The real motivation towards secularization is the growing awareness of alternative moral motivations besides a transcendent God: in nature and beauty, on the one hand, and in the dignity of the autonomous self, on the other. Taylor shows how our modern sense of self has been born out of the recognition of competing moral sources: the traditional one of a transcendent God, the Romantic conception of nature and artistic self expression, and the humanistic conception of the sacred character of the individual human being. These strands can be interwoven and varied, and lead to ambiguous sets of values in terms of which we moderns define ourselves and the meaning of our lives. Taylor's book is an important contribution towards sorting out some of the ambiguities that move us in contradictory and confusing ways, and is to be highly recommended for anyone who wants to figure out who we really are and why we are so confused about ourselves.

Taylor would like to revitalize the ancients' emphasis on what he calls a substantive theory of the good. This he contrasts with a procedural conception of ethics that he ties to certain elements of Modernism. In particular, Taylor takes on modern ethical systems for being too focused on obligation rather than what he terms the "hypergood."

It is not a simple call for revisiting classical philosophy. Taylor is doing more than trying to draw attention to what he sees as wrong turns and misguided focuses in modern ethical thinking. There is a constructive element to the work.

It is not an introductory piece and many would find the depth of references frustrating. For those who have not read many works to which he refers (e.g. Locke, Kant, Rawls, Habermas, Williams) or who cannot distinguish a Kantian from a utilitarian, etc. it might be a bit of a slog. For ethicists or anyone interested in philosophical issues of identity, self, or conceptions of the common good, it is clearly a very important work.

The plot of the book will keep you reading, at first the three stories will make you ask many things about the real plot, but when the three stories merge and start the main story of the book you won't be able to leave the book, nevertheless, at the end of it is like a James Bond movie with a new star Sean Dillon instead of Sean Connery.
The story is good but it has his details that any secret agent would never do, for example to trust blindly Asta and try her to be against her step father.

Read it!

THE BEST AFTER NO WAR STORIES. SEAN DILLON RETURNS IN THIS GREAT ADVENTURE.

After the prologue sets the background of the Chungking Covenant, the story jumps forward 50 years and digresses for the first two chapters in an unrelated case involving Sean Dillon. Chapter three goes back to the Chungking Covenant, and Dillon is brought into the case somewhat belatedly. It is an interesting case, but both the good guys and the bad guys bumble about a bit too much in circumstances where one slip could mean sudden death (dropping their guard, turning their back on a known enemy, etc.). Some scenarios are repeated in other Sean Dillon tales.

Unlike James Bond, Dillon never seems to have much luck with women. The story has considerable violence but very little sex. Overall, the book is worth reading for light fiction, especially if you are a Sean Dillon fan. The action is fast paced, and never gets dull.

An excellent novel by Jack Higgins. This suspenseful novel is for young adults and older. In 1944, Mao Tse-Tung and Lord Mountbatten signed a secret document. If the British would supply the Chinese Communist Army with ammos to fight the Japanese, Mao Tse-Tung would extend the British Rule over Hong Kong by another hundred years if he ever rules China. However, the plane that held the secret documents was lost in a plane crash.

In 1993, the Italian Mafia learned about the secret documents from one of the pilots that survived in the plane crash. Now, the Italian Mafia would find the documents so their billions of dollars of investment will not be gone in Hong Kong. The British Government finds out that the Mafia is up to the documents. Sean Dillon and Brigadier Ferguson are on a mission directly given by the Prime Minister to recover the documents before the Mafia lay its hands on them.

I recommend this book for people who have spare time to read. It's an excellent novel after all. The storyline is interesting. With the beginning focusing on Mao and Lord Mountbatten and then it ends. It then jumps right into 1993. The Mao part is great. I thought that their meeting really happened. The author has a serious tone in that part of the novel. The best part of the novel that I thought was when Sean Dillon was introduced. He seems like a cool and cold-blooded guy. A guy who use to work for any other terrorist or government organization. He bombed places and killed people. However, he never killed children or women. He sounds like a brutal man but actually he's not. The author was smart in creating Sean Dillon because he makes Sean sounds like a bad guy at the start of the novel but when you read further in the story, what you think of him actually changes. Another interesting character is Asta. She appeals to be like a charming girl who only knows about having a peaceful life. But actually, she's a heartless woman who killed her own mother and tricked Sean Dillon. These two characters are interesting because they tend to change throughout the book.
When reading the book, the story becomes more exciting. There are more actions and myths to solve. Once you piece all the myths and problems, it feels like if you are part of the story with them to solve the case.

I think Jack Higgins could do better in stretching the storyline and having a longer climax and resolution because the climax was not that good and the resolution sucked. But, after all, this book is good.

An exciting novel, which one should not miss. Check out this book and read it. Do the documents really exist...

In China, in 1944, in the waning days of WW2, a document was signed by Mao Tse Sung and witnessed by Lord Louis Nountbatten, on behalf of Winston Churchill. This document, the Chungking Covenant, guaranteed continued rights to the British to accupy Hong Kong for yet another 100 years. The plane on which Scottish Officer, Ian Campbell and the Covenant was flying, crashed but Campbell , barely alive, was rescued by his batman and returned to England, never to regain his wits.Fifty years later as the time approaches for the handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese, the now aged batman reveals the presence of the Covenant to be hidden somewhere in the grounds of Campbell's castle in the Highlands of Scotland and both British Intelligence forces and the Mafia, who hold huge interests in Hong Kong, are anxious to acquire the document. The Brits hire Sean Dillon, former IRA operative and general mercenary to many countries (but definitely an almost good guy) to act on their behalf and to vie with a mysterious American millionaire, to get the document. If you like action thrillers with plenty going on, you'll love this as I did...it would make a marvellous movie!

That one day 4 year olds will be able to actually read this book.
This book is not meant for kids aged 4-8. It is well beyond what they understand. Frankly , i don't even think a 4 year old can even read this. Nice pictures. But unfortunately , i don't enjoy buying a book for pictures. I can get pictures anywhere. I didn't need to purchase this book to get them. Anyway , don't buy this book unless you enjoy paying a high price for pictures. With regards to the age group. Unless you have a gifted 4 year old this book is a waste of time for him/her.

What better gift can a parent give a child than a vision of a free and just future. This beautiful book is the illustrated text of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's speech given in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.

The text of King's inspirational speech is illustrated by 14 African American artists/illustrators. Each illustration is attractive and deftly illustrates points in Dr. King's speech. Any of the illustrations could well serve as pictures for someone's wall. Every illustration is noteworthy and inspirational. I love the cover illustration by Leo and Diane Dillon. Other illustrations that I am moved by include You Have Been the Veterans of Creative Suffering by Tom Feelings and The Table of Brotherhood by James E. Ransome.

This book would serve well for a method to introduce children to Martin Luther King. Whether as a teacher or parent you choose to read the whole text of the speech or discuss King's life and his importance in American history, may depend on the age of the child. While the recommended ages for reading are 4 to 8, a four year old may not understand the message. Certainly, this book would serve as a tool for older children or even adults to get to know King and his message.

I think that every American should read the text of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I have a dream speech. It is as deeply meaningful and powerful today as it was in 1963. What better way to preserve the memory of Martin Luther King's speech than owning a copy of this book either for your children or yourself. This is a truly beautiful book which would be a great and lasting addition to a children's library.

ý I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of creedý. That all men are created equalý. Most of you have probably heard of this speech from many of Martin Luther King Jr. books, and probably have heard the amazing story a million times. But hearing what his wife has to say about all of the changes and differences that he has done is like having a big serving of your favorite food. If you like poetry or bubble bursting stories youýll adore this book. She tells you a variety of things from sad, bad, and, exiting things. Also on top of all of that the pictures are wonderful and they tell a lot of what has to do with the passage. This book will lift you from your seat and youýll never know, because this book will take you away. I donýt care who you are but this book is for you so get it, its waiting!

This book was written by: Correta Scott King
The title was: I Have a Dream

I used to read this to my kids when I was a children's librarian in an African-American school in Detroit, and they loved it. It has such amazing, beautiful pictures- you can't really understand their beauty until you see the book in front of you. And of course, the speech is incredibly moving. The book prints the full text of the speech, but since there isn't alot of writing on each page, and there is such beautiful artwork, even 4th graders sit in awe at what is read and shown to them.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this is marketed as a children's book: "I Have a Dream" will appeal to readers of all ages. In this book the full text of Martin Luther King's famous speech is accompanied by 14 superb works, most of them in full color, by 15 different artists.

The book contains a thoughtful forward by Coretta Scott King and a brief but informative biographical supplement about Dr. King himself. A magnificent black-and-white photographic portrait of Dr. King in his oratorical mode serves as an effective complement to the rest of the book's illustrations. Also noteworthy are the final pages of the book, in which the artists briefly share their personal thoughts about Dr. King's legacy and about their contributions to the book.

The power of Dr. King's speech is greatly enhanced by the beautiful artwork of this book. The pictures encompass many different artistic styles and techniques. Each one is a masterpiece which invites the reader to return and reflect upon it.

As I noted at the start of the interview, this book should be enjoyed by both adults and children. It would make a wonderful gift for individuals interested in the civil rights movement, in African-American history, in multiculturalism and racial reconciliation, or in contemporary art. This book is a fitting tribute to one of the 20th century's most influential visionaries.

Disseminates the elements of ki and aikido training and philosophy eloquently

Tohei is great martial artist and instuctor but this one put me to sleep. Dull

After years of Aikido training I reached the conclusion that Japanese cannot articulate their thoughts about KI simply because, in so doing, they would have to admit that all the KI "stuff" comes from China. Even in this book Tohei sensei talks about positive and negative energy because he eventually doesn't want to use the terms Yin and Yang. This having said, this book offers an interesting perspective about the body energy as it is envisioned by Japanese. Tohei sensei reportedly is a man with immense KI. He is the only Great Master who received the 10th dan from O Sensei M. Ueshiba.
In conclusion, if you want a Japanese perspective on KI, buy it. If you are a beginner and want to get started on your inner energy cultivation, I strongly suggest you to buy "Opening the Energy Gates of your Body" By Kumar Frantzis. If you are experienced in this field ... well you already know what you want to do.

Here is the deep left field point of view.
Qi, Ki or whatever its name is such an abstraction, and its experience so subjective to even attempt to say anything about it is futile at best.
Tohei was a great instructor, but the branch of practice that "only studies that which fosters ki" is fallacious at best. EVERYTHING ought to develop and foster Ki, propery practiced.
So... there.
Interesting to read, but better and deeper works out there.

I found the book to be very helpful in understanding some of the principles and concepts in ki-aikido. As a beginning practitioner of this art form, I found this book to be an excellent guide as to the various techniques and also it has provided me a better understanding on some of the concept of ki-aikido in general. Definitely a must read for all beginning practitioners or would be practitioners!