Language Arts Books

I appreciate getting the book at the great price. I'm really not complaining but the book was quite yellow and the jacket was torn in various places. It looked like it was on the shelf for quite a while........Maureen

A very profound, deeply insightful and moving experience! One of my two favorite books of all times. No matter how often you read it, you find something new, some new insight, some amazing revelation, some word of consolation, another stunning example of wordcraft. A masterpiece! Inspired! This book should not be on a book shelf in the library, office or study, but on the bedside table, and the audiobook -- on your Ipod.

I keep a copy of this book nearby at all times for quick reference, my personal copy home to numerous marks and marginal notes. Every line reads as the most delicate of poetry, honed and refined to the purest and most undeniable words of truth and wisdom.
This may be the height of human understanding, bringing a peace and solidarity which encompasses the many to make us all one.

This book is a sort of Hallmark Greeting card compilation of the type of vacuous garbage-thought that made the 1970s a cultural disaster. Are you a sentimental pacifist who thinks Gandhi was swell, but never heard of the Moriori? Do you think of love as some sort of emotional flatulence that comes and goes the way weather does? Do you think evil is only a result of people being insufficiently nice to one another? Are your views on child rearing that you should let the kids do what they want because they're individuals? Do you think business is evil and soul destroying, and hurts the world more than it helps? Do you think religion is bad, but spiiiiirituality is good? Do you think criminals shouldn't be punished, because it's not really their fault? Do you think a mindless pursuit of pleasure is necessary for a healthy life? Well, if you believe any of these things, and enjoy saccharine sweet sing-songey prose, this book is for you. It comes in an attractive hard cover, making it appear to be a very serious book, on the same level as Jonathan Livingston Seagull, but with more naked lady pictures inside. It will provide you with many prim moments of doltish piety in your cloud cuckoo land. You may even be able to use this tome to pick up on people who are as morally defective as you are.

Personally, I prefer my wisdom to be, you know, at least vaguely wise. If I want florid saccharine language, I'll go read some Browning or other Victorian poetry. You can pick up antique volumes of such stuff for cheap, since books which required effort to write or read are unfashionable these days. They also look nicer on your bookshelf. As a bonus, it might actually be good for you to read Browning, whereas reading Gibran is sort of like giving yourself a mental venereal disease.

Please, humanity, restore my faith in basic human decency: stop reading this book. This book destroys souls and stunts aesthetics. If you must give copies of the book to people, give it to people you don't like. Give this book in the same spirit the British sold Opium to the Chinese. The end result will be much the same if they take the precepts of this silly book seriously.

These days, Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" often gets dismissed as "hippie" literature. Yet, this book had been a bestseller LONG before the 1960s. Originally published in 1923, it almost instantly became a hit and even did well through the Great Depression. Today, Gibran's claim to fame is being the third best-selling poet of our time, behind Shakespeare and Lao Tzu... and pretty much entirely based on sales of this book. When his publisher, Alfred Knopf was asked who the audience for the book was, he flippantly dismissed the question. "It Must be a cult," he retorted.

Yet there is no such cult. What's incredible is that there's absolutely no marketing hype behind the success of this book. Gibran himself is long gone. There is no political, religious, or commercial enterprise attached to his name bent on winning souls and/or profits. The Gibran estate has merely been licensing copies year after year in response to the demand - a demand fueled pretty much entirely by word-of-mouth and chance discovery. The fact is, the twenty-six poems in this book have a surprising and suprassing relevance, insight and compassion. Broken down into several topics ("On Love", "On Work", "On Joy and Sorrow", etc.) the book itself recounts the sermons of a fictional poet leaving behind the gift of knowledge before he leaves his homeland.

I first found Gibran through a setting of his poem "On Children" by local Washington, D.C. singers Sweet Honey in the Rock on their album, "Breaths."

"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you."

At the time I was about to leave for college and eighteen years of living under my parent's roof had made me restless for autonomy. That poem eloquently expressed everything I was yearning to say to them in my hours of frustration and adolescent angst. It later proved to be a reference to turn to in times where I needed confidence to live an independent and fulfilling life, while still maintaining respect and compassion towards the parents who had raised me.

I am not exaggerating when I say that the poems in this book have kept me grounded and sane throughout some of the most troubling times in my life. Our modern lives are ever hectic, stressful and busy - wrought with drama, frustration, depression, etc. The knowledge in these poems brings me back to a "middle ground" - there is a sage wisdom and clarity in the poems that has often been helpful for me in "unwinding" and coming back to earth. They bring me back to a place of clarity from whcih I can see my life from a wider perspective.

Though Gibran himself was a Christian and despite the title and conceit of the book, this is not really a religious book. The insight in this book would be applicable to your life even if you are an atheist. What's more, the poetry is mostly imagistic. Do not expect the academic poetics of Gibran's contemporaries Eliot or Pound or even Frost. They are written with the aim of being accessible and immediate to the reader and rely mostly on clear metaphors and vivid imagery.

Copies of "The Prophet" are not hard to come by. Perhaps check out the book's table of contexts either using Amazon's "Search Inside" feature or in your local bookstore and see if it addresses a problem or issue you are dealing with. That's a good a place as any to start with. Chances are, you will find something that speaks to you on some level.

As always Simon Singn takes the reader on a fantastic trip through History. Filled with entertaining stories, puzzles and heroic events, the author skillfully covers the history of secret writing. If you liked his coverage of Fermat's Enigma then you will definitely enjoy this book.

The prose is capturing, deep enough to fascinate technical readers and light enough to just entertain the casual reader. I specialized in Quantum computers while studying Mathematics and I am astonished that the author manages to explain such non-trivial subjects as quantum computers and cryptography to the degree where ordinary readers can actually understand how they work and their impact on ciphers such as RSA/DSA. In short another great read from one of the best and most entertaining technical writers who ever lived.

Simon Singh books usually hold you from the first page and till the end. "The code book" is very well written and very informative. You will see how it's started and where cryptography goes, but even more interesting part of history of cryptography - life (sometimes secret life) of people who worked and continue to work on development of cryptosystems.

Nutshell review - This is an excellent book covering the history of cryptography up to present day and into the near future. Very well written, easy to understand and worth reading by any layperson interested in the topic.

If you want to know about codes, secrets, cryptography and cryptanalysis then this is the book. Simon Singh presents the history of codes in a clear and simple way. Without the mathematics to disturb the flow of the story, you enjoy plots, conspiracies, secrets and algorithms. Excellent for general knowledge and for an introductory text in cryptanalysis. Buy it!

great book regarding the history of cryptography. The only way to truly understand anything is c the history of it's introduction

This book is very helpful to anyone wishing to self-publish their own book. It is filled with useful information and leads the reader to other useful resources outside of the book including Poynter's own website. Unfortunately, many of these outside references carry a price tag greater than the cost of this book. All in all, I would recommend this book to any self-publisher as a standard reference guide.

This manual is amazing. But be carefuk: the author is so optimistic that you might end up spending more money than your book can fetch in sales. Also, it doesn't cover legal issues. I'm planning to buy this soon: Business and Legal Forms for Authors and Self Publishers

I'm not sure why I haven't reviewed any of Dan's books before. I've heard him speak, I've met him and I have been receiving his newsletter for many years.

I'm not a publisher, but I work with publishers and I employed two of Dan's free promotional techniques and have to say, they worked! I've gotten many new clients from doing something that took me only a few minutes and that people thanked me for doing.

In fact, one of my all-time favorite clients informed me just last week that it was because of one of those little nuggets of wisdom, she found me.

Dan Poynter's advice was by far the best promotional advice I've ever received.

I plan to read all of his books a second time in case I missed something.

This book is absolutely amazing! It gives so much information about getting started, I couldn't believe it! I would recommend this to anyone serious about self-publishing. There is even a list of places to send your book for reviewing. Buy this book!


www.fayeknight.blogspot.com

There's a darn good reason--indeed lots of reasons--why Dan Poynter's manual has frequently been called the "bible of self-publishing." To the best of my knowledge, it was the first and certainly one of the very best ever published on this specialized aspect of book production. It covers the entire process from pre-pub requirements right through the mechanics of design, formatting and printing.

Dan doesn't simply throw out generalities about what must be done in each phase of the project; he delves into the nitty-gritty simplifying this challenging effort for those of us tackling self-publishing for the first time. I know. I did it after I studied his book from cover to cover.

Dan also includes a plethora of resources interspersed in the text as he illustrates each step. These can be most helpful to the uninitiated who are told what they must do in so many other books, but don't know where to go to accomplish each of those steps. At the simplest level, as an illustration, Dan doesn't just state that you have to procure an ISBN, he explains what it is and why it is needed and most important of all where to find it on the Bowker web site.

There are three excellent books that I have used to brief myself on self-publishing before producing my latest book. In addition to Dan's Manual, I suggest reading Peter Bowerman's "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher" and Patricia L. Fry's excellent study of the subject.

I attribute much of the success of the award-winning "The Writer Within You" to all three of them. I strongly suggest you start your effort with the outstanding guidance Dan has provided.

I find the writing Of Mr James Norton quite inspiring. Since reading this masterpeice I've made at least 7 people puke by making them smell my belly button. Bravo *Himmmy* and Happy Birthday!!!

I confess I didn't even know who Jim Norton was when I bought this on referral. The self-loathing bit gets old, but his wit is unbelievably funny at times, the stories are told with great observation humor and descriptions of hilarious uncomfortable situations. Highly recommended.

I laughed while reading this book front to back. I had heard some of the stories during his appearances on The Opie and Anthony Show but still laughed ever single moment. A must read for anyone with a sick sense of humor.

Lil' Jimmys book doesn't disappoint. He's definitely one of the best comedians going today. Hopefully his next book isn't too far away.

Absolutely hilarious. If you have heard him on Opie and Anthony and/or saw his stand up, this is a must. He holds nothing back. His tails of childhood are brutally honest showing his true colors. He takes everything on: race, handicapped, fat women, pooping, not bathing and even masterbation - several times. I honestly could not put it down. Every part is great. Quick read and very well written.

The Kremer 100 list, his multiple websits and products, the media list, pr advice, the information never stops! I dog-ear the corners, highlight, mark and sticky tab the entire book. I have gotten more information from John's book than my whole first two years in college. I now feel more than prepared to market my book series. Wow. He's one resource that has captured a niche.

Kimberley Clayton Blaine, MA, MFT
Licensed Child Therapist
Author, Mommy Confidence
founder, www.TheGoToMom.TV

Where to begin...

Oh, there's a good place. That is what you will ask yourself after you read this masterpiece. With all of this information "WHERE DO I BEGIN?"

This book is a monster. It is jam-packed with more (high-quality) information than any other book on the subject. There is absolutely no fluff in this book, which is a drag when you consider how much of it there is to read. Every aspect of book marketing is covered, and I like the fact that JK keep updating it, as the world of book marketing is changing every year. Just on the internet alone: first there were web pages, then myspace, friendster, facebook, blogs, plogs, vlogs, book teaser trailers, reviews, previews, ebooks, audiobooks, iTunes, ebay, and podcastalley! (I sound like Hedy Lamar!)

I have read a LOT of books on book marketing, book promotion, publishing, and self-publishing. This is at the top of my list, along with Jump Start Your Book Sales. There are other VERY good books (I will have to remember to make a listmania of them), but this is the one--the Bible if you will--the one above all others that you must read and own and reread. in fact, this book is the think and Grow Rich of book marketing.

I will leave the detailed analysis for other authors. The purpose of this review is to get you to "buy this book NOW!" because at $18.45 (current sale price on Amazon) this is one of the most important investments you will ever make on your career as an author (or a publicist). You can keep reading reviews, or you can buy this book (or even get a copy at the library--but you WILL end up wanting your own copy) and start making serious money.

This book will NOT give you a plan. it will not show you step-by-step how to do all of the things it recommends. That is why other books exist. Here's:

"How to use this book"

Read it. Mark the ideas that really inspire you. Then go through it a second (or third) time and on a SEPARATE piece of paper write down the page number of the idea you like, write a short headline (3-7 words) followed by a 3-5 sentence description of what the idea is--not why you like it. Do this for all of the ideas you like. the purpose of doing this is to f-o-c-u-s you on what you CAN and WILL do, so that you don't get OVERWHELMED. This book will overwhelm you, unless you are a zombie, which is just cool in its own right.

NEXT: Look ate all of the ideas you have headlined and described on paper. you should have a few pages of scribbles, maybe even up to a dozen or so. Now, with the book put aside, type THOSE ideas into your computer. I recommend any word processing software (like MS Word, WordPerfect, Open Office...) rather than a spreadsheet program. The point of this part of the exercise is to see which listings you will pause over an which ones you will delete. Also you should find yourself re-prioritizing ideas, even if you had set out to type everything in exact order. Do not have someone else do this for you or you will defeat the purpose of weeding out the "maybes" from the "must do"'s. This is your future (and fame, and money) we are talking about here. Don't cheat yourself.

Once you have that list entered and you are happy with it, save it and print out a copy. Look at it a few times over the next week. Some ideas will start to grow on you while others ill sound less fun. DO THE FUN ONES FIRST! do what you can afford to do now first! Don't eat your vegetables first, eat the candy! The point is to get started and make headway, not punish yourself by dutifully finishing boring tasks. Once you get some momentum built up and you can see progress you can measure--then start in on the more intensive stuff.

Thanks for reading

John Kremer's book has answered alot of questions that I had that I couldn't seem to get answered any where else. Now I have the ultimate tool to assist me in putting together a great marketing plan.

I recommend this book to anyone who really wants to make their book a success.

Susie McCray, poet & author
"See What I See"

Jam-packed with ideas to help you market your book. Writing amazon reviews is one of them!

Author, "Trust is Everything: Become the leader others will follow"

John Kremer's book is by far the best on how to effectively market your books. He gives idea after idea (many of them low cost and no cost) on how to get the word out.

Anyone who is in the know, knows that John Kremer's book is a must have.

You want your book to succeed? Get this book now!

Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Marketer
101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door: Success Strategies Guaranteed to Put You Miles Ahead of the Competition

I've read a lot of books on self publishing. I decided on self publishing for myself because I didn't want to take 18 months to get a book published, and I didn't want to share the profits if I had to do the marketing anyway.

The problem with these types of self publishing books is that they contain a lot of information on self publishing, but in the marketing chapters the marketing information is skimpy at best.

Another problem I had was that when I looked for information specifically on book marketing, I really couldn't find a whole lot that allowed me to take full advantage of the internet (i.e. getting the word out quickly and automating some of the work.)

What information that was available involved having to travel, or doing tasks that are really time consuming. Because of my schedule and lifestyle, I needed marketing techniques that were fairly easy to do, effective, and could be done at home.

Finding this book is like an answer to a prayer. It does everything I mentioned about and includes plenty of techniques on how to market your book online specifically using Amazon. Since Amazon is the number one bookstore online anyway, it's where you want to go because that's where your customers are.

Sampson includes all of the techniques and even rates them for you so you know which ones are the most effective. It is a fast read (will only take you a couple of hours), and you can begin marketing on Amazon immediately.

What separates the best sellers from those books that are never read is marketing. Although many writers may avoid marketing like the plague, for those of you who don't mind marketing (I don't), this book offers you a viable opportunity to connect with your readers, make more money, and spend less time doing it. Even if you hate marketing, this is a good book for you because it's a great marketing plan for introverts.

Once you've written that book, and you're ready to start promoting, start with this book. It will save you the days and weeks I spent researching to find the right marketing information.

This book will save you time, it will save you money, and it will end any stress you may have over trying to figure out how to market your books and make money from them. Highly recommended.

Jinger Jarrett, Author, Internet Marketing for Free: The GUIDE: Internet Marketing to GO!

Having gone through this book several times, I have gotten several great ideas about selling on Amazon. It was not necessarily something specific the book said, more like 'Oh, and I could do that!, or thats a great idea.'

You may have wondered, what benefit could I possibly get from doing a list or listmania. As a reviewer, I think 'what's the point?' tons of people look at these lists, but hardly anyone says they are helpful?

From an author's perspective though these lists are read by thousand of people, and if you tweak your presentation as the author suggests, that is thousands of potential customers for your book. In addition, if you do not already write reviews, this can also give you much exposure, and if you develop some skill as the author suggests, you can raise your profile.

The multiple book strategy, I found very useful, and the ebook strategy he mentioned is also valuable. If you don't already know about ISBN numbers, hello, then you need to get the book.

How can a new writer have a similar presence to a seasoned writer on an Amazon search?

What are the economics of an ebook versus a regular paperback? Very useful to know.

My personal recommendation to you is study how other authors market themselves, how you notice them as you peruse, and what they do to stand out. Some top reviewers on Amazon are also authors. Look at what they do on their profiles.

If you're like me, you,ll get some inspired ideas of how to use information and strategies in the book. I hope this is helpful to you.

If you were to find this helpful, please click yes.

This book is truly Amazing!
Amazon is some machine these days and this book will give you the tools to be its `Master' and not its `Monkey'.
All aspects of Marketing your book via Amazon (and in some cases beyond) are covered in this easy to read, easy to follow book.
Not only does it coach you through what paths are relevant for you, it also suggest how effective they may be.
A must read on self publishing along, with `Aiming at Amazon' and the legendary `Self Publishing Manual'

Introduced to writing by Chris Baty's NaNoWriMo, I spent three years writing my Airman's Trilogy, all the while trying to determine how to market my work the conventional way. You know, find an agent willing to take you on and shop your stuff at publishing houses. Then along came POD and the tools provided by Amazon.

Amazon introduced CreateSpace, freeing the newbie author of the "conventional way". Sampson's book provides a shining path through the maze of Amazon and picks up after publishing with CreateSpace to educate the author about the selling tools provided Amazon. It's step by step approach is refreshing to the newbie writer of this review.

Fast & Furious Book Promotion

I just finished reading Brent Sampson's Sell Your Book on Amazon and recommend it to any author looking to use Amazon more effectively. The book will help you navigate the sometimes clunky nature of Amazon, show you tactics you may not find on your own and set up the proper mindset. The proper mindset is what I found most useful. I kept thinking of JFK's inaugural speech when he said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Amazon provides its tools and has set up its website to first and foremost sell more books. If an author understands and accepts this fact, then he or she will discover how to use Amazon to help promote their own books.

Here's an example: I'm taking Brent's advice and leaving a review for his book. On this review form, I can link to any Amazon product. Well, of course I'm linking to my book on book promotion. I'm helping Amazon but also helping myself. Now if I didn't have a book of my own, I might link to another author's book. This is the mindset we need to have to use Amazon to promote our books.

I recently finished writing my first book in nearly 20 years and was looking for information about selling it online. I bought Plug Your Book! by Steve Weber and I'm glad I did. I really had no idea just how drastically the book publishing industry has changed since the 1980's.

One strategy that I started using as a result of reading this book is writing book reviews on Amazon.com (hence this one). I had never written a book review in my life until I read Weber's book. Now I write them all the time.

This is has been one of those rare buying experiences for me - the product I bought actually exceeded my expectations - by a long shot. This book is packed with useful information for authors and publishers. I really don't think you can get this kind of information anywhere else.

I highly recommend Plug Your Book!

Mitch Paioff, Author, Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant

I found that the book had some very important and valuable information, giving both pros and cons of different aspects of online marketing...in the rapidly changing field of book publishing, this book is a must read. If you don't use all of the book's suggestions, (I ended up using a totally different web host than those originally suggested in the book because it seemed much more user-friendly to my neophyte sensibilities), it will certainly get you pointed in the right direction. Thanks a bunch to author Steve Weber for laying it all out!!!

I didn't think any book could come with new stuff on this topic but it does. There is some old stuff but plenty of new tricks to get my teeth around in plugging my stuff online. I have been told by publishers that online sales account for 10% of sales - now I am beginning to wonder.

Plug Your Book was recommended to me at a writers' workshop. It is a step by step guide to marketing on line. This is useful information to me, even during the process of writing a book. I use each chapter like a cookbook, opening up a page, opening up a website, and exploring that website according to the principles Weber is explaining. I already knew how to purchase books on Amazon.com. But, through Weber's book, I have learned the process of peer review, how to participate in that process, and how to approach reviewers. All the chapters provide a foundation for me as I write a book. The chapter on author websites explains how an author website is not just an advertisement. There are specific recommendations for designing an author website, or design a website with a newsletter as preparation for publishing a book. I have given myself permission to take as many years as I need to publish my first book. Weber's book provides me, as well as other new authors, with multiple resources for the whole process of writing, publishing, and marketing our work.

I have read at least a dozen titles on book marketing and I believe this to be the most valuable book available for today's world of internet marketing. The great part about online marketing is that you can actually target specific markets and it's usually free.

This book will help you focus your online marketing strategies in several ways:
* Influencing and Understanding the Amazon sales Rank
* Setting up and Effective Website
* Creating an Online Press Kit
* How to Get More Amazon Reviews
* Effective Use of Blogs
* A Page for your Book on Sites like MySpace.com
* Leveraging Social Networking
* Leveraging Amazon.com

This is the only book I've read that doesn't just tell you what to do in terms of book marketing, but it tells you specifically how to do it. It's really the only resource you need for marketing your book.

Stacie Vander Pol, author of Top Self Publishing Firms

I purchased this book simply to replace my original copy, which I loaned out and which was never returned. Reading this book has been a favorite part of my Christmas for many years. While I regret losing my old copy, I am thankful I will now be able to carry on this tradition.

It's a fun story about an untraditional Christmas play. It shows how good can come of seemingly negative changes and find some unexpected, meaningful outcomes.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

The worst kids in the neighborhood decide to be in the annual Christmas Pageant and turn the weeks leading up to the event into a very funny, read. I've read this book to many classrooms of children over the years and it's guaranteed to make them listen and laugh.

...

I like books and I don't know if this is my favorite book but it is excellent. We read it as a family every year at Christmas. It never fails to touch me. It is fun with a redeeming message.

I have read this book at least once a year for 15yrs and now I'm reading it to my kids. It's a quick read, I can't put it down.

This is a well-organized text that clearly was written by someone who speaks with the authority of experience.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson has delivered a resource that I would recommend reading on an as-needed basis by consulting the specific chapters relating to particular marketing challenges as they arise.

The way the book is laid out, with chapters ranging from using the Web to using postcards, you'll certainly find the step-by-step details for whatever task you're trying to accomplish. Scan the book initially, to get a good feel for its organization and scope. But save the careful page views for those times when you find yourself tackling specific promotional tasks.


J.D. Mosley-Matchett, Ph.D.
Author of A month of Marketing Technology tips

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's book, The Frugal Book Promoter, is best described as a compendium of book promotion ideas culled from her personal experience as a successful and award wining author as well as what must have been considerable time surfing the internet.
A wide range of topics are covered and in some cases just briefly touched upon. However, internet resources are listed throughout for those who want to dive deeper into a specific area. The links I was most interested in were still active and I found the sites I was directed to to be helpful.
While I would likely have been able to find these resources on my own had I the time to surf the net, this guide is very good at pulling all of this information together in a well categorized fashion which saves considerable time for those wishing to promote their book.
What does stand alone in this book are the chapters dedicated to building a media kit and the credentials for such a kit. For those that have done this before, it is not new, but for newly published authors it can be very valuable.
Finally, the advice on branding yourself as an author is very true. Readers buy books because of their authors not because of the publisher or the book title. Find a way to brand yourself - Carolyn has certainly done this effectively.

Todd A Fonseca, author of The Time Cavern (www.thetimecavern.com)

Although this is slightly out of date, the information is still largely current and useful. There's a lot of great advice in this and it's strongly recommended for anyone with a book out but not tons of cash for advertising.

A good buy.

This book contains so much useful information. It is definitely an outline for success. Every writer who wants to publish their book should read this book for better selling power. A must have!

Great value for self published authors looking for hands on resources for marketing their book. Alot of good information.

This was one of my favorite holiday stories when I was a child. Now I share that classic with my children, and I hope someday they will pass that along to theirs.

It's a wonderful, funny, and heartwarming story.

My mother read it to her kids, I read it mine, and I've even shared it with those who'd never heard of it. What? Never heard of it? Shame...but that was resolved.

No Christmas should go by without revisiting one of the finest classic Christmas tales of the ages. And it's so convicingly Seuss, you just have love it. How could we not love all the Whos down in Whoville! While my kids are beyond reading this story now in the off-season, they still like to have their dad pull it out and read the story while assuming the appropriate voices for the characters.
Quite simply, every household that celebrates Christmas should have this story as part of the holiday traditions...whether the kids are 2 or 20 or 40.

Can you imagine growing up without the Grinch? In my country we collectively had never heard of this funny little fellow until the advent of the film. Fortunately I was introduced to him the Christmas of 1990 (still way past childhood, of course) and have enjoyed the story every year since. My children were so taken with the story that at one point we read it daily, no matter the hot summer sun beaming through the windows and there being no Christmas tree in sight.The easy, typically Zeuss-ian rhyme meant that we could recite it off by heart, without the need to actually read. Since, we have widened our library of Zeuss-material to include many other favourites.
There are plenty of reviews detailing what happens in the tale, for me it is important to share the sentiment that accompanies it, especially with the advent of Christmas. The sentiment of Christmas being about sharing, about having peple around you who matter, about enjoying togetherness and being happy.
Final note: I wonder if anyone has explored thematic and plot- similarities between Zeuss' story and Dickens' classic 'A Christmas Carol'. To what extent was Zeuss influenced by Dickens?

A classic story that everyone who even slightly appreciates Christmas. Dr. Seuss tells a convincing story of the true meaning of Christmas and gives us a surprisingly complex character at the same time, someone who discovers he hates Christmas for all the right reasons. The illustrations are Sessian-wonderland, and the lyrical read is an artistic blast.

The holiday season would be incomplete without the annual reading of this delightful tale that introduces the little ones and many of the big ones too, to the residents of Whoville. A timeless tale where one will meet Little Cindy Lou Who, Max the Dog, and the Grinch, whose heart is two sizes too small. In the end, the Grinch is not the only one that discovers the true meaning of the holiday. Another Dr. Seuss classic.