Non-fiction Books

After adopting a kitten recently, I began to be haunted by a Tomi Ungerer book from my long distant past. I finally recalled - No Kiss For Mother - our little Grey Poupon looks exactly like Piper, LOL. Thank goodness he did not get his personality!

What a nice thing to have this book come back to my memory. I went through a period in my early 20's where I adored Tomi Ungerer. In my day, children's books featured families nothing like my own, and I think books like this were as good as a therapist once I discovered them. All Ungerer's books have the truth drawn into the corners, where a bedtime reading parent will note them, but they also have the basic child friendly story on the surface. I think children see what they need to see and are ready to see in them, which is so different from the vulgar fare they are often treated to now. No Kiss For Mother isn't pretty (hey, and there's not much kissing in it either!) but it is real, and the author/illustrator has a genius for making the real funny, even for those of us who are doomed to live it. On top of that, there is always the child version and the adult version of the same story, which are often very different in Ungerer's books as in real life.

No Kiss For Mother intrigues me to this day and my kids, a girl and boy, are well into their thirties and still marvel at this book. In some ways, this is a very violent book. MaMa Kitty actually slaps Piper, her beloved son. She has a terrible day and loses her temper and makes a bad mistake in her mothering--MaMa Kitty is flawed! MaMa Kitty, even though she adores the ever-misbehaving Piper, is not the perfect mother. This simply stunned my kids, especially my son. Piper "withholds" his kisses out of spite, Piper holds his mom hostage emotionally, Piper willfully deceives his father, Piper "acts out" in school--my kids' eyes were HUGE! Piper is a bad boy, but Piper is also a REAL boy, and he's a caring boy, too. My son so loved this book that if we went to the library and it was checked out, he was devastated! I have bought several copies of this book for my kids and their friends and nearly everyone I know who has grandchildren. It actually sort of gives kids "permission" to be their real, flawed selves and still be forgiven and loved. It's extremely honest and complex, as is life. It has value well into adulthood, in my view. LOVE IT!

This little gem of a children's book addresses the sometimes difficult relationships between parents and children with a dark humor that is hard to ignore. I have owned my copy of this book for years, and it has enough complexity to provide new meaning each time I read it. I have always found Piper Paw's world somewhat grim--perhaps the smudgey, black and white illustrations have something to do with this. His relationship with his parents, teachers and schoolmates is so antagonistic that I begin to wonder what made him so incapable of love--this of course is a conclusion I have reached recently, and not when I first read the book as a pre-teen. But Piper comes around at the end, if not completely, at least to a level of compromise that he can live with, which includes no kissing. Because of Piper's antics and some of the more bizarre illustrations, I would recommend this book for kids 9 years and older.

My mother used to love to read this to me when I was a kid; we still have one of the earlier issues.

I'm glad it was re-released. It's a classic: recommended for adults as well as children.

This is my absolute favorite Children's book! Growing up as a child, I would read this several times each summer and would laugh for hours at the expressions and the illustrations. The illustrations are brilliant. I think that deep down, we all share the desire to be as mischievous as Piper.

This book is a very good book for a third or fourth grader. It tells about all of the family and where they are and then it brings them together with various means. this is a great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Watch out below!" Thats the sound of the little boy named Junor Blossom about to jump off the top of the barn. This little boy has a lot of problems with his family, he has a big sister named Maggie. Her problem in the family is she has to take care of the family and run things but, she can't go shopping.(her favorite thing to do is shopping) Junior also has a big brother named Vern, a grandpa named Pap, and a dog named Mud. They have a mother too but, she's out on a rodeo circuit. His granpa and his big brother are in jail for disturbing the peace and their dog Mud has ran away. See...this family has a lot of problems. There's just one question to ask you? Do you think that the Blossoms will solve their problems? Now if you read this book I don't know if you wil like it or not but, to tell you I sure did. This book was put on my favorite book list after I got done reading it. The book is realistic fiction so if you don't like realistic books I wouldn't read this book. The author is Besty Byars. She has wrote a lot of books most of them are mystery and romance but, hey she is a really good writer. So are you going to read this book?

When Pap Blossom goes into town that's when it all started. Breaking into jail, jumping off the roof, missing mom and lost dog are some of the interesting things that happen to the Blossom family. If I could I would give it a hundred stars. I think this book is a 4th, 5th, and 6th grade book. Now you know what it is about so go get the book NOW!!

Go into the world of funny things with Betsy Byars and The NotJust- Anybody Family. It's filled with trouble, mischief, and fun! The trouble begins when Pap goes into town. Somebody falls of the roof, someone goes to jail, someone breaks into jail, and people go to trial. Also, there is a runaway dog. All these funny and exciting things plus a teaspoon of sadness fit into this book. I hope I got your attention! P.S READ THIS BOOK!!!

The Not-Just-Anybody Family is a book my whole classroom enjoyed. It has action, humor, a missing dog, an out-of-town mom, and a grandpa in jail. The children in the book are very real and my students could relate to their feelings and difficulties. The settings change from chapter to chapter and Betsy Byars writes just enough about each situation to keep you wanting more. This book helped my students learn the meaning of "suspense" and almost all of them gave the book a rating of nine or ten on a one to ten scale. I plan on ordering the audio version for some of my students next year.

The works by the late Dr. Velikovsky have generated a LOT of controversy in the scientific community, including vicious attacks by the renowned, late Dr. Carl Sagen. This book, however, cannot be attacked so easily by the scientific community because it deals with a subject that they tend to abhor ... mythology.

Velikovsky, an internationally acclaimed author (some would label him a genius), makes a scholarly analysis of the Oedipus myth of the Greeks and how it relates to the Egyptians. He proceeds to draw many parallels between Pharaoh Akenaten (Tutankamen's father) and Oedipus.

Whether or not Velikovsky is correct in his analysis, I cannot say. But reading this book caused me to expand my thinking about how mythology might get started based on actual, historic events.

This book can be read separately from Velikovsky's other famous and controversial works like Worlds in Collision, Ages in Chaos or Peoples of the Sea as it is not dependent on the chronological sequence of the others. The reign of Akhnaton is considered one of the most interesting periods in the history of ancient Egypt and has inspired many books, but this work by Velikovsky still remains the most fascinating. As far as we know, the religious reform of Akhnaton was abolished, his line died out and his city was abandoned. Velikovsky attempts to elucidate the end of this king, the fate of his two young successors Smenkhare and Tutankhamen, the decline of the kingdom and the fate of Thebes, at the hand of the legends that came down to us from the Greeks. Although his work is controversial, in this book he makes a very strong case for the origin of the Oedipus myth being the true history of Akhnaton and his family. The mysterious relationships, the enigmatic sequence of events and the strange finds in the graves are no longer secret and obscure when illuminated by the legend. The known history in fact ties in perfectly with the details of the legend. Furthermore, the Oedipus legend does not fall into the category of myths that reflect events in nature, because its human character is too obvious. Whatever you think of Velikovsky's alternative history, this book is beautifully written, highly engaging and never less than fascinating in its scope and detail. He even identifies Antigone as Meritaten, the half-sister and wife of Smenkhare, partly based on a beautiful poem inscribed in gold foil that was found under the feet of a mummy in an undisturbed tomb. This moving prayer or word of parting ends with the lines: "Give me thy hands that hold thy soul/I shall embrace and live by it/Call me by name again, again, forever/And never will it sound without response." The text is illumined with 40 black & white plates, including limestone heads of Nefertete and Meritaten, gold coffins and masks of Tutankhamen, the sphinx and the Memmon colossi. "Oedipus and Akhnaton" is a must for those interested in ancient Egypt, in alternative history or in the origin of ancient myths and legends.

For almost any other historian this book would be a masterpiece. Various lesser historians who are nonetheless better known generally fail to mention it, or when they do are dismissive and ignorant of its contents. Bob Brier actually refers to it in footnote, saying it should be taken with a grain of salt, as he builds a non-existent case for Tut's murder (see below).

It was Velikovsky's work on this topic (actually a paper he was writing on Freud's "Moses and Monotheism") which led him ultimately to his multi-volume chronology revision, to the catastrophism documented in "Worlds In Collision", and the persecution by supposed scholars who have turned out to be -- shall we say -- less correct than Velikovsky. Even models which follow or mimic his works pale by comparison, and ultimately fail where they disagree and of course where they disavow.

This book could serve as a sort of introduction to Velikovsky's other books. Once you've read it, you may not be able to read just one.

See also Velikovsky's other works (new and used), David Rohl's "Pharaohs and Kings", Peter James' "Centuries of Darkness", and Bob Brier's "Murder of Tutankhamen". "Giving Goliath His Due", but suffers from the author's reliance on the conventional pseudochronology.

Oedipus and Akhnaton, the first book I ever read that was written by Immanuel Velikovsky, the person often accused of creating pseudo science, is an excellent reading. One need/should not believe everything he writes; but to see how he correlates different issues and facts and analyzes them in his own style is fascinating. Perhaps many of his conclusions are inaccurate, but so could be many of the so-called "scientific" findings.

Science or Pseudo-Science, this book opened my eyes to many interesting issues. For example, it points out the possibility that Akhnaton (Akhen Aton or Amenhotep IV) could well be the person who introduced the concept of monoatheism to (at least, his part of) the world.

I also learnt from this book a feature common to many saviors or heroes: A tyrranical king, who embarks on a infanticide, following a divine prediction, to avoid danger; a child separated from his family and drifted away to a far off land for his safety; the kid's return as a grown up to his own land to educate or rule his people etc. Velikovsky mentions Jesus Christ, Oedipus and Akhnaton; but I would also like to add the name of Hindu god, Lord Krishna, to the list.

This book is full of parallels between the lives of Oedipus and Akhnaton. I don't know how many of these are true or accurate (for example, Velikovksy's reconstruction of Tutankhamen's murder episode is perhaps not valid anymore); but it's an excellent reading.

At the beginning of this book Immanuel Velikovsky asks the intriguing, and quite reasonable, question: Why does the Oedipus legend have a sphinx outside of the Greek city of Thebes, when the sphinx is not part of Greek mythology? He then points out that Egypt, which has a very famous sphinx, also has a city named Thebes. Could the Oedipus legend be a Greek retelling of a historical event that took place in Egypt? From these speculations Velikovsky goes on to present an immense body of data and convincing interpretation of such data, to show that events and people surrounding the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, Akhnaton, correspond to the major elements and characters in the Oedipus story. This is one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. I realize that many scientists are highly skeptical of Velikovsky's books showing various allegedly mythical stories to have a basis in historical evidence. I am a scientist with 43 years experience at a major research laboratory, and I find many of Velikovsky's positions to be both logical and based on sound historical and archeological evidence. Velikovsky was not a crackpot as some would claim; rather he was one of the most brilliant thinkers of the 20th century.

This novel was written I believe in 1988. As it says in the back of the book, it took the author 7 years to write it. Much like Gone With The Wind, it came across to me as a once in a lifetime book and I guess this author has not written anything since. A real shame. As my title said, this was my second reading of this novel. The first perhaps at least 15 years ago. I think I even liked it more the second time. I read mostly at lunch time and while waiting for traffic to pass, so that I can get home as fast as possible. For this novel however, I kept on sneaking just another paragraph or two in between sales calls all day long and many times I had to reach for the hankerchief to wipe my eyes. I happen to love multi generational novels that take 30 to 100 years to play out such as Jeffrey Archer's "As the Crow Flies". This novel which starts in 1871 japan and goes to the end of WWII has everything that you would ever want in a novel. I would have to rate it as one of the best books that I have ever read. If you can find a copy buy it without haste.

This book was purchased for me by my DH. It is the best book I have ever read. The contents are historical and Richard must have done a tremendous amount of research in order to write this book. I could not put it down. I would highly recommend it.

This is my favorite book of all time. I borrowed it from a friend and read it years ago. I absolutely loved it, but a good friend always returns borrowed books! When I tried to buy it myself, I was told it was out of print. I was thinking about it recently and realized that I could probably find it on this site. Duh!!! Well, I just ordered it and cannot wait to receive and read it all over again and lend it to people who I know will appreciate it.

It's not just a story about love, it's about family, honor, sacrifice, friendship, culture and of course WWII from many different perspectives. I learned a lot, I laughed, I loved and I cried and when I was finished with this book, even though the ending was as happy as it could have been, I felt like I was losing my best friend. I remember when I was finished, I just sat in my room holding the book, silent in thought for almost an hour. Strange. It is a must read!!

I'm from Spain, so I read the book traslate to my languaje. That's no give me a good reality of the book, but buy it was my best idea. It've all for the lovers of japan culture and its peoples, in a dark time from the occidental culture. Richard McGill write like a big master.

I am very picky about what I read and only "go" into a storyline if it will increase my knowledge and thoroughly entertain me. This book did an exceptional job of both. I read Omamori about 5 years ago and picked it up again because I was out of good things to read (imagine that!). I knew very little about the effects of the war on Japan and loved "being there".

Whenever someone tells me they are in a reading, author or genre slump, I suggest this book. It is the best time I have ever had reading.

The footnotes for each episode are by the far the best part of this book.

I was exposed to this series in reverse!! I read the books, then saw the BBC shows, and finally heard the BBC radio show. There are subtle and not so subtle differences in all the different media, but they are all pure Douglas Adams!!! The radio scripts are an essential, and clarify (At least for me they did) many things that were not co clear. Not everyone is drawn to the scripts of the favorite shows/broadcasts, but as I have all the scripts for the Monty Python shows, it works for me. Especially if you are a fan of "British" humor, most of which lies in the dialog, it is pure delight to read through these scripts!!

So, you've read the books... bought the tv series on dvd, gone through all the special features (including the comment captions on the film)... read the biographies... and hunted up collectors items on ebay. What next?

Get this book. "The Original Hitchhiker Radio Scripts" contains many scenes not in the books and, if you've already heard the radio series, many lines that were trashed for time. There is also commentary after each episode by Perkins and Adams.

Some things will seem eerily familiar, then zoom off into a completely different direction and, in my opinion, a better direction. Of course, some things are missing that make the books equally essential.

You can currently get this at a pretty good price used from amazon. Get it now before you can't get it at all.

Although it requires a fair amount of effort to sift through the directions and radio-style writing, the reward is some stuff that I, frankly, find much funnier than much of the Hitchhiker novel series. Recommended to anyone who wants a good laugh, and especially to Hitchhiker fans.

...life forms are required to use a seldom-exercised ability called "imagination" which, with effort, allows the user to paint a mental tapestry that is superior in many respects to any computer generated image or subjective image of perfection.

(takes a breath)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy goes on a bit about the relative superiority of radio as a medium that stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain, but it also notes several references to various works that endure in a medium regarded as deader than the telegraph.

The Hitchhiker's Guide is not only proof that radio is still a viable medium for drama, but that Douglas Adams is a genius. The show, scripted week-by-week by DNA and Geoffrey Perkins was easily translated to books and television with minimal edits. Yes, the second series is a bit off the ultimate track, but it is quite original and the foot notes from Douglas and Perkins are very insightful. These footnotes exist as a log of what took place when it all began and, sadly, as the only memoir to them.

If you can find it, get it.

I have read this story to all three of my little ones, and the older two still enjoy listening to me read it to their little brother. The simple rhymes and beautiful illustrations make this a family favorite.

Thia is a favorite book of mine. I read it to my eight children and to any children's group I had the privilege of teaching. It teaches do not steal and do not try to twist the intentions of authority. Mama Panda gave her son money to pay for ingriedents for a cake, not for him to go to the fair.

This was a favorite book of mine 25 years ago. My mom saved our original copy and now I read it to my 3 and 2 yr olds nearly every night. It is their top request. The rhymes, illustrations, and take home message are absolutely precious. Brings back such sweet memories of my own childhood!

The number one favorite of hundreds of books read to my four small children, (now honors graduates of Boston University, American U., and Syracuse U.) Panda Cake teaches lessons, rhymes, tells a story, entertains and remains memorable 20 years later. Wonderful illustrations and particularly great for younger brothers or sisters. Hands down the cutest relatively modern children's book we have ever read.

I am one of 5 siblings who adored this book as a child. Twenty years later, as adults, we are all fighting over who gets to keep it! I will have to purchase more! So far, I am the only one with a child. My 3 year old son LOVES this book! The black and white drawings are lovely and are not cartoonish versions of animals, they look more realistic. There are many opportunities to learn about rhyming, animals and consequences. You could also educate your child about fragile Panda's and how important it is to help them. I wish that they would reprint this book. My copy will probably fall apart by the time my son is done "loving" it! Buy this book if you can find it!

Compulsion pulls you through the powerful woodcuts in a few minutes. Each successive reading takes longer as you discover and savor character, plot and craft. Masereel lived by the nitroglycerin theory of rhetoric--the fewer the words, the leaner the lines, the more powerful the message.

"Passionate Journey" and "The City".
Both books of woodcuts are produced by Dover Books. The presentation of both is simple but the reproduction of the woodcuts is very good. These woodcuts are as fresh today as they must have been radical when first published in 1919 and 1925 respectively. These 'books without words' are fascinating in their portrayal of the human condition. "Passionate Journey" I believe to be a true work of art. One criticism of the editions is that they lack detailed information on Frans Masereel's life and times. I would liked to have much more on the impact of his work at the time and the context with regard to German Expressionism and the Weimar Republic. These books will hopefully introduce the work of Masereel to a much wider audience. They also represent reasonable value for money.

Like the Tarot, the images here are universal and transformative. They have the additional benefit of a wry sense of humor and subtle undercurrents of a humanist sensibility.

A must have for any searcher or thinker.

-- or is it? Masereel's remarkable little book declines to explain itself.

These 165 expressive woodcuts present snapshots from the life of one man, or so we assume. He's not all that special - he's not a great hero, leader, or lover, though he's each at one point or another. He doesn't rise above or sink below anyone else, except in the usual ways. As with Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," this book celebrates the ordinary. And, when seen in such detail, the ordinary becomes quite extraordinary.

The book opens with the un-named man's arrival by train. The crowd and surroundings excite him, as does the mechanism of the train itself. Then, he's off to his new life in the city. We see that life in an uneven, even surreal pace. Masereel's vivid, expressive images hopscotch through the years of his life. Sequences of unrelated images seem to compress years into just a few pages. Other times, long sequences examine individual stories in detail - the adoption of a daughter, his happiness in her, and her final illness and death may be the most moving. It's a life-changing event, and sets the anonymous man off on a lengthy voyage, perhaps to lose himself or to find himself again. He returns to the city life, and eventually retires. The imagery changes radically at this point. It suggests Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and "Starry Night," and also hints at Van Gogh's death.

Or maybe not. The imagery speaks volumes, but speaks a different volume to each viewer - and will probably speak differently to me when I read it again. Although it's an illustrated story, it's not for children. It is for anyone who wants to see the grandparents of today's illustrated fiction, or who appreciates woodcut in itself. This Dover edition is a beautiful reproduction, with richly saturated blacks but paper opaque enough to keep each page from bleeding through. It's easy to enjoy - so go ahead, enjoy it.

//wiredweird

When my sister gave me this book for my birthday, it was one of the greatest presents I ever received. I was inspired, comforted, and emboldened by Masereel's wordless tale of a questing spirit. Despite the fact that I've read it literally hundreds of times (almost every night when I was working in Calcutta), I always see something new in the subtle, highly expressive woodcuts. Besides the brilliance of his technique, the story Maserel tells is exciting, complex, hilarious and moving. A treaure I wouldn't trade for practically anything.

Pigs have wings is one of the best books I have read, because it so funny. The way the characters are many times spaced out and the way they act on their stupidity, mostly the way P.G. Wodehouse makes fun of characters. Pigs have wings, is about competition between two pigs for the fattest pig class. They try to steal each other's pig, and the Empress (the name of the hero's pig) has been the winner of this class for two years in a row. All this is tied with some knotted yet silly love relationships. But the way Wodehouse makes fun of it is so funny that you will laugh untill tears start pouring down.

A great and entertaining read. I highly recommend it. It's one of P.G. Wodehouse's best in my opinion. Life at Blandings castle
is like paradise!

In typical Wodehouse fashion, this is a comical story with many hilarious twists and turns. I found myself laughing aloud in many places. Simply put, if you like Wodehouse and especially the Blandings Castle series, you like this book. It is one of the later "chronicles" of Blandings Castle, but it would be a good read for anyone--even those unfamiliar with Lord Emsworth. This is a great book, and author, for those who enjoy light, comical novels.

P.G. Wodehouse was the 20th century's answer to William Shakespeare reproduced as musical comedy. In Pigs Have Wings, Mr. Wodehouse produced one of his very best efforts.

As usual, the themes involve a satire of romantic love, miscommunications between the sexes, the vapid interests of the titled class, and the silliness of people in general.

As the book opens, Clarence, ninth Earl of Emsworth finds himself faced with a threat to the supremacy of his pig, Empress of Blandings, in the Fat Pigs class at the Shropshire Agricultural Show. Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe, Bart, of Matchingham Hall, had already hired away Clarence's pig handler, George Cyril Wellbeloved . . . and Clarence is sure that some new skullduggery will soon follow. As the story develops, we find that it's all too true. Soon both pig camps are doing their best to knobble the other man's pig. With everyone else having a bet on the outcome, many other people are soon engaged in trying to sabotage one pig or the other. It's the most pignapping fun caper you can imagine!

In the background, we have all sorts of people who've become engaged to totally unsuitable people on the rebound from slights they feel from the one they really love. P.G. Wodehouse does a yeoman effort of returning all of those twisted loves to the proper party. The plot will keep you constantly chuckling throughout.

There are quite a few books based on the Empress of Blandings. So if you enjoy this one, go on to the others in the series.

Wodehouse, master of words that he is, shows his wit to be in top form in this wonderfully funny story of Blandings castle. As usual, Lord Emsworth is a bit dazed and obsessing about his pig (now hoping that she'll win first in her division for the third year running at the local agricultural show) and the guests at Blandings are falling hopelessly in love with one another. This is a great book for both those new to Wodehouse and those who have enjoyed his other works. I highly recommend it.

Rank had its Privileges- except when it came to marriage. For although Edmund Tudor knew he might dally where he chose, he could marry only with royal permission. And a vow to his king had thrust a life with Lady Cecelia Coleville forever out of his pricely reach! Yet Cecelia knew that the prince was bound in secret service to the king. And though he was her soul's own echo, any love play they shared could be nothing more than a dangerous and forbidden mistake!

This was a very enjoyable book - an easy read. The characters are interesting enough that I would like to see a continuation of this story! This is the first book I've read by this author and I'll be looking for more!!

What a wonderful debut! This book has all the elements that make a great historical romance...great story, characters you fall in love with, unpredictibility. I read somewhere that she was working on her next book, a spin-off of "Prince Of Hearts" that tells Sebastian and Beatrice's story. I CAN'T WAIT!

This is a wonderful read. The author's words flow beautifully and the love story is delightful. I started smiling on page one and never stopped. Talented author Katy Cooper's Prince of Hearts is a keeper.

A unique premise, a satsifying development and conclusion, and beautiful writing--what more could a reader ask for? Ms. Cooper's style will entrance you from page one. The characters are very appealing and multi-dimensional. The deft handling of alternate history will fascinate readers familiar with the time period, but the story functions equally well as an historical romance even if you don't have the background to appreciate the writer's careful and imaginative handling of the historical details. At its heart, this is a beautiful and compelling love story.

I agree this is one of the best books for children (and adults!) that I have come across in a long time. I love the message in it - we are all inherently worthy of great respect, and should treat each other accordingly.

I don't know what book the person who didn't like this was reading, but it certainly wasn't "The Princess and the Moon." I love it and highly recommend it!

This wonderful little children's book, beautifully illustrated by the great Brian Wildsmith, is on of the best children's books I have ever read. If you are lucky, you will be able to find copies of it (...). I have bought many copies, as many as I can find, to give to my relatives and my children's friends.

To me, the story of the Princess and the Moon is about a little girl who has low self-esteem, who never thinks she's good enough, who doesn't think her parents are good enough, who complains and criticizes others out of her own insecurities. Then, one night, the mystical rabbit from the moon appears at her window to sweep her away to a place where everyone she sees is royal. She even sees herself and her parents, all wearing crowns on their heads and smiling, happy and compassionate, never disparaging anyone.

She doesn't believe this could really be her or her parents, but the mystical rabbit assures her that this is the reflection of their true identity. That in the reflection of the moon, everyone is actually a prince and princess in their own right and, as such, can live with confidence, grace, warmth and tenderness towards others.

The little girl is afraid, however, that when she is back on Earth, without the reflection of the moon, when everyone's crowns disappear, it will be hard to remember this lesson, hard to behave differently. The mystic rabbit assures her there will be no need to worry, that as long as she holds this truth close to her heart she will be confident and happy no matter how others behave, and will eventually show them that they, too, can be kind and happy and live like princes and princesses in their own right.

An excellent book for children and adults. It's a beautiful well told story about a little girl who turns from mean and bad tempered to sweet and happy. The moon rabbit shows her how to do this. The moral of this story reminds us all how we should really treat one another. Everyone should read this book at least once a year. If I could find more copies I would buy one for every child I know.

I have donated this book and others by Dr. Ikeda to my school's library. The illustrations by Brian Wildsmith are outstanding. The entire book itself is a work of art.