Festivals Books

The story is a classic, so I won't bother you with my opinion of the details. This book is a favorite during our holiday season bedtime readings because of the wonderful illustrations.

I picked up my copy through Amazon's 4 for 3 promotion, but several sellers have this available for less than $5.

I can't believe that this edition, illustrated by Douglas Gorsline, is no longer available. This is, without a doubt;), the illustrated version that has the most ethereal Christmas Eve atmosphere accompanying the classic poem. I am glad that I still have my badly worn childhood copy, but I would like to get a new one, and others for gifts. Bring it back!

As a child, this was always my favorite edition of Moore's poem to read because Gorsline's illustrations always took me away to a nostalgic world where Christmastime was a perfect time. I loved the details in each room, finding the family cat in each picture, locating the Star of Bethlehem in every scene and especially Gorsline's version of St. Nick...one of the best. I recommend this edition to anyone who, like me, loves to read this classic poem every Christmas and is looking for a nice set of illustrations to help bring the story to life.

The classic illustrations, by Douglas Gorsline, of the timeless story is what sets this book apart from all other editions of "The Night Before Christmas". This simple paperback book is a beloved treasure that should be shared with the generations to come!

The book arrived fast and it was extremely well-packed in a thin, single layer of strong corrugated cardboard. The only problem was a brown stain on the cover, about 1.5 centimeters in diameter. The book was meant as a gift, so it was rather a shame to have a stain on it.
The story itself is excellent - an entertaining, laugh-out-loud mystery-comedy, told by very realistic and likeable characters.

Very entertaining book, gets you hooked on the author. I will be reading more. Protagonist extremely likeable and entertaining. Makes you laugh out loud.

This is my favorite humorous mystery series by one of my favorite British authors. Nick Madrid is a self-deprecating masterpiece of an unlikely investigative hero. Laugh out loud situations and rapid dialogue combine with a strong mystery to be solved. A great read.

Bridget, Frank and Nick fly from England to Montreal to cover the Just for Laughs Festival for different newspapers. While Nick is tied up in a yoga position, he sees a young woman flash past his hotel room window. He concludes she is a jumper who he later learns was Cissy Parker, a movie starlet. The police rule it an accidental death due to drugs, but Nick has doubts when Frank mentions he heard a man screaming at a woman on the eighteenth floor.

A reporter Julie informs Nick that she took pictures at a celebrity bash that Cissy attended. The starlet offered her a lot of money to buy the negatives, but Julie refused. One of the photos shows Cissy with an unidentified man. When Nick learns the victim was pregnant he concludes she was pushed. Not realizing the danger he causes to himself, his friends and others associated with Cissy on both sides of the ocean, Nick keeps digging as more homicides occurs.

In between murder, beatings, chases, air travel, NO LAUGHING MATTER contains amusing comical scenes, but the prime story line is the protagonist is drawn into a homicide investigation that he prefers to avoid. Once he begins making inquiries, he continues to the bitter end, which he realizes could be his death, in an effort too learn the identity of the mastermind behind the killings and the beatings he suffered. Talented Peter Guttridge provides a journalistic investigative mystery that stars a fine cast worthy of sequels.

Harriet Klausner

I am the coordinator of the Albert Lea, MN Art Center and we have the pleasure of showing Joni Oeltjenbruns' original illustrations in our galleries this month. I have met one of her children who posed for some of the pictures and seen the rough drafts of the story. Now I own several of her books. Her illustrations are of very fine quality and the detail is fabulous. Her tiny mice that are featured throughout the story are so CUTE. Their antics form a story of their own. This book is a must have!

Our son has learned how to read, and this is a book we still enjoy together. Most of the words are easy enough for him to read himself. While he needs help with some of the names, they provide a challenge. The less common names (such as Constantine, Lucinda, Quentin, and Ursula) open him to a wider cultural world. He also enjoys the detailed illustrations-- where will the mice be next? This book is a favorite to pull out any time of the year, but especially during the holiday season.

Teachers and parents will enjoy this lively Christmas aphabet book. The engaging illustrations match the rhyming text. The storyline makes a connection to visiting relatives that many children will find familiar and funny. Perfect to begin or end the holiday season in a public school. It will appeal to everyone!

This Christmas treasure offers so many things to both adults and children! It tells the story of a house full of Christmas guests...but Not Enough Beds! Each of the guests finds an interesting and entertaining solution to their problem. You will soon realize that we are hearing about the guests in alphabetical order...making this also a great learning tool. Add the wonderful illustrations to the fantastic wit...and this is not to be missed!

NOTEWORTHY - A Collection of Recipes from the Ravinia Festival.

This cookbook is the culminiation of a three year project undertaken by the Women's Board of the Ravinia Festival Association to benefit Young Artists.

There is over 600 recipes, 46 of which are pictured on 16 full color pages.

Today's Career Woman, short on time and long on taste, will be delighted by the quick gourmet selections. For the Creative Cook whose ultimate pleasure is entertaining at home, this book is a valuable resource. The criteria of excellence has been successfully achieved in this collection of widely appealing recipes that ensure outstanding and delicious results.

THIS IS A LARGE, HIGH QUALITY HARDBACK COOK BOOK.

In 1986 this book retailed for $15.95.

The recipes of Noteworthy have made their way into my family's collection of favorites. I trust this cookbook so much that I make untried dishes on special occasions. Noteworthy has not let me down!

This cookbook is a marvel--it is far and away my favorite cookbook. I turn to it for every event, and it contains all my family's favorite dishes. One note, however, follow the recipies closely! Omitting or changing any ingredient really alters things substantially (I don't like olives and left them out of a dish and it truly sufferred for it. When I made it again, I added the olives and it is now a favorite!) This book is an excellent gift idea.

I own both Noteworthy and Noteworthy II, recipes from the Ravinia festival and I cannot say enough about them. For nearly eight years now, I have used these cookbooks for every family gathering, cocktail party and family meal. My love of cooking was stimulated by the recipes provided in these books which are both easy to follow and delicious. I have not yet found one recipe I didn't enjoy after preparation. Noteworthy is well organized and has sections of great photographs to entice you to select one of it's great dishes. You will dazzle your guests with the wonderful combinations and not feel like you had to try to hard. These books are among my favorite possessions, I'd be lost without them. You'll not be disappointed...ENJOY!

I bought this book 10 years ago when my first daughter was born. The words flow and the illustrations are beautiful. It's a nice cozy sit down and cuddle with your kids before bed book. I keep it on the shelf and each Christmas season it comes out and gets read several times. A classic!

This book is a wonderful book for a quiet calm, nighttime story during the Christmas Holidays. It has calming text, calming pictures and yet it captures the majesty and awe that is Christmas better than any other Christmas story I've read. If you have young children and love Christmas, I heartily recommend this book.

This book builds up the mystery of Christmas. It begins with children snuggled in their beds, just as in Twas the Night Before Christmas. But these children can't sleep- -they want to touch the Christmas tree. They go downstairs and look at the tree and all the gifts. Then instead of hearing the clatter of hooves on the roof, they hear Christmas carolers out in the yard. Listening to the carolers, they return to their beds. The pictures and words capture the mystery and excitement of Christmas, without trying to impart a lesson or moral. All told, the book contains about 550 words.

I have been reading this book to preschoolers and Kindergarteners for over 15 years. They all love it. The book I have is an older edition and it only has a few colors in the illustrations. It doesn't matter, though. The words are so descriptive that the children are captivated. That's quite an accomplishment in today's world of TV and DVDs!

I read this book as a kid and I still remember how much I loved it. It really is not a typical childrens book. Its a great way for a parent to spend some quality time with their kids reading the book aloud. It is filled with fantastic characters like Hopper T. McGrass and Perigrine. The adventures that Peregrine stumbles into are hilarious. The book would keep any kid occupied and asking for more. I thought it was interesting that there was a specific way to read the book. You are meant to begin it at a certain point before christmas and then read a specific amount each evening until the story finishes on Christmas Eve. An awesome book that definately reguires a read.

What a wonderful story !!! Written with both child and parent in mind, it provides many hours of happy, family-oriented entertainment. Parents will appreciate the tongue-in-cheek humour, the similarity to everyday life and the vivid imagination of the author. Children will listen spellbound to the magically detailed experiences of Peregrine and his friends. Peregrine himself is absolutely adorable, facing the world with innocence and trust and love - and we find ourselves feeling that same innocence and trust and love - rekindled in our hearts from our own childhood. The companion colouring book is a great idea and the idea of "practice pages" is awesome !!! I await, with eager anticipation, Keith Broad's next book. Where in the world will Peregrine go next, and what wonderful adventures are in store?

What a wonderful story !!! Written with both child and parent in mind, it provides many hours of happy, family-oriented entertainment. Parents will appreciate the tongue-in-cheek humour, the similarity to everyday life and the vivid imagination of the author. Children will listen spellbound to the magically detailed experiences of Peregrine and his friends. Peregrine himself is absolutely adorable, facing the world with innocence and trust and love - and we find ourselves feeling that same innocence and trust and love - rekindled in our hearts from our own childhood. The companion colouring book is a great idea and the idea of "practice pages" is awesome!!! I await, with eager anticipation, Keith Broad's next book. Where in the world will Peregrine go next, and what wonderful adventures are in store?

When I first read this book to my children, we read the first 4 chapters. My children where both so intrigued that they would try to guess what would happen next. My six-year old son feels that when he looks at the illustrations that he is a part of the story. My three-year old daughter loves the book so much that we have been reading it over and over again since December. I had to buy her a book for herself. The storyline makes you feel like you are actually right there with Peregrine. Now my son is attempting to read the book to us at night before bedtime. This book is a wonderful read for children and adults. The three of us are awaiting the next Pottontot Chronicles.

With a happily contorted version of the Santa Claus mythos, Mr. David has made a delightful story with a great outlook on human nature. This book is a perfect antidote for those who run screaming when being force-fed the mantra that 'Polar Express' is a modern Christmas classic. It avoids cliche, makes one laugh, and has the admirable quality of having likeable characters, including the independently-minded hero.

It was the part of the Claus family job, son Peter hated most, separating the naughty kids from the nice. He knew first hand what it was like to be on the naughty list, since he was on it last year. No presents under the tree. "Does it have to be that way? Can't naughty kids get gifts too?" Santa was firm. "I didn't make the rules. More nices than naughties and you go on the nice list and get lots of presents. More naughties than nices and you go on the naughty list and get nothing. That's the way my father taught me to do it when he was Santa, and the way his dad taught him." But to Peter, it just didn't seem fair. Santa didn't even know what those poor "naughty" kids did to get themselves on the list, in the first place. So late that night, he hitched the reindeer to the big sleigh, and set off on a mission to help those naughty children before it was too late..... Lawrence David has written a delightful holiday story with a gentle message about fairness, forgiveness and saying you're sorry, that won't be lost on young readers. His simple and straightforward text is beautifully complemented by Delphine Durand's charming and humorous childlike, geometric illustrations that are bold, bright, and wonderfully expressive. Youngsters will enjoy poring over the artwork and finding all the special little details in each picture. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Peter Claus And The Naughty List is creative and original, a nice addition to your holiday picture book shelf, and a wonderful read-aloud story the entire family can share, discuss and enjoy together.

What do I love best about this book? Is it the whimisical illustrations? The wonderful story? The infusion of myth and merriment into a charming tale that will please both young and old? All of the above!

This story is deliciously naughty and nice with Santa Claus' boy going to help the naughty children of the world explain their bad deeds, but along the way, he discovers something about his own naughty antics.

This should be heralded as a classic, right along with Rudolph and Frosty.

This story about Santa's little boy, Peter, teaches readers a lesson about giving. Peter tries to help the naughty children of the world and helps himself as well. This Christmas story is entertaining while it teaches an important lesson about the true meaning of Christmas. It also teaches "naughty" children everywhere that there is hope for them if they do something nice for someone!

Polacco takes a different approach to Halloween by stepping back from the scary to tell a charming story of a smalltown picnic in some charming-yet-understandable voice.

The subject of the annual Halloween festivities is William, a boy who is quickly becoming the loser of the party, as rival Hester is quick to point out.

However, there just so happens to be a legend of a ghost in the nearby swamp... and maybe William will be able to get his bravery up to show off in that department.

The pictures are a lot of fun and the story has strong characters and a folksy vibe that is just delightful. Among all the usual scary Halloween books, this stands out as something that reminds us of that old country charm.

William is attending the annual Halloween picnic at Mudsock Meadow and things are not going well. They are at the edge of Quicksand Bottoms and there is an eerie glow that people say is caused by the ghost of Titus Dinworthy, a miner who disappeared about one hundred years ago. When William says that the glow is due to swamp gas, he is laughed at.
The first event is the pumpkin-carving contest, which he fails at miserably. At the fishing booth, he manages to tangle his line with Hester's and she laughs at him saying "Peee youuuuu, smelly old William." He tries to compete in the pumpkin spitting contest but is disqualified because he accidentally swallows the seed. In the tug-o-war, he slips and falls at Hester's feet. He has high hopes in the dress-up contest, but his old sheet costume is mediocre compared to the others.
However, the "ghost" reappears and when everyone else flees, William walks out and challenges the ghost. Even though he lands face first in the mud, he is a hero to everyone else and Hester sits by him and calls him her hero.
Beautifully illustrated and with a delightful moral, this story is an excellent one for young children. I strongly recommend it.

This is a magical ghost story/young romance /comedy by one of the very best children's book writers, Patricia Polacco. Here she creates a wonderfully drawn `folk tale' about a group of kids and their almost encounter with the ghost of Quicksand Bottoms. Polacco is at the top of her narrative and artistic game.

On pages 3-4, for example, Polacco foreshortens the perspective, in a manner that evokes Grandma Moses, to show the dozens of towns `folk" making Halloween preparations. (Patricia Polacco is also Dr. Patricia Polacco, with a doctorate in art history). On the very next two-page illustration, Polacco returns to her familiar loveable loopy style. She is a master at conveying emotion and character just through splashes of color accenting expressive broad faces.

The story is both leisurely and suspenseful, as the Halloween contests and pre-adolescent William's attempts to show Hester a thing or two (i.e., woo her) play against the looming presence of the legendary ghost. William can't seem to get anything right, and he gets "mad as the dickens." Polacco uses colloquialisms to good effect, especially with names: There's Hester Bledden, the object of his affection, as well as Mr. Stillwater, Lula Mae Cobb, Eulaylee Tester, Boof and Bertie Schiffer, all portrayed without condescension.

Williams' big opportunity arrives that night "as an eerie blue light came up out of the swamp." Polacco's drawing of the swamp gas--or is it?) give us some spectacular blue tones and evanescent effects.

The exciting, well-plotted denouement gives frustrated William a chance too show his bravery and win the heart of Hester, as they share a plate of ice cream. This is a beautifully drawn and written story, and is one of the best of the Polacco's many superb books. Teachers, parents, other adults, and kids will also want to check out her fun and informative website.

I'm a speech-language specialist who is very picky about which books I use in therapy sessions. Polacco's books draw kids into the very identifiable characters. We spent 3 weeks on the story, reading it, retelling it and drawing a story map about it. Great around Halloween! Highly recommended for grades 2-5.

Edith Hamilton, in The Greek Way, says that "Euripides is the saddest of the poets" and that "no poet's ear has ever been so sensitively attuned as his to the still, sad music of humanity." The Trojan Women, a heart-rending read, certainly supports these opinions.

Written in Athens in 415 B.C. in the throes of the ruinous Peloponnesian War, the play was a condemnatory response to the recent Athenian atrocities against the neutral Greek island of Melos. After taking the island, the Athenians executed all the men and enslaved the women and children. It was an end of innocence of sorts for the city that had long considered itself the world's citadel of what we now call civilization and culture. In criticizing it, Euripides reached back to the central event of the Greek epic heritage, the legendary victory over Troy, for his setting and characters.

The resulting tragedy opens in the aftermath of the slaughter of the Trojan men, with Troy in flames and the women being divvied up as slaves to the conquering Greeks. Euripides is unflinching in his depiction of the inhumanities visited upon the vanquished. King Priam's daughter, Cassandra, is raped by Agamemnon, king of the Greeks. His other daughter Polyxena is cruelly murdered. In one of the most moving scenes in all of literature, his grandson Astyanax, a young child and the only surviving heir to the Trojan throne, is taken from his mother Andromache's grieving embrace and thrown to his death from the highest wall of the city. In fact, the only pity and decency presented among the Greeks is found in the Greek messenger Talthybius, who cleans the body of Astyanax and brings it to his grandmother Hecuba after Andromache's pleading to bury him is denied as she is taken away to her fate as a Greek slave.

Many have read this work as a blanket indictment of war. I read it as a misanthropic perspective on human nature, with its glimmers of what we call humanity intersticed between the harsh reality of our cruelty, hatred and violence, a reality set free within the lawless terrain of war. Those with a rosy view of our genetic inheritance should generally be given fair warning before engaging the works of Euripides, and The Trojan Women is no different. That said, whatever one's views of our species, this is one of its finer artifacts and it deserves a wide reading despite the passage of over 2,400 years.

Nicholas Rudall's Euripides' The Trojan Women: Plays For Performance provides a new translation of a literary classic of pathos and war, capturing the classical drama in a new form designed as a play for performing to modern audiences. An outstanding literary work Euripides' The Trojan Women is highly recommended for any studying Euripides.

Diane C. Donovan Reviewer

About 416 B.C. the island of Melos refused to aid Athens in the war against Sparta. The Athenians then slaughtered the men and enslaved the women and children, an atrocity never before inflicted on one Greek city-state by another. As preparations were made for the ruinous expedition against Syracuse, Euripides wrote "The Trojan Women," as a plea for peace. Consequently there is a strong rhetorical dimension to the play, which prophesies that a Greek force would sail across the sea after violating victims and meet with disaster. However, there the play also has a strong literary consideration in that the four Trojan Women--Hecuba, Queen of Troy; Cassandra, daughter of Hecuba and Priestess of Apollo; Andromache, widow of Hector; and Helen--all appear in the final chapter of Homer's epic poem the "Iliad," mourning over the corpse of Hector, retrieved by his father Priam from the camp of the Acheans. Whenever I have use "The Trojan Women" in class I have always used at least that last chapter of Homer to set up the play.

As with his last play "Iphigenia at Aulis," which tells of the events right before the Achean army left for Troy, "The Trojan Women" reflects the cynicism of Euripides. Of all the Achean leaders we hear about in Homer, only Menelaus, husband of Helen, appears. He appears, ready to slay Helen for having abandoned him to run off to Troy with Paris, but we see his anger melt before her beauty and soothing tones. In this play the Greeks do more than enslave women: they have already slain a young girl as a sacrifice to the ghost of Achilles and they take Astyanax, the son of Hector, out of the arms of his mother so that he can be thrown from the walls of Troy. Even the herald of the Greeks, Talthybius, cannot stomach the policies of his people. The play also reminds us that Helen was a most unpopular figure amongst the ancient Greeks, and there is no satisfaction in her saving her life (Note: you might want to check out Isocrates's "Encomium on Helen," an exhibition speech in which he shows off his talent by defending the hated woman). The idea that all of these men died just so that she could be returned to the side of her husband is an utter mockery of the dead. This translation by Nicholas Rudall focuses on the performance of "The Trojan Women," but it is certainly useful for those interested in the historical or literary aspects of the play as well. Another interesting analogy is to use this play in conjunction with "Lysistrata" by Aristophanes, so that students can compare and contrast an anti-war comedy and drama.

Having seen a staged production of this text at the Shakespeare Theater in Washington, DC, I am looking forward to reading the text in detail. In the theater, this was a powerful, painful confrontation of the effects of war on the victims -- the women and children. No heroes, no vainglorious praise of war. Just the horrors of surviving and loss. Troy becomes every war-devastated landscape. The parallels to Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, etc., etc. were not to be denied.

Rudell is able to bridge the centuries and make Troy contemporary. The language is both elevated (in the style of classic tragedy) and immediate in its emotional impact.

If you like books about people that are helpful, nice they solve their own problem, then this book is for you. I picked this book because I like books where people are helpful and they solve their own problems. In the book, Pooh's basket had a hole in it and whenever he put an egg in it, it fell out on him. Then everyone found his eggs. The setting is in the One Hundred Acre Woods. The problem is Pooh's basket had a hole in it. The big idea is being honest. You should buy this book for your little kids to enjoy.

It is about Pooh and his friends are going to be in a egg hunt. But Pooh was a hole in his basket and lost all his eggs.He wanted to win a feast at Rabbit's house. His friends gave him the eggs he dropped. You should read this book it is a great book.

POOH'S EASTER EGG HUNT gives the kids a simple story that's easy to follow, with all of their Pooh friends along for the ride. The pictures have lovely bright colors. And the words are really big for young readers. The Step into Reading (this is a step 1 book) series is such a great idea for kids. There's an introduction here explaining the Step into Reading books program. Step 1 is for preschool to grade 1 (approx.). Your child will love having his/her own books, and these make an affordable collection to encourage young readers.

Winnie the Pooh at his best. Rabbit sends Pooh, Tigger, Roo, Kanga and Eeyore on an easter egg hunt. Pooh finds all the eggs, but they fall out of his basket through a hole in the bottom! All of his friends then find the eggs, but at the end they give them back to Pooh because he didn't have any eggs. Pooh ends up sharing the prize for finding the most eggs with his friends who shared their eggs with him. A great tale about true friendship...