Party The Books

If you have a child who shies away from birthday parties or other big events, you'll relate to this book.

Christopher Robin informs Roo that tomorrow is Mother's Day. Roo gets excited and exclaims he wants to give his Mama a surprise. Tigger overhears, and of course he loves surprises too! Next thing you know Pooh, Owl, Eeyore, Piglet, and Rabbit join with Christopher Robin, Tigger and Roo to throw a surprise party for Roo's Mama, Kanga.

At 32 pages, this delightful story portrays the excitement of giving. But more importantly, it also shows that who you are is much more important than what you have or what you are able to give.

This is Step Into Reading Level 2 book which means that it's geared towards pre-schoolers through Grade 1. For children who recognize some familiar words on sight and can sound out new words with help, I Love You, Mama! is just right for that level. Level 2 features basic vocabulary, short sentences and simple stories. However, this book from Random House is notably longer than its counterparts from Simon Says (who would categorize this book as Level 1).

My son asks me to read this book pretty often and is learning to sound out words himself. All in all, a great book for beginning readers.

I went out of my way to track down this book. You should too. A really fun look at this era of popular culture. A ton of interesting facts, and photos I'd never seen in any other source. Get this book!

How many times have you jumped to a conclusion? How many times has your mind run away, weaving a story of it's own, filling in blanks as needed when details are missing?

This is the plight of poor Minnie, the main character. Uninvited, forgotten, then to top it all, forgotten that she'd been forgotten. Or was she?

From worried to worse, the days drudge on, as do the reminders at every turn that she is indeed not invited. But alas, this story puts us all in our place, when tempted to piece together a tale explaining a friend's word or deed,(and we all have.)

While weaving something out of nothing, and sinking to the depths of sulk-dom, have a poignant giggle, and get this book. It's no wonder the NY times, scholastic magazine, and newspapers around the country (and abroad) have noticed this book's grass roots message on a feeling we've all felt: feeling left out. You'll enjoy, and identify with every morsel. We've all been there.

Kids are our future. Let's teach them well.
Best wishes, thanks for reading.

My doughter (5 years old) plays this a lot, and really enyoys it. She has english as a second language and this is really helpfoul for her, to learn the phoenics.

With this meticulous study of the ideologies of five contemporary continental European right-wing parties, Cas Mudde makes a significant contribution. By analysing not only the well-researched "German Deutsche Volksunion" (German People's Union) and "Die Republikaner" (The Republicans), but also the lesser known Belgian "Vlaams Blok" (Flemish Bloc), and especially the Dutch "Centrumdemocraten" (Centre Democrats) and "Centrumpartij'86" (Centre Party '86), Mudde fills a gap in the scholarly literature, and enhances our appreciation for the breadth of the latest rise of right-wing extremism in Western Europe.
He, moreover, unlike many of his colleagues, approaches the ideology of these parties with genuine interest, seriousness and sophistication. Mudde provides researchers of party politics with a valuable building bloc for future models of the organisational and electoral performance of extremely right-wing parties in Western Europe. He contributes to a theory of how parties, and especially radical and anti-systemic parties, constitute themselves as stable organisations, on the one hand, and effective electoral machines, on the other. He builds on earlier approaches that distinguish between a party's front-stage and back-stage political agendas, or, in other words, its exoteric and esoteric appeals (p. 20). A party's front-stage image is that developed in official, published, widely distributed party documents and especially electoral platforms - i.e. the image that is created for potential voters' consumption. A party's back-stage agenda, in contrast, is that programme which is outlined in internal party literature, such as newspapers, bulletins, memoranda, or even secret documents and oral speeches, i.e. those features that are primarily relevant for current or potential members (e.g. p. 78).
Mudde argues persuasively that, for a valid description and classification of a party's ideology, consideration of both dimensions is necessary. To evaluate only a party's electoral platform, as has been the case in a number of comparative studies of contemporary party-politics, is for, at least, two reasons of limited use. First, parties, especially those in radical opposition to the government, might attempt to hide certain aspects of their ideological pre-disposition (p. VII). For strategic and tactical reasons, they will behave opportunistically, and consciously present an adjusted picture of themselves in public. Second, electoral platforms of parties are, in general, often rather outlines of policy preferences and proposals than of the core normative and philosophical foundations of a party's ideology. Mudde rightly notes that similar policy proposals might be founded on very different ideological pre-dispositions. Thus an as close as possible consideration of internal statements of the respective party's leaders is a crucial precondition of an adequate description, interpretation and classification of a party's core ideas. Mudde, it should be finally mentioned, is modest enough to acknowledge that even such a strategy might not fully disclose all latent ideological guidelines that a party follows (p. 21).
One aspect of his generally very useful study shall, nevertheless, be singled out for criticism here. Mudde's book has an inadequate title that might confuse or even mislead potential buyers. A comparison of only four minor and one significant (VB) post-war continental West European parties will be hardly accepted by the scholarly community as a sufficient basis for identifying "THE ideology of THE extreme right." (emphases added) There have been too many more and too different further ideas formulated in other parts of the world, and historical periods that could be put under this heading. With no geographical or temporal specifications added, the title of Mudde's book would seem to be a misnomer.
This is, however, a minor flaw. Mudde's study is very well argued, and should establish itself as one of the most important treatments of the five parties analyzed, and very valuable suggestion on how to approach extremely right-wing ideologies, in general.

I would recomend this book to my classmates for the further studies

My daughter (8.5) loves this book and has me read it inserting her teacher's name into the story.

The Independence Party And The Future Of Third-Party Politics: Adventures And Opinions Of An IP Senate Candidate is the memoir and personal testimony of William McGaughey, who ran for the U.S. Senate on behalf of the same party that backed Minnesota's former governor, Jesse Ventura. Very highly recommended reading for Political Science students, as well as political activists of all parties and reform movements, The Independence Party And The Future Of Third-Party Politics offers a thoughtful and thought-provoking "insider view" of the wheels of contemporary American politics and offers a persuasive rationale behind the motivational struggle for political change.

Interesting, easy to read summation of events by a leader of a group of Chester County Republicans who felt the 'old' way of politics...based on favor, not on ability...had to go. Should be a required book for high school students when they study local politics. The 'can do' attitude of this group is very inspiring.