Rainbow The Books

My boys have loved this book for years. It is catchy without being cutsie and the illustrations are bright and colorful. Ours is wearing out, I'm glad to see that I can replace it when need be. This would be a terrific addition to any family's library.

My son, my wife, and I have all enjoyed this book greatly. The pictures are inviting and clean-looking, which is great for a toddler (many books for this age group seem visually cluttered), yet they include sufficient detail to reward close looking. The words, or lyrics, are quite fun to read and hear, making this book at times a welcome relief from the truck picture books with no plot (yes, my son is very interested in trucks!)--and from the many books for this age group that use oversimplified language. The words here are catchy but not sing-songy.

Truck Song by Diane Siebert is a beautifully-written tribute tointerstate-trucking. The colorful verse draws young children into thestory, at the same time that the rhythm of the poem evokes the rhythm of a cross-country haul. The illustrations by Byron Barton vividly illustrate the poem's content, as one trucker sees his load to its destination. My two-year-old loved the easy-paced verse, and enjoyed the pictures of the different trucks. This was one book my husband and I actually enjoyed rereading multiple times in a sitting. Truck Song is sure to become a much-loved classic in our family,

Author Vicki L. Calton offers insightful tips and wisdom for African-American women in her book You Can Be All That!: A Guide to Beauty and Success. Beneficial for women of all ages, this book is an excellent resource that provides insight on how to carry yourself in a manner that is both positive and uplifting.

Focusing on a variety of topics, Ms. Calton shares tips on beauty, self-esteem, and relationships, issues that are encountered in today's world. From beginning to end, she shares these tips with a style and grace that makes you feel as if she's speaking directly to you. Ms. Calton challenges you through this book to apply the skills at hand and if used, many positive changes will result.

While I would have loved to seen additional insight from other women, overall Ms. Calton has provided an excellent and positive resource for African-American women of all ages and backgrounds. As a young woman pursuing her education and working in the professional field, this is one resource that I will definitely refer to for many years to come.

Reviewed by Kanika (Nika) Wade

You Can Be All That is a wonderful resource, full of information for African-American women seeking to brush up on etiquette and polish their professional image. Ms. Calton's conversational tone makes it easy for anyone to follow her practical suggestions for success. The tips and techniques in this book are great to share with young ladies just entering the world of work. Thanks, Ms. Calton.

I greatly enjoyed the book. As a corporate professional working in the HR field, I strongly recommend this book to young woman entering the workforce. It contains tips and techniques that women of all ages can benefit from.

This story is biographical in nature and relates a time in Zora Hurston's life when her mother died of cancer. Zora was raised by her mother to be more independent that most girls were at the time and had to oppose her father who feared she would be a tomboy. She listened mainly to her mother and participated in many activities barred to girls. Her mother dies when she is young and in order to continue some level of independence, she tries to carry her mother's teachings in her memory and heart. Recommended.

I am surprised to read the harsh editiorial reviews as MY LITTLE GIRLS AND I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK. As avid readers of children's literature to my six children this book ranks up there with our favorites! Not only does it validate that it is OK to have unique goals and interests which we may develop as adults which differ from those which parents have set for us as children, it does so without coming across as DISRESPECTFUL of the well intended parents. While it SAYS "ZORA Only listened to her mother" I think the irony of that statement is REALLY obvious to even little readers who don't miss the fact that ZORA became a writer and that it was indeed HER FATHER who insisted that she hone her academic skills and study her BIBLE daily which most certainly was as influential and formative in developing skills required for her later writing success as her mother's teaching. While Zora'a father is portrayed as teaching her in a structured and disciplined way SKILLS and LESSONS, Zora's mother is shown to have taught her to not be limited by expectations and rules imposed by others in her life but to actively seek out to learn new things.

I thought that while the statement "Zora only listened to her mother" did indeed benefit from SOME EDITORIALIZING for small children which can be sticky, that issue merits this story becoming a 4 star rather than 5 star one. However at the same time, I FOUND IT REFRESHING that the fact parents AT TIMES are contradictory to children WAS SO HONESTLY PRESENTED IN A CHILDREN'S BOOK. How many kids have received opposing messages from each of their well intended parents? HOw many parents have themselves struggled with EACH OTHER over how to present their ideas which at times contradict?
HOW WONDERFUL for kids to have a book where they CAN IDENTIFY WITH THE MAIN CHARACTER who has to make her own way in the world BY ASSIMILATING WHAT HER PARENTS TAUGHT AND MAKING CHOICES REGARDING THE POINTS WHICH HER PARENTS DISAGREED AND PRESENTED OPPOSING IDEAS. AND HOW WONDERFUL for us parents to read of the brilliant success of ZORA and realize that our kids ALSO will likely be successful and capable DESPITE our errors and flaws of not always being COHESIVE and IN AGREEMENT in our parenting of our children! In this day and age where 50% of marriages end up in divorce, I think those seeming "flaws" of writing may at second glance be apprechiated as honest reflections of OURSELVES and valuable in assisting our CHILDREN in feeling comfortable knowing they are not the only ones who ever felt like that! ,

IT is POWERFUL to read of the overcoming SOCIETY'S OBSTACLES AND EXPECTATIONS BASED ON RACE
AND GENDER, as well as overcoming the unintended confusion we parents sometimes present to our children.

I felt the inclusion of the myth of DEATH was not at all confusing to young readers and indicated Zora's interest in folk lore at a young age which informed her later antropological work. I think for very young readers this myth gives them some explaination of how death took her mother as the personification of death makes it not seem like a mystery but offers explaination which is satisfying to them. (And not harmful regardless of ones beliefs and teaching regarding death, as young readers have such short attention spans they forget this detail as quickly as it takes for them to be entralled by the beautiful illustrations.) Older readers are not likely to be at all confused by this inclusion of storytelling that is represented as being a myth.
Overall I found this to book to be a beautiful one which my girls JUST LOVE as they identify with the dreamy climbing of trees and reaching out for the world in wonder.

This is a story about a little girl how overcame obstacles by following her dreams and the advice of her mother.

The author gives his personal English rendition for the story of Job. He stays away from the literal translation of the Hebrew text. The book is an easy to read and easy to understand poem. Included are a few informative notes that I injoyed reading. I would liked to have seen the book include the Hebrew text in a linear fashion, so it would be easy to know when the author took poetical license in his translation.

The author, Rabbi Scheindlin, provides clear and informative notes with an easy to understand text. Though it is traditon to consider Job as a fictional character, the notes fairly state that the name is found in "ancient Semitic inscriptions" which possibly makes Job the oldest story of an historical character in the Bible. Older than Abraham by one hundred years. In my reading, I see Job as a rival for the label "first Jew".

I would have liked to see a convenient access to the complete Hebrew text in an appendix.

I've been a coleus fanatic for years, and really enjoyed this book. Lots of good information here that I hadnt known, even though I've grown a great many coleus.

I only wish the book could have been twice as long and included a more comprehensive listing and photos of coleus (in all fairness, there are thousands of them and many are very similar). It would also have been nice to have included more photos of coleus combined with other plants-coleus fills out a pot/planting of flowering annuals beautifully if done well. It's not a talent I have but I have many photos of wonderful combinations done by others.
On the whole, this is a terrific book. Any coleus lover will enjoy it and learn from it.

A very thorough and logical presentation of "all you ever wanted to know about growing Coleus" without getting too collegiate. Sensational photography. I've always wanted to incorporate more Coleus in my California in-ground landscape and patio-pot settings...now I'm much more confident that I will be successful. This book is a must-have...so informative and such luscious photos...and reasonably priced. Show it off at your next "garden-club" meeting.

Wayne R. Martinson

Favorite characters: Dabble the Duck and Jason the young boy

Dabble starts out as a baby duck that belongs to a young boy named Jason. But Dabble grows and grows into a large white duck, and Jason's parents must decide whether Dabble has outgrown the apartment and might be happier on farm. You will have to read the book to see what happens to Dabble.
It is a great story for any kids who have pets, as it shows how much Jason cares about Dabble. The pictures in the book are very colorful and the story shows a real friendship between a boy and his duck. I recommend it for all ages.

Its a shame this book is out of print for its a fun story that teaches compassion. Dabble is cute as a chick, but as a full grown duck he makes a mess in his apartment home. He also is very lonely when his boy goes to school. Then one day on a walk they find an injured, bedraggled dog. The dog finds a caring home and Dabble has a friend. A heartwarming and funny story for preschoolers

This book is superb for lovers of nature that seek a deeper, more spiritual book. It reads easily, like a meditation. Each chapter is a brief thoughtful rumination of an experience on a northern New Mexico ranch. You feel as if you, too, were there, experiencing the sights, sounds, smells and beauty of the wilderness.

Excellent reading for calming the mind and the spirit. Great bedtime reading. Short chapters and a deepening of consciousness.

A charming book of special interest to those who want to develop land in a conscious manner and to to those on a spiritual path.
Anyone regardless of religion will appreciate her sincere search
for a spiritual connection, as well as her deep appreciation for
the land. Her story is interesting and thought provoking and the
creativity with which she developes her land is inspiring. Interesting and provocative

My 4 yr old loved doing the sticker book! Of course, now she knows how many more books we haven't read yet! She goes back through it and looks at all the fairies and tries to name them all. Definitely worth the money!

I bought this sticker book for my daughters as soon as I saw it; I'd seen it offered earlier on eBay but for a premium price as it was imported from the UK and incurred high shipping expenses. Now it is being published by Scholastic and is available for purchase in the US. The same is evidently being done slowly for some of the other RM books; you can now get many of them in the US that were formerly only available in the UK and Australia.

As for this sticker book, it is pretty straightforward. There are 39 fairy stickers. This covers most but not all the fairies in the RM series. You get pages and all the fairy stickers for the Rainbow Fairies series (7), the Weather Fairies series (7), the Jewel Fairies series (7), the Pet Keeper Fairies (7), the Party Fairies (7), and the Special Holidays Fairies (4). Some of these series are not yet available in the US market yet but I imagine they will be published by Scholastic soon. The sticker book is the type where you see a pale image of the fairy you need to find and you stick the sticker onto its place. It will be great for my girls to keep track which RM books they've read.

"Dolphin Diaries" mixes a typical teen adventure story with a unique and educational story about a girl who loves dolphins. But that's just the problem! Jody is so obsessed, that I find myself gravitating more toward Brittany, who is supposed to be the snobby girl. It's just so sickening how Jody can't have any fun without it involving dolphins! I actually find myself mentally cheering for Brittany when she makes a remark such as "Is dolphins the ONLY thing you can think about?".

Like I said, interesting story. Even though it is often predictable, I still enjoy this series, and love hearing about the adventures the characters have on "Dolphin Dreamer". I also learn a lot! In this book, I learned that pilot whales are actually dolphins. This story will keep you entertained, and most readers will be excited to hear that Lauren is back! But don't feel like you're the odd-one-out if you start disliking Jody and her over-emotional, sickening-and-eye-rolling obsession with dolphins. I understand her liking for dolphins, they're cool! But sometimes, she just needs to calm down!

The book is about a girl named Jody, she loves whales and dolphins. When Jody is with her friends, Lauren and Brittany on a trip they find out that whales are being hurt by speeding ferries.

One of the worst part is that the girls meet a boy named Mario, and he piolts the fastest ferry! Jody doesn't want to put Mario out of business, but Jody wants to save the whales. When Jody is on a cruise she saw a whale that had been hurt be a speeding ferry. Then far in the distance Jody saw the aunt of the hurt whale. Brittany, Lauren, and Jody named the aunt of the hurt whale Tia because Tia means "aunt" in Spanish. They named the hurt whale Seb (short for Sebastian) because they were near San Sebastian. After Seb is hurt Jody starts to ask people if they rather save the whales and enjoy or go fast and hurt most of the whales. Most people said they want to save the whales. After that the ferries slowed down. Seb was okay so he and Tia started to swim towards the rainbow.

I loved the book because I like dolphins and whales just as much as Jody. The book really shows how special whales are to people, and how much people would care for them if they were hurt. The book shows to people that whales and dolphins aren't bad animals there just different than most sea animals. Whales and dolphins are almost like humans.

This has to be the best biographical study of Virginia Woolf. It is in a new style of creative biography rather than the old forms of didactic dissertation that should be only part of Library indexing and not of biographical scholarship. Professor Leaska brings the reader into the life of this famous fiminist like no other previous attempt, including Mr. Bell and the family log. The parents, Leslie and Julia, become real and full of the complications of parenting with such a sensitive child as Virginia. Her sister Vanessa is now shown in a much fullerl characterization than anyone has tried before. Leaska has carefully and skillfully devided these individuals from the whole picture, and 'painted' each person in a many faceted, illuminated composition and finally brings them back together in a masterful mural of reality and experience. The setting of England and the continent play a particularly stimulating part in describing the physical conditions sourrounding Virginia throughout her life. There is 'climate' throughout this book. You have contact and feeling to Virginia and not just information. She was not allowed to go to college to learn the mechanisms for her passion of writing but wrote at home and learned her own way. "A Room of Ones Own" is one of the leading declarations for women and their individual rights. Leaska presents her defiance in full force. Vita Sackville-West was one of Virginia's best friends and part of the gathering of people around this charismatic leader and activist. Vita is another study by Leaska of creative independance and enormous vitality that joined, at times with Virginia, to revel in their delight in knowing each other. The chapters of their friendship are often moving and reaffirm the value of what true friendship means. The book is a masterpiece. The style is new and directed. The characters in this drama/tragedy you will never forget. Virginia now becomes a sensual being away from her writing and then leading into her books. The New York Times reviewer Michael Anderson should be ashamed for his homophobic attitudes and some kind of revenge against Leaska or possibly Virgina herself.

For anyone who is familiar with the life of Virginia Woolf, this book will offer few surprises. What it does offer, however, is an continously interesting slant on the life of one of the most talented, yet troubled women of the Twentieth Century.

Through Leaska's comprehensive biography, we learn the intimate details of her family life. Especially interesting in the first few chapters is the meticulous dissection of Virginia's mother, who served as the perpetual victim forever pining for her first husband. She revelled in her feminity and equated this with servitude toward those who were suffering or in distress.

Woolf is indeed a fascinating subject of study and Leaska's biography definitely does her complicated persona justice.

If this is your first foray in the world of Virginia Woolf, it would be beneficial to read some of her works including "To the Lighthouse" and "A Room of One's Own" first as these are often quoted and will only serv! e to complement this rich biography.