ABC Books

My grandchildren began enjoying this book well before their first birthdays and loved them, almost always wanting to have them "read." The book is beautifully produced and introduces each letter with four works of art from the Met collection that exemplify the letter. "B," for example, is "boat" and the four art works are from different periods and styles but all have recognizable "boats" in them. I think that we "are what we see" and giving children such beautiful images as part of their mindscapes from early on is a wonderful gift. This book and its companions, Met shapes, colors, and numbers (which follow the same format but aren't quite as compelling as the letters) have been my baby gifts of choice for some time now.

My daughters (4 and 3) love this book. The illustrations are taken from classical works of art and are extremely engaging. They love choosing their favorite pictures. The text is bold and my older daughter loved having me spell the words for her. By placing her finger on each letter, over and over, she was able to learn her ABC's. I would buy this book for any young child.

I recently visited Chicago and had time to visit their art museum. When I came home, my daughter was entranced with the pictures I had taken and the fact that I stood in front of famous paintings, like "American Gothic" and "Sunday in the Park".

She's turning 9 and I'm buying this book as a birthday gift for her. Most art books are limited to a single art style or artist and I wanted a broader range collected in one book. It's great to show the books to toddlers, but don't forget older children who are starting to develop a true interest in things outside their own little world.

The implementation lacks something to be desired. Maybe a version 2 will be better.

This is really a great book and a great alphabet learning tool for toddlers. The letters are all presented in very large print and the art is very lovely. It's a good, unique book for a child since most other ABC books only have very basic pictures rather than famous masterpieces. The only complaint I have is that "M is for Monster". The monsters are not the Sesame Street variety, but are actually kind of creepy-looking beasts. Not the best choice for young children. We always sort of skip the letter M.

Nobody can turn a phrase or dust off an old word or concept the way Buechner does. Time and again, the reader will find themselves smiling and saying, "I never thought of it that way before!" My original copy is well-worn and I have given this book to more people than I can count. This is Buechner at his best- and that's saying something.

In the bestseller world, 2007 was the "year of the athiest" (Harris, Hitchens, Dawkins). That makes it a good time to re-read this upbeat, venerable apologetic for the Christian faith. The title apparently refers to the leap of fatih required to come to terms with the logical difficulites of Christian belief.

Breezy, friendly tone, but puzzlingly inconsistent. Buechner disdains atheists as people who have no absolute principles, then proceeds to relativize almost every Christian doctrine: the literal truth of the Bible; the problem of evil; the conlict beween science and religion; the reality of the Eucharist; the proof of God. This is warm and soft Christianity, but even more an exercise in relativism than the unbelief he disdains.

Finally, he retreats into the ultimate cop-out: it's all a matter of mystery and faith, and you either believe or you don't. The defect in that position is that it makes all faiths equal. If belief alone is the test of Truth, irrespective of evidence, then there is no basis for a Christian to claim his faith is more true than the Hindu's or Bhuddist's or, for that matter, the devotees of Athena and Zeus and the Comoran Island JiJu,or the storefront astrologer.

a very good book for "seekers" and those who think they have already "found."

This is a book for those who require their Christian beliefs to be confirmed and supported.
Not in my opinion a work that will provide any balanced explanation of metaphysical philosophies.
I would suggest that a true exploration in to faith should begin with a good understanding of many theological perspectives, not something that I found in this book.

This little book by Fred Buechner is a gem. It's crisp, hopeful Christian theology. It's an upbeat page-turner, but it is not dumb-downed for the masses. I keep going back to my dog-eared 1974 original version of this book by my bedside. I bought the updated paperback version both as gifts and as a traveling companion.

I like the Dinosaur Alphabet book because I like dinosaurs.I think this is a good book for small children because it teaches facts about the dinosaurs and the alphabet. I liked the pictures and I'm sure you would too.

The Dinosaur Alphabet Book was good.I thought the T would be for T-Rex but it was not but it was o.k. I learned a lot about Dinosaurs.

I gave this book five stars because I think the illustrations are interesting.My favorite letter is F which stands for Fabrosauraus. I like it because it is well illustrated even though Ralph does not know what dinosaurs looked like.I like learning the dinosaur's names.Jerry Pallotta did a good job getting facts. The only bad part is having to pronounce the names. I also think T should be for T-rex so all the T-rex fans out there.

My 6 year old now knows more about dinosaurs than I do, or his teacher, or anyone else we know for that matter. This is a really cute book loaded with interesting information about dinosaurs. We found it originally at the library, and he liked it so much, we decided to buy it for him.

I've been having the worst time trying to review the alphabet with my 4 year old son. He is a dinosaur fanatic, so I was looking for this exact book for quite some time. Now he is more open to exploring and learning letters, since he also gets to read about dinosaurs at the same time. The illustrations could be better and I can think of some of the dinosaur names that could have been substituted for some of the letters, but overall this book fits the need :)

first than anything i must tell that this book is just good. I have other japanese learning books at home and non of them are as good as it is this one. to be honest i like this book. i just got the book today and i started to study and i tell u the true. as much as i love anime this tool is just enough and amazing if u want to learn the hiragana and katakana.

Even people with an avid interest in the Japanese language and culture might turn away from the idea of learning the hiragana and katakana (collectively called kana). Both are syllabaries; sound-based scripts that Japanese children learn before 1st grade. Hiragana are used to write any native Japanese word (sakura, sushi, etc.) and katakana are used to write words that are "foreign" to the Japanese language (for example, America would be written with the katakana for "Amerika") as well as sound-effect words (like "para-para" for falling rain).
Manga fans, Japanese language-learners, as well as those with a passing interest in Japanese culture will find this book an entertaining and refreshing change from the tedious textbook-like approaches to the kana I've seen in the past. Each character is accompanied with a Japanese word containing it, an illustration, and a description with relavance to the word. One could easily learn the hiragana and katakana using this book, with practice and perhaps using on-line flash card tools. Pages for written practice are included in the back, as well as a handy green reference card showing all the hiragana and katakana.

I think the pictures portrayed are best, but its easy to understand , I recommend this book to anyone willing to learn.

I was looking around for a book that would teach me to read and write Katakana and Hiragana, and I stumpled across this book. Kana de manga really isn't lying when they say the little pictures in the book help you to learn. The overall layout of the book was great, and the practice section was really well done. If you need to learn katakana and hiragana, then this is the book for you.

Have you ever wanted or needed to learn Japanese? Kana De Manga, by Glenn Kardy, allows you to do just that. By helping you learn the ABC's of Japanese you can, after mastering it, learn to read and write to write other more complex characters. The book gives both the cursive and print versions of each character, and allows space to practice each of them. I would recommend Kana De Manga because it has enough information to spur someone's thirst to learn to read and write Japanese.
The content in this book is factual and consistent in a way to optimize the rate at which you learn the basic Japanese characters. For consistency, the cursive form of the word is always on the left side, while the printed version is on the right. When words are made up of two or more derivatives, the book tells the reader those words and what they mean. The quotes coincide with the pictures on that page such "the odds of being struck by lightning are 700,000 to 1" as a quote about lightning. There are also pictures associated with every word, sort of like apple for "A" in the English language. There are also easy to learn definitions so you can remember all 72 of the definitions in this book.
Instead of the paragraphs being unemotional and boring, the author adds small tidbits of humor. For instance, one of the characters was part of the word "crybaby" in Japanese so there was a picture of a crybaby on the page. The author stated that usually people think these kinds of characters are cute, but he thinks "they are pathetic." While the book is humorous, it keeps you informed. While you are laughing at some of the jokes, you are not as bored while reading. The pictures themselves are also hilarious, such as a boy trying to smash a suika, or watermelon or one where a boy is squeamish at his own chi, or blood.
The author tries to appeal to teenage readers who do not know Japanese in various ways. He uses somewhat complex vocabulary but nothing teenagers should not know by now. He gives encouragement such as "the odds of you memorizing all the Kana in this book are 3 to 1" or "you are halfway there!" This makes the reader feel like the author is actually a real person, not just some text on a page.
This intriguing book will enrapture even people who are only remotely interested in Japanese characters because it is not filled from top to bottom with words. The facts and organization come together to make a superb read. After reading this book, you can even go into advance characters such as Japanese kanji!

I thought The Yucky Reptile Book was good because the pictures were creative and colorful. One animal I liked was the leatherback turtle. The turtle had dark colors and was extremely scary when I looked at it. I think Ralph Masiello's books are incredible. Other kids should read these books.

The Book The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book we read in class had creative and colorful illustrations. The pictures looked very realistic and had intersting details.

I liked The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book because of the illustrations. I think Ralph Masiello is a geinius! Jerry Pallotta and Ralph Masiello make a great team. All of their books are artistic, creative, colorful,have intersting details, and are realistic looking.

I've just read The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book by: Jerry Pallotta,illustrated by: Ralph Masiello. It has amazing reptiles that I have never knew even existed. Reptiles are my favorite type of animals. I am in 5th grade and I really don't read alphabet books,but this reptile and alphabet book is extraordinary. I like this book. Ralph Masiello is a great illustrator. He draws incredible reptiles in The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book.

I like a book called the Yucky Reptiles. It has some good illustration from Ralph Masiello. It has some nice colors.It talks about the alphabet. And it names the reptile with the letters of the alphabet.

Graphics are gorgeous, and the writing is clever and fun. I am giving it 3 stars only because it is rated for ages 4 to 8. The book is more appropriate for ages 1 to 4 unless the child has never been exposed to the alphabet, and it is hard to imagine that anyone reading this review has a 4 to 8 year old who hasn't already had significant introduction to the alphabet. I gave the book to my friend who has a one year old and a 4 year old. The 4 year old was as bored with it as my 5 year old, but the one year old was fascinated by the graphics.

I love the artist, Scott Gustafson. The artwork is great! Story plot could be a little better, but I love the art!

This book was a favorite throughout all three of my children's childhood. They never got tired of it and, the real miracle was neither did I! Gustafson's illustrations are outstanding but the story line is a perfect match. Buy it as a gift for any new mother! Worth the price!

This is a stunningly beautiful book with incredible detail drawn on each page. Each animal that comes to the party brings a list of alliterating items that are at times a tongue twister to read, but the illustrations and cleverness are worth the difficulty! If just for the language that it would illicit by discussing the illustrations this is a must have addition to your alphabet book collection!

I purchased this book for my 2 1/2 yr. old son. He LOVES this book and we read it every night. I'm amazed that he has memorized the entire book.

I read this book when I was 11 and now I want my daughter who is 11 to read the book. It is a touching book and there is a movie about the story also... Very good...

ISBN 044040875x - Beat the Turtle Drum, an ALA Notable Book, has only one real flaw - it never explains the title. Research gave me 2 possiblities. The one that seems closest is: The turtle represents protection and long life. The circles on the turtle's shell represent the circle of life.

Joss is a horse-crazy 10 year-old. Her sister, Kate, plans to be a writer and tells this story in the first person. Joss has been saving her money to rent a horse for a week and, with her birthday coming soon, her dream is about to come true. In her excitement, she convinces Kate and some friends - including her young admirer, Tootie - to help her build a stable. A storm knocks it over, but Joss is undeterred and makes a nice space for the horse in the garage. Finally, the big day arrives, Prince is delivered and for one week, Joss has her own horse. The only person who doesn't seem to be happy for Joss is their neighbor, Mrs. Pemberthy, who has watched them from her window for years.

On a hot summer day near the end of the week, Kate and Joss climb the tree in the yard to picnic in the branches as they had when they were younger. Obsessed about keeping an eye on Prince, Joss climbs too far out on a branch and falls to her death. Now Kate, her family and their friends must cope with the sudden loss of Joss.

This is not one of those poetic stories - the text really isn't that superbly written, masterful language type of thing. That's what makes it such a touching story. Although Kate periodically throws in big words you don't expect from a young teen, for the most part the story is told in the simple language of a very young "young adult". This style makes it a believable tale and the characters make it unbelievably sad. Mrs. Pemberthy, the nosy neighbor that no one likes, makes almost comical efforts to connect with the family, particularly the girls, and fails miserably. Tootie, the least bright child in a bright family, worships Joss and seems more alone than anyone else when she is gone. Mr. and Mrs. Essig, the horse renters, are caring and kind, dwelling on the fringe of Joss and Kate's world but still connected.

On the lighter side, I did find it hilarious that Joss, at age 11, didn't know what a turd was - what six year-old doesn't know that word?

I read this book when I was a preteen and I can vividly remembering crying my eyes out for at least an hour. The story is well told and touching without being overly sentimental. The relationship between the sisters is realistic and, when tragedy strike, heartbreaking. A wonderful book -- it really should be back in print!

I read this book in the 6th grade. My copy is downright ragged now but I still cherish it because it's a great story. Kate and Joss are two very different sisters and when tragedy strikes Kate learns about hope, the power of memory and the strength of her family.

I can't remember whether I saw the TV movie before I read this book, or vice versa. It matters not, because they're both excellent.

I always remembered this book and recently decided to order it from Amazon so I could re-read it. (I found my old childhood copy in my father's basement a month later, so now I have two).

The story is a magificent portrayal of a relationship between two loving, but very different sisters, Kate and Joss. Joss is somewhat of a "free spirit" and Kate clearly envies her that.

It is sweet, soft, gentle and heartbreaking at times, but I highly recommend that this book be in any young girl's (or 36-year-old girl's) book collection.

And, if you ever have the unlikely opportunity to see the TV version starting Melissa Sue Anderson ("Little House on the Prairie" and beautiful Katy Kurtzman (2-time guest-star on "Little House"), you must!

I was really pleased with this book. You could get lost for hours just reading about each creature. I would reccommend this book to any person who likes to read about monsters.

I was surprised with the extensive amount of listings within the book. There is a lot of otherwise hard to find information. I would have given this book 5 stars if it weren't for one thing; there is no index. A book like this should really contain an index for those looking for particular traits, or words within a creature's definition. However there are listings in the back based on different characteristics it is not as exhaustive or all around helpful as a simple index would be. Don't get me wrong though, this book is still well worth the purchase. Besides you can search through the book for keywords on this webpage by clicking "Search Inside".

Much like her earlier written Encyclopedia this one once again hits the nail right on the head, giving great refference to thousands of mythological beings at one's fingertips. From the Greek Titans to American Indian tribal spirits, from nursery bogies to humorous antiquities of history this book has it all. A great smorgasbord of the monsters and deiteis of almost every civilization on Earth all convienintly located in one direct and enjoyable resource is both amazing and extreemly entertaining. This book is one that can be both read continously page to page or simply as a refference either way it is fun and interesting to turn from page to page from Appolyon to Garm to Scylla to Baba Yaga and to any other entity that ruminates in these pages of this glorious encylopedia.

I would highly recomend getting her first encylopedia "Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia" as well as looking at such books as "Bestiary: Being an English Version of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Bodley 764", "The Book of Fabulous Beasts", "On Monsters and Marvels", and "The Book of Imaginary Beings". although all these books are slightly more informational and less refference and encyclopedia like they are just as enjoyable and do a great job on further investigating monsters and myth.

As others have mentioned, this book is an encyclopedia and as such contains mostly facts. The stories and legends mentioned in the book are briefly surmised. The pictures are all in black and white. Most beings mentioned in the book are not pictured. Having no other similar book to compare this to, I'd say it's pretty complete. I've never heard of most of the creatures listed. I did find a few beings missing that I think are important and sometimes there are multiple entries for the same subject, under different and sometimes very similar names.
This book would be useful as a reference for a research paper and is a nice addition to anyone's library.

This is one for both the scholar who needs a quick reference and the casual enthusiast looking to impress friends with mythical trivia (not that many people have friends who are so easily impressed).

If you have any interest, academic or casual, in the mythical beasts of yore, I highly recommend Rose's encyclopedias (this, and the "sequel," which contains more benign beings). It's fascinating to see icons from ancient Mesopotamian myth, Japanese legend, Native American religion and contemporary American folklore all on the same page.

In addition to thorough explanations of the origins and significance of each beastie, Rose goes one step further by explaining parallels to other cultural icons, common heritages and even manifestations in modern popular culture (for instance, there are numerous entries about creatures from J.R.R. Tolkien's world, which, while not strictly mythical themselves, do draw their inspiration from real-world mythology).

There are a number of similar cyclopedic works available, but this one differs from the masses in that it is both thoroughly academic (unlike many of the recent pop-culture anthologies), -and- thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommended.

Ever since I was in high school long, long, ago, I have always wanted to learn about the history of the world, especially about why wars and battles were fought. Although my favorite time and study is the Civil War period and the Confederacy, other periods of history appeal to me. I love military strategy and in this book i found just what I wanted. Mr. Davis does not just explain the battle but before he describes it, he gives to you a background of events and then after a description of the battle, he gives to you all the important results. Then he gives to the reader some important references which I have very much used. You can't go wrong with the purchase of this valuable book. Buy-Read-Enjoy.

Paul Davis undertakes an effort to identify the 100 most decisive battles in history. The three criteria that he uses to select key battles:

"1. The outcome of the battle brought about a major political or social change. . . .
2. Had the outcome of the battle been reversed, major political or social changes would
have ensued. . . .
3. The battle marks the introduction of a major change in warfare."

There follows the enumeration, with each battle covered in 4-5 pages, with (sometimes) maps, with a brief preface that outlines what happened and why the battles was important.

The book reads pretty well and provokes a lot of thinking about the subject. However, there is some idiosyncrasy in the selection of battles. Of course, honorable people will differ, but some of the choices are strange indeed.

Inchon is selected as a decisive battle; yet the Korean War was something of a draw. Hard for me to see how a long, bloody, and indecisive conflict could have a battle conceived as one of the world's most decisive combats. "Desert Storm"? A third rate power (Iraq) against the most powerful nation on earth? A one-sided conflict. Further, the invasion of Iraq in the 21st century suggests that there was nothing decisive about Desert Storm. Otherwise, why a revisitation of the conflict between the United States and Iraq? The fact that four of the hundred were from the Pacific Theater in World War II suggests a real imbalance. Further, the author uses a strange logic to argue that Pearl Harbor was decisive. A great loss led to the US entering the war. An awkward logic by which to label this decisive. Midway was much more important, since it wrecked much of the Japanese carrier capability. Another query: Why both Leipzig and Waterloo? How often does Napoleon need to be defeated for a decisive victory? And if those were decisive, why include Napoleon's great victories, since he was fated to lose (e.g., Jena)? Why Jena rather than his masterpiece at Austerlitz? The rationale for Jena is pretty weak.

As other reviewers note, there is a heavy emphasis on Western battles.

In the end, even though one can disagree with many of the selections, this is a good read and does lead to some thinking about what were the most decisive battles. The fact that such questions emerge suggests the utility of the volume.

This is definately not a novel you can sit down and read in one sitting but it is must for any history buffs. Anyone interested in how civilization came into being will need to ruffle through these pages to find that one battle they couldn't quite remember in the car (not that anyone does that). It is highly knowledgable about the general results and actions in many famous battles.

This book provides, for 100 definitive battles in history, the historical setting, the battle including a short description of it and a diagram or map showing the where the armies were positioned, and the result, the result including the effect on history and what would have happened if the battle had been won by the other side.

It is an excellent reference as well as a good summary of history with all the battles placed in date sequence. It is fun to read. I found myself picking out may favorite battles and then reading the battles before and after. Finally, I found I had read the whole book. When I read a book which refers to a battle, I grab this book for a broad historical perspective. I only wish I had acquired it years ago.

"100 Decisive Battles" provides detailed information about 100 of the most important battles in the history of the world. With an average of 4 or 5 pages per battle, the book not only provides the reader with an excellent resource, but informative, in- depth passages as well. Every entry includes the name and date of the battle, as well as information about the opposing commanders, the size of the forces involved, and casualties. Also, the campaign and historical setting surrounding the battle are analyzed and explained. Many maps, pictures, and 'sidebars' with information about topics related to the battle are included.

Unlike many similar books, "100 Decisive Battles" is unbiased in its account of the battles, and also gives equal coverage to battles in all parts of the world, including regions often given insufficient coverage by other sources, such as the Middle East and Central America.

A table of contents, a preface explaining how the battles are selected, and an easy to use index are included.

Here is a list of all the battles listed in "100 Decisive Battles":

Megiddo, Thymbra, Marathon, Salamis, Leuctra, Syracuse, Chaeronea, Gaugamela, Ipsus, Metaurus River, kai-hsia, Zama, Pydna, Alesia, Pharsalus, Actium, Teutoburg Forest, Beth-horon, Milvian Bridge, Adrianople, Chalons, Tricameron, Badr, Constantinople, Tours, Pavia, Lechfeld, Hastings, Manzikert, Jerusalem, Hattin, Second Battle of Taraori, Bouvines, Ain Jalut, Hsiang-yang, Hakata Bay, Brusa, Crecy, Orleans, Constantinople, Grenada, Tenochtitlan, Panipat, Vienna, Cajamarca, Lepanto, Spanish Armada, Sekigahara, Breitenfeld, Shanhaikuan, Naseby, Battle of the Dunes, Blenheim, Poltava, Culloden, Plassey, Quebec, Trenton, Saratoga, Yorktown, Valmy, Rivoli, Aboukir Bay (Battle of the Nile), Trafalgar, Jena?Auerstadt, Tippecanoe, Borodino, Leipzig, Waterloo, Ayacucho San Jacinto, Mexico City, Antietam (Sharpsburg), Gettysburg, Atlanta, Sedan, Tel el Kebir, Manila Bay, Mukden, Tsushima, First Battle of the Marne, Verdun, Brusilov Offensive, Second Battle of the Marne, Warsaw, Poland, Dunkirk, Battle of Britain, Moscow, Pearl Harbor, Singapore, Midway, Normandy (D-Day), Okinawa, Isreal's War of Independence, Huai Hai (Suchow), Inchon, Dien Bien Phu, Tet Offensive, Desert Storm.

Overall, this book is essential to the library of anyone interested in history or warfare.

This book is not readily available in stores so I was happy to see it online. It was a gift for a one year old whose birthday theme was Baby Einstein! The book came in good condition as well.

I love the idea for this book---a ABC book with real artwork to illustrate the letters---featuring many different styles of paintings. The art is for the most part well chosen and interesting---some is abstract, some realistic, some detailed, some simple. My daughter loved the picture illustrating violin, showing a man playing a violin for a little girl outside in a rustic area. We looked at that picture for a LONG time for a 2 year old!

However, the left sides of the page, with the Einstein character and the qustions, annoyed me. The Einstein goat or whatever he is looks so garish and silly compared to the art, and I think it's only a distraction. The questions seem determined to squeeze the joy out of the art---they mostly ask things like how many snakes you can see, or other concrete ideas, instead of just being conversation starters. I like the few times they ask something like how the queen must be feeling in a picture, instead of making sure that all the possible "educational" value is gotten from the artwork. I think some parents will feel compelled to question their kids with the provided questions, instead of just enjoying the artwork together. However, that's a quibble that doesn't ruin my enjoyment of this book. I do recommend it!

What an extraordinary way to combine alphabet with artwork! The book teaches A to Z and pairs each letter with a painting. For example, C is for cows and painting by Vincent van Gogh - Cows. Another example, T is for trees and painting by Gustav Klimt - Beech Trees. I'm glad that I bought this book for my son. Another wonderful addition to his library.

An excellent book! Not only does it expose little ones to art classics, but it also opens up a dialogue between the reader and the listener and all the while, honing their basic skills. What more could you ask for??!! For example, the book shows Picasso's "Young Boy with Dog" On the opposite page: "Dd, dog, D is for Dog. What color does the artist use most in the painting? What do you imagine the person and the dog are looking at?" It works on shapes, counting, spelling, colors, imagination AND art history! I knew the Baby Einstein DVDs were great and this book is no exception. Definitely recommended!

Great photos and educational questions to guide you in a discussion of art at any level with toddlers. I saw this same book at National Gallery of Art for more money. Glad I waited and bought it here