Publications Books

I feel like Groovy is like a programming language "Eintopf", it aggregates some best characteristics of a variety of programming languages. No matter which programming style you prefer - procedural, functional, object-oriented, meta-programming, static typed, dynamic typed... - Groovy has much to offer. The most beautiful thing is, you can easily combine different programming styles in one language and write most concise and self-explanatory code to solve your problem. With Groovy, you suddenly have so much mind-freedom, you have the choice of expressing your algorithms as close to the nature of the problems as possible.

There are languages having very concise syntax but the code is not easy for human to read. There are languages and APIs require more strikings on keyboard than thinking. Groovy is different. You have all kinds of syntax sugar while the code still tells a literal story in your problem domain.

The only fields I think Groovy might not be suitable are the machine-level infrastructures and image/audio/video processing. C and assembly languages are not replaceable by Groovy. In most other application fields, using Groovy can dramatically boost programmers' productivity and reduce programming errors.

I started off by simply renaming all .java files in my test packages to .groovy files. Worked. Then tried out it's closures and curry calls. For me there are a lot more to explore. Haskel fans will like Groovy. Smalltalk fans will like Groovy. Python fans will like Groovy. Lisp fans maybe too. Java folks? I for one, have already been conquered. If you program at all, by all means do yourself a favour and have a look at Groovy.

Groovy in Action is an excellent book on Groovy and programming. Get this book and get the insight, you'll be glad you do.

For those of you who haven't heard of Groovy, Groovy is a scripting language that is built on top of Java. Since it is written on top of Java, a Java developer can pick up pick Groovy in a snap.

I first heard about Groovy In Action (also known as GINA) during a Groovy presentation almost a year ago, the presenter was referring to Groovy In Action as one of the best references out at the time, After reading GINA, I was not disappointed. The roadmap given at the beginning of the book is a great guide to see how the book is organized out. As an added bonus, the book includes some great reference information at the end of the book. It contains Groovy Language information, a GDK API quick reference, and several great cheat sheets for items such as closures, lists, etc.

The book is full of great examples that you can use (some of the examples illustrate some of the finer points of the language).

In fact someone recently asked about where to find a complete specification of the Groovy Language. Guillaume Laforge, Groovy Program Manager and co-author of Groovy In Action, responded that the most current information can be found in Groovy In Action (source user@groovy.codehaus.org mailing list 3/16/2008).

Groovy in Action is one of the Groovy books that is a must have for anyone looking to get into Groovy Development.

This book is totally awesome. The book makes it very easy to jump around and come back to previous chapters. The book's online forum is great too. The author(s) respond very quickly. It is well worth the money. Order it now and you will be programming in Groovy very quickly.

While getting a little long in the tooth (GINA was released pre-Groovy 1.0, Groovy is now above 1.5), the material presented in the book is still very relevant and helpful. The biggest issue is that some of the newer (and cooler!) features, such as ExpandoMetaClass, of the language are not covered.

That being said, this is still a great introduction to the a language that will likely become an important player in Java shops as developers migrate existing designs to take advantage of the power the dynamic programming provides. The authors do a great job of explaining the concepts and syntax of the language, making it easy to quickly begin writing code of your own.

While books such as Groovy Recipes: Greasing the Wheels of Java are now available that cover the newest features in Groovy, a perusal of GINA can help to flatten the learning curve.

This book is fantastic. Very well done, easy read. It was the first tech book that I read cover-to-cover -without getting bored- in a long time. The author does a good job of explaining how Groovy works under the covers and does a great job of detailing how to make effective use of it.

The language itself is also impressive and I hope Groovy gets the attention it deserves. I hope all Java developers read this to see what they're missing in Java-land. :-)

Hindsight is 20/20, I'm sure the authors are sorry they included the last chapter on Grails as they did. But I don't fault them, as I'm sure the publisher was not uninvolved in that decision... ;-)

I'm giving it 5 stars anyway. Good work!

WOW! This book was out of this world. This is the first book that I have read by Eyone Williams and it was on point. Cartel Publications does it again. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for the sequel.

tHIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN I WROTE TO THE AUTHOR AND HE IS SO NICE HIS ADDRESS IS IN FRONT DROP HIM A LINE AND LET HIM KNOW HOW YOU LIKED THE BOOK HE WILL BE STOKED

THIS BOOK WAS SO RAW, DAT U COULDN'T HELP BUT ENJOY IT!!!! ACTION PACKED, NO BS!!! I KNOW, I KNOW IF YOU'VE READ SOME OF MY PRIOR REVIEWS, I STATED THAT I HATED BOOKS WHERE DA FEMALE CHARACTERS WERE OUT AND OUT SHOOT "EM" UP GANGSTA(BORING, CORNY),BUT DIS BOOK WAS DA TRUTH!!! KUDOS TO YOU MS WILLIAMS YOU DID DA DANG THANG WITH THIS BOOK !!!! I'M DEFINITELY CHECKING FOR YOUR FUTURE BOOKS AS WELL AS THE ONE BEFORE THIS ONE!!!!MS WILLIAMS PLEASE DON'T KEEP US WAINTING, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU'RE GOING TO FOLLOW DIS JAWN UP!!!!!PLEASE DON'T KEEP US WAITING 2 LONG!!!!!

Who said ladies could not bring it just as hard as men? Whoever it was has yet to pick up Hell Razor Honeys by Eyone Williams; a character-driven read which spotlighted females in the street game that were definitely harder than a lot of male characters I had the pleasure of reading about. Upon being challenged to use her body for material gain, Vida stepped out of Samara's shadow in the crew called The Come Back Honeys and did her thing as the leader of The Hell Razor Honeys. Consisting initially of Vida, Tia, and Ice, The Hell Razor Honeys were known for slicing and dicing ladies and gents alike. When Tec, a childhood and homey-lover-friend of Vida's, provided lessons on gunplay, the girls supplemented their razor game with heavy artillery use. Armed and even more dangerous, The Hell Razor Honeys take the D.C. streets by storm and eventually crossed borders into New York and California. As the wrong bodies started to drop, Vida was forced to examine her life and determine if everything The Hell Razor Honeys stood for was worth all the bloodshed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the rough-neck females of The Hell Razor Honeys because they really were hardcore and that is usually not prevalent in a lot of street literature. But my conflict was that although there was a lot of hell-raising, the plot was almost non-existent until close to the end of the book. The editing could have been a lot smoother and there was so much happening, I found it hard to rest with the read. It was one catastrophic event after another. There were also a lot of racy sex scenes, but I had a hard time enjoying them knowing these characters were very underage. And I am not sure if moving the kind of weight they were moving and having the type of guns they had was realistic enough for me. Again, this had to do with their ages. Street-lit readers who enjoy complete mayhem will love The Hell Razor Honeys. More seasoned street-lit readers may be put off by the late introduction of the plot. I am confident that if you read The Hell Razor Honeys, the second installment, Hell Razor Honeys II: Til Death Do Us Part, will be extremely better since there will be an understanding of the plot before picking it up.

Reviewed by Darnetta Frazier
APOOO BookClub

In HELL RAZOR HONEYS, Eyone Williams has crafted a tale that not only delves into street life but inside workings of a female crew. It is a chilling tale with some graphic descriptions that will keep the reader turning the pages to see what happens next. Williams has written the novel in a way that makes it is easy for the reader to engage with the characters and imagine the story as it moves along. It read like a movie. Adrenaline junkies looking for a fix will be richly rewarded by this action-fest.

In this book, Dr Lust provides a quick reference on every possible herb you could need. The book is very useful as an encyclopedia of herbs and their medicinal uses.

This great resourceful paperback on herbs,is still the best one around.It's packed with useful herbal information and history.Anyone interested in herbs should read this book.Anyone also studying and practicing Wicca can learn a lot from this little book.For the cost of this book,its well worth it.When first published ,in 1974,it was well ahead of its time.Nowadays,everybody knows the health benefits of 'Green Tea',Ginko Biloba and Hoodia.Green Tea burns body fat,aids digestion,surpresses appetite,flushes out free-radicals,and kills bacteria around your teeth.I was glad to have read it years ago and it got me thinking about better,healthier living.It also got me interested in the environment and gardening.When you hurt the environment,you hurt others and it will come back to haunt you too.

I have used this book so much over the years that I am about in need of a new one. This has so many herbs packed into a small, fat book. Excellent!

This is my second copy of this book, I bought my first one when I began to learn about herbs and wore it out from reading it so much. After 15 years of studying and 10 writing about herbs, this is one of my favorite books and I still learn from it. There is an incredible amount of information crammed into this 600+ page book, and its portable.

This is the one, the one book I feel anyone serious about herbs should have in their collection. It has proved invaluable to me in so many ways. It includes cosmetic and medicinal for most any herb you can think of. It is also good for information on traditional uses and background knowledge. It can be a bit overwhelming at first but once you get a grasp on how it is organised (it didn't take me long) it proves indespensible.

I've read this story to elementary age children for years. First graders to fifth graders,they are captured from the very first word and sit spell bound till the last. I guess the secret is that I love reading it as much
as they love listening.

I recently read this to a spellbound group of second graders. They so obviously enjoyed it and hung on the plot and dialogue, page after page. The teacher smiled a broad smile throughout and I have to say, it was a pleasure for me to reread it while I read it to them. So add about 20 more high marks to this WINNER from Eric Kimmel. I'm about to check out his other Hershel story as well.

I had ordered this for Hanukkah 2006, but luckily I took a sneak peak first. My daughter, aged 4, would find this far too scary. Despite its inappropriateness for the younger, more sensitive reader, it is excellently written and very well illustrated. I have not returned it, but it'll be a while before it comes down from my shelf.

I had the opportunity to interview Eric Kimmel for my podcast, The Book of Life. He is a very fun guy and I'm sure you'd enjoy hearing what he has to say about Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. You can listen to the interview at www.jewishbooks.blogspot.com - click on the December 2005 episode.

I read this story to introduce the theme of Hanukkah to my grade 2 and 3 students today, and I don't think I've ever seen them so enthralled by a book before. They absolutely loved it, and had a ball predicting ways in which *they* might outwit the Hanukkah goblins if they were in Hershel's shoes. Their ideas were so creative that I asked them to do an impromptu assignment in which they write their own ideas down in book form, with decorative pictures and all. This was one time I didn't hear groans at the thought of (horrors!) writing!

Great story, great pictures... great job!

"The Hidden Words" were penned by Baha'u'llah in the early years of His Ministry. These wonderful gem-like verses condense the experience of Divine Revelation to its spiritual essence. Few people are unaffected by the clarity and beauty of this small book.

Of "The Hidden Words", Baha'u'llah said:
"This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity."

It has been said that "The Hidden Words" is a love-song, a romance of the age-old Love of God for Man. Full of short verses, an underlying theme is the Divine Being's faithfulness and the inevitable unfaithfulness of His Creation, Man. "The Hidden Words" tells of a Beloved Who separates Himself from His creatures so that "spirit" may be breathed into those same creatures in mutually desired Reunion.

Due to its brevity, "The Hidden Words" is a take-everywhere volume of slim proportion and vast resource both within the Baha'i Community and the greater community of believers. Highly recommended to those of contemplative bent.

The words of the Hidden Words contain life's purpose, goals, and meaning. Each read brings new understanding. Wonderful!The Hidden Words

I have had a long curiosity about the Baha'i Faith and its teachings of the universal nature of religion, the unity of human beings, and the imperative of tolerating and respecting beliefs different from one's own. I have always been intrigued by how these teachings of universalism and the essential unity of all religions can fit within the confines of an individual, independent religion, the Baha'i Faith, with its own teachings and texts. Thus, I was pleased to have the opportunity to read this short book "The Hidden Words of Bahaullah" composed by the founder of the Baha'i Faith, Baha'u'llah (1817 -- 1892) while in prison. The book was written in part in Arabic and in part in Persian and was translated by Baha'u'llah's disciple, Shogi Effendi. This book was my first experience with Baha'i scripture.

"The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah" consists of about 153 short paragraphs in two parts. It is cast in the form of short revelations to Bahaullah each of which is prefaced by a short exortation such as "To the Son of Man" characterizing the person or persons to whom the revelation is addressed. There is a brief introductory paragraph to the collection, indicating that the aim of the text is to distill, in short form, teachings that are universal to the spiritual life. This goal of the collection is reflected in some of the comments on this site. These teachings have, and were intended to have, many parallels in the teachings of the other great world religions.

The teachings speak of the need for a pure heart, of the need of detachment from everyday life, and of the importance of not envying,critcizing or condemning others. I was struck by the other-worldiness of many of the teachings, as they exhort the follower to turn away from materialism and desire and turn one's attention and heart to the divine. To me, some of the teachings seem directed to mankind, while others, if I am not mistaken, appear primarily directed towards Baha'u'llah himself. In this latter regard, there are several of the teachings which speak of the value of imprisonment, suffering and martyrdom as they advance the cause of God. These teachings seem to be directed to the founder of the faith or to those in danger of persecution on account of their beliefs. While most of the short sayings are readily intelligible to readers of many backgrounds, some sections, particularly near the end of the book, allude to figures that have some specific meaning for the Baha'i faith.

This book is known within the Baha'i community but will appeal to those who have an interest in exploring a variety of spiritual traditions. I am in this latter group. It is an inspiring text. The work here is presented without an introduction, notes, or commentary. Thus, I was unable to learn the place of this specific text within the Baha'i teachings as a whole. An introduction to the book with an overview of the Baha'i Faith and of how this book fits within it would have been invaluable. Also, notes in the way of a commentary on the organization and substance of the text would have been helpful. There is always a great deal more to understanding a short spiritual work than reading the words of the text. Context and discussion would be useful.

This is an important religious text, and it is good to have it widely accessible. It will appeal to those readers interested in the Baha'i Faith, to those interested in comparative religion, and to those interested in spiritual growth.

Robin Friedman

Bahaullah wrote these short verses of wisdom at a time of great need for spiritual understanding for all mankind. They are inspiring and universal remedys for all beliefs. The best gift you could give yourself or a friend.

Everyone should read this book at least twice.

An excellent step through Cisco networking. This book begins with the definition and ends with future development. All aspects of high speed networks are covered along the way.

John has succeeded in making the whole complicated area of what happens behind the computer seem easy to understand. He has explained how to use technology to one's advantage and understand the value of doing so. A well recommended read.

I gave the book as a gift to a friend who is the CIO of an ISP and I know he went out , bought 10 more copies for all of his managers and thanked me with a note saying the John Vacca book is a God sent for his business. What more can I say

With the rapid advances in technology, upgrading of high speed networks will occur sooner rather than latter. High-Speed Cisco Networks by John Vacca provides experienced networking professionals with a step by step approach to all they will need to know about Cisco's LAN and WAN systems. It is the reference tool to use to understand the Cisco products so that planning, designing and implementing a high performance LAN or WAN system can commence.

I have been working in IT & network support for some years now, and am currntly untaking the Cisco Acadmey programs. This book turned up at the right time, as it explains things with greater clarity than anything else I have found. The presentation is logical and of a linear manner, making this my first choice in reference material, for both my studies and professional undertakings.

It's about time that there's a book that looks at the uniqueness of women's bodies and works with them. The book is an easy read and makes so much sense. I was able to implement everything Michelle suggested and was so delighted to find immediate success. If you are looking for a way to lose weight, gain muscle and become a BuffMother, this is the book for you!

Michelle Berger hit the nail on the head with this one. Her philosophy for women's fitness is unlike anything else I've experienced. I've read a million books on building the woman's body, but this actually WORKED! I've had 3 children, including twins. My body couldn't get any worse so I applied Michelle's plan. Within 6 weeks of applying her *prescription* I had made a VERY noticeable change in my body AND in my mind. I am continuing down this road and see VERY good things for my future in fitness!

Everything a woman needs to know about how to achieve a beautiful, buff body before and after babies! Packed full of information for women and how to understand and overcome self sabotage.

I've had the opportunity to work with Michelle and she is absolutely amazing. The information you will find here in her book is priceless!! I highly recommend this book to women who are interested in getting in shape and staying in shape!

I've been part of Michelle's BUFFMOTHER Rally Room for over two years now. It's a place with an amazing positive force. I have applied much of what Michelle teaches into my workouts over the years and have seen some Great Results and I'm currently training with her personally and can't wait to see how I can change even more!! I knew she was writing her book over the years and couldn't wait for it to come out.
When it did, I was so impressed by the book that I bought 5 more as gifts for my daughters and girlfriends. To be able to understand and work with your hormones is SO valuable!! She has a way of writing that really helps you to understand the cycle and the reasons we feel the way we do at certain times of the month and then how to work with those times in our eating and workouts. Why not work WITH your Hormomes instead of Against them!! Also in the book she shares information to her Rallyroom, her supplements and how you can Build a Better Legacy for yourelf.

My son thinks he is the boy in this book. This might be in part because I like to insert his name in the title and question that is asked in the book: How do I love you ______? I like to end with I love you ____. We own the board book version and it is a bedtime favorite. Our family discovered P.K. Hallinan (who does his own illustrations) when we purchased a copy of A Rainbow of Friends. Hallinan has written and illustrated several children's books; another of his books, similar to How Do I Love You? (though not quite as good) is ABC I Love You - this book has a brother and sister in it, so I can read it to my son and daughter together, and they can both be in the story. :-)

Reinforces the unconditional love between a parent and a child in a cute little rhyme. There have been times when my own kids have gone through one of the same things this kiddo goes through, and I quote part of the poem to them---for example "I love the way you act so brave when you fall and hurt your knee" or "and even though it may not show, i love you when you're bad." My kids love it, and I mean every word when I read it to them.

This book is so sweet. It makes me stop and appreciate all the little things about our boys that can drive us crazy.
"Even when you lose your shoes, I love you just the same," she says, and the picture shows a little boy in his church clothes with his pants rolled up like he played in the creek. I love cuddling with my little boys and loving on them while we read it.

Our 4 kids absolutely love this book, so do I! :)- This is a frequent request! What a cozy book!

I bought this book sight-unseen as part of Amazon's 4-for-3 promotion. When it arrived, my first thought was that it was way too sweet... "Oh Gag!" came to mind. However, I pulled it out a few nights later and read it to my baby girl at bedtime and liked it. I pulled it out again the next night, and the next. It quickly became one of our favorites. It is an especially nice way to end a day that didn't go so well - too much whining, too much stress, too much everything - this is a nice little book to share at bedtime to calm down, slow down, and relax.

i havent taken a law school test yet so i dont exactly know how applicable delaneys points are. What i can say is that the book is pretty comprehensive though. It tells you what skills you will need to develop for law school and describes ways in which to hone in on them. all in all i would have to say it's one of the most important books anyone could read before/during law school and is definitely worth its modest cost

In this day in age, where law school prep has become an industry of its own, you find yourself wondering which ones are worth paying attention to, and which ones are worth ignoring. Delaney's book definitely belongs in the prior category. It's helpful, but it's also not overly complex. I love how he explains ideas with concision and gets right to the point. As a law professor, his words have instant credibility.

I highly recommend this book to any 1L, whether you're looking to survive first year or make law review.

well worth your time and money.... also make sure you read Planet Law School II by Atticus Falcon (especially before law school)

The book was excellent, and service second to none. I recommend this to friends all the time.

First, I should begin by saying what has turned out to be true. Law school is tough. It is extremely challenging, the amount of information is overwhelming, and the in-class atmosphere is unnerving. It is, I believe, more different and difficult than most undergrad and grad students realize.


Second, your time constraints will be intense. If you undertake an earnest effort to read your cases, properly brief, use resources such as hornbooks and outline, you will probably not have enough time to develop the skills necessary to write an effective exam-answer during law school.


Last, it is why this book is so important to read and prior to entering law school: difficulty of exams, complexity of material, vast amounts of information and reading, intense time constraints, and most importantly, your grade will be determined by your final exam performance.


SOME COMMENTARY ON LAW EXAMS & SOCRATIC METHOD (*WARNING*)
I would be disingenuous and perhaps remiss if I did not seize a good opportunity to complain about law school to those considering attending law school. Do not fret, I will try to be brief. I think after the first or second semester of law school, you acquire the analytical skills, discipline, and ability to read and understand complex material at a maximum level. I am skeptical that a second year of law school is necessary, let alone a third year. The second-year should consist of skills development, job-training, and some classroom work. The third-year should be eliminated or optional for those that want more education or specialization (such as an LLM). Most (all?) countries do not have law schools in the way the United States does; instead, students study law as undergrads or earn a master's in law.

LAW SCHOOL EXAMS
Your law school grade is, exclusive of everything else (class participation, research papers, group projects, etc.) based on the final exam. You will not obtain credit for research papers, drafting memorandum, participating in class, or for group projects. Your entire grade is based on the final. It is a bizarre if not backward way of measuring a person's ability to think like a lawyer.

It behooves you to develop exam-taking skills now if you are a serious student and hope to succeed in law school.

SOCRATIC METHOD
In some respects, I think my speaking ability has slightly diminished as a result of the socratic method. I find it especially jarring when a law student is called-on to recite a fact-pattern or passage. I think it is completely unnecessary for students to have to read paragraphs and mostly a waste of time. If some of you were like me, you probably participated in class actively as an undegrad or grad students, were always well prepared, and most-likely shined in class discussions. Law school is more challenging to shine in class because the amount of material is considerable and complex, and the professor will ask you questions that will probably tongue-tie you. And this will occur in class, surrounded by nearly 100 of your classmates, depending on your school. You are, however, expected to be well-prepared for class and you will be called upon at random.

I dislike the socratic method because it makes law students unnecessarily neurotic and undermines learning. In business school, for example, students' participation was often (but not always) grounded in real-life experiences that enhanced discussion and added flavor to debate.

Law school classroom discussions are an altogether different atmosphere, and I think a rather deficient method of teaching.

As an aside, I wish law schools would format classroom participation in a similar way such as at the London School of Economics. You attend a lecture by a professor for around an hour or so. You can ask questions during the prof's lecture but it is primarily the prof's perspective on the material. Then in the evening you attend a group discussion with a Ph.D. candidate, where participation is the focus. Everyone has an opportunity to speak, raise questions, engage in debate, and so forth. You attain a deeper, more sophisticated understanding of the subject material and acquire strong communication skills in the process.

The combination of your grade being based solely on the final exam and the socratic method make law school a much more challenging, stressful, and somewhat confusing experience than it has to be. Be prepared.


USEFULNESS OF THE BOOK
You are the individual responsible for your education and grades. I find classroom learning, in law school, to be inadequate. I have found learning from casebooks to be particularly inadequate. Law school is about YOU, the law student, and less about reading cases and fretting about the socratic method. It is about YOU in terms of your skills, abilities, and exam performance. It is a strange if not deficient way to exclusively measure law school performance, but it is the system.

Reading this book and preparing in earnest will provide you with an understanding on how to analyze complex legal material. You need to learn the material and work with it daily. Reading a case and briefing it is not sufficient to do well. Law school is not college; it is a challenging and complex job.

Your ability to issue-spot on law exams should improve, which is a critical exam-taking skill. The author explains how to anticipate issues, identify primary and secondary issues, and how to explain and illustrate the issues you spotted. Spotting issues, though critical, is not sufficient on law exams. You will be expected to supply a lawyerly analysis of each and every issue as it relates to the fact pattern on a law school exam. Serious preparation, a whole lot of practice, and a bit of luck are all necessary.

You will also learn to outline, and I would not rely on others' outlines in law school. The most important part of outlining is the process of studying, creating your own outline. It will be how you learn the material, and you should use a good hornbook in making your outline. Outlining is not sufficient in law school. The best outline in the world will not help you if you do not prepare and practice regularly.

The book will help you with understanding your own learning strategy, which is vital to know prior to entering law school. You need to know how to study, prepare, and practice law school exams prior to entering. The book also provides excellent practice essay exams with answers.


CONCLUSION
I confidently recommend HOW TO DO YOUR BEST ON LAW SCHOOL EXAMS for those interested in preparing for law school. I have read many and varied "law school prep" books and courses. Many are inadequate, some are useless, and others provide bad advice. Success in law school is determined by one and only one measure: the final exam. If you are considering or are about to attend law school, it is wise to pick-up this book to better understand and prepare for law school exams. Law school is an intellectual privilege, although I am somewhat skeptical of its value after the first-year.

You must get-through (survive) law school to practice law. I wish you the best of luck in the endeavor. Never forget to pursue Justice and defend the Constitution.

Goodness... long review!

I hope the above was helpful.

I bought this book for an art teacher friend who uses it constantly in her high school classes.

I bought a copy for my seven-year-old step-daughters and packed it for a long car trip over Labor Day weekend. The girls giggled wildly while pouring over the artwork and the questions they posed, and then spent a good long time working on their own "What if..." questions and accompanying illustrations.

A fine picture book all around!

Working with kids is great...yet if you don't keep them occupied at all times my job description would be zoo keeper, not Elementary Art Teacher! At first, Sarah Perry's book "If..." served as a functional time filler. I knew the kids would get a kick out of the wonderful images! I introduce the book and the kids are still a bit restless and and not totally convinced that the art teacher is reading a book. Isn't that the librarians job, they think as they roll their eyes. I open to the first page and read,"If cats can fly..." their heads turn and their rolling eyes become transfixed on Perry's beautiful illustrations. I turn the page and by now the audience is silently screaming for more!!! By this time the students' teacher has come to pick the kids up from the art room, but instead of lining up the class, she has pulled up a seat to listen in on the fun! Nine times out of ten, when I am finished sharing the book, the students ask me to read it again. The kids walk out of the classroom with a smile on their face and their imaginations zooming!!! Parents stop me in the hallways to speak about the delight their child experienced when I was reading the book! I give the credit to Sarah Perry! Thank you Sarah...this functional time filler has become an imagination can opener!!!

This book is so beautifully illustrated and the ideas it presents are really fun. We got it as a baby shower gift and it immediately became a favorite of my husband and mine. Now my 2-year old loves to pour over the illustrations and giggles at the silly ideas. It's a book that I know she will keep into her adulthood.

My grandson who is almost four loves this book. He packed it to bring back to Me Me's when he spent the night.

The book, "If" is a great one for teachers to teach the trait of Ideas. Wonderful illustrations!