Readers Books

What a beautiful story about compassion, love and friendship. It's perfect for all ages and everyone loves receiving this book as a gift. I can't wait to read more books by this very talented author, Corey Rosen-Schwartz.

The language is sharp, the images bright, and any toddler would delight in following an adult reading the book. A definite delight.

"Hop! Plop!" begins with two bored friends on a sunshiny day. They decide to head down to the playground for a little fun.

And that's when the trouble begins. You see, our two friends are physically incompatible--one is an elephant, the other a mouse. The seesaw is complete failure, with poor mouse set flying with a "hop," a "plop," a "boom," and a "bop." Mouse tries to eat an entire watermelon to even up their weight, but all that water content doesn't help. Needless to say, "the swings were a total flop" as well. As is the whirlybird.

Finally, the elephant discovers some playground equipment that will work for the two friends. He creates a slide from his own trunk. The two are delighted and celebrate with rounds of "you're my favorite."

Written in compact prose by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Tali Klein, "Hop! Plop!" is, on the surface of things, a simple tale. But it offers so much more. "Hop! Plop!" is the perfect choice for a preschool or kindergarten unit on weights and measures. It's also a classic sibling or friend "finding a compromise" story. With a little ingenuity, two friends or siblings can work anything out, despite their differences. "Hop! Pop!" is also an excellent early reader title. Schwartz and Klein have kept the difficult words to a minimum and there are plenty of excellent onomatopoeic words just perfect for sounding out.

Olivier Dunrea's cheerful, warm illustrations really drew me in. They suggest a languid summer's day when kids (or mice and elephants) have the freedom to find something to do.

"Hop! Plop!" is highly recommended for children ages three to eight.

This book is so wonderful. It was reccomened to me by a customer of mine. The wording is great and big enough for kids. The illustrations are out of this world. My son loves it. I have decided that I will be giving this book to all the kids in my extended family this holiday.

I am a child and family therapist as well as a mother of 3 year old twins and a 5 year old. I am a Mom first so when I first read this book I was so impressed with the concepts being taught behind the story of two friends whom appear to be from opposite worlds. As a professional who works with small children I can see myself using this book within play therapy to help teach problem solving, tolerance of personal and physical differences, how to make those differences be a positive not a negative and the benefits of compromise within relationships whether it be friends (as it was in the book) or family. It has wonderful lessons carefully woven throughout the delightful text and captivating illustrations. A must have for any pre-schooler. It is a daily request in our household.

How to be a Pirate


How to be a Pirate is one book you have to read sometime in your life! This book from Cressida Cowell is about pirates dragons and thieves! I recommend this book to people the like adventure and dangerous books. A boy named Hiccup his dad is the chief of the Harry Hooligans Hiccup must become the heir. He must go to the island of the scullions and get the treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly. But there are a few problems they come acrossed a guy named Alvin the Treacherous. He wants in on the treasure so he says he is "Alvin the poor but honest farmer". They sail to the island of the skullions on the Lucky 13. Alvin stays in the boat Snout Lout finds the fake treasure but Grimbeard booby-trapped it. They almost get killed. Will Hiccup find the treasure first and become the heir? Find out in the book How to be a Pirate.

How to be a Pirate
By Cressida Cowel

Have you ever been with Vikings? Now you can. This book is very funny and imaginative, recommended for all ages.

The book's point of view is from Hiccup, the main character. The action begins on a pirate ship named the Lucky Thirteen where Hiccup and the Hairy Hooligans are practicing to be pirates. Each boy has a dragon for a pet. They find a coffin floating in the water. They open it and out pops a character named Alvin, the poor but honest farmer. This is an example of this wild, wonderful, heartwarming fiction. Toothless is the name of Hiccups dragon. Although Toothless is very lazy he is also very funny. An example of a funny quote is "He leapt forward and bit that wobbling rear end as hard as he could".

I liked this book because its funny and adventurous. The characters have hilarious names, like Dogs Breath the Duh Brain, Snotlout, Baggy Bum. Hiccup and his best friend, Fish legs are both wimps. This book will show that even wimps can save the day. Don't read this book without reading How to Train Your Dragon, the first book in the series of three. You will find yourself going on an adventure and laughing hysterically.

My 9 year old read all three of these books within a few days and giggled his whole way through. Highly recommend!

My Name is Jack and I'm 8 years old and I love to read. I read this book in three days because I just couldn't stop reading. I loved it because it was funny, surprising, and one of the best books I've read. My favorite part was when the boat sinks and Hiccup ends up in an underwater cave and finds the treasure of Grimbeard the Gastly. It's all about Pirates, Vikings and Dragons which I love. Now I am gong to find the other books in the series too!

I read this book and "How to Train Your Dragon" to my fifth grade class. When I finished they begged me to go on Amazon and look up the next book - which we discovered will be published in May. I ordered it right then and they have circled the anticipated delivery date. The characters are amusing, the writing is fresh, the vocabulary (especially the character's names) is right up an adolescent's alley - and they loved having a grown up having to pronounce names like Snotlout and Baggybum. Practically every one of the kids (average to above average readers) have read both of the books on their own, also.

The Hunting of the Snark is a whacky piece of poetical silliness by Lewis Caroll. Complete nonsense, no-one knows what a Snark is, or why Snark hunters hunt it, or why anyone would want to become a Snark hunter to start with. Anyway, the poem is definitely amusing at times with some of the humour he slips in.

The Hunting of the Snark seems to be a very, very short imitation of The Canterbury Tales. The first chapter (titled a fit) introduces all of the occupations of all the different people going on a journey. However, instead of going on a general pilgrimage and telling tales along the way, their trip is very specific to hunting.

The Baker actually attempts to tell a story, but the Bellman (who leads the group) says there's no time for storytelling. They have to catch the Snark before nightfall.

Along with the Bellman and Baker, a Banker, a Bonnet-maker, a Butcher, a Boots, a Billiard-maker, a Barrister, a Broker, and a Beaver tag along to hunt for the Snark. The Beaver is afraid of getting cut by the Butcher, so he puts on a dagger-proof coat and talks to the Banker about buying an insurance policy.

The Beaver is involved in a hilarious scene with the Butcher later, when the two attempt to compute sums. But perhaps the funniest scene of the entire book is in the Barrister's dream when the Snark declares sentence on a pig, only to find out the pig has been dead long before the trial even began.

I'd highly recommend this short poem for Carroll fans, even though it's not big enough to contain but a small portion of what's to be found in the Alice books.

I have read a great deal of nonsense in the past, but this was by far the best nonsense that I have ever read. There is no point, no meaning, no sense, and no boringness. It is a delightful poem (which is well written and very fun to read aloud) about a crew on a ship hunting a snark. The crew includes a captain who only rings a bell, a beaver, a cook who only cooks beavers (the beaver and the cook did not get along well), a man afraid that the snark would turn into a boojum and make him disappear, etc. As you can tell, this makes for an insanely silly poem. The subtitle is rather fitting, as my sides were definitely hurting from laughter when I was done. Well done Mr. Carroll.

Overall grade: A+

Nonsense poems can easily miss the mark
Yet, this masterpiece has that spark.

"How do you kill a _____?", you ask
To find the answer was the hunters' task.

"What was their fate?", you wonder
Did they ever catch their elusive plunder?

A paragon of haunting Carollian lore
Be in no doubt that you'll finish wanting more.

This poem is just great!

First, this one of the most delightful pieces of writing that ever appeared in (more or less) English. It succeeds as a sustained exercise in illogic. I am sure that only a mathematical logician like Dodgson could possibly have pulled it off - only someone with such deep understanding of reason could master unreason so completely.

Second, Martin Gardner's commentary adds depth and background to the reading. Gardner explains terms that are now obsolete, but also adds his own analysis and a rich history of the Snark phenomenon. It should be no surprise that Gardner is still best known as the long-time editor of Scientific American's column on Mathematical Games, a mathematician himself.

I can't add much to the scholarship or praise that already surrounds this incredible poem. I would like to point out, however, that most non-native English speakers are unfamiliar with this poem. Many of them have only ever seen the serious side of the English language, and have never seen English at play. I consider this short work to be the ideal introduction to the very best of English-language nonsense.

//wiredweird

Dear Karen Hesse,

Just Juice was a great book!It also taught me 3 lessons!You should try this book to have a fun time reading books.

Sincerely,
Emily Cheung

This is the first book I have read by Karen Hesse, and it probably won't be the last.

I am a sixth-grade reading teacher for struggling readers, many of whom are English language learners. I used this book in the classroom for the first time this semester, and my kids really enjoyed it. The language is approachable without being low, and the tone is sweet and simple without being sappy or emotional. And the plot? Well, we got to the last quarter of the story and the students, who will gripe and complain whenever they have to pick up a book, were on the edges of their seats with anticipation. It was a this-is-why-I'm-a-teacher experience!

The story of the Faulstiches is told from Juice's perspective: she is the nine-year-old middle child of five sisters, and she has trouble staying in school. Her Ma is pregnant; her Pa is out of work but an excellent machinist. They have very little, but are a happy family. Several challenges to the family's security and happiness come along at once, but in the end, they are all better for it. And the reader is better for having read it. I highly recommend adding this book to your library.

Have you ever felt worrried for your parents? To stupid to be at school? thats exacly how Juice the unfortunet pooor girl feels because of family troubles and does not have the ability to read or count. Juices family owes two years worth of taxes to the govern ment and stand to lose their house. Juice hates school so she often misses it. Juices mother Ma is expecting a new baby and is diagnosed with diabetes. Pa is trying to find work but is not having any luck. When Pa finally finds work as a metal worker he is too busy shaping metal and delivering it. One day Ma is in labour and Pa goes into town to find help and Juice is left to deliver the baby but not all goes to plan. This book is adrama and action story full of life and is easy to read. I reccomend this book for children who find it hard to read novels and children who are just developing their reading skills.

I think Just Juice was an interesting book because Just Juice had a lot of action and Just Juice never got boring. One of the exciting parts of the book Is how Juice's family is going to pay their taxes.Another exciting part of the book is how Juice could not read. So she got held back a year. She felt really discourage that she could not read. I thought that was interesting because I was thinking how is she going to learn how to read.The Last exciting part is Ma's blood sugar and how Juice helped her read the blood sugar when she was having her baby.
I would recommend this book to 5 th grader girls because there are not many boys in the story and to people who have diabetes because it shows how people can help them.
The theme of the book is how you works together as a family.

I used this book as a read aloud with my third grade class in New York City. A few of the children have been struggling with reading since they began school, and I felt that those students might connect with the main character in some way, shape, or form. I was not prepared for the profound impact this book would have on all of my students. As a class, they were moved to tears towards the end of this story. During our book talks, I watched children who have hesitated at speaking during literature discussions finally raise their hands and share their thoughts. They know a person like Juice, some are just like Juice. This book broke down an invisible wall in my classroom, allowing my children to have an open, honest dialogue about their own difficulties with reading and matters of the heart. "Just Juice" has changed the way many of my children view themselves as readers, students, and little people. I thank you, Karen Hesse. My students thank you.

We keep buying this for children, but all the adults who see this are mesmerized! A winner!

This is a great book that my 21 month old daughter loves. She has been learning her colors and this book helped.

This is such a cute book! My 3-year-old daughter loves to have it read to her, and "read" it back to me as well. She always gets a kick out of the "wrong" colors for familiar objects. I plan on buying this book as a birthday gift for another young child very soon.

My grandchildren, ages 6 and 3, and I enjoyed this very simple but most pleasurable book. The kids giggled and I smiled. Beautiful colors; cleverly arranged cut-outs. The idea that lemons are NOT red and other items are NOT colors that they're not, has great appeal to these young minds.

A terrific book for thinking about color, enjoying beautiful art, and just having fun. Clever take on the tired color concept book. Your kids will be laughing and thinking and immersed in high quality art. What could be better?

My daughter has been somewhat obsessed with the Little Bear tv show on Noggin for almost a year now. It's all she watches so when I saw these books I was really excited. We got them for her for Christmas and she just loves them.
I reccommend the books cuz they are sweet stories about Little Bear and his friends and family.

The little bear stories are one of my son's absolute favorites. It is a shame the cartoon is no longer on the air, as I'm sure he'd love that too, but the books are adorable and heartwarming as well. My son loves reading these books, and its really a joy to read this to him and see the expression of delight on his face. Really a great book for your kids.

I bought these books for my 4 month old daughter. We've already read them (just before bedtime) more than once. I grew up with these books and they bring back great memories of when I was younger. These books are great for bedtime with the real little ones, and perfect starters when they first start to read on their own. Every child should be familiar with these books. They are classics.

This is a set of books that is perfect for children to read. Innocent, heart warming, and charming, Little Bear is a series that your young child will love to read again and again. Also, if your child loves the Little Bear series as much as mine do, there are dvds of episodes from the tv show based on these books that they would love as well.

As far as good, clean, books for kids 2-6, thre are none better than the Little Bear series.

I will not belabored this point, I have read all the previous reviews and I can say with total certainty that they are pretty much on the mark. This book will definitely give you a greater understanding of Lord of the Rings and the author's intentions. I would have to say that its just about mandatory supplemental reading material in truly understanding Tolkien's work. It will amazed any reader how much, how far and from within, Tolkien gathered his materials to write his masterpiece. It will also surprised any reader how Lord of the Rings had been altered bit here and bit there over the various publications. So please read many of the reviews written before me, some of them are quite insightful and informative. Then if you are truly interested in Lord of the Rings as a literature, buy this book.
(This book probably could be read side by side while reading Lord of the Rings but reading the book as a whole could be bit difficult. After all, there are hundreds upon hundreds of pages, nit-picking and explaining Tolkien's words, phases and all that. Nice place might be your bathroom if you take my meaning.)

This comprehensive work consists of bits of information derived from everything that ever had anything to do with Tolkien, his manuscripts, letters, and works, and it is astounding. Every annotation is explained in depth and with accuracy.

I just got the book but am thoroughly impressed with this work. Each book is broken down pretty much by paragraph and the relevant information and background, and history is given. I look forward to exploring more with this book, and would definitely recommend this to any fan of LOTR.

As the authors point out in their own introduction, publishing an annotated edition of The Lord of the Rings, complete with the text, was a practical impossibility. Thus was this "Reader's Companion" brought into being. Perhaps not so intuitive and casual to use (as is, say, Douglas Anderson's "Annotated Hobbit") with a separate copy of LOTR, but at nearly 1200 pages, and with this Companion running over 900 pages, you can easily see why Hammond and Scull and their publishers chose to go this route. As a single volume such a thing might be used to stun a Warg!

As a guide, index, and explicatory text, LOTR: A Reader's Companion excels and exceeds expectations. It is very nearly exhaustive, without being exhausting (as such a book might easily have been). Rigorous and of real use to the serious scholar and academic, but readiy accessible and fun to read for the general Tolkien reader who takes pleasure in going deeper into the story, the backstory, and the life of Tolkien and his greatest tale.

LOTR: A Reader's Companion is as well a clear and well organized accesory volume. Much easier to use than most supplemental guides, it is keyed chapter-by-chapter, and page-by-page to the main text (I have 7 editions of LOTR, paper and hardcover, single-volume and sets, and finding the passage referred to in this Reader's Companion is quick and easy in most cases, as is finding appropriate entries in the RC while reading LOTR and coming across an item you want to know more about). I strongly recommend this book to any reader who has or will read LOTR more than once. It is addictive and fun to read all by itself, and deeply informing when read side-by-side with its source.

The book itself is a sturdy, handsome, well put together piece of publishing. A nicely utilitarian, simple, but still elegant cloth binding, with bright foil stamped spine, and a jacket with a plasticized lining, which will make it stand many more hours and years of handing and reading than most paper backed jackets. The paper is excellent stock, of moderate weight in a very pale cream tone. The print is crisp, dark, and thoroughly consistent throughout (which is becoming something rare even in quality hardcovers recently), and the type is a pleasing traditional serif face of good size, and easy to read. Not certainly a self-consciously "fine" or "collector's" edition, but as definately a book that will last and put up with use, and nonetheless has been designed with care and concern for the craft of book-making.

I own it, and I recommend this "Companion" to all interested readers and their libraries, small and large. With Foster's "Complete Guide to Middle-earth" and Christopher Tolkien's "History of Middle-earth", Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull shall have an equal position (to say: even somewhat superior as regards LOTR in particular, where the other two authors' work is more widely focused on the entire legendarium and body of JRRT's work). My only cavil, and I think it slight, is the absence of photos, drawings, publishing ephemera, and other graphicals, which were so prominent and vital in Anderson's "Annotated Hobbit". But: Buy it! Read it! You'll delight in it! It will enlarge your understanding and pleasure each time you read LOTR, whole or part.

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"...has left the path of wisdom." -- Gandalf

If you'd like to ruin Tolkien's beautiful and exciting story for yourself, I can't think of a better way than this excessive scholarship.

Lest "ruin" seem an extreme term, it means, in this context: remove the LotR from the realm of great story-telling, and enter it needlessly into the superfluous arena of pedantic academia.

I admit that I only got through a few pages before disposing of it, and that I fail utterly to understand what's meant to be gained from turning a tale that's merely meant to be enjoyed (for reference to this, I highly recommend The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien) into "study."

The only reason I'm writing a review in the first place -- I can't be bothered to add one for every volume of the baffling collection of rough drafts called the History of Middle-Earth -- is to counter, for curious minds, the other reviews that call this book "indispensable." It is not. By all means, dispense with it, and retain your sense of wonder for the story itself.

Those who would argue in favor of literary critics (and the like) accepting the LotR as worthy of "merit" because of publications like this should ask themselves: "Who cares? Do I enjoy Tolkien's stories or not? What does the approval of my tastes by others matter?" Seems a rather superficial aim to me.

I offer four stars nonetheless, because anything less strikes me as needlessly rude, in light of the sheer effort. The labor must have been massive.

But Tolkien would have been horrified.

Yes, yes, yes to all the earlier reviewers! That's why I put Madam, Will You Talk? on my listmania list of favorite romances - along with my alltime Stewart favorite: Nine Coaches Waiting. They both hold all the essential ingredients for a good read - not the least being excellent writing. It's all too true that most contemporary love stories, suspense thrown in or not, are written at an elementary school literary level. I've submitted 3 manuscripts to Avalon, all of which were returned with comments that my writing was excellent and my characters engaging but I spent too much time on plotlines and peripheral characters outside of the central love story - which is exactly what I prefer in a story! Thank goodness Stewart never followed Avalon's "Rules for Writing"! Unlike some other reviewers, I lost interest in Stewart with her Merlin series. It's her early first-person narratives that enthralled. Her sense of place, plot, and people cannot be beat in this genre! Sad to say, my local library does not carry a single one of her early romantic suspense novels, so I'm on a quest to build my own Stewart library. I don't reread many authors - but Stewart just gets better with time. Madam, Will You Talk? holds a line I've never forgotten over 30 years: "Who's Johnny?" Not what I expected the hero to ask in that scene but what an impact! Read the book and see if you agree. Lily's Sister

First Sentence: The whole affair began so quietly.

WWII war widow Charity Shelbourne whose holiday in France becomes life changing. It starts with a large dog and a young, clearly troubled, boy in Avignon and progresses with a suspicious step-mother, an Englishman who reads poetry and a way-too-handsome Frenchman via a thrilling car chase to a man who had been accused, but acquitted, of murder and is desperate to connect with his son in spite of others desperate attempts to prevent it.

I love Mary Stewart's pre-Merlin books. The story starts off placidly but you are told things are going to quickly change as all the players are in place. Stewart's writing is incredibly visual. Her sense of place is vivid to the point that you feel the heat and smell the flowers. Her use of analogy is wonderful. With only a few words, you know who these characters are. Her protagonist is strong, smart and very capable. Her friend, Louise, plays a minor role but is memorable in her own right. I don't always like the way children are portrayed but, again, Stewart has drawn a lovely character in the boy, David. Stewart creates and builds the suspense, but adds just a subtle, mostly off-scene, dash of romance to make a wholly satisfying read. Even the chapter headings add to the story. My only personal nit-pick is the use of portents, which is just a personal irritant for me, but so minor when compared with the rest of the story. This book was an absolute pleasure to read.

I first read this nearly 30 years ago (yikes), and it left such an indelible impression that when I recently started visiting this genre again, I had to have another taste of this story. There are a couple points where it's obvious this is an early work, but they are few and do not detract from the vivid descriptions and characterizations. By the end of the novel, I have been to Avignon and Marseilles, and I'm quite fond of Charity and her friends. Even Louise, a minor character, is well drawn and you feel you know her.

Time to revisit all of Mary Stewart's books, I think. I remember the Merlin series fondly as well. If you like this genre, you may also like the works of Victoria Holt, Susan Howatch, and Phyllis Whitney. And if you liked the Merlin series, I highly recommend The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Mary Stewart writes great romantic suspense. This novel has the beautiful settings, fast-paced mystery and charming protagonist of all her suspense novels, plus an edge-of-your-seat climatic car chase that will leave you wanting to rush out and get her other books.

Nobody does it better. Nobody ever will. Even in this, Stewart's first novel, her prose is so compelling that you overlook some of the new-author awkwardness. Some scenes go on too long, and her fascination with cars/driving/car chases (a staple in each of her books) can get a bit tiresome. But you only notice that on your third or fourth reread. It's a shame that romance novels aren't permitted to be intelligent nowadays; authors are expected to write at a junior-high school comprehension level. No such rules in Stewart's day, and that's why she'll never be bested.

For anyone who loves good writing, THIS IS ESSENTIAL READING. It's a well-kept secret. If you want the real low-down, get a copy now.

If you ever had hopes of becoming an author, NEVER read this book. A look into how the technical process of writing works, all this book shows the reader is the various disappointments that an author will encounter while trying to get his book published.

Although it presents what I imagine to be a realistic view of the creative process, the author presents a plethora of examples of well-known authors and their experiences. The problem? He uses the exact same examples over and over again. The language that he uses is very colloquial and the laid back tone is quite surprising, considering it is a "scholarly" work.

The biggest problem I have with the book is this. How is it possible for an author that is clearly not a best-selling author know what exactly the best-selling process is like? If not for the examples of other authors, it would be impossible for him to talk about the process.

All in all, this book was a big disappointment, and all it shows is the negative aspect to book publishing.

This is a great book and I thought I'd say so. I found an interview with the author on the internet and bought the book. I wondered why I didn't see it interviewed in any of the publications I subscribe to--especially Writer's Digest. Do we really need another Harry Potter review? Everybody loves those books--they sell themselves. Hey reviewers--We want to hear about books like this one!

This book was lent to me by a University Professor who recommended it as the most comprehensive and thought-provoking study of the publishing industry he's read in years. I couldn't agree more. As a potential author, I found The Making of a Bestseller an encouraging and thought-provoking work. It offers a clear look into the world of publishing, therefore, demystifying the process for those of us just embarking on this sometimes frustrating journey. Insightful and uplifting, one cannot fail to come away without a great deal of encouragement. I, for one, found myself wondering, if F. Scott Fitzgerald faced similar adversity and prevailed, why can't I? One thing we writers must learn: A thick skin is required in this business. This book is not for the unrealistic or faint-hearted. But neither is a career in writing.

This hand-wringing book is about bestsellers; it does not (and can not) define how bestsellers are made. This celebration of creative writing is about writers paying their dues and being discovered. Vanderbilt discusses the effects titles, advertising, author name recognition, perseverance, bestseller lists, reviews, testimonials and blind, dumb luck had on books that made it to the charts. It is a well-written, scholarly study of successful literature with references and footnotes. This book makes a couple of references to nonfiction but is almost entirely about fiction. If you like this book, you will also like Seven Strategies in Every Bestseller by Tam Mossman. I liked them both. Dan Poynter, author of 82 books (nonfiction). DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com

I highly recommend this book if you, like me, are trying to 1. figure out what your dreams are, and 2. how to achieve them. Like any tool, this is one that you have to use to see results. I bought it over a year ago and am now finally working through the process. Marcia's basic message is to figure out what makes you tick and phrase it in simple language. I'm not always keen on the abstract concepts but overall, this is a great book.

Consider this book motivational, or maybe inspirational, rather than educational. Everything Marcia Wieder says makes sense. Her basic message: Figure out what you want in life and start moving toward it in practical, everyday steps. That's not exactly groundbreaking philosophy, but for readers lacking in direction, the message that you can change your situation through action undoubtedly will do some good. So if you're lacking in purpose or ambition, we [...] recommend this book to you.

America's "Dream Coach" suggests that in order to make your dreams reality, you take action in the direction of your dreams. After identifying one's passions, followup should be made in the form of acting on those discoveries. A dreamer must start the journey where they are. Waiting for ideal conditions is futile.
"Start by thinking about your dream as real," she writes.

Visualization is an essential component of the process. "Picture yourself already living your dream," she encourages. In other words, the dream starts in one's mind's eye. Seeing (internally) is believing. Be cautious with whom you share your dream, but to trustworthy friends and fellow dreamers, communicate your vision. "The more you speak and write about your dream, the sooner you'll live it," she advises.

This is a inspiring book on focusing on the things that will enable you to determine your target and hit it. There is much practical advice in this highly recommended book.

This book (and it's companion tape set) is a definate treasure. I was fortunate to hear Marcia at a business conference (isn't that a twist - dreams at a business conference!) and was enthralled.

She is positive, uplifting, and really encourages you to examine closely what makes you happy, what you'd really like to accomplish, and how to get out of your own way. Marcia won't beat you up, but she will give you concrete, take-action steps to move you forward from "it would be nice if..." to "I'm making it happen!".

This book was instrumental in helping me decide to move from my IT career of over 19 years into my own business as an Image Coach. I find much more fulfillment in doing this, and it's this book that made it possible. I recommend this to any and everyone who feels that they are meant for something more than what they are doing right now, or who needs to find more fulfillment in what they are doing.

Everyone who reads this book won't necessarily change their life's direction drastically, but this book will definately get you looking inward and gives you the tools to build a much brighter and more welcome future.

Highly recommended, along with the companion web site and if you can get a copy of her tape set, do so...the audio tapes make a great add-on for the book.

The whole idea of making dreams come true is a tough nut to crack. While the whole notion may conjure up a lot of doubt, this unique book does a pretty good job of solving the problem. I've had the fortune of hearing Marcia Weider speak in person and by the way, she is a dynamic speaker, I think that her book here is a pleasant surprise. Readers will enjoy her use of diagrams, charts, lists and all the things that an experienced seminar leader needs in order to illustrate such an abstract concept. While this book has probably not sold that well, I think it is a very valuable contribution to the field of personal developement. I think that success-oriented women in particular should buy this book.