Development Books

My daughter started reading this book at age 12, and has had it for 2 years. She still loves to go back and read selections of love, hope, courage. Give your teenager something worth reading! :)

I bought this book as a gift for my 16yr old niece. The very next day, she told me how much she loved the book. She even cried reading it. I think it's nice to find reading materials that can move the minds and feelings of teenagers.

I skimmed through the book before I gave it to my granddaughter who just turned 13. I thought it had some well written stories that a teenager can relate to and a lot of food for thought. She was so happy to get it, since she had the one for pre-teens also and really liked it.

Once again, "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books has a hit. This is a wonderful gift for young teens with its easy read of short stories on pertinent topics and experiences teens face. Teens I have given it to as a gift have loved it and purchased the next in the teen series. Also a source of good talking points for those anxiety ridden moments or social issues teens face.

I am a teacher in two high schools and I like to read the stories of the book to my students from time to time to inspirate them and reinforce their teenage self esteem! I suggest it to all teacher to make the same with a nice calm background music.

Words can not come close to describing the impact this book has had on me. I cannot get Immaculee out of my mind. I first listened to this author and survivor being interviewed on a Catholic radio talk show. I decided to see what she had to say - the graphic detail of the genocide in Rwandan from her perspctive is riviting. I feel like I know her and her family and I have mourned for them. If you are having a hard time forgiving anyone for anything read this book. This woman leads a new life now and God has placed her in our midsts as His instrument to teach us how to forgive and love. In spite of the horrific holocaust of these dear human beings, Immaculee shows us the way to a deeper faith through her own personal experience. Recommend this book to people of all faiths.

This is a great book I just cant believe that during this trajedy I was in high school in the US and did not know about it I think it should be mandatory reading

I'm just finishing this book and I am in awe of her faith, and her strength and those of her fellow occupants of this - smaller than any convicts cell - bathroom. Through the chronicles of history we hear this happening, and yet we did nothing in 1994 while a whole tribe of Tutsi's were almost annihilated. What kind of blood lust has one human being going after another human being with such malice & hate? I have purchased the DVD. I have seen Hotel Rwanda - and - Sometimes in April (must see by all) and you feel the sorrow and the pain in knowing while you're hiding, others are dying around you. Pastor M took a real chance hiding these women - his entire family was at risk. I know I could've had hidden her and the other women. What I don't know is if I would've been strong enough to survive.
Genocide in any form is not to be tolerated - from 1915 genocide of the Armenians, in the 30's the Aboriginal integration program in Austrailia (Rabbit Proof Fence) to the 40's Hitler trying to wipe out the Jewish people, and yet the people of the world allowed this to happen in 1994.
I wonder - could any of us be strong enough to say "no - that's not going to happen in my neighborhood" and hide your neighbor or strong enough if the shoe were on the other foot and we had to hide??

An excellent book written with such human feelings I was amazed at the cruelty on one side and the love on the other!

Amazing testament to living proof of the power of prayer and the blessings bestowed on Believers of the Holy Spirit. I was totally touched by Immacule'e Ilibagiza's story of survival and witness to the horrific atrocities committed by people that she knew personally and by her willingness to forgive and love those who caused such crimes.

I purchased this book for my best friend who is having a boy come this December. I did so because I remember so many good memories when my parents read it to me as a child that I wanted him to share those kinds of memories with his son. Despite other reviews of saying this book is "pointless" or "dark and scary", we the reader don't always need to put on our critical, psychoanalytical, or marxist lens and analyse the books we read our children. Doesn't that take the magic out of books like this? Moreover, this book is about fun monsters and the imaginary lands that children go to when they are asleep or playing in our back yards. This book is a must for any child who is learning to or not quite yet ready to read. Furthermore, the images in this book are stunning and should captivate young audiences.

The illustrations in this book really caught my eye. My favorite one was when all the wild things were howling at the moon. I enjoyed how the text stretches over a few pages and keeps the reader interested.

Where the Wild Things Are
I purchase this book for my two year old grandson, he loves to hear his poppa read it to him. It is the only way I have found to get a two year old grandchild to set still for about 15 minutes.

Love the book remember it from when I was a child.

Briefly, the story revolves around Max, a young boy who behaves naughtily and is sent to bed without supper. In his room, he is transported to another world "where the wild things are" where he is made king of the wild things. After having his fill of leading the wild things, he returns to his room to find his supper left on his dresser.

This story strikes an interesting balance between the real world of Max and his family and Max's dream world "where the wild things are". Whereas in the former world his actions are seen as naughty and are decried, the dream world provides Max not only with the ability to act in the way he wants but also to have those actions sanctioned and praised by those around him.

Beyond that, even, is the amount of control Max can exert in each world. The real world limits him and he is almost totally at the mercy of his parents who send him to his room. In the wild world, even before he becomes king of the wild things, he is able to control the other wild things and his power is unlimited. An interesting question to ask is whether Max would be as naughty as he is if he believed himself to have more power in the real world.

The conclusion of the story seems to come mostly as the author stumbles over himself to wrap up the story. It is unclear why the angry parents would reward Max's behavior or why they would negate the punishment meted out at the beginning of the story. I found the warm supper waiting for Max upon his return from the wild world to be somewhat out of place. I understand, perhaps, that even bad kids are loved and that may be the moral being taught here, but it is strange that Max just receives the food out of the blue with no remorse on his part.

The book is a fun story and holds the attention of my 3 year old. He loves when I improvise the roaring and gnashing. Throwing in a little Troggs "Wild Thing" during the rumpus makes story time a little bit more fun too. I don't think the strange lesson at the end ruins the story, and I'm not sure that the target audience of this book would be able to figure it out in the first place. 4 stars for a fun book that holds kids' attentions.

I just read this the other day to my first grade class, and it turns out I had forgotten just how gorgeous this book is!

It's the story of a boy named Max who imagines himself to another world: an island dominated by monsters, aka "wild things". No, it's not freakishly complex, but it is a kids' story.

It tells of one of the most important things we have: the power of imagination.

What a wonderful book! Well, I admit, mostly I like looking at the pictures. But even for someone who's completely grown out of pink and purple, I often read this book wishing I could have the self-confidence to dress just like Nancy. I've read things about this book saying that there is no deep message, but I think there are several. I love that Nancy's parents make room for her to be herself even though they don't act like she does. And I love that Nancy has the desire even at such a young age to see beauty and elegance in everything around her. Her parents don't let her do everything she wants (think of the time she goes to her grandparents' anniversary party) but they let her do enough to let her personality shine through. And as for being too dramatic - I believe that the only people who believe that over-the-top clothing and attitudes are wrong are the people who need to take a deep breath and figure out why they spend that much time thinking about stuff like that.
Keep being Fancy, Nancy!!

Nancy is sweet, cute, fun and fancy!! This book is perfect for any girly girl- big or small! It's also a great way to teach your little ones BIG words!
Mommy's High Heel Shoes

This book is adorable especially for little girls who like to dress up and look fancy. The story is heart warming and funny but in the end, it teaches about love and family. Nancy's search for way to sound fancier also teaches children wonderful new vocabulary words(sometime in French as well).

The pictures inside and the story may be uber-cute but doesn't anyone find the cover picture a little bit JonBenet Ramsey creepy? It's basically what makes me reluctant to give this to any little girl.

How will this book make children who don't have fancy things at home feel? I think materialism is a vice that doesn't need to be taught in a children's book. Enough people learn this on their own, why try to instill it in a 3 year old? If you want a book about a cute silly girly-girl, buy Madeline.

I really enjoyed this book. Anyone out there that has problems with negative energy and needs help with lifting their energy level - this helps! I am very sensitive to energy changes and pick up on other people's energy constantly. It's great to know there are people out there that can help with the overload. Great Job Dr. Orloff!

This book is excellent because of the empowering information. It opens up new perspectives and ways of thinking. Very positive and motivating on the journey to becoming a better human being. Highly recommend it as part of self growth and self help library.
Risa

Heard the author speak and love the book.
Am also a Psychiatrist and agree with her views.

Dr. Orloff tackles issues dealing with difficult people and situations in everyday life. She shares how these situations stress us and lower our energy levels. With exercises and discussion, the reader is lead on a path toward a healthier life. The book is interesting without a dull moment. Anyone reading this book is sure to benefit

Positive Energy: 10 Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear into Vibrance, Strength, and Love
Dr. Judith Orloff's book has given me so many important insights about myself! One of the most important is how to act in order to maximize my positive energy. This has an impact on practically everything I do AND the things I choose not to do! Sometimes when my awareness of my true needs are a bit clouded I use one of the other things that the book has taught me: my intuition. It's so amazing that all the answers to our questions are within us but sadly enough most of us never listen to our inner voice. Earlier, I could hear my inner voice from time to time, but the voice was so faint that most of the time I chose not to believe it. After reading the book I now realise that it's the true me that is trying to tell me something important. Today its voice is a lot louder and I LISTEN carefully!
Thanks for teaching me all kinds of wonderfull things, Judith:-)!

Peter Rahm
Malmo, Sweden

The aim of the book is to change your thinking about business in order to lead you to find out new ways about how to improve continuously your business model. There are many useful examples and questions in the book that help you gradually to change your company , starting from the analysis of the current business model, then helping you to create an improved business model and finally to create a business model innovation for continuous improvement. It is an amazing book.

This book will open your mind on how to launch a bew business or innovative product or server. However the authors could write this book in a more simple way and not with a hard to read english text.

Mitchell and Coles have done businesses a tremendous service in writing this excellent book. They have done so by providing a practical toolbox of ideas with which to stimulate entrepreneurs, business leaders and managers to enhance and improve their business prospects in today's very competitive marketplaces.

I must admit to having struggled with this book for a long time. Not because of difficulty in reading and understanding. To be sure this is a very lucid and comprehensible book and is accessible to all levels from a twelve year old bringing out his lemonade stall for the third year in a row and adding iced tea to his product range to the CEO of a major corporation.

My struggle was with trying to make overarching sense of what lessons the authors were trying to encourage readers to learn. It became clear to me after several periods of reflection upon completion of the text. The crucial significance of this book in a practical way lies in understanding how deep into national economic systems the process of globalisation has seeped. We see the reults in our everyday lives, how quickly new or improved products come into the marketplace. We see how quickly established businesses change or die, we see cheaper and better products come from remote parts of the world leaving us a greater part of our disposable income to spend on the things we would prefer to spend on them.

It is clear that in life and not just in business the process of change has quickened and that as individuals we must be more adaptable and more attune to the world around us to the opportunities that exist. It is as if we need to become our own business in ourselves.

Mitchell and Coles focus on but one part of this continuous change and that is on the business model. Their strong focus on this area has great strength but we must also learn the broader lesson from their well researched work. To survive in today's world we must not only accept change but we must embrace it as people, as workers, as entrepreneurs. It is as Schumpeter pointed out inherent in the nature of capitalism. But, to be sure it is inherent in the nature of all life, as Hayek observed. We must change or die.

I would heartily recommend this book to everyone, for there is much to be gained from within it's pages. Mitchell and Coles have produced an excellent book which far and away exceeds it's remit as a business book.

The Ultimate Competitive Advantage is a gold mine with a rich vein of unusual ideas from Mitchell and Coles' nimble minds. Its stated purpose is to help readers develop and implement a superior management process for continuous business model improvement. The book goes ahead to do just that.

The authors' approach make deliberate what used to be an accidental, hapazard, uncertain and hard to repeat process.

This book, like Mitchell and Coles' others, is best used as a workbook. After each chapter, several questions are posed to stimulate your thinking, and 95% of the value of the book will be unlocked for you when you take the time to think through them rigorously. Serious entrepreneurs looking for fresh ideas for getting out of the rut and improving their businesses will.

This is a practical book, but it is not a "how-to-book" instead, it deals with the what, when and why; with such tangibles as pricing, cost of doing business and benefits to stakeholders. The authors- Donald Mitchell and Carol Coles researched and found out that unsuccessful companies doggedly apply outdated business models while the successful ones improve their models every 2 to 4 years. The book provides a straightforwad and a systematic method which any company can use to review and improve its business model basing on its key components: pricing, cost of doing business and benefits to its shareholders.

Okay, so this is probably as preachy as Dr. Suess gets, and it just might get on the nerves of some people, but the tree hugger in me salutes him for it, even as he paints a grimmer picture of environmental destruction than Al Gore ever thought of.

Even so, it's clearly Suess with his imaginative worlds and funny characters.

It's a solemn book of warning that it pretty darn good into scaring kids into being careful with the environment.

And that's not a bad thing.

I could not wait to present this lesson to the class this year. Teaching seventh grade and the 5 themes of geography this book lends itself to many of those themes but mostly human-environmental interaction (how human interact and change the environment to fit their needs). Not only does this book show that but it really visualizes how we negatively impact the Earth for our own selfish needs. Again my students are in love with the facts that I am reading them a storybook and after the discussion they see that it isn't a plain, old storybook but it really does have a significant meaning.

Review by Sherry North, Author, Because You Are My Baby

While most Dr. Suess stories are pure fun without any heavy message, The Lorax delivers an extremely blunt lesson on ecology. What's amazing is that Dr. Suess does this with a narrative that is engaging, entertaining and ultimately inspiring. You might think a book with such a heavy message could be a turn-off to young children, but I have found the opposite. My preschoolers find this story absorbing. I think they understand there is something truly important at stake, so the book means more to them than other Dr. Suess titles.

Is it a coincidence that Thneed rhymes with Deadly Sin #3? Growth for the sake of growth is where we are today. This too shall pass, UNLESS....

Dr. Seuss, turned holier-than-thou by his elevated status in society, decides to preach to us about the evils of industrialization. Does he realize that the many millions of copies of "The Lorax" were all made in factories, using paper that came from trees?

I rate it 2 because it is not my cup of tea. I do find the idea of positive thinking can be applied to what I am doing although really that is the only idea in the book. There are many examples of miraculous things that happenned, but I dont know whether it is described as it happens or whether it is described as the author wants the reader to see to prove his point. Things just happen too easily without describing there are hard work involve to achieve what you want to achieve. I wonder if I can have the most positive thought about being famous yet stay at home and do nothing about it and still can fulfilled my dream?

This book does more for you because it requires some input on your part. Involving your personal information which enables you to acknowledge some blocks and helps you make the changes you need in order for your dreams and desires to be manifested. I highly recommend this for anyone who feels like they are in a rut and need to get out or anyone who needs some help in reaching for the stars with a definite purpose.

I love this book. Joe Vitale is a wonderful author and has a way of speaking in his writing that is direct and gives you some ideas of different approaches to this topic. I recommend this book highly.

This is a very slim volume. If you are looking for a complex program to change your life, with many exercises and ideas, this is not for you.

Strangely, however, the short text did have a powerful effect on how I viewed my world after I read it. Joe's list of things to do is pretty short (list what you don't want, list what you do want, and then a few more steps, equally as simple.) What did happen is that I decided to restructure my thinking, considering every thought as to whether it was positive or negative. I also decided to fill up an envelope on my desk with "thank-you notes" to God, thanking him for all the positive things happening every day. (Not particularly something in this book, but based on Joe's ideas.) Each day, I jotted down an thank-you whenever something good happened. Then I popped it into an envelope I'm keeping on my desk. A week later, the envelope was full to bursting. Some seemingly negative things happened but I decided to treat them like opportunities, keeping a cheerful frame of mind while dealing with the issues. If nothing else, I felt good during the process.

Maybe this is all about how you view the glass; a half-glass full of refreshing water, or a half-empty glass heading to a full-fledged drought. For whatever reason, despite the fact this is a very short book, it can get you to thinking. Maybe that's it's power.

The only reason I give this book one star is because everything in it is also in Vitale's other book The Attractor Factor. Attractor is an expanded and much better version that I rated 5 stars and which I highly recommend.

I absolutely LOVE this book!! The pictures are incredible! I have not seen anything else that compares. I received the order quickly, it was packaged well and in perfect condition. Love it!!

i was given a very worn copy of this book by a friend a few years ago and wanted a new, clean copy. i'm always amazed at the miracle of life when i page through this book, and i love seeing detailed pictures of the stages of my own pregnancy.

This is great starter pregnancy book. It is informative and graphic. My 14 year old brother flipped through it page by page. It was a great learning tool for even him.

The pictures in this book are beautiful and detailed. Well worth the money. If I could change just one thing it would be to add even more pictures as the book tends to skip over a few weeks here and there. Would prefer to have at least one picture for every week of the process.

The pictures are wonderful in this book. I remember my mom having an earlier edition when I was little and now I have an updated edition of my own!

I found this book at a thrift store. It is one of those books I will want to keep. The photos really tell it all even better than the words. It talks to you on every page. It already knows how you've been feeling and what your weaknesses, insecurities, work problems, and strengths are. It tells it all and makes you cheer up and take a fresh approach to life. The photos are worth a million words. It's no ordinary little book. It no ordinary little gift book. It just one of those gems of a book to keep on your coffee table and enjoy talking about and sharing with your company, or sending to a friend who is feeling a little lost in their life. It's a great book. Everyone should have a copy.

I bought this for someone at a time when they were seriously contemplating suicide. This person had basically shut down. It was like nothing was getting through anymore. The Blue Day Book made him genuinely smile. That meant everything in the world to me. I knew he was still in there somewhere. It is now several years later and he is doing well (in case you're wondering). And maybe the book didn't save his life, I mean I can only attribute that to God. But the book is the first thing that was able to shine a light into his endless darkness. I guess it goes without saying that I HIGHLY recommend this wonderful little book.

The Blue Day Book is the ultimate coffee table book. It always lightens my days when I'm feeling down. The pictures are well matched to the sayings.

If you've got photographer friends, this book will be an inspiration for them. But the black and white photos also provide a great pick-me-up for anyone you know who's down in the dumps.

The volume describes myriad ways in which we all may feel under the weather sometimes--all of them illustrated with fetching postures and facial expressions of a large group from the animal kingdom--polar bears, pigs, lambs, monkeys, mice, dogs, kittens, lions, hippos, camels, sea lions, penguins, pelicans, even an anteater--and so on.

But the bottom line is that life goes on--and that people are "only young once...and never old twice." In other words, pick yourself up and enjoy life to its fullest, despite your blues, while you can.

Fabulous.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

One has a picture that is a little racy. And the Hallmark version has that picture substituted. The pictures are funny and worth a laugh, but this is definitely for adults. There is a children's version that is equally funny.The Blue Day Book for Kids: A Lesson in Cheering Yourself Up