Holidays Books

This is my third Joan Wester Anderson book. My son and I read one of the stories each night before bed, we've been doing this for about a year now and it is such a great way to finish our day. The stories have strengthened our faith and given us some great discussion openers. The stories are pretty short and easy to read in a 5-10 minute time frame. This is so inspiring and will truly lift the spirit. It is a great gift for any holiday.

Where Miracles Happen is a wonderful book, which will warm your heart, bring tears to your eyes and leave you with such a warm feeling all over! Ms. Anderson has managed once again, to capture the essence of the miraculous in everyday life. With over 50 different accounts of true encounters with heavenly beings, one knows that God loves us, we are watched over, protected, and guided constantly throughout our lives. Sometimes, as shown by several of the stories, our deceased loved ones are with us and also watching over us.

Help is always available, one just has to ask for it, as the story illustrated of the mother who did not have enough money to feed her children and food miraculously appeared, or the child caught in the snowstorm and could not find her way home, yet was guided by a supposed neighbor, who was later found out to be sick that entire week, or the gentleman who was protected driving when his mother invoked safety prayers from him and avoided a collision where a dozen cars lost control, yet no one was injured.

There are also stories of healings and of our loved ones sending signs and messages to reassure us that they are indeed in a place of love and that they are indeed all right. It seems that their messages and signs bring such healing and release to those that they have left behind.

These stories will inspire you and lift you up if you are feeling blue. Sometimes we need gentle reminders from above, that we are loved and cherished and not forgotten, even though we ourselves may think so.

I love keeping Ms. Anderson's books near by and randomly opening them and reading passages after a long and particularly stressful day! I would also encourage anyone to check out Ms. Anderson's website, where one can subscribe to a true angel story of the week!

This book would be great comfort to anyone who has lost a loved one, as well as to those who are experiencing turmoil in their lives. The title of the book does indeed live up to its name and the miracles presented in this book are phenomenal!

Highly recommended!!

"Where Miracles Happen" is a beautiful collection of true stories - all involving either prayers answered, angels, &/or other amazing, awe-inspiring miracles.

As I read on, I kept thinking of the statement "God works in mysterious ways" - and this is quite evident in each & every one of the stories presented.

Overall, I found this book to be an inspiring, interesting, easy read - the pages seemed to turn themselves! So, I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the topics of angels, prayers answered, and/or other evidences of God's miracles in the lives of "everyday" men & women - you won't be disappointed.

This is a very inspiring book we can rely on when we need the reassurance we are not alone and that our life has special meaning. There are numerous, uplifting short stories covering a broad spectrum of situations where divine assistance seems to be the only logical explanation for the events. This read is potentially life-changing.

Every so often you come upon a book that stirs within you emotions so deep that it almost takes your breath away; this is what happens in this outstanding work, "Where Miracles Happen."
Author Joan Wester Anderson shares the stories of people, like you and me, who were touched with the miraculous. Stories of healings, life's saved, changed and left knowing they were kissed by a God who loves them. Their stories will leave you with a feeling of complete awe, deep reverence and expected hope and will turn your eyes once again to the One who made you.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. For the Believer it is an affirmation of their faith, a building block to draw upon and a salve for their soul. To the un-believer it should certainly be an eye-opener and if nothing more leave them with some thought provoking material. This is a must have, a book that should grace everyone's library; a book of faith and hope that can be read and enjoyed time and time again.

I remember my mother reading Frances books to me when I was little, and I couldn't wait to read them to my daughter. The Frances books are wonderful children's stories.

I work in a tutoring program for elementary children. Birthday for Frances is a good book to reinforce what the kids are learning at school.

Frances was a favorite of mine as a child, so I bought the books for my daughter who is 2yrs old. She doesn't quite get it yet, but likes listening to it nonetheless, and I've discovered that these stories are fun for the grown-up reading them too.

Our daughter is planning to be an elementary school teacher, so we are building her a children's book "library"

A Birthday for Frances by the Hobans is a magnificent addition to that collection!

This is a wonderful story, I love Hoban's books as they work well on both the adult and the child levels. This is bascially the story of Frances, a badger who is struggling with the fact that her little sister Gloria is having a birthday. Frances does not say it out loud, but rather through her actions and her little rhymes we realise that she is unhappy about it, that her sister seems to have all the birthdays and she doesn't have as many. Something which almost all children struggle with at some stage or another.

The lovely hting about this book is that the parents are so lovely and patient, and the sub-text is really fun for adults reading it. What Frances does makes for great fun. She borrows two weeks pocket money from her mother to buy Gloria a present, but then she ends up 'accidentally eating half of it - and the other half looks distinctly threatened by her justification.

I will guarantee your family will enjoy this story, and the other Frances stories as well - they are highly recommended as great good fun.

I have loved Kevin Henkes books, especially his Lilly books, since well before I had a young daughter. I was excited to buy her this boxed set as her first introduction to Henkes.

I was a bit disappointed that they seem to lack the wit that the rest of the Lilly series has. I missed comments such as, "You mean that bump is a baby? I thought you were just getting fat!" It's just sugary-sweet treats, and perhaps an attempt to teach educational concepts.

My 3 and half year-old loves this collection -- one book is never enough, all five have to be read in one sitting, preferably twice! Luckily the stories are not wordy, but charming and whimsical and some even have a little lesson, though delivered so as to barely notice. The illustrations are superb as always.

This is a great set for anyone teaching the Lucy Calkins Units of Study for Primary Grades!

As mentioned in other reviews; this set of books is nicely smallish (5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches), and beautifully drawn, and the 5 stories are lovely. What no one has yet bothered to mention is the answer to "What do you get?" in this smallish, prettily drawn and nicely written set?

You get 5 small, hard cover books in a nice, slick board box;
Lilly's Chocolate Heart, Owen's Marshmellow Chick, Wemberly's Ice-Cream Star, Julius's Candy Corn and Sheila Rae's Peppermint Stick.

Each short story involves a 'treat'; an Easter Marshmellow Chick, some Halloween Candy Corn, a Forth of July ice cream, etc, that barely mention the holiday to which they owe their existance. For example, although Owen does get an "Easter basket", there is no mention of Christmas in Sheila Rae's Peppermint Stick and no mention of why a red, white and blue star-shaped ice-cream would be Wemberly's special treat "on a hot day".

All of which is fine with me, I thoroughly enjoy reading these with my 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 year old kids, even our 18 month old seems to enjoy these stories, but I feel if we were not a Christmas-and-Easter-celebrating household, this set would have been a bit of a bummer. So, consider yourself warned. :)

first, these are great little stories. kevin henkes is a fabulous author. my only issue is that i would have liked to have known ahead of time that all the stories were about sugary sweets and the characters hording their sweets in some way. it's turned out to be fine - my daughter still loves the stories. i just would have liked a heads' up.

Excellent for spotting the finer things in pictures. My 7 year old loves to look at these books over and over again.

Walter Wick books are a favorite of my 5-year old, and this one is a favorite of mine. The photos are absolutely beautiful and full of Christmas spirit. Although kids love the repetition of finding the same things over and over in hidden picture books, adults can get tired of it fast enough. But the photos in this book hold your attention like a coffee-table art book, making it a pleasure to find five Santas in the Gingerbread house for the umpteenth time.

I have the entire series of "Can You See What I See?" and my son at 4 1/2 really enjoys these. I bought his first book when he was about three. It has helped his visual skills so much that he can find some of the objects faster than I can.

We bought this for our three-year old daughter last year and she found it challenging. But at four she loves it. She insists we go through a few pages every night. I love how excited she gets when she finds something. My husband and I sit down and find items with her making for good family time.

This series of of books is terrific! Fantastic art work, and the book can be enjoyed by many ages. A definite "must-buy" for Grandmothers!

I enjoyed this little book!! Some really neat ideas to spice up the holiday season. From decorating to party hosting you'll find something new, interesting and fun to do. Its a great little book for finding new traditions and visiting old ones. Its worth a read.

I purchased the autumn book and really enjoyed it, so I ordered Christmas Joy. I was tad disappointed to see this was such a small and slender volume. It has the same cute recipes and suggestions but fewer of them. It is also fairly short- only 46 pages. I read it in about 15 minutes.

Overalll, a cute book, but I was expecting more.

Susan Branch is a wonderful author. Not only does this book allow the reader to cook but also to become part of the wimsy and the fun that is a book from Susan Branch

Purchased this as a Christmas gift for my nephew's wife. She loved it!

This book has it all and is delightful. I bought this as a gift for my sister-in- law and am I ever glad I also got one for myself. Itis beautifully illustrated and is filled with recipes, decorating ideas and special thoughts. Its one of those books that you get out each year at Christmas time and you read it again and again.

Whatever your religious persuasion, you can't help but crack a smile and shed a tear reading this book. It's not just for the holidays, but should be read year 'round. I've given it as a gift for many years now. And will continue the tradition with my own baby.

I read the story "A Christmas Story" and as a 33 year old I have been through some tough times myself but reading the story just made me cry like a baby... This is what Christmas really means. GOD has definetly left some Angels here on earth.

This is my favorite Christmas story. It speaks to the hopeful child in all of us, who wants to believe in the unseen magic of a jolly old elf. It touches me every year since I first discovered this gem. Its power comes from the fact that it's a true story. Do something nice for yourself and read it.

I read the story of how you played Santa to the poor children. I had tears in my eyes and cried like a baby. This inspired me to do something for the children that have nothing. I went to our own post office and found some children of my own to play Santa to.

As an elementary school teacher I love sharing this wonderful story of a jewish man who shares the wonder of giving hopeless children a chance at hope. By reading letters to Santa written by children with no hope of receiving anything for Christmas, Jay Frankston played Santa to the joy and wonder of children of all ages in the Cleveland area for twelve years. A great story of selfless giving.

I have yet to find anything as well designed or pleasing to the eye as a cognoscenti map. The intellect, nay, sheer genius that was put forth in order to create a more perfect travel guide does nothing but boggle the mind of this lay-man. From the informative blurbs to the visually pleasing color combinations to the reassuring texture of the page, this map has it all. I can only wait, with baited breath, for the Middletown guide to come out, in order to see what I've been missing in my own backyard. Cognoscenti, you had me at "hello."

I normally don't write reviews of things I buy on line but in this case I felt I needed to make an exception. The Cognoscenti New York map/guide I bought was instramental in making my trip to New York rich and exciting. I recommend it to anyone planning to go to new York.

I always found using a map in one hane and a guide book in the other to be too cumbersome! I've finally found a neat clear fusion of the two in the COgnoscenti guides. I toured London with their London guide and had the time of my life! SO when it came time to see New york Cognoscenti was the only "guide" I bought. Clearly marked icons let me read info on the guide's flip side without losing my place on the map, the way I always did every time I'd refer to a book-type guide while trying to read a map at the same time. I highly recommend these guides.

After causing several car accidents due to large fold-out maps covering my windhsield as I attempted to roar down interstates I was a tad skeptical when my friend Joey told me Cognoscenti Map Guides were the best guides he'd seen. I was used to large guide books which would weigh me down and take up space in my pack I could have used for skotch. But this guide has it all. Tons of info AND a slim and sleak design. Thank you COgnscenti!

Finally a map worthy of a trip to NYC!

I received this book as a gift! I truly enjoyed reading this book! It is easy informative reading. The humor made it enjoyable and hard to put down! I have recommended it to several associates who do quite a bit of air travel. What a great stocking stuffer for your friends and family! Two thumbs up on this one!

A friend of mine bought me this gift to read during a long international flight. It was great! Not only was it humorous and helped pass the time, but it had some great tips --- some that were immediately useful in flight. (The section on sitting next to a snorer was immenently useful.) There are a few slight formatting errors that the publisher should look to, but other than that, it is a delightful book and a must for any traveler.

Detailed, practial and sometimes downright hilarious, this engaging book covers everything from ticket buying strategies and tips on choosing the best seat, to what to do when your traveling companion happens to be a 4 foot bottle of chianti. It's refreshing to read a "business/travel" book written with such wit-- I'd like to see more books by this author.

I travel often, and found this book very, very helpful in figuring out how to deal with the airlines during ever-present delays. The author has lots of experience -- really helped ease the stress of my business travel. I greatly enjoyed the whimsical anecdotes == very funny stories. Both a fun and helpful book.

I highly recommend this book for any traveler. Whether you travel infrequently, or are an extreme traveler ("extremie"), you will find this book as humorous as it is enlightening. The author draws on years of experience, and gives specifics about various airports visited and common pitfalls dealing with luggage, flight confirmations and "passenger etiquette" that will give you the tools to stand out from the rest. Not only to surve, but to flourish in that traveler's jungle out there.

I loved this book because the recipes are simple, yet it offers some new twists.

This bartender guide is both colorful and full of photos. It's not also reasonable organized but has color codes for the different types of drinks (Gin, Vodka, etc.) to make it easy to navigate the cocktails. Also, I was happy to see a bartender guide that has the CORRECT Singapore Sling ingredients listed. So many others don't even have the real one used by the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. One thing that makes sense about this book, is that its spiral bound a real plus!

We've purchased a number of martini and other drink recipe books before coming across this one. One of the best things about this book is its spiral design. It lays flat, which means you don't have to try to hold it open or prop it up while mixing up a drink. Can't tell you how frustrating it is trying to whip up a martini or other stylish drink while trying to hold a book open! This book has great recipes, both old and new, is organized by type of liquor and even gives you ideas for the best glass to serve your masterpieces in. I just purchased another copy to give as a wedding/shower gift for a young couple.

this book is awesome...lots of pics, easy to follow instructions, everything you need

I found a used copy of this book at a local bookstore, and bought it out of sheer curiosity. I knew nothing prior to mixing drinks or even how to use a shaker, and was thoroughly amused at how drinking enthusiasts around the world could come up with 780 unique -- and sometimes downright perverse and ridiculous -- names for the world's finest cocktails.

There are two things that I love about this book -- it's brilliantly arranged as a reference guide, and it's geared for both the entry-level hobbyist and the more experienced enthusiast in mind.

Unlike many other bartender guides that are tiny paperbacks or printed on thicker paper that is harder to flip-through, Salvatore Calabrese's book is built like a true index in mind: it's a hard-cover with spiral-bound pages inside printed on glossy color paper. The 780 drinks are divided into logical categories (brandy, rum, wine, vodka, shooters, punches, nonalcoholic, etc.) and each drink's mixing instructions are designed to be read in less than 30 seconds. As a quick reference, I have not seen a book that is better written with clarity and brevity in mind.

Any book I'm willing to pay for as an introduction into a hobby needs to me interested with the history, the basics on how-tos, and the fine science of becoming an enthusiast. The book's opening chapters cover everything from tools & equipment, glassware, and bar terminology to flavors & garnishes, proper techniques for juicing limes, and how to properly use ice!
Nearly every single recipe includes a brief history as to where the naming scheme caming from, and there's some description to the regional origins of certain spirits and bases as well.

I'm not planning on becoming a professional bartender, but if I were going to, I'd imagine this text would easily be one of the required reads and "keeper" books for someone truly interested in pursuing a long-term education into the fine art of drink mixing.

The illustrations are cute and it captures the theme well!

Definitely a great gift!

So many types of love!-Identified and perfectly illustrated. This adorable book explores the many aspects of love. Many, I'd never thought of. A lot of these you've probably experienced and didn't know quite how to describe it. The illustrations are so fitting, but really, what else would we expect from Sandra Boynton?

This book is great for ANY age! Lots of humor that adults can appreciate, but still cute for kids too. Really great gift idea for valentines day, anniversary, wedding or, just because.

This was the third book by Boyton that I bought. I wish I could buy them all!
'Consider Love' is a romantic and funny book and I thouroughly reccomend it.

"Consider Love", is another delightfully charming book created by the talented Sandra Boynton. I have been buying her books to read to my daughter for years and I always find myself chuckling at the adorable illustrations and nice message tucked into her jaunty rhythmic style of writing. The best thing to do when first reading one of her books is to read it through once, then go back and look at each little character drawn, to capture their little expressions and mannerisms. My daughter is now nine years old and we both love "Consider Love". It is a colorful, fun,and interesting look at the many different forms that love may take. I highly recommend it to anyone who has little ones near by!

Consider Love by Sandra Boynton is 178 words in length. My review of this book will probably contain more words than the book it is reviewing. The first two sentences were 26 words already so I was already 1/7th of the way to equalling Boynton when this sentence began, but I digress.

This review is beginning to sound like a child's book report. By the way, including this sentence I am up to 75 words. 75 was actually the 74th word.

Sandra Boynton's book, Consider Love is an instant classic - Just add 178 words.

This review is very silly. So is Consider Love. So, according to many, is love (Pauk McCartney not withstanding). Boynton's signature style, humor, art and pathos make this volume a must have for collectors of 178 word books.

Just a note for those counting words right now, that my count of 178 words is for the main text alone. It does not include the back cover (front cover for that matter), title pages, library of congress info, dedication page nor does it include the inscription on the statue pictured on page 4 or the placard under tha painting on page 5.

My review is now officially longer than the book. I would say that even though I think this a fine review, that the book is even better and I recommend it highly to dentists who chew gum, to architects who get their project blueprints mixed up with their kid's posters, to Sandra Boynton herself, or to anyone who ever walked up a hill and actually came down a hill.