Holidays Books

I first read "The Lesson of the Chopsticks" and must say that I was not disappointed reading "How to Keep Life's Small Problems from Becoming Big Ones"! Ms.Greenlee's unique view of life's everyday challenges is one we all can identify with on some level.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is in need of a boost to handle procrastination and prioritizing. Ms. Greenlee's uncovers a profound truth using vivid illustrations and metaphors to convey her point and shift us out of our "comfort zone". And, it's a LOT CHEAPER THAN THERAPY!

Finally, a most enjoyable and interesting book filled with practical and useful guidance that can be helpful for every age and every level. Each lesson is deeply meaningful, yet stated so simply. A true Gem!!!

Who knew that paying attention to inanimate objects could be so powerful? In "Paperclips", Ms. Greenlee has humorously and quite consciously given us a roadmap to sorting through the habits we all develop when faced with discomfort. Reading it again and again gives the reader a fresh way of envisioning life's way of offering opportunities to grow.

The idea of the book is good, if you don't take care of the little things when they first appear, they end up snowballing and becoming big things. However, I thought the book would include more to read and digest rather than just drawings of paperclips. OK I get the message now offer some insight on motivation. The message didn't need 109 pages of paperclips to get the message across. One cartoon would have done. It took me all of 5 minutes to "read". Sorry, wanted more for the money.

This charmingly simple book spoke volumes to me about the dangers of a disorganized life, and brought to mind several practical applications. If I don't hang up my clothes every night, my bedroom is soon an unworkable mess. If I don't take care of my mail (and other paperwork) diligently and often, it soon becomes overwhelming, and I can't find that piece of paper I really need. If I don't spot-clean the kitchen and baths (almost) every day, things get disgusting quite quickly, and germs can grow. And the list could go on. It's so refreshing to see a simple, highly useful truth presented in such an engaging way, and I look forward to the next "lesson." Way to go, Gina!

Trust me, if you are looking for a book that kids (and adults) will love, one that has humor, wit and great characters, you can NEVER, EVER go wrong with Dav Pilkey. I laugh out loud every time!

This book is a wonderful holiday book! Not only is there great art work, but the story is hilarious! If you go to Dav Pilkey's site, you can download coloring sheets, too. Anyone age 1 to 99 will "howl" with laughter while reading this book, and it has a great lesson about acceptance at the end!

Great book, very funny. I don't mind reading it to my three-year old over and over and over. Cute illustrations.

This is a darling book. The little dog dreams of being something terrifying for Halloween, but to his horror, his well-meaning mother makes him a hot dog costume, complete with mustard. The other dogs make fun of poor Oscar (the book is full of wiener jokes) until Oscar and his ridiculous costume save the day. I put this book on my top ten list for the kindergarten crowd.

I've always been a sucker for the underdogs in life. This book is about a sweet one who in the end teaches us about the real meaning of friendship. I've learned never to judge a book by its cover. This may look like a typical silly book with no thought behind it, but it's so much more! You see, it's about Oscar the dachshund (or as my kids call it - a wiener dog) who just wants to fit in with the other dogs in the neighborhood. They're always teasing him, and it doesn't help when his mother calls him "My little Vienna sausage" or makes him a hot dog bun costume for Halloween. However, Oscar doesn't give up and ends up saving the day and his new pals in the end. Now, wait just a minute! It's not as sappy as it sounds. There are so many funny details in the illustrations and text to enjoy - like the sentence: "Then Oscar showed up, looking quite frank." (Cracked me up!) Be sure to take your time when you come to the classroom scene at Obedience School - hilarious! The teacher reading a book entitled "Dogs who Hate Fleas and the Fleas Who Love Them". I especially liked the dog standing at the chalkboard, writing sentences..."I will not sniff my neighbor". What a cute tale!

It took me quite a while to decide if I should purchase the four volume set of "The Liturgy of the Hours "or not. I had been using "Christian Prayer" which is a shorter one volume version. I had chosen the zippered edition which can be seen here: Christian Prayer: Liturgy of the Hours - Black Leather For me it was an excellent first choice, because it gave me an opportunity to see if I would use it on a regular basis. It turns out that I did and I will definitely keep this book for travel even though occasionally the ribbons get stuck in the zipper and the little cross which is used to tug that zipper came off. It wasn't difficult to put back on. The book has a very nice feel to it. The print is clear and the pages are bright and pleasant to the touch. If you open it and put it on the table before you, it will stay open. It also has the music to the hymns. The music allows me to pluck out the melodies on my guitar if I don't recognize the hymn. Of course the hymns can be read instead of sung.

I ordered the four volume set in November, 2008. It arrived in a tailored to size box with each volume individually wrapped in paper. They are beautifully bound books with flexible black leather covers. Each volume is printed with gold lettering on the spine with "The Liturgy of the Hours" , the number of the volume, and what seasons of the year it covers, Advent, etc. One of the reasons I purchased the four volume set was to have the complete readings which "Christian Prayer" does not offer. The author of "The Divine Office for Dodos" says that the readings are her favorite part of the Liturgy. I recommend her book which can be seen here:
The Divine Office for Dodos: A Step-By-Step Guide to Praying the Liturgy of the Hours The liturgy is prayed in a special way with certain rituals and rules and this book explains them fully. It is comforting to know that people around the world are joining you in prayer.
The four volume set does not include the music for the hymns but has a good inventory of hymns. There are large type versions of the four volume set as well as Christian Prayer previously mention. However, I found the type size of this set to be perfectly readable.

I am very happy to have purchased this set. My goal is to read and pray each day's liturgy. I am not yet at that point. But morning prayer is a wonderful way to start the day and night prayer, with its suggestion for an examination of conscience, is a fine way to end it. I pray the readings when I get a chance during the day.

I just purchased the full set of The Liturgy of Hours. If you don't know how "to pray as we aught" this is the answer. To think that you are joining millions of others who are praying the Liturgy at the same time. What a powerful prayer. I read the other reviews prior to purchasing the full set. I am so glad I did. If I hadn't been aware that there was a learning curve to reading the Hours I would have been very frustrated and would probably given it up as too hard. It definately does take some insruction to use it. Because of this I bought several books of instruction in the Hours. The very best is "The Divine Office for Dodos". What an outstanding book! If you are new to Hours you need to get this book also. Don 't mess with any other book.

The set was very well priced and the shipping being included definitely helped the sale. Being a new item, it is in excellent shape. I have told others about this and recommended they look to Amazon first if they are interested in purchasing this set.

Just think: with these four volumes, you'll be able to pray ANY of the prescribed hours, at any time and day of the year. Knowing that you're in company with millions of others doing the same thing is awe-inspiring and spiritually enriching. These are very easy to use so there's no excuse not to enter into the prayer life of the Church. Mass for me is made even better when I arrive early and read the Office. I personally find Night Prayer comforting and extremely nourishing-- it helps me get ready for the coming day, and soothes my conscience during the examination. If the set comes with the handy annual Index, helping you to find each day's prayers... all the better! Otherwise you can get that Index at a religious goods store-- it costs about three dollars.

This product is preciecly what I needed. In addition to the four volumes of the Liturgy of the Hours (Advent/Christmas, Lent/Easter, Ordinary Time I & II) it included the St. Joseph Guide, the Supplement and inserts. This was just what I was looking for as I was heading off to seminary school.

Showed this book to our granddaughter, and got an immediate review of "no." I have a feeling that she might have felt the book to be too busy with all the colors and illustrations. Sometimes, less is more.
I am going to try this book again next year and maybe by then she will take to it as she is only 2-1/2.

It's classic Engelbreit at her best. Exquisite detail in the drawings. It's a book to savor alone, read aloud to children and share the pages, or just keep it enticingly on your coffee table.

This version of "The Night Before Christmas" is by far the best illustrated edition I have ever seen. The artwork is incredible. My children love looking at all the vibrant, detailed pictures, and I even pause while reading the story so I can look at the pictures too. It seems like I find something new in the artwork everytime we read the story. Make sure to get a copy of the book for each of your children. You will want to pass this down to them so they can read it to their own children some day, and I would hate to have to choose who would get this beautiful book, and deal with the ramifications of the one who did not!

Book is so beautifully illustrated, it does the classic poem justice. It made a great "first christmas" gift.

This is a beautifully done book. It is the same classic story we all know and love, and the illustrations are brilliant. Mary Engelbreit's drawings fill the page, are colorful and detailed. Everytime you look at the pictures you will notice a small detail that you've previously missed. My daughter is 3 months old, but when I read this to her, she actually stared at the page with wide eyes as if she was amazed at all the colors. This is certainly one book I will buy for my friends' children, and I highly recommend it.

This is an absolutely beautiful Christmas book for tabletop. It is wonderfully produced, wonderfully drawn, and fun to read.

A must have for every home at Christmas season. We loved it so much we got one of my girlfriend's mother as a Christmas gift, and we plan to get more for next year's Christmas.

This is a beautiful holiday book for young and old. It is teaming with wonderful Santa stories and "information" about the jolly old elf. Santa Claus

I love this book! I looked through it and read some parts to my 3 1/2 year old. She loves this book. We keep it in a special place because it truly is special. This book beautifully revels in the magic of Santa Claus. Not to mention it provides so many answers to all of those questions about Santa that even us adults are not sure of! :) I highly recommend it!!!

we read this book every xmas eve... it's a beautiful book!!!! my daughter loves this book!!!!!!!!!!!

I absolutely love this book! I bought it for my 5 year old son a month or so before Christmas. He is at the perfect age for it! He LOVES looking at Santa's map of his route on Christmas Eve, reading about the reindeer and their different personalities and much more. It is a beautiful and treasured book.

The book seems to be based on close observations of thousands of families, by someone with good judgment. It says what the child should be doing at a given age, and what you the parent should be doing, without euphemisms or ideology. A big theme of the book is that you must establish compliance with rules between the ages of 16 and 24 months. I began to read this book just *after* my child turned two, and it is a bit sobering for me to ponder how sound its observations and advice appear now. I own at least two or three other books on parenting (the also good Brazelton and the treacly Dr. Sears), and this one is easily the best.

I'm expecting my fifth child, so I've got a bit of experience with raising young children. I bought this book when my first was born and it is the only book that I have kept over the years and still consult.

The thing about this book is that it offers practical, sensible advice while helping you understand what is actually going on with your child developmentally, so that the advice makes sense. White has years of research and observation to call on, and his advice is sound and founded on this research. The book is broken up into various stages by age, and presented in logical sections.

This is not a book aimed at any particular developmental issue or problem, but paints a general picture of how babies develop under normal circumstances. He offers practical advice on how to help your baby's development relevant to their developmental stage, though there is no particular emphasis on pushing your child to reach any specific potential. Rather, you are encouraged to understand what will help baby most while being reassured that variance in level of development is normal.

Some issues that are covered in this book that I have found helpful were sibling rivalry, what toys to buy (and which to avoid), and how to effectively and humanely discipline very small children as well as teaching them to go to sleep on their own.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone with a new baby, and suggest getting it as soon as possible. You don't need to read it cover to cover, but can read each stage as your baby approaches it.

We have raised an unspoiled, intelligent and well behaved 5 year old that proves that recommendations and techniques from this book really work. We always get compliments from friends, family and even strangers on how well behaved our kid is. We are reviewing again as our 1 yr old grows. There is no magic formula to parenting, and sure, you may need to adjust a thing or two based on your value systems, heritage and personal preferences but two things I can assure: Love has no substitute for what's best for your children and this book is a great buy. We actually have bought 4 copies as gifts for friends who are new to parenting

During a visit to my parent's house about 6 weeks into my son's life, my father presented me with his 30 year old copy of this book. Clearly it had made such an impression on him while he was raising me, that he had not only kept it, but remembered it when it was my turn to raise my first child. After reading the What to Expect series, Dr. Sears, Dr. Spock, and other various finds studiously like textbooks while I was pregnant (highlighting, note-taking, comparing ideologies), I found this book refreshing, simple, honest and captivating. The "rules" are so commonsensical they may seem at first like a waste of time. But the author discusses the reasons why babies and young children do the things they do and need their basic needs in a way that makes you feel like you can really see the world through your child's eyes. It is a delightful read and many times brought tears to my eyes as the lightbulb went off above my head and I could see how simple raising a child can be. My son is 7 months now and this book has never left the side of my bed. I re-read it frequently as he develops just to re-center myself when the stresses of parenthood ever seem too weighty.

Unique as Pete: How Autism Does Not Mean Different

This is an excellent guide to raising a new baby. I love it becuase it's all based on sound research and the advice in this book has been right on with our daughter. This is a MUST have if you are raising a new baby.

We move too fast; our senses are daily bombarded with loud (but shallow) noise. When one comes in contact with a book like "PrairyErth", it requires a shift of mind, a change of gears.

Heat-Moon walks slowly and digs deeply. There are sentences in this book that have great weight- they didn't come easy, and they speak softly. It is a heavy book, but one with which you will develop a lasting relationship. I don't know of any book like it, surely a credit to Heat-Moon's formidable skill of turning land and time into words on paper.

I have read this book every year since it came out and have walked on the same ground, talked to some of the same people, known the same dirt roads. I encourage you to do the same, and feel the same pull.

This is an important work. A rewarding read. A book that gives back.

A deep map, indeed.
Gary Gackstatter, St Louis

A very deep map indeed, the second of Heat-Moon's three literary tours-de-force is the story of a county in Kansas. In his first excursion, the best-selling BLUE HIGHWAYS, the author reported on a ten thousand mile sojourn along the old Federal Highways (blue on most maps). PRAIRYERTH grew out of three years of hiking, conversation and archival research in Chase County, Kansas and the result is a living history of both the particular locale and the European invasion of the west. From Knute Rockne's death in a commercial plane crash to Sam Wood's murder to Native medicine, dream walking to newspaper accounts of life on the prairie, and fossils to legends to The Land Institute where Wes Jackson explores the looming demise of the liquid fuel era, this volume casts a wide net. Heat-Moon is clear eyed enough to see the facts and then see beyond the facts to the life between the lines of old courthouse documents and pioneer diaries. He is open to less tangible subtlety as well, admitting susceptibility to hunch, daydream or the message from another's Ouija board. He tells a tale of hawks, buffalo, cowboys and beef, notes the profound damage wrought on the American prairie by McBurger mania and the possibility of recovery in a place of vast flatness and endless wind and sky. He lunches with the dead in old cemeteries and stakes out to observe life in a dying town where nothing happens. There are midnight moonlight hikes and journalistic experiments, pertinent quotes by the truckload and poignant still lifes of moments of love and loss. Such a deep map makes for a long read, but well worth the effort as pieces click into place in later chapters and a pastiche emerges, a hologram in which you can walk between the hills and dip a cupful from a clear flowing spring.

In Blue Highways the inimitable William Least Heat Moon drove across the backroads of America. In River Horse this courageous, spiritually-venerable man floated in a barge across this nation's waterways. In Prairy Erth, he does his exploration mostly on foot. Confining himself to a microcosmic canvas, Least Heat Moon spends over 600-pages describing how he spent months delving into a single county in the heart of Kansas. Packed with maps of Chase County, its hills, waterways, roads and farmsteads, the author tells a sometimes dry but often rich story of one remote but improbably charming spot on planet earth. He meets many of the county's 3,000 residents, hears and tells of the folklore, the history, the textured layers to life in such a location. By the book's end an unknowingly begun spiritual journey reaches its conclusion, which is the way with all of William Least Heat Moon's writings. If you have the time to put into Prairy Erth, it is a compelling book that challenges the nature of individual outlook.

New to William Least Heat Moon, I wasn`t quite sure what to expect with Prairyerth. Having heard about the critical acclaim of Blue Highways, I thought a lesser known work would be the place to start. And I am glad I chose Praityerth.

With Prairyearth, William Least Heat Moon has dug down to the heart of a specific place, in this case, the Flint Hill country of Chase County, Kansas. Not unlike Thoreau`s Walden, Prairyerth is an exhaustive chronicle of one man`s journey to the bottom--historically, geologically and geographically speaking--of one particular and rather insignificant place in the American landscape. Prairyerth, like Walden, is impossible to lump into one clean-cut literary category. Neither pure history, nor pure geology, nor `storytelling` per say, it is rather a brilliant concoction of all three. It is, as the author pens it, a `deep map` of one tiny piece of the New World. And deep it is. Least Heat Moon delves into every square inch, every prehistoric layer of his subject. The result is a stirring and fascinating ride through the discovery, settling, exploitation and ultimate destruction of the American prairie. Half Native American himself, Least Heat Moon walks through the tall grass of the American Sea with much the same spirit of his ancestors. Here was not emptiness as thought the first Europeans, but rather a vast ocean of endless natural wealth. Home to the once vast bison herds, the tall-grassed hills of Chase County were once giant mountains of the Kansas range that were slowly worn down into the Flint Hills of today. Least Heat Moon follows the tracks of the Osage and the Kansa, `people of the wind,` who traversed this area long before Zebulon Pike and John Fremont made their tentative forays across the prairie towards more secure landscapes. The author vividly captures the reverence that the Osage and Kansa held for the `prairie.` Tracking down the stories of the few remaining pure-blood Kansa, Least Heat Moon paints a metaphor for what looms in the future for us, lest we ignore the lessons of the past. Not only does the author richly expose the layer of Native Americana within Chase County, but he does justice to the natural elements of the place as well. Some of the most fascinating parts of Prairyerth are the sections on two of the county`s most enduring denizens, the Osage Orange tree/bush and the Wood Rat, aka Pack/Trade Rat. Least Heat Moon has an ultra sharp eye for interesting detail and oddity and knows how to bring such things to life.

The structure of the work is as ambitious as it is groundbreaking. Every other chapter covers another quadrant of the county. Least Heat Moon spends most of his time analyzing the present inhabitants of the county, trying to distill the essence of `Kansasness.` He chats with the weathered old farmers and ranchers who`ve survived every tornado and flash flood over the last half-century and who entertain no thoughts on living anywhere else. Every voice in the county gets its chance. Feminist cattle ranchers give him the lowdown on castrating bulls, local high schoolers divulge their dreams and the regulars of the Emma Chase Cafe unload gossip unaware of who`s writing it all down. Kansasness, according to the author, is a baffling mix of progressive politics and constrictive convention. A place of often violent contrasts. Kansas was the first state born out of the fires of abolition, first to stimulate integration (Board of Education vs Topeka), yet the `n word` is still commonplace all over the county. The forefather of the county, Samuel Wood, was one of the most eloquent voices among the abolitionists, yet he stopped short of pushing for full integration. Kansas was a place where all people had freedom of opportunity (especially to better oneself economically), as long as everybody kept to his/her own. One of the first states to allow women`s suffrage, it was also one of the first to embrace Prohibition. It also kept its archaic and puritan sex laws on the books until the recent Supreme Court ruling overturned such laws.

In between his quadrant explorations of the county, Least Heat Moon has interspersed chapters comprised of nothing but various epigrams and short passages regarding the state. Coming from sources as disparate as Horace Greeley and Black Elk to graffiti found at the KU library, these chapters are some of the most entertaining and enriching of the book.

William Least Heat Moon is one of the greatest prose stylists I have ever encountered in modern American letters. His writing is rich with metaphor and digression, begging second and third readings of certain passages. While sometimes he expands profusely, Faulkner-like, for paragraphs, clarity is rarely forsaken. It just means reading carefully and slowly. Prairyerth is definitely a book that needs digesting. I took me almost six months to finally devour it up and when I did, I had the distinct feeling of having consumed something grand and very nutritious, albeit a bit heavy. In fact, those without persistent natures would best choose something else to read. Prairyerth is meat and potatoes and requires a lot of chewing. And perhaps that is where the work falls a tad short of its possible ancestor. Whereas one can open Thoreau`s Walden anywhere and revel in the beauty and wisdom (albeit often cryptic) found therein, Prairyerth is nothing if not taken in its entirety. Its just too dense, with too much stuff packed into its innards. In fact, a little editing could have helped the book. Some chapters are a bit superfluous and leaving them out would have only helped the work as a whole. Moreover, Least Heat Moon`s astute observations serve his examination of the natural world far better than they support his delving into the human realm. Somehow a lot of the `characters` of Chase County never fully come to life in Prairyerth. Rather, they seem two-dimensional and oddly trapped on the page. Yet, taken as a whole and for what it is, a grand archaeological and sociological dig through the layers of New World settlement, Prairyerth succeeds grandly. Never has one tiny and often ignored section of the American quilt come to life so vividly and richly as does Chase County, Kansas in Prairyerth. A place so seemingly devoid of life, is, in actuality, overflowing with the past, present and future. All you have to do is look,look carefully. The author himself says it best: `A traveler(who cannot even remotely detect the thousand-mile-an-hour spinning of the planet he rides through space at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, to say nothing of its solar and galactic movements and its precession) writes in his notebook, ~nothing is happening~. Man muses, God guffaws.` Next time you feel that nothing has ever happened or is happening now or will happen where you`re at, pick up Prairyerth and be amazed.

If only every county in the United States had as passionate and articulate a chronicler as William Least Heat-Moon.

I came to "PrairyErth" after having read and loved "Blue Highways." This tome--though longer and less expansive, geographically--possesses many of the qualities I admired in Heat-Moon's earlier work: the narrative tone (there's none of that stuffy, impersonal, third-person prose one finds in some travelogues; the author is himself part of the story), the occasional dips into philosophy and history; the candid interviews with "locals"; and the intense search for meaning in the most ordinary of places.

I have never been to Chase County, Kansas, but after spending a month or so accompanying Heat-Moon through the pages of his book, I feel as though I have. The book is subtitled "a deep map," and that is indeed what the author provides here. Square mile by square mile, the reader is introduced to the prairie, its topography and history, its residents and its wildlife. Heat-Moon correctly understands that the essence of a place is often best captured through anecdote and observation. There is nothing sweeping or grand about his narrative, and that's what makes "PrairyErth" such a delight. It's a detailed, intimate read; one almost has the feeling of looking over the author's shoulder (and back through history) as he ambles and rambles about the quadrangles of Chase County.

If there's one criticism I would offer, it's that Heat-Moon sometimes lapses into needless digressions about himself and the challenges he faced while writing the book. It struck me as a bit self-absorbed--as did the occasional Faulknerian stream-of-conscious, punctuationless prose. These stylistic excesses add little to what is otherwise a magnificent and fascinating travelogue.

I have spent some time in NYC before but had always been with a city resident and hadn't ever needed a guide. But when the opportunity came about for my husband and I to spend a long weekend there, I absolutely took it. I love the city (in small doses, couldn't ever live there), but hadn't ever had a chance to do any touristy stuff. So I read some reviews and picked up this guide.

I spent a few days reading over it, and after my trip, I would say it's a great guide if you don't know what you want to do, or how to structure your days, because it has very specific suggestions for stuff like that. It has a section for each part of the city, at the end of which is a run down on a sample day one could spend in that neighborhood.

But as far as a comprehensive while-you're-there guide? I wish I had gotten Not For Tourists. This was a great planner, and had street and subway maps that were incredibly useful, but when you're looking for a bookstore nearby to kill an hour? Nada. Also, because of the setup of the book (chock full of Top Ten lists, duh), it jumps around a lot. One museum is mentioned in four different places, and vital information is only on one of those pages, but from the index there's no way to tell which one of those pages has something important like the hours of the place, for example, so you have to check every page.

Again, great for planning, less great for a carry-along for your trip.

Great subway map! Just don't forget to read the signs in the subway, some trains only run certain days/times. AND if I remember correctly PATH is not really in the book.

I've used this guide several times on trips to NY and it is absolutely terrific. Pocketable, beautifully illustrated, wonderfully organized. We went to two of the restaurants recommended and were totally pleased. Very easy to use and filled with useful information. Will add a lot to a visit.

For those traveling to New York City this is an essential guide to bring with you. The restaurant recommendations are top notch. The maps are detailed and a pocket subway guide is always helpful. Whether you are going in for a week or a weekend this is the guide you want to carry with you when you are out and about. You may want to use another guide if you are going in for a longer period of time for planning purposes but again this is the one you want to carry with you when you are in the city.

I visited NYC for the first time a few weeks ago. I took only three books about this city with me: this guide, the "Lonely planet NYC Guide", and "The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide". Truth to be told, this guide is probably the only one I couldn't have done without.

"Top 10 New York" is an extremely useful small guide that doesn't have as much information as the "Lonely planet NYC Guide", but that has the essentials, and excellent fold out maps in color that are more easily understandable than those of other guides. I would like to highlight the fact that even though I am very absent minded, I could easily find my way in NYC thanks to those maps. And if I can, everybody will be able to do that!

From my point of view, this guide is ideal for those tourists that don't have a lot of time, and want to see as much as possible during their visit to NYC (specifically Manhattan), if possible without a tourist guide. "Top 10 New York" points out quite a few places you simply must go to in the city, but also tells you about different neighbourhoods, and their history. There are many photos in color that help you to decide what you want to do, and historic data that allows you to learn about this city.

Moreover, most visitors will find the insider tips for tourists helpful, and the planned walks and itineraries a good option. Other useful sections in this guide are, for example, "Best shopping districts", "Best hotels for every budget" (I found my hotel through Internet, though), "Best restaurants in each area" and "Most fun places for children". What is more, "Top 10 New York" is almost pocket-sized, so you can carry it with you everywhere, even if your purse is tiny (not my case!), or if you have bought too many things and your handbag is rather heavy (yes, that often happens to me).

All in all, I am very happy I bought this guide, and I strongly recommend it to you :)

Belen Alcat

I loved this book it brought me back to my child hood in a fun and loving way. I thought it was well written, I did not want to end. I hope the Author writes a sequel

This is the greatest book ever! Kept me on the edge of my seat every time I picked it up to read. Full of hope and wonder. I lent it to my sister, a teacher, and she recommended the book to the school's librarian. Most of her students wanted to borrow it from her to read it, because she'd read some of the book outloud to them and they fell in love with it. I recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!!!

This is a fabulous story about adventure, magic and the power of kindness. Its so creative, I just had to share it with other teachers! It gives a whole new life to the 'pantheon' of Santa Claus, creating characters who move you, scare you and have you cheering them on.

This is a fantastic story! I really liked the characters, especially the main character, Holly. The beautiful illustrations add to the magical feel of the story. I really like the author's style. I liked how you couldn't tell who the "bad guy" (Herrikhan) would appear as in New York at first. The author has a great way of describing everything, especialy the land of Forever. This is a great book to share and read aloud. It is one of my top two favorite books ever. Most people who really like high fantasy will really enjoy this book.

The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan and Illustrated by Laurel Long
While the premise of the fairy tale is pretty cheesy (Mr. and Mrs. Claus have a daughter), and the book dwells way too long in the cutesy (read: fairy hide-and-seek and doll making), this turned out to be a pretty good fantasy, right up there with the Oz and Narnia series, and very, very reminiscent of Victorian fairy tales like The Rose and the Ring, The Reluctant Dragon, The Selfish Giant, and others I read in a 19th Century Children's Literature course. It's a fairy tale, while sometimes clumsy in prose, is beautifully imaginative and grotesquely described. Holly Claus has the most pure and innocent and loving heart in all creation. Unfortunately, this is the very thing that--when willingly given--will break the curse on the evilest of warlocks. Holly travels to late Victorian New York City, inspires children to follow their dreams by giving them toys (the old "toys are powerful" motifs of Christmas), and eventually defeats the evil Herrikham in an unfortunately predictable ending. But this tale is woven with such clever and imaginative pieces (particularly the creatures from all over folktale in the Land of Forever) and folktale plot twists (Holly's heart is encased in snow, so she is cursed to always be in the cold; a creature of such goodness and purity actually causes fear and horror in the perfect Land of Immortals). Also, there are some genuinely awesome characters, most importantly the two that serve as counter-points to Holly's optimistic innocence: Tundra, Holly's gruff wolf guardian who's a bit tormented, and Christopher Carroll, Holly's love interest, who has seen too much of the evils of the world and has lost his faith in magic. Also, this book is amazingly, beautifully illustrated, truly like a Victorian fairy tale. Grade: A-

This is the best WDW guidebook for planning and organizing your vacation at Walt Disney World. It reviews and rates all the attractions at all the resorts, as well as all the resorts and restaurants. The maps are very useful. Of all the WDW guide books, this one is best at helping you prioritize each day of your trip.

This book has answered just about every question that me and my family has about WDW. It truly helped us make our decisions about our upcoming WDW vacation.

Loved this book. A must have if you are going to Disney for the first time or for the 100th time. Gave me lots of inside advice, great restaurant reviews, which were right on, and the maps were so much better than the ones you get at Disney. This is a must have. I will get a new one each time I go to Disney. I suggest getting it as eary as you can as it was so much fun to read and review before the trip. Made the vacation feel longer than just one week for me . . . .

I have 4 Disney books, and this one is the ONLY one that gives a complete guide to everything Disney! It's packed with SO much information and has helped me tremendously with the planning of our up-coming trip! You don't need any other book! (This is the small version that you can carry with you to the parks, they do offer a larger one that I wish I had known about first)

I've bought a few books for our upcoming WDW trip, and this one has by far the most detailed maps that I've seen. It shows where the restaurants are, the bathrooms, shopping areas, etc. so you can get yourself well-oriented with the layout of the parks before actually getting there. As far as the whole WDW complex, the map is not too bad, but I've been looking at google earth for that kind of detailed information - the proximity from the hotels to the different parks, where the toll plazas and parking lots are - things of that nature. This book doesn't have extremely detailed touring plans - just some general guidelines, but still a lot of very helpful information. It has some good tips and info regarding the dining plan - the breakdown of prices, which I thought was very useful because then you can straight up compare how much money you are actually "saving" if you choose to purchase the Disney Dining Plan. And it has a little journal where you can keep records/memories of your trip, and it's spiral bounded, which I love. So if your looking for planning info, it's great, but if you've already planned and want actual touring plans, you might be happier with a different purchase.