Literature Books

A very simple concept. No text, just numbers and beautiful pop-up pictures. Simple but lovely to look at.

Really like the style of this counting book. With the black and white visuals opening up to colourful animal popups. Just one error would be the 10 shows as a 0 before it is opened...which is a bit confusing ...7,8,9,0?

These books are awesome. I have actually bought six sets of both one to ten and color surprise. I have four children so one for each of them during the early years and also as gifts for best friends. I recommend them because for one, I never get tired of looking at the vibrant pictures and they capture the children's attention as well. They are educational as well as engaging. I highly recommend them.

My baby loves this book, especially the final pop-up for the number ten. She squeals with delight as I turn the pages. However, I think Color Surprises: A Pop-up Book is a slightly sturdier book. The large numbers which the reader opens on each page are a little flimsy.

My kids love this book. The illustrations and create pop-up's are beautiful.

I bought this for my daughter - it was perfect. I didn't want a book on growing up or how to date. Just this one subject. My daughter is small for her age and also a bit immature due to some hearing problems when she was younger. So all of her friends have already hit this milestone. This book was great and helped her tremendously. We talked and talked about her first period, but being able to look at the book over and over again really helped her. She has now hit this milestone and survived it just fine! A great book and highly recommended.

I thought the book was well written. My daughter is 8 1/2 and was very interested about the subject of Menstruation. We read it together and I felt it gave her all the information about growning up without the "sex" part.

I purchased this book for my 12 year old daughter. It is an informative book with some monochromatic illustrations. I also purchased "Ready, Set, Grow". My daughter's opinion is that "Ready, Set, Grow" was an easier reading style, more colorful and more fun to read. I have to agree with her. I also enjoyed reading the other book more than this one.

I would recommend this book, but if you're only going to buy ONE book, I'd recommend "Ready, Set, Grow".

This book is very simple and straightforward. I read it before I gave it to my ten-year-old daughter and it really touches on points that I didn't think to touch on with my daughter. My daughter read it and she loved it. She said it made her realize that she is normal and that everything she's thinking and feeling is NORMAL. It didn't give her so much information that she was overwhelmed and confused either. It simply goes through what is happening to her body now and nothing more. Thanks for a great guide!

My mother got this book for my younger sisters when I was 14 or 15, long after I'd started my period. But I still learned a lot from it. Reading accounts of how different girls/young women felt about their menstrual cycle was especially reassuring, since I felt "weird" about how painful and heavy mine was compared to that of other girls my age. I wish my mother had bought it for me when I was much younger, since I had many misconceptions about what a period was! A very subtle yet readable book, without "gross" pictures (has simple sketches instead). I also like that it doesn't talk down to young girls as if they're "just kids"; has a very respectful, reassuring tone that delivers what you need to know about your period when you're in middle school or junior high. Doesn't get into sex ed at all, so you can save that info for another book!

Get this book and enjoy this debut novel by KD Harris. This is a true page turner from cover to cover, full of some good reading, and jaw dropping situations that will make your head spin twice. Excellent read.

Wow, this book is banannas. from the time I started this book I was up until 5am finish reading ....K D Harris great story line nice cover and cartel is doing the DA*! thang!!!! That girl was POISON in a worse way..don't want to tell story this hottest book this summer must get

THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK THAT I HAVE READ FROM THIS AUTHOR BUT IT WON'T BE THE LAST!!!!!!!

I ENJOYED THIS BOOK ALOT,EVEN THOUGH THE MAIN CHARACTER DID DISASTROUS SCHEMING W/O THINKING OF THE CONSEQUENCE !!! HOW SIMPLE-MINDED WAS SHE!!! I ENJOYED IT BECAUSE SHE WAS ALWAYS DOING RIDICULOUS THINGS,YET SHE WAS TO ME A CLOWN,THAT NEVER TOOK RESPONSIBILITY OF HER OWN ACTIONS!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE SO MANY GUYS FELL FOR HER,PROBABLY THINKING WITH THEIR LITTLE HEADS!!!!!!! TO READERS GET THIS BOOK SO THAT YOU'LL KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!

This was a good read. I give it 4 stars. You won't be disappointed.

I read this book because it was a book club choice. I don't know what I was expecting however the first line of the book totally turned me off. I thought, "Why are we picking such bad books to read?" (the last few book club selections have not been very well received) However I kept on reading and was so glad I did. Throughout the book I kept thinking I really don't like this book, but I couldn't put it down. I found myself bringing it with me while I was doing errands in hopes I would get a few moments to read a little more. The writing is compelling, if not a tad transparent. I was able to guess what was happening as I was reading along. Except for the ending. The ending is a twist I never expected and was chillingly well done.

This is a book I would have never read if I had not been in my book club but I am so glad I did. It is a well written mystery/love story/western type book that is vibrant and dark at the same time.

In our book club we rate our books from 1 - 5 (5 being the best). The book received an average 4.8 - the highest of any book we have read in a very long time. I would highly recommend reading it and it makes a most excellent book club read. Our discussion about the book was one of the best we have had, with many different opinions and observations being shared.

I am stunned by all of the wonderful reviews for this book. I thought it was by far, the worst book I have read since high school. It could not have moved any slower. The thing I did like about it was the ending and things turn around to get you. Just so much of it was completely out of left field. Boring! Boring! Boring!

This is an unbelievably wonderful novel to sink your teeth into. A page turner of high literary merit, accessible and intelligent. Fabulous craft and language, a most diabolical villain who drives even saints to wish him ill.

Yes he is intelligent, arrogant, rough, caustic, poisonous, and evil, all to hide one tiny chink in his armor that nonetheless, one person manages to find.

Read this book! My one regret is that Thomas Savage doesn't know how popular he is today.

The afterword by Annie Proulx reveals even more about Savage's motivation for the novel, and provides an extra ounce of satisfaction to to novel's end.

Read this novel as slowly as you possibly can, for every paragraph is painted with no fewer than two rich coats of molasses-thick paint, and sometimes silver paint in one layer reflects off of another.

Hunted by a dog, chasing prey as a dog, or dog pursuing dog?

Savage leaves nothing to chance, for this novel will speak to all three.


Skip the after-word, initially.

A completely unexpected and disturbingly powerful character study of a small group of characters in the West, circa 1940s. The prose here is incredible, and the plot unfolds slowly and myteriously. Palpable tension-- the author knew precisely what he woas doing-- with an ending I truly didn't see coming. One of the most remarkable books I've ever read.

Ahhh Marie Antoinette. By now most people know she really did not utter the phrase "let them eat cake" in response to the raising bread shortage. During her and her husband's reign, the country was very unstable. There was a famine, a huge deficit, and finally, the Bastille and Reign of Terror.

The book begins with her at 14, and just about to be married to the Dauphin of France. With get a look at what it must have been like to be her, a child bride, and completely unaware of what is in store for her. the famous line when they became the reigning king and queen" we are too young to govern" was probably true.

We see her slowly mature and see through her eyes the country falling apart. What noone realized at the time was it really wasn't all her doing.

Written as though she herself wrote it while awaiting exeuction, we feel sorry for her and that is truly the mark of a great book and a great writer.

I read the whole book on a flight from Houston to Sacramento! I love this book! This is my favorite Holt book ever!

I read this book in 1973!? It was so wonderful that I planned my trip to Paris around Marie Antoinette's homes - the Grand and Petit Trianon at Versailles for one stop. The author writes historical fiction so beautifully that you can't help wishing to run to Europe and experience the lives of the queens you've read about!! I'll never orget this book - and others by Victoria Holt!

This was my first book by Victoria Holt, and also my first book on Marie Antoinette. I knew a little about her from my college history class, but that was all. This story provided more information than class, and moved along quickly. It was very exciting at times, and written in a way that was very believable. The book contained real quotations from various sources, which was also interesting. It would be helpful for the reader to have *some* background information on the time period and/or Marie Antoinette in order to make reading the story a little smoother. There are a TON of names and places mentioned, which can make it confusing... but not enough dates. Dates are mentioned only here and then. My one complaint is that several times all French sentences were used with no translation... so since I don't speak French, they detracted from the story. I would have liked to have known the translations to those.

This book actually should be under one of Victoria Holt's other pen names, Jean Plaidy. Plaidy writes about actual historical figures.

The Queen's Confession is told by Marie Antoinette herself. Well, not actually, but how she would have written it. She grows up in the Austrian court under the guidance of her mother, the Empress Maria Therese. She marries the Dauphin of France and deals with the "uncrowned queen", Madame du Barry. Finally, she becomes queen and started the beginning of the end of the French monarchy. Scandal, intrigue, and flamboyancy were never as great, and the consequences are even greater.

This book was wonderful! I actually learned a lot about her (I thought I knew everything!). Also, it is a good book to read if you are in for a good cry.

Torie and her sis, Sara have to go visit their grandparents for the whole summer. Niether of them are jumpping for joy. They go and meet two cosins. One whom they haven't seen for five years. Elija is tall, quiet, and shy. They meet Reenie for the first time. He is a highschool drop-out, mean, and a JD (Juvinile Deliquent) Torie befriends these two boys, yet they shut Sara out because she is stuck up, snoby, rude, and a sissie. The four kids soon discover an old secret in an old house. Torie, Elija, and Reenie come closer together suffering though fights, bother verbal and physical, yet these very fights make these cousins as close as PB&J. A tragic accident causes them to almost loose Sara. This part is sad because they had just yelled at her. She pulls though. Then the secret to the old house is revieled. In the end, someone dies. I won't tell you who, you'll just have to read it for yourself, but personally, he was my favorite character. This book shows how family relationships can effect eveyone, including a dead boy who haunts the house nextdoor. This book should be made into a movie. I can just picture the characters and how they would look and act. I bought this book out of desperation today. I went to the 75% off Bookstore and got it just because I would have to do a report on a book and just gravved Rimwalkers. I finished it about ten minutes ago and cried at the end. If you love romance, mystery, science fiction, family reationships, and death as well as life, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!! I loved it and I highly recomend that you read it. It is very fast-pace and can easily be read in a day or two. Next time you are at the library, pick up RIMWALKERS BY VICKY GROVE. I KNOW THAT YOU'LL LIKE IT. I laughed, I cried, and I was a little scared. BELIEVE ME, YOU'LL LOVE EVERY FAST PACED PAGE OF RIMWALKERS

The book Rimwalkers by Vicki Grove is about two boys and a girl finding out who they are over the summer, which has its ups and downs, its goods its bads, they bond and figure out a mystery that has been haunting the farm for years.
I would recommend this book to fifth or sixth graders. It has just what kids this age are looking for: adventure, mystery, friendship, and danger. I am a sixth grader and I really enjoyed Rimwalkers. It has two hundred and twenty-three pages. It teaches an important lesson to never judge somebody by the way they act or the way they dress. One should take risks, and not always stand on the sidelines, but jump in the game.
The book Rimwalkers by Vicki Grove is an all around good book. Even though it might be aimed more for fifth or sixth graders, readers of any age would probobly enjoy it. So go ahead, get your copy of Rimwalkers, I promise you will enjoy it.

Rimwalkers was an awesome book. I would give it five stars.
Tory was older than Sara, her younger sister, yet she was always walking one step behind her. Until one summer vacation at her grandparents' farm and unexpected cousin named Rennie showed up. He was a daredevil and he helped Tory and Elijah, another cousin just as shy and quiet as Tory, to be more outspoken and to try new things. Tory, Elijah, and Rennie became really good friends, but they always left out the snobby little sister, Sara. Then on the last day of their summer vacation at their grandparents' farm tragedy struck and the tables turned.

I thought that it was a touching story made with realistic characters. The details were amazingly beautiful. Every thing about it was either dramatic or excitingly *daredevilish. I would definitly let a lot of my friends read this. I think most of them would really enjoy it. My favorite part was when Tory and Sara was on the bus and Tory was day dreaming about her and Elijah's past times together.

I thought that it was a touching story made with realistic characters. The details were amazingly beautiful. Every thing about it was either dramatic or excitingly *daredevilish. I would definitly let a lot of my friends read this. I think most of them would really enjoy it. My favorite part was when Tory and Sara was on the bus and Tory was day dreaming about her and Elijah's past times together.

This book is spell binding, excellently written and so full of history that it makes you want to reach out for more info.

A true story for our time and one that needs to be shared. If you want to know more about the Coast Guard and what it's like to be at sea, this is the book to read. I'm having trouble putting it down.

"Sailing into the Abyss" by William R. Benedetto is to the Merchant fleet what the "Perfect Storm" was to the sword-fishing fleet.

The book gives "arm-chair" sailors like me, uncontrollable shakes and chattering teeth even...with a hot cup of coffee in hand! Benedetto's writing abilities plunges the reader directly into the cold sea next to the unfortunate struggling seaman who has just abandoned his sinking ship.

This is the riveting story of the Merchant vessel "S.S. Badger State" that was taking its deadly cargo of bombs and munitions to Da Nang to help support our troops and the war effort in Vietnam. Shortly before Christmas of 1969, the "S. S. Badger State" runs into two gargantuan storms that seem to converge directly into the men and cargo of the "S.S. Badger State." The bombs break loose in their cargo holds, and then...
you must read the book!

The author is really a superb writer and nautical historian. However, he sometimes gives too many historical examples of similar events to intensify the fate of this particular ship and incident. His examples are extremely interesting but...often too long. These constant historical vignettes only serve to take the readers focus away from the main events at hand. Much of that ancillary information could easily be put into another book on historical ship wrecks.

William Benedetto deserves the highest praises for sharing his expertise and love for those who suffer peril upon the seas.

A truly good book and one that all sailors, past and present should read.

Aye--Aye Captain!

This book is superbly written. The amazing story of the SS Badger State is magnetic, and even more fascinating because it's true! I will recommend this book every chance I get, and I will keep my copy as a prized possession.

I recently sailed with a person who was a crewmember on the S.S. Badger State when this tragic incident occurred. Your book brought the story full circle, thanks for writing such an illuminating account.

Paul J. Gunis

Very few people are likely to have heard of the loss of the American merchant ship Badger State at Christmas of 1969. She was carrying a load of bombs to resupply the Air Force in Vietnam, and a chain of unfortunate events--poor stowage of the explosives, carrying an insufficient amount of cargo so that the ship rode high, bad weather--combined to lead almost inevitably to tragedy.

Benedetto, in very simple and unadorned prose that is not bogged down by a great deal of nautical jargon, provides a workmanlike rendition of the last days of the ship and crew. He draws heavily upon the documented testimony of survivors before a Board of Inquiry and received very significant input from Charles Wilson, the captain of the late vessel.

He also throws in a great deal of material (which at times verges on simple padding) about the tragic experiences of many other ships of the U.S. Merchant Marine over the last two hundred years, particularly about their destruction by, or, in some cases, escape from, Axis forces in WWII.

A small number of black and white photos are included. The diagrams of the ship and of the bomb pallets would have been better placed at the beginning of the book for easier reference.

This is not a lyrical and haunting masterpiece of man's struggle against the hostility of nature, but it's a serviceable enough rendering of an otherwise forgotten disaster and a nice primer about the sacrifices of the merchant marine.

A visually stunning body of work. This book shares rare and unusual images not seen in the series of children's books Dr. Seuss penned. Some of the images are dark and disturbing but then that's what makes it worth seeing. A wonderful and beautifully written forward by Maurice Sendak, another children's author, adds an interesting insight to the quirky and unique personality, of my beloved childhood hero, Theodore Geisel aka Dr. Seuss.

I recommend this book for kids and adults and anyone interested in animation or comic art.

this book is moving. in the way that a rainy day or a kitten effect your mood, this book too, will leave you changed.

i love this book.

I've always been fascinated by Dr. Seuss's illustrations & the art pictured here just adds to my interest.

This book gives you some of the everyday images from Dr. Seuss' children books and sketches for those characters, but also invites you into a secret world of other at that he created, some reminiscent of his popular books, but some much more abstract and interesting.

This book is a good buy for those who want to see more of who Dr. Seuss really was and what other art he created.

Ted Geisel, more widely known as Dr. Seuss, was a consummate writer and illustrator. His children's books have sold millions of copies; it is a near certainty that few children grow up in the United States without being exposed to Seuss books. This book contains some of Seuss's art that has not had a great deal of exposure. Most are paintings, although there are some works of three-dimensional art.
There are some very subtle messages in these paintings. On page 67 the image has the title "A Man Who Has Made an Unwise Prochess (sic)." A sad-looking man is walking from a distant building along a trail where there are sharp drops on both sides. The image caught and held my eye as I tried to determine what was so familiar about it. Then I realized that the man looked a great deal like Adolph Hitler. The eyes, hair, mustache and shape of the face all match.
Most of the other works contain characters similar to those that have appeared in his books. They are all well done, exuding a brightness and joy so typical of the Dr. Seuss books. Geisel was just as much an artist as he was a writer, perhaps even more so. If you examine this book, you may also reach that conclusion.

The book, Six-Dinner Sid (Aladdin Paperbacks, purchased in 2008) included an advertisement for Cheerios printed on the inside back cover of the book. So every time you read the last page of the book, your child will see an advertisement from a cereal company. No, thank you. We prefer not to have advertisements in our children's literature.

Sid is a favorite at our house! Even when my daughter is in a foul mood, by the end of Sid we're all laughing again. The pictures are extraordinarily expressive and the story is endearing. We've even taken to call one of our cats who likes to overeat Sid!

My kids and I both love this book. The art is pretty without being distracting. Sid is drawn very expressively, and as a real character, without being a talking animal. The message of sharing, openess, and flexibility are important and come in handy in our lives.

This is a delightful story of a friendly cat! My students like to listen to this book over and over again!

Sid likes six different kinds of dinners, being scratched six different ways, and he sleeps in six different beds. He's just that way!

And... when everyone talks to each other... everyone knows, so no one minds.

An awesome polyamory fable, great for kids and adults.

I suspect that Nabokov must have been suffering from depression, for voidness usually springs forth little except art. And that's precisely what you find in this collection; his opulent, artful take on humanity makes one shudder! While I admit I didn't finish reading all the stores in this book, I did especially love La Veneziana because it -vaguely- reminded me of Dorian Gray (one of my very favorites). I also read Lolita (recommended only for those who are obsessed with that one elusive love), but I think I like his short stories better.

Although I had read various Nabokov stories over the years I had never done so in a comprehensive manner, and finally decided to do so. I anticipated that this would be a wonderful read, and of course, I was right.

I was well aware as to how gifted Nabokov is with the language; what surprised me is his versatility. It seems like there is nothing he can't do. Contained in this collection is every kind of character imaginable: rich, poor, simple, smart; there is even an entirely credible portrait of a Siamese twin. There is straight drama, fantasy, adventure, horror and intrigue. There are all the elements of what our English teachers told us make good writing: symbolism, allegory, descriptive power, observation, wit, cleverness, heart, and an enormous store of knowledge, performed in a style that can only be described as poetic. And woven through it are the themes that make up the web of humanity: beauty, truth, and love. It is an utterly splendid collection, as good a collection of short stories as any I have ever read.

One of the things that sets him apart is restraint, or perhaps subtlety is a better word. In, "The Reunion," for example, two brothers meet after not seeing each other for ten years. One escaped the Soviet Union and is living a poor, almost wretched existence in Berlin. His brother stayed, and was able to achieve some success as a Soviet functionary. They finally meet each other in the Berliner's shabby apartment. Most authors would not be able to resist the urge to let this to sink into melodrama. There would be arguments, tears, and recriminations. But not for Nabokov. In his story the brothers simply find that they are uncomfortable with one another, and when they go their separate ways the seeming lack of drama beforehand makes their parting all the more poignant.

Humor and sadness are evident in all of this collection, sometimes in succeeding stories, sometimes in succeeding pages. "A Bad Day," is the touching and amusing story of a little boy's visit to his cousins in the Russian countryside, a visit he dreads because he doesn't get along and because he will be teased. The last line of the story--which in the hands of somebody like Updike would be a devastating condemnation of humanity--is here bittersweet, bringing both a tear to the eye and a smile to the face in self-recognition. It is, after all, nothing more than a "bad day."

But if there is whimsy here there is also great power. In, "Signs and Symbols," an old man and woman make a trip to the sanatorium to visit their deranged adult son on his birthday. Such a simple exercise is made terribly complicated by their age, their lack of means, the unpredictable nature of their son, and the indifference of the hospital staff. Nothing is really resolved by story's end; we are simply given an indelible portrait of the difficult, arduous journey that life has been for these uncomplicated, decent people. It is very moving and also an excellent example of Nabokov's worldly or otherworldly knowledge.

Many of the stories here have to do with, as you would expect, Russians and Russian expatriates. ("Write about what you know!" the English teachers say.) Nabokov unfortunately knew about the horrible experience of being exiled from his country, a country that his stories make clear he deeply loved, and to which he never returned. He doesn't spend a lot of time condemning the evil system that drove him and millions like him away, (although he does, briefly, in two of his earlier, weaker stories), he instead concentrates on those that it drove away. There are many excellent examples of this, but perhaps my favorite is entitled, "Cloud, Castle, Lake." In it, an older fellow is taken on a holiday train excursion he tries to get out of, is coerced into taking part in activities he doesn't wish to engage, and told to forsake the simple pleasures he has come to enjoy; all for--he is told--his own good. The train eventually stops at a perfect little inn, which overlooks a perfect lake in which is reflected a lovely cloud and castle. He wants to stay. Of course, he can't. Sad as it is, the story is also very amusing, and, typical of Nabokov at his best, works on several different levels.

The story also contains examples of Nabokov's splendid use of the language at the height of his power. Our friend observes the countryside from his hurtling train: "The badly pressed shadow of the car sped madly along the grassy bank, where flowers blended into colored streaks. A crossing: a cyclist was waiting, resting one foot upon the ground. Trees appeared in groups and singly, revolving coolly and blandly, displaying the latest fashions. The blue dampness of a ravine. A memory of love, disguised as a meadow. Wispy clouds--greyhounds of heaven." How marvelously descriptive this, and so beautiful that one finds oneself emotionally engaged.

The book is loaded with this stuff. You can barely turn a page without some surprise or delight awaiting you. A twenty-eight year old son returns unexpectedly after many years to visit his mother in, "The Doorbell." In the dimly lit room, he is taken aback by the fact that she is clearly preoccupied with something. Suddenly, "like a stupid sun issuing from a stupid cloud, the electric light burst forth from the ceiling." This, by the way, is another great story. In, "Ultima Thule," as a character is walking on the beach, "a wave would arrive, all out of breath, but, as it had nothing to report, it would disperse in apologetic salaams."

I could go on and on. After picking up the book I decided to read it cover to cover, but after about a hundred and fifty pages, I simply opened it and read the stories randomly. After a time I began to open the book onto stories I had already read, and found that I couldn't help but to reread them. Finally, I became apprehensive in fear that I might have missed something.

But no matter. If I haven't gotten to one yet, I will eventually. The book has already become an old friend, and like an old friend I will return to its comfort and joys for many years to come.

Put simply, this collection of short stories is a contemporary gold standard for the form. Nabokov's stories are packed with sparkling surprises, playful artifices and languid, confident language. I've put together a 50+ year reading vita and I find myself drawn back to these stories like a moth to flame...

I'm so glad I stumbled upon the Nabokov section in the bookstore last month. See, I'm a Russian Studies major, and the Nabokov class is being offered this quarter. I'm not taking it, but I decided to go check out what this guy was all about. Let me just say --- WOW. This man could really write. It's all like gorgeous poetry. Buy this treasure of a book, with so many beautiful stories in it, and you will not regret your purchase.

Started out reading this book little by little in order to digest each story in full, but then began reading one story after another with seemingly no intermission in between. Both ways suited me fine. In fact, sometimes it doesn't really help to think all that long about some of his stories--they are are like simple chance meetings w/ strangers, while other stories of his spawn dramatic lifetime relationships and require, even demand your utmost attention.

Everytime I stray from reading Nabokov I always come back to his books and think, "Wow, he is such an amazing writer!". I can't say enough about his detailed descriptions, his amazing perspectives, and his uncannily large English vocabulary. He never ceases to amaze me.