Media Books

IF YOU WERE THINKING OF BUYING THE BOOK "NAPPY HAIR", GET THIS ONE INSTEAD. ITS BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN.

This is an excellent book for building confidence in African-American girls about the natural beauty of their hair. The pictures are wonderfully done and contribute to the feeling of pride you get when reading this book. My daughter especially related to the part where the little girl makes music with the beads in her hair, and I try to remember to be as compassionate as the mom in the book when I comb her hair.

I purchased this book for my 3 year old daughter. She is only 1 of two black girls in her class of 16. This has been great for her. She asks me to read the book all the time. The book was also good for me too. It helped me to remind me to be proud of my hair and all of the wonderful styles and the great history of our hair. I just love it when my daughter says "I Love My Hair."

This book was like a breath of fresh air! Compared to the many children's books out there about 'nappy' (coiled/African) hair, this one is the most positive and affirming. While other books dwell on the 'N' word (i.e. the term 'nappy') and try to put a positive(?) spin on it, this book doesn't even use the term. Instead, it focuses on the reality of a young African-American child who is learning to love and accept herself by loving and accepting her unique hair texture. I love it!

My daughter is 10 years old and I have kept her hair naturally curly. She is mixed and gorgeous. She was at school and a little girl told her, " You need to tell your mommy to perm your hair, its a mess." She came home crying because this little girl, who is like her (the girl is african-american) said that to her. I talked to her about it but I don't think she believed me when I told her that her hair was beautiful and special. I came to good ole' Amazon and saw this book. I bought it for her and when it came we read it together. She smiled at the similarities between her and the little girl in the book. Like how she asked her mommy to stop doing her hair until the ouchies went away, the same as she does with me, or that fact that every hair style in the book has been done to her hair too. She LOVES her hair now. And she wants more books about little girls' hair. This is hard but I am looking right now for another one. This book is an inspiration to all little girls of color or mixed race. It truly has been for my daughter.

I just recently purchased this book as a Christmas gift for my 8-year old niece who loves horses at that tender young age as much as I did and still do at 32. When I was a kid, I must have read The Island Stallion about 20 times. It was my favorite in the Farley series, and I dreamed to the moon about beautiful red stallions and hidden island paradises every time I re-visited the book. A complete adventure delight for any horse loving child. Who didn't want their very own "Flame" after finishing this story? I still have my own battered copy from all those years ago. The cover on the new one is different, but it still evokes that feeling of wild magic as much now as it did 25 years ago!

I received this book for Christmas many years ago and remember how exciting it was, I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter! My own daughter is now 10 years old and I've been reading some of my old books to her. Some of them haven't really stood the test of time, being not quite exciting enough for her to want to read them on her own. The Island Stallion was just as exciting for her as it was for me though. She loved the part where they were exploring the hidden tunnels and kept asking why on earth hadn't they made a movie of this book! Walter Farley's writing truly brings this book to life where you can just imagine what Azul Island must be like. This book has hooked my daughter on the Black Stallion series even more than the original book that started it all and now every time we go to a horse show she adds to her collection. I recommend this book for anyone who loves a good mystery adventure type book and I have to say that I enjoyed reading it even as an adult.

I am searching for the early printings of the Black Stallion series. My uncle, James Schucker was the illustrator of some of those books, and I would like to obtain copies of some of them. Please contact me: Barbara Schucker Marquardt: barbmarq@comcast.net

When I was a kid, I was poking around in my parents' library one day when I found this book. I was overwhelmed when I read it. It had secret passages, skeletons, Spanish conquistadors and the most beautiful horse in the world living free and wild. What's not to like? I think I must have re-read the book a dozen times.

This is the book, in other words, that turned me into a reader. It was so captivating that I fell in love with not just this book but with reading itself. Someday soon I'll read it again and I know I'll be thrilled again.

I don't think it is possible or very useful to try to bring critical judgement to a book like this. It is sheer romanticism of the sort guaranteed to thrill a boy or girl. In its own way, it is perfect.

I loved this book as much if not more than the BLACK STALLION. I loved it so much that I could not bear to read the titles featuring 'BLACK STALLION MEETS FLAME" where my two favorite horses would be pitted against each other. It was an unfair pairing.
Wonderful fantastic adventure book. One of my all-time favorite horse stories right up there with KING OF THE WIND, and all the other WALTER FARLEY stories.

This is a sweet story but I found the narration by Jimmy B. and his daughter a little lacking. I'm a Jimmy Buffet fan no doubt. I just don't think voice overs are his thing. It is cool to hear him doing something with his daughter though. Like I said, it's sweet but I don't think we will pull this one off the shelf very often.

When I read the initial literary review, I had to laugh. The story is not weakened by the Jolly Mon's lack of efforts! Hah! The story is about the Jolly Mon's total surrender to his own destiny. He sings, the fish jump out of the sea, a musical instrument comes his way, he tries to play and makes a discovery. He trusts nature. He takes the opportunites that come his way with faith and grace. He uses the gifts he was given to the best and highest purpose. He does as he is asked to do. The book is a metaphor of faith and surrender. Besides that, it is beautifully illustrated, the music is lovely and my 2 1/2 year old son asks for it again and again. And, yes we are all parrotheads...

Anyone who is familiar with Jimmy Buffett understands ~ fantasy and fun are important parts of life.

This book & CD get the dream underway...

When I ordered this book I didn't realize it was a children's book. But when it arrived I read it then mailed it to my grand daughters. So it didn't go to waste and it was at least read/heard by three people in my family. I have loved the other Jimmy Buffett books and songs.

The quality of the printing, the beautiful 'semi-true story', the bright and well done colorful pictures and the bonus CD of Jimmy Buffett's song, aka The Jolly Mon, make this an excellent purchase for anyone with young children in their lives. It can lead to laughter, clapping, dancing and giggles!

This book is just awesome....one can read it over and over and it has such a simple , sweet ending that you're left satisfied and happy....

the characterization is just apt and there are not to many characters to confuse the readers... the best part is David himself...

this is a must read.. hope u all njoy

My mother told me about this book shortly after I began my studies to become a school teacher. It had been one of her favorite books and she had loved reading it to my older brother and sister when they were children. She tried to find a copy in local book stores but had no luck. My sister, upon hearing about Mama's search, got caught up in the nostalgia and located two copies of the book from the original printing in good condition and had them shipped right away. It turned out to be money very well spent.

David is a most unusually happy, contented, naive, talented and loving boy. Almost everyone tries to change him, but the only one to stay the same is 'Just David'. Not as famous as her great 'Pollyanna' but nothing more perfectly typifies this wonderful author's warm and tender work. Eleonar Porter writes characters that do not exist - but should.

When I was young my mother told me that I was named after the boy in the title of this book. My mother loved this book and wanted her only son to be like its title character, whom she admired greatly. It pleased me to be named after someone who was the subject of a book but, for some reason, I never bothered to ask my mother for details about either the book or its principal character, although she often spoke glowingly about the David for whom I was named. After my mother's death I regretted not having queried her for more details about Just David and its hero whom she so admired. When I found that Just David was available from Amazon.com I immediately ordered a copy and read it as soon as it arrived. To my pleasant surprise I found that I shared my mother's love both for the book and for its hero. I also understood for the first time why my mother had raised me as she had. I won't pretend to have all of the virtues possessed by the hero of this wonderful book, but I believe that I have more virtues than I would have if my mother hadn't used Just David's hero as a template for rearing me. I'm deeply grateful to my mother and to this special book which I recommend highly to others. I'm also grateful that in my career as a NASA scientist I had occasion to edit a book, Heterogeneous Atmospheric Chemistry, which is also available from Amazon.com. Although my mother was not alive when this book was published I like to think that she knows of its existence and is pleased by it.

As the other reviewers, I was given the book, by an aunt, back in the 60's when I was in seventh grade. She said she had been searching for a copy for me to read because she had loved it. I remember doing a book report on it for my 7th grade English class (I got an A)--and it was one book I never forgot. I thought it was out of print & had been looking for it for years at garage sales and used book stores. Now I will have a copy to pass on to my new grandson. It is a special treasure of a book!

It was a good book for young children. There grandparents hide a treasure.

1979. I was 7 years old. Found this masterpiece in the elementary school library one day. This book changed my childhood; it introduced the concept of mystery and adventure. It's effects - lasting. Now 35, it's the year 2007, and I once again stumble upon "Key to the Treasure". Life is great. Nostalgia warms my soul. Kids: enjoy your childhood - read as many books as you can. These years are the BEST of your life.

Thank you Mrs. Parish for the memories!

Now... it's on to "The Mystery of Chimney Rock"...

Have you ever searched for hidden treasure? Jed and his twin siblings Bill and Liza do just that in The Key to the Treasure. These three adventurous youngsters must solve clues and do it secretly so that they can surprise their grandparents. Along the way they often learn to set aside their differences and work together.
The three kids were staying with their grandparents for the summer when they accidentally stumbled upon the clue to a treasure their great-great grandfather had hidden over a hundred years ago. Using their wits they solve clues and overcome obstacles to help them find the key to the treasure. Some of the things they encounter are a hissing goose, a mischievous little boy, paper that is so old it falls apart, wasps, and moldy pouches.
I loved this book when I was a child and still read it to my students today. I always tried to figure out the clues before the three kids and I always dreamed of hiding my own treasure for someone to find. The writing style may not be the best especially compared to books written in our day and age but it is a fun book and a quick read. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes quick mysteries and hidden treasure.

I thought this was a good book because there are lots of clues and it is very interesting for kids to make pretend discoveries. It was fun and there were lots of decriptions about how the treehouse looked. (Nicolas, Age 7, 3rd Grade)

As a child I read "Key to the Treasure" by Peggy Parish at least three times, if not more. I became enraptured with the story line from the very beginning as the accidental discovery of a piece of paper rolled up in an old Indian war bonnet turns into the adventure of a lifetime for three young children.

What I enjoy most about Peggy Parish's book is that it is fiction based on facts. This lends a great deal of believability to the story while providing young readers with glimpses of a time when life was far more simple and yet much more fun. For this reason alone I purchased a new copy of the book for my nine-year-old daughter.

I highly recommend "Key to the Treasure" for children ages seven through twelve who enjoy reading and also enjoy using their imagination. Many hours of pleasure are sure to be derived from this book that I believe to be a classic children's story.

Elisa Kleven's work is wonderful! "The Lion and the Little Red Bird" is a brilliant, alive book that makes readers feel good on the inside. The illustrations are amazing, full of genuine warmth, color, and joy. I love the tale of the big strong, artistic "silent type" (lion) and the chatty, singing, busy little bird who ponders the lion's mystery. Her curiosity about the lion peaks the readers' curiosity too!

This book can be used to teach children, young people, actors, writers, AND beginning artists of every age / stage the following "story-building" concepts: personality, diversity, colors, sensory detail, setting, exposition, anticipation, arrangement, relationships, dramatic foils, gestures, dialogue rhythms, and critical thinking, with story and visual. The book celebrates the fact that willing beings can transcend language to communicate with (and appreciate) each other when they lay aside differences and look for common ground. The deepest, most meaningful connections rely on togetherness. Before there were words on pages, there were art forms and songs that brought beings together. Kleven cleverly reminds us that mouths are only one way of communicating. :)

There are many ways to share this book--for entertainment and education. My three-year old nephew loves the story and the lion's ever-changing tail color. He wants to talk about the pictures in the book, and he is encouraged to ask questions about what he sees. We always take extra time looking at the scene where the bird and the lion are enjoying the lake. So much to see in this spread: jumping green frogs, ducks, fish, a pride of lions in the distance, a person in a boat, shells, flowers, trees, mountains, reflections in the lake. [It's a great place for vocabulary building, color recognition, and counting!] My nephew, who doesn't like storms, enjoys the scene where the lion saves the little bird from the terrible weather.

People who enjoy the story of this book (a painting animal) may also enjoy Micawber by John Lithgow, Illustrated by C.F. Payne. However, in my opinion, Kleven's tale is much better in writing and in illustration.

This book has brought us much joy, and it is a welcomed addition to our home library.

I bought this book for our two young girls along with The Paper Princess. Both are very beautiful books with deep, meaningful stories that allow for conversation and introspection. The girls love both books. As an adult I preferred this one but enjoyed both. Well worth the money.
I highly recommend this especially for 3 1/2 and older.

and a sweet, lyrical story that is a pleasure to read. It's almost poetic although there is no rhyme scheme. The pictures are very detailed and just lovely. My 2.5 year old son really likes this book. I am so happy to have stumbled upon it - i got the paperback bc we travel alot and we will be taking it everywhere.

Wounderful story, we had gotten it from the library several times and loved it so much I desided to buy it for my [...] daughter. would recomend it to anyone.

This is a sweet and colorful story of friendship, admiration, and beauty. Makes you feel warm and fuzzy and happy after reading it!

That's all - This book is just plain fun! I recommend it highly. It was a hit with my 3 girls, ages 8, 9 and 11.

My family likes reading Mercer Mayer's books, but I think this one is our favorite. Wonderful illustrations, somewhat scary situations delivered with humor, and our clever heroine outwits the "bad guys" every time. She's obedient to her mother, too.

This book is a near perfect example of what a children's book shouold be. In this day and age, when celebrities write children's books because they are easy, Mercer Mayer shows that it's a talent in and of itself. The story, language, and structure are top notch, and the illustrations are wonderful.
My uncle kept this book in a box for years (it had long since fallen apart, but he couldn't find another copy, and his kids couldn't bear to part with it), and then the man I married had a hardback copy all his own, and I got to read the whole story for the first time. Even at 25, let me tell you, I was exicited.
It was my husband's favorite, and now both my kids love it.
On a side note, there is another benefit to this book: the human characters, who are all African American, look like accurate representations of real Black people. So many children's books make non-white characters look odd: either characture-like, or like Black Barbie- white features but different skin tone.
Not so with this story. Liza Lou in particular is a wonderful example of an Afrocentric standard of beauty, being very cute with natural hair and relatively dark skin.

This is one of my favorite children's books. I gave it to my daughter when she was a little girl, so I order this one for a great, great niece who is two. Her grandmother reads it to her and she loves it. Her grandmother tells me that she carries it around with her all over the house. Its a wonderful little book.

Thanks for the opportunity to share my opinion.

Be Blessed!! pegk

Pure genius, wit and courage (and a rollicking good time) describe this fantasy classic about little Liza Lou from the Bayou. She's smart as a whip and doesn't lose her head when confronted with all the nasties that reside in the Yeller Belly Swamp while she travels about trying to get her chores done for her mama. With stunning illustrations and a wry southern wit, this is a classic that crosses generations. I loved it as a young boy, and my kids love it today. Highly, highly recommended.

My son received this as a gift when he was about 18 months old and absolutely loves it! It is a regular favorite... he loves the graphics and simple story line. He is almost two and loves to recite some of the lines and point out things in the nice, colorful yet simple pictures. Great book for boys!

Our twin toddlers love this book. The simple language and vivid illustrations are excellent.

My husband is a "car guy" through and through and he loves to read this book almost as much as my two year old does! They read it at least once a night - sometimes more! It's really adorable. Highly recommended especially for all gear-head mommies or daddies to share with their little boys or girls!

This is a great book if your child is obsessed with cars as ours is. It explains all the car parts, and is very colorful. It's a cute little book. Very general.

My 17 month old son loves having this book read to him and pretending to read it. He already loves cars, so the subject is great. It has bright colors, the pages aren't too busy, and the words are simple. Great book. We have the trucks book too. We also have the trains book, which he got for a gift and is also great.

I found this book to be absolutely remarkable. The text at the top about it being what you need to be that wasn't on the CCNA is all too true.

Mr. Donahue's writing style is what makes the book. He explains often complex topics in a manner of a grizzled old veteran telling a war story. He doesn't break down into the deep technical details, he tells you how it works and why you should do it the way he's telling you to.

There's more that goes into being a network monkey than just knowing what commands to type, and the insight he offers into the more social aspects of how to be a network guy are invaluable. It is my honest opinion that the final chapters, particularly those on how to deal with management and being a nerd, should be required reading for anyone that works at a technology company.

It is my sincere hope that Mr. Donahue continues his writing career and takes his style of communicating to other complex subjects. I would love a dissertation of BGP written in the same manner, for example.

If you're a bright shiny new CCNA, or studying for the CCNA, and you're serious about pursuing a career in networking, buy this book. It won't help you pass any exams, but you'll find it as one of your favorite reference materials nonetheless.

I loved three things about this book:

1- The simple style it conveys from cover to cover. Every subject in network administration is divided into short but detailed chapters in order to keep the reader's attention focused. Anyone can write a book that lists an experienced user's knowledge of the subject, but it takes a real engineer to compile the data in small doses of knowledge.

2- The clarity of the information mentioned. The author uses the same style of defining the problem, suggesting the best solution, and detailing the technical commands to implement the best solution.
Common pitfalls, problem symptoms, and real life examples are provided as well.

3- The deep coverage of the subject at hand. The author goes over almost every subject in network administration, but without the extra fluff. It's really what you need to know.

Definitely a great buy.

Network Warrior is another quite useful O'Reilly effort in the Cisco handbook space. It really is potentially handy for many real-time network operators. One thing I wish the author had spent much more time on is Ethernet switching. He does dig into some of the quirks of configuring VLANs in the Cisco environment but to my way of thinking associated subjects (mirroring, span port config, spanning tree troubleshooting) need a lot more exposure. One area that cannot be talked about enough are the twists involved in setting up spanning tree through a complex VLAN network. Another potentially vital topic involves interoperating with other vendors' equipment in a spanning tree network. I bought this book hoping for more exposure than I got in those areas. This is the only reason I didn't give it five.

One of the best networking books I have read, period. Not just how it works, but why it works and should be configured. After you study and obtain your CCNA, this is the next read that will fill in many information holes.

Highly recommended.

In preparation for the CCNA exam, I have gone through several networking books, both Cisco-specific and otherwise. I had thought that the official Cisco Press CCNA set was the best resource... until I took a chance on this tome. While I have found the Wendell Odom CCNA set to be the definitive guide to CCNA/CCENT material, I now must admit that this book is nearly - or even exactly - as essential as a CCNA exam prep guide. While the other guides read like textbooks, giving the reader adequate conceptual and theoretical information, this book felt like a nice long chat with a seasoned "network warrior" about real-world, everyday issues faced by network engineers.

What set this book apart from the thousands of pages (hey, I'm dedicated!) of material I'd already covered?

- CatOS commands; the new Cisco Press books barely mention that CatOS exists!
- anecdotes and real-world examples; even if you know how it *should* work, this book reveals how it *does* work
- objective viewpoint on Cisco technology; no "Cisco's way is the best way" dogma here
- meaningful discussion of high-end, core-strength equipment; everything in the Wendell Odom set focused exclusively on Catalyst 2960 switches and one model of router
- frank, direct, humorous, and engaging style; half the material I've covered previously was dreadfully dull
- illustrations for every concept; this makes my life so much easier when trying to explain things to fellow junior technicians

While the book may seem daunting at nearly 600 pages, I'm flying through it at about 80-100 pages per day. The text is very engaging, and the author's way of phrasing things is informative and structured yet very flowing and casual. I feel that every chapter contains some point, if not several points and concepts, that I wouldn't have known from the other books out there. What is possibly the best feature of this book is the real-world, realistic approach to every concept and issue. The Cisco Press books seem to assume that the reader will be using 2960 access layer switches running IOS 12.2 or better. Network Warrior does not make this assumption. The author makes the realistic assumption that the reader's network could have all kinds of gear networked together, and thus includes information about CatOS as well as a wide variety of Cisco hardware. Also included are some quick and dirty tricks to save time, money, and effort. For example, I didn't know that I could abbreviate almost any command in IOS ("sho" instead of "show", etc.) and still get the same result until I read this book. While I feel that the by-the-book approach of the Cisco Press material is necessary for building a clear foundation, I feel that this book's get-the-job-done take on networking is a necessary follow-up.

The book assumes some working knowledge of networking, but not too much. It doesn't explain the bare basics of networking, nor does it give a history lesson about the histories of each and every cabling standard and networking protocol. It's not a total replacement for a book about networking basics, nor a beginner's guide to the CCNA and/or Cisco equipment. What it does instead is reshape one's conception of what a network is and how to manage it. What it does as well, and does excellently, is fill in the gaps that sorely needed filling in the great mass of other Cisco material out there. If you are preparing for the CCNA, or if you have already passed and think you know all you'll need to know about managing Cisco networks, this book was written for you. I guarantee you will learn something new.

I was explaining this story to a friend and actually got choked up just thinking about it! I read this every year to my students and every year I am moved by it. It details an old woman's life and how she has learned to attach herself to inanimate things rather than living things because so many people in her life have died. Ultimately she finds companionship in a dog. The most poignant part of the story comes when she looks back at her life and realized her human interactions have enriched her life and she decides to name the dog and claim him as her own! Ah, see, I'm tearing up again! What a sap!

We bought this book for our 5-year old son after reading a positive magazine review of it. Still, when we received it, it surpassed our expectations. This is a great book! Our son has read it over and over with our family and he even asked to bring it to school for the "hundredth day" of school. It also was timely because our family had suffered some losses this past year and the book provided a good reason for us to talk about why the old lady may have been reticent to name something and how her feelings changed by the end of the book. It's a somewhat silly (in a good way) book to read yet it still has a wonderful message. Our 8-year-old daughter loved it too. We all did, actually! Great book - buy it and enjoy!

Ten years after first reading this aloud at circle time, Rylant's lovely story of the old woman who has to decide to, once more, take a chance on love and loss, has become a beloved old friend to me. Brown's quirky illustrations are quite memorable--especially the joyous spread near the end of the story in which the dog, with his tongue hanging out, happily sticks his head out the window of the old woman's car that is driving him home. Cynthia Rylant has won a Newbery for MISSING MAY, and has authored HENRY AND MUDGE, the greatest easy reader series ever published. THE OLD WOMAN WHO NAMED THINGS is absolutely right up there with the best of her work.

Cynthia Rylant has done it again-- this story tells of an elderly woman who has outlived most of those she loved and doesn't want to risk a new attachment-but but a nameless stray dog changes her mind. The story is done with a wonderful blend of humor and poignancy. It is a favorite in one pre-K classroom I know--wonderful way to positively approach those tricky issues of aging and death with young children.

This book is so emotionally satisfying. Cynthia Rylant brings the universal struggle of choosing to risk love and loss to a child's level. I never tire of reading it to my daughters (ages 5 & 3). They love the book, as well.