Places Books

Daniel Rose grew up in Connecticut, in a lobster fishing town. He always felt different because of his Jewishness even though his family was assimilated. Later, after a fractured marriage, he wanted his young sons, aged 7 and 12 to really understand their heritage, especially in terms of the Holocaust, and so he took them to Europe to discover their roots. They looked up relatives who had survived the horror and still lived in Belgium, and from there they set out on a journey to retrace the actual events of the life one of their relatives, an ancient eccentric old man who gave them his diary as a roadmap.

In addition, in alternating chapters, we learn of Mr. Rose's Connecticut boyhood. Not only does he describe the events, but he's able to recapture every nuance of feeling that must have been difficult to dredge up from memory. He makes fun of his orthodox relatives, he battles the school bully, but most of all, he keeps coming back to the recurrent theme of the book --his hiding places.

Foremost though, is his relationship with his own sons, and the unique loving relationship between the three of them. Some of the things that they were exposed to on the trip were not pleasant, but they all came through it enriched by the experience. This was a difficult subject to write about, but somehow Mr. Rose managed to do it with humor. While I didn't laugh out loud, I found myself smiling throughout.

There's a lot of detail in the book, each one adding further insight into each of the characters. It's more than just description; the reader really feels the emotion. There's mystery here too as well as unsolved questions. And there sure is a lot to think about. Afterwards, I couldn't get the book out of my mind and I don't know if I ever will. I must thank Mr. Rose for writing it. Highly recommended.

I was first drawn to this book by a haunting picture of two little girls on the book cover. I was impatient to learn their significance. I had to wait. In the opening of this story, the author relates his fear of the Not-sees (Nazi) as told to him throughout his youth by his mother who escaped Europe.

However, in an effort to come to grips with being Jewish and to learn the truth about what his family endured during World War II, an American divorced father and his two sons begin a quest to retrace the steps of an uncle who endured the Holocaust. Using a tattered journal's clues they searched for his hiding places and learned more than they expected about the war and its victims. Only after finding where and how the twins died did the author understand his great-uncles, other family members, and his mother. During the trip he also realizes what it means to be a father.

I could not appreciate the cover of this book until I learned the fate of the Jewish twin sisters and others who suffered.

This book touches the reader on many levels, and you may be drawn in to the writer's childhood experience as an outsider striving to find ways to fit in, while marveling at his opportunity to retrace an ancestor's flight from terror, and transfixed by the relationships that are recalled (and are still forming) in this book.

For many of us, the holocaust is more fully appreciated in personal terms than in the abstract. This book doesn't just fetch the truth from the past, it carries memory forward. For a generation twice removed, and more fully assimiliated, Hiding Places is both an intriguing real life story and an inspiring lesson in how the past still echoes.

An inspiring, thoughtful and funny book. A father is retracing his family's escape route fifty years later. While teaching his two sons history, family lore, geography and much about human courage and frailty, the author learns much about family bonds, love and loyalty from his sons. The boys add common sense to a voyage with a lot of bagage and helps the author resolve some difficult family issues. The book is serious and entertaining at the same time. You laugh and cry with the author and wish the book would not end. An obvious Father's Day gift -or for any sensitive person you may want to give some reading pleasure!

Hiding Places by Daniel Asa Rose is many stories in one. It's the story of a young boy growing up and how he perceives his differences and ways he tries to blend in or hide. It's the story of a father and two sons trying to forge a relationship with each other after divorce, and it's about one family's experience of hiding to survive the horrors of the Holocaust.

The book is honest and forthright. Daniel Asa Rose has opened up a window into his feelings about growing up Jewish in a predominantly WASP Connecticut town. This reader was able to relate, not so much to the hiding borne out of cultural and religious differences, but to the hiding that kids do because they feel that no one else has the same thoughts. Daniel Asa Rose gives a voice to those childhood thoughts that most of us have kept silent.

The author reveals himself to be a caring father, one who misses his sons greatly after his divorce and seeks to find a way to create a whole family out of the three of them. He doesn't spend much time talking about how painful the divorce itself was to him, but this shows through in the writing. This is not something seen from a male perspective too often. There are sure to be other fathers out there who will resonate with this aspect of the book.

Lastly, Daniel Asa Rose creates a portrait of his relative, J.P. Morgan (not THE J.P. Morgan) and his particular experience of survival during the Holocaust. At times, it is painful to read, but because it is the story of a singular person, it takes on greater significance than observing the Holocaust as a whole. J.P.'s survival and the tracking of his hiding places by Rose and his sons is nothing short of miraculous. But wouldn't most of those who survived the Holocaust describe their experience as such?

It's tempting to condemn this father for exposing his sons to the horrors of the Holocaust at the tender ages of seven and twelve. Without debating the issue too much, the final verdict is really up to his sons, Alex and Marshall--after all, it's a family thing.

This is a well written & nicely illustrated book about how common items may come from far away, exotic lands. If you enjoyed this, you may also like Cocoa Ice by Diana Karter Applebaum - written for slightly older readers about two little girls whose families harvest and trade cocoa beans and ice.

This is an excellent teaching resource for second person point of view. It is an excellent story and the children enjoy it!

This is a wonderful book with lovely illustrations. It is a favourite of my daughter's since childhood and she was thrilled to have her own copy for her 16th birthday!

Good book for teaching the natural, human, and capital resources used to produce the apple pie. Identifying the types of transportation used by the baker in gathering the resources for her pie. Trace the route of the baker as she travels around the world. A skit can be made from the book also.

We had so much fun with this book! We used it with the Five-in-a-Row Homeschool curriculum and enjoyed it so much. Besides being a really neat children's book in general, there is a lot to learn about geography and language and other cultural benefits in this book. I recommend this one for any kid who likes to read or be read to. We have enjoyed it very much - it is one we had to have in our home, not just borrow from the library! Can't say enough!

In Revere is the coming of age tale of Anthony Benedetto and his extended Italian-American family, yet it is also the account of the city of Revere, Massachusetts some forty odd years ago.

Merullo intertwines the two into one entity. Benedetto, orphaned at a young age becomes enmeshed with not only his sizable family of uncles, aunts and cousin's but within the atmosphere that defines Revere. In doing so he creates a conflict that Anthony has to comprehend to sort out the person he genuinely is.

The troupe of characters Merullo has tenderly created is difficult to abandon. The uncle with the oversized personality, who speaks with the grace of a bull and not a 'r' in sight! The Italian grandparents are drawn with out and out perfection, gracefully quiet, yet they have skillful unspoken wisdom that Merullo conveys to the reader with charm and lure.
(Yes, I'm from New England and yes, I had Italian grandparents!)

Revere itself will be a place difficult for the reader to leave behind, from the main street called Broadway, (I have many wicked memories of Broadway...especially during the Blizzard of '78!)...to the richly ornate church of St. Anthonys to the fine grains of sand of Revere Beach; all of these are calling cards to the young Anthony's experiences.

This book is a slice of modern, everday history. A well crafted, impeccably researched and laugh aloud story that is highly enjoyable regardless where you are from!

I am love with this story, the characters came to life, with the town of Revere playing a major character in itself. I identified with the character Anthony Benedetto and his family and laughed out loud many times as well as wiped away tears. I literally could not put this book down, and although I am a Bostonian I know this book will capture the heart of anyone anywhere. Roland Merullo is an excellent story teller, his other books are every bit as enjoyable as this one.

I haven't even finished In Revere, In Those Days, yet I already wanted to review it/recommend it. I am in love with this book. Merullo's writing is exceptional--he captures complex emotions in spare, concise sentences through his careful and perfect word choice. The characters are so well-developed they feel real--and wonderful and interesting. I would love to meet Grandpa Dom. Yes, this book is nostaligic and written like a sentimental memoir--that's part of its appeal to me. I hope I find Merullo's other books (I plan to read A Little Love Story next)as wonderful--perhaps it is this family's story specifically that draws me in. When I have finished the book, I'll re-check this assessment, but for now, I can not say enough about this novel if you enjoy beautiful and clean writing, a complete, well-drawn family, and nostaligic tales of how the dynamic of family relationships affects your life path.

Though I don't particularly love the two professional reviews listed here, I like the phrase "omniscient rememberance" that's used in one of them. That's part of the beauty of this novel: in addition to finely-drawn characters and places, and a lovely cadence to the sentences on the page, the author beautifully presents both the text and the subtext of the story at once, so that you are caught up in the richness of the lives that are presented within.

I loved this book for its nostalgia, for its acute observances of the life around the main character, Anthony, for the questions it brought up around my own family, and for the skilled technique in the writing itself.

A wonderful, wonderful work.

"In Revere, In Those Days" is the best novel I have read in years...sensitive, dreamy, with all the love and rough edges of growing up, and all the hopes and sorrows of adulthood. Merullo just draws you in to the Benedetto family and Revere. The story is told through Anthony's eyes and the family emerges and developes as Anthony matures and understands his clan with more clarity. Despite the troubles that surround his Uncle Peter and his cousin Rosalie the love and care that root the Benedettos are evident. It's a tale of another time, another place, that any baby-boomer will recognize.

I don't fall asleep while reading. When I get sleepy, I put the book aside, turn out the light, and pull up the covers. How anyone can fall asleep with a book in their hands and the light on is beyond me--or at least it use to be. Candie Moonshower's The Legend of Zoey was so compelling that I simply couldn't bear to put it down. I knew I was growing sleepy, but I couldn't stop reading. So finally, I have the experience of falling asleep while reading thanks to Zoey.

The Legend of Zoey is the story of two thirteen year old girls who meet under strange circumstances--strange because they're living two centuries apart! Zoey, your average, mouthy twenty-first century gal boards a school bus for a class outing and finds herself in 1811. She meets Prudence and her mother struggling to survive the wilderness while the man of the house is off converting Indians to Christianity. You'd think that was enough turmoil for Zoey, but no, she picked the months the New Madrid fault took bites out of the Mississippi Valley landscape to time travel!

Clearly, the time traveling is a clue that the book is fiction, but the story's non-fiction details add charming pieces of reality. You aren't just reading a book--you are a young girl traipsing through the wilderness with a very pregnant and grouchy woman you barely know. You hear the leaves crackling under your feet. You feel the cold wind bite at your nose, fingers, and ears. The campfire stings your eyes as it gradually thaws your tired, aching body. You will experience this book, not just read it.

Moonshower does what every author sets out to do--she tells a story so vivid and so captivating that once it's over, the characters live in your head for days. I am especially grateful to the author for allowing Zoey to have a real experience. Moonshower didn't sell out in the end.

Almost all the characters are female, so this is probably a girl's book. However, Moonshower weaves those females into real events and traditional stories about the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812. For that reason, it should be an easy choice for students studying the event--boy or girl.

I loved so much about this novel, The Legend of Zoey by Candie Moonshower. These are the things I enjoyed the most:

1. Candie blended the past and the present so well together . . . they literally tied into one another. That was a really good move.

2. The two girls (Zoey and Pru) both faced similar problems in their lives, one with modern conviences and one without.

3. Zoey was not interested in the past, but when she had to go to the past she wished she'd paid more attention in her history class.

4. I actually felt at times as though I'd traveled back to the past with Zoey and it made me wonder if I could have been as brave as she was about the time difference.

5. Candie didn't make the kids sound stupid. That's always a plus.

6. The comet! The comet was an awesome detail. I loved how it became sort of like this invisible bridge, and similarity between the two worlds, past and present.

7. I loved the description and close detail Candie used throughout Zoey. Great job!

8. For someone like me, who hated having to study Arkansas history and American history, made history just a little more interesting. Even though the story was about Tennessee history. I actually had very little knowledge of what happened with New Madrid and everything that occurred, so I learned something. :)

9. The novel was very believable. Candie did a great job telling this story of Zoey and Pru.

This novel is a great choice for young adults and adults as well. Happy reading.

Candie Moonshower has seamlessly meshed the experiences of two girls in two different eras into a delightful tale. Against the background of real events, she has written a fun and at times, poignant story and manages to teach the reader, too. Writing about time travel and using two points of view can be tricky, but Moonshower makes the transition between points of time and view with ease. I look for more great books from Candie Moonshower.

I love Zoey's strength and the way she always tries to figure out a solution, rather than just sitting and giving up. Also, it was a nice change to see the main characters aware that Zoey was from another time, rather than the usual dance around the truth and attempts to hide it. Most of all, I love that the links across time don't go away (I don't want to put in a spoiler!) after Zoey returns to the present.

Wonderful, lovely read!

The Legend of Zoey is a charming time travel novel. Candie Moonshower has done an exellent job of integrating the facts of the New Madrid earthquakes with an exciting story. It was a real pleasure to read about two wonderfully diverse characters. It works.

With all the war, hatred, religious intolerance, bigotry, gay bashing, right wing crap in the world today, this book is a refreshing and honest look at why we humans fail miserably to be happy, loving people. The author doesn't mince words, and can be downright hilarious at times, but that never detracts from the importance of what she is saying - stop looking for happiness outside of yourself and live and let live!

Chapter titles are a hoot, based upon famous songs and phrases...great wordplay and clever use of structure and narrative. This writer rocks, and I will be looking for her next book in all the right places!!!

In our spiritual quest, many of us come to a point in our lives where we start questioning the things that we have learned, and we start asking the real question: "What is true for me?" In Marie Jone's book "Looking for God in All the Wrong Places," the reader is encouraged - no,expected - to look at things for themselves, to address the issues at hand about religion, politics,and other topics; and make an opinion from their own place of resonance with truth. Marie is not one to let the Higher Power be cast aside, but to cast aside the "God in a Box" view that many prefer to keep him in. There is a difference between spirituality, and religion. Thank you Marie, for showing we can and should speak out, each person is entitled to their own opinion, and that at the very least we can agree to disagree. Accepting oneself and contrasting ideas even when they do not fit into the crowd, and seeing that as a positive place, puts oneself above the crowd, which is where all leaders find themselves to be.

Review by Tiffany Snow, author of FORWARD FROM THE MIND - DISTANT HEALING, BILOCATION, MEDICAL INTUITION AND PRAYER IN A QUANTUM WORLD.THE POWER OF DIVINE: A HEALER'S GUIDE - TAPPING INTO THE MIRACLE.PSYCHIC GIFTS IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE - TOOLS TO CONNECT

So rare is it to read a "religious" book that does not get all religious on you. This book is like an old friend, guiding you wisely and wittily along your spiritual path, helping you to avoid the pitfalls and road blocks and making you laugh out loud, too! If you are looking for God, and want to avoid looking in all the wrong places, then you need this book! Rev. Marie is a God-send!

Every winter, sometime around February, masses of people worship at the House of Oscar. Some don fancy dresses, others hold parties (complete with paper top hats and cardboard replicas of a little gold statue), still others simply shut off their brains and tune in their TV's to the annual Academy Awards ceremony. For weeks leading up to this event and for days after, all one hears is commentary about the look/dress/action/speech of the scores of gods and goddesses that walked the stage that night. And after the masses of people have picked clean all the Oscar glory there is, they turn to the upcoming baseball season to fulfill that emptiness they feel inside with a good old-fashioned sports god.

Are you one of them? Are you LOOKING FOR GOD IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES? Marie D. Jones can help you. According to Jones, "...our society can only see God in the pretty, the shiny, and the expensive. But God is everywhere..." (p. 57).

In LOOKING FOR GOD IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES, Jones enlightens the reader as to where God is really found, despite all the misguided attempts by society to find Him in only "the pretty."

Marie D. Jones, a New Thought minister as well as a licensed pastoral counselor with a master's degree in metaphysical studies, has given God much thought and study and is well-versed in the subject, which couples quite nicely with her lengthy experience as a writer. Jones has been widely published and is even a screenwriter who has produced a children's storybook series.

According to Jones, we as a society spend way too much time looking for God in places we'll never find Him - sports and movie icons, wealth, power, so-called "gurus," and co-dependent relationships, just to name a few. Her goal is to help the reader find the real hiding place of God, saying, "...you never have to go any farther than your own Higher Power within to find wholeness, abundance, and prosperity in all areas of your life" (p. 30).

While the subject of the search for God is a weighty one, Jones manages to keep it blithe throughout. LOOKING FOR GOD IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES is light on the dry philosophy stuff and heavy on the jokes, puns, and catch-phraseology. Still, Jones manages to make some good points that somehow worm their way into the subconscious of the reader and while he may think he may have gotten only a few chuckles out of the book, he just may find himself worshipping a little differently after the last page has been turned.

At the same time, Jones's jokes occasionally work against her ultimate message, as she pokes fun a little too personally and unintentionally sounds a bit taunting. Thus a sensitive reader might find offense at a statement that contains, "... a bunch of spiritually inept yuppies with bad shoes and worse breath..." (p. 82) and wonder if derision is working against the tolerance and inner love Jones preaches.

Furthermore, Jones uses real life experiences to back up or further explain some of her points of interest. This is a good technique in reaching the reader through having been there/done that just as the reader may have. However, Jones seems to have experienced it all - every trap, every bad habit, every broken hearted experience. Opening up one's weaknesses on paper can be healing and humanizing for a writer, but too much of a humble thing can take away from the message as a reader might wonder just how to trust a messenger who's so easily bent and broken.

The overall success of LOOKING FOR GOD IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES is that it's an easily understood and lighter look into spirituality that teaches its readers how to look inward and find God. It's a pleasant read unusual in its belief that you can find God and still have fun looking. If you've been struggling, looking for God in those wrong places, this book would be the right place for you.

I got this book from a friend and thought it was such a great read. The author takes on all of our bull and shoves it back in our face with such grace, humor and personal insight you can't help but smile and say "Yeah, that's me alright!" But she never talks down to you, or offends. Just tells it straight like it is, how we always seem to look for happiness and success in all kinds of stupid outside places, then wonder why we are so hateful, miserable, jealous, overweight, and angry when we get them? I love the balance between spirituality, progressive thought and good, solid helpful advise, and recommend this book to anyone who is sick and tired of religion, politics, celebrities and authority figures that tell us where and how we should look for our happiness - and ALWAYS lead us astray. TRUST NO ONE...BUT YOURSELF. Thanks, Rev. Marie!

Melainie is a very funny character. She has a very strong relationship with her friends. She has two friends. They fight. Melanie is very angry. She has to choose between her friends. She chooses Celia. Her other friend is very mad at her. Soon, her other friends sadness turns into revenge. In this world people have to take hard decisions in life. No ones life is perfect. Just believe in what decision you do.

As NYC's number one tour guide, I see I have some real competition with Melanie, she sure knows Manhattan. She shows us our city here in a very intetresting yet fun way. Nice going Carol, all the best!
Malachy Murray

This story is about an 11-year-old girl named Melanie who lives with her brother Matt the Brat. Melanie is going through a lot of problems. I think the book is good for girls 8-14. This book has very good artwork. This book is also a great book because it can teach you some Spanish and art. It also has very good humor. It is a very good book.

It is about a girl that has a long distance love with a guy named Miguel. Also, she has a girl that is stealing her best friend. Her name is Suze. Also they talk a LOT of Spanish. Next, the cover is really cool with a lot of action. Also she lives in the city.

Melanie is an 11-year-old girl who has an adventure in the big city of Manhattan. Her boyfriend Miguel is coming to New York for a week. Oh no! It was very good. However I recommend it for girls 10 and over.

It is about a girl who lives in the city. She has a boyfriend named Miguel. She also has a younger brother, Matt, her Dad and her Mom and an art teacher. I think it is a very good and detailed book. I loved the cover.

I think Melanie in Manhattan is a good book for kids in 4th-6th grade because the book could help through those years. The book is about a girl named Melanie and the problems she struggles with her friends. Her friends are Cecilia and Suze. Her boyfriend is Miguel. Miguel is a Spanish boyfriend she met in Spain. The boyfriend comes to visit all the way from Spain. There is also a lot of Spanish so if you are learning Spanish you should read it. She hates her brother so she calls him Matt the Brat.

A very good and interesting book. Made for middle-schoolers. Very nice and detailed cover. Lots of things going on. Melanie in Manhattan is the last of the series. There are a few before this book, like Melanie goes Dutch and With Love from Spain. I loved the book Melanie in Manhattan. It also was very funny and interesting.

I think Melanie in Manhattan is an OK book because it has inappropriate things. It is good because the illustrations are amazing. Also I like how it tells you about her life, and when she signs her name when she's done writing in her diary.

As Melanie goes through adventures, author Carol Weston makes it realistic and humourous. Although slightly inappropriate, Carol's pictures and Spanish dialogue make up for it. Her writing makes up for it. Her writing makes it seem like a real diary of an 11-year-old who wishes to be more mature.

This is a good book. This has amazing pictures. I love how Carol Weston has some Spanish in there. However it is a little inappropriate for kids 8 and under. 9 and up it should be a good book. It is about an 11-year-old who is trying to get more mature and has a little brother - Matt the Brat - and is sometimes getting in the way of her crush Miguel. Overall this is a great book.

Girl Scout Troop 154

Melanie Martin is beginning 6th grade and has many new challenges placed upon. Melanie has to find ways to deal with these daily life problems. Melanie in Manhattan has been one of my favorite books that had me laughing along.
Melanie in Manhattan is written in a diary format in the opinion of Melanie. She writes daily about her family and friends. Her best friend Cecily has become friends with the new, stuck up girl, Suze. They spend every minute together and rarely include Melanie. She feels like she's losing her best friend. On Melanie's trip to Spain that summer she met her mom's friend's son and she feels something special for him. They had many fun times together in Spain and Melanie is starting to really miss him. They send each other e-mails and keep in touch. Miguel's uncle has to come to New York for a work trip and has offered to take Miguel along to see Melanie. She couldn't believe what she had heard. She would see him once again. Together they tour New York with Melanie's family and see the great sights. Melanie starts to see the beauty of New York. Things start to change and Melanie isn't sure if Miguel considers her as just a friend or a girlfriend. Melanie likes him but she also has a small crush on Jason, a math whiz in her class. Melanie doesn't know how she feels. She has mixed feelings about everything at this point.
Carol Weston shows the fun-loving character's personality and describes the breath taking tourist attractions in the massive city of New York. Weston has put the teenage perspective in Melanie. Melanie talks and acts like an average middle school girl. When Melanie's mom leads her class on a field trip she says, "It's embarrassing having Mom stand in front of everyone like a teacher," (pg. 12.) All teenagers get embarrassed by their parents at some point or another. Like most siblings, Melanie can also be rude to her younger brother. Throughout the book she calls him, "Matt the Brat." During the book Melanie guides Miguel around New York. Melanie finds herself taking advantage of all the attractions New York has to offer like their museums and the skyscrapers. Miguel says, "New York is marvel," because he has never seen anything like it. He appreciates it the "marvel" New York more than her. As they walk through Central Park, Melanie and her family recognize all of the people enjoying the beautiful day. "Central Park is giant. You could walk all day and not get to see all of it...teams of kids were playing sports, a few mothers were jogging with their babies in strollers... we were in a park surrounded by tall buildings," (pg. 149.)If Melanie lived in a small rural town she could never experience this. She wouldn't get to walk outside late at night and see people walking around because like it says, "New York never sleeps." Melanie couldn't see people outside walking in the park because there aren't many people living in the country. Her closest neighbor would be a mile away.
The book, Melanie in Manhattan was a very funny and enjoyable book. Weston showed creativity in her format choice. She wrote the story in a diary and shows Melanie's real thoughts. She used many different fonts and ended each diary entry with an adjective to describe the entry. For example, Melanie ends with "Romantically Melanie," or "Mathematically Mel." This is a must-read book for all young girls.

Great story, love the NYC and art references. I previewed this book before I sent it as a gift and now I will pass it along to all my friends kids. Excited to read more in the series. M in M tackles real tween issues such as changing bodies, first smooch, troubles with friends in a very realistic and honest format. Wish I had Melanie when I was a kid.

This book and CD are very well done; obviously the author had a real vision for its need and put a lot of love into its creation. As someone who has witnessed the "drift" and "disconnect" that many Latino kids feel when they are in white America, I am excited about this positive cultural connection with their countries of origin. I actually spoke with the author by phone and she is very much involved in educating schoolchildren (of any culture) about Latinamerican Christmas Traditions.

A word about the CD: it actually plays every song TWICE; the second time through, each song is sung in a certain "style", assigned to a country. For example: Marimba style, Guatemala. The result is a richly varigated CD with many different musical instruments used and different moods touched-- you don't start to think "all these songs sound alike because the same people are performing them!"-- not at all.

I hope to see more books/ projects by Charito Calvachi Wakefield in the future!

My mom and I enjoyed reading this book together because the presentation and cover are wonderful and reading about the culture reminded my mom of home. This book captured the real spirit of Christmas.

Es un libro excelente que revive toda la mística navideña de revaloración del espiritu religioso, del amor familiar y de los valores humanistas que todavía de valoran como esenciales en la gente latinoamericana. Muy buena presentación.

Charito Calvacci Wakefield's "Navidad Latino Americana" is a lush compendium of celebration and community. The descriptive thread of food, fellowship and tradition that binds young and old, rich and poor on this most revered of all holidays is accompanied by a CD of Christmas songs. This is the kind of book that becomes part of a family's library, to be taken down each year, appreciated and cherished.

Pasa el tiempo, de generación en generación, vamos cambiando, adoptando nuevas costumbres, olvidamos algunas. En Navidad Latinoamericana encontramos aquellas 'joyas' que relacionamos muchas veces con nuestro pasado, un pasado feliz, inocente, en familia, con la calidez de aquella época navideña, tan llena de misterio, de espectativa y de amor. Un hermoso regalo para aquellos a quienes apreciamos....una ilusión, una fantasía y alegría hechas imagen y sonido.

My ten-year-old son and I loved this audio book. We couldn't wait to hear about all the "wonderfuls". Highly recommended.

So I am a sucker for all those downhome novels celebrating small-town life. Oh well. This book fits that niche of mine well as it blatantly declares to the world that even the most simple of places may be hiding something extraordinary. Granted, the discoveries made here would probably be the mock and scorn of more civilized areas, but they held a sweetly strong spirit that appealed to my sense of story-telling. The writing is bright, cheerful, and expressive. I was impressed by the assortment of well-drawn characters complete with their personal drama, humor, and mysteries. I expected a pretty caged plot, but the story was loose enough, depending on its characters with their individual stories, to let itself become entrenched in emotions. It's not at the level of Kate DiCamillo or Richard Peck, but Ms. Birney did make something pretty darn sweet.

Our town chooses a book each winter, which they call the "One Book, One Community Project". We just moved here so this is our 1st and I am very excited about the project. As soon as I heard about it, I went to the library and checked out the book. Even before my 3rd grader started it in school. The book is so engaging and really gets your imagination juices flowing. I really am enjoying the events our community is putting together that tie into the Wonders of Sassafras Springs. We have projects like finding wonders, Applehead doll making & discussion groups. We even had a woman play the saw at our kickoff party.
I went out and bought the book and the same day my 3rd grader picked it up and did not put it down until he completed reading all 200+ pages.
Today we will be making an Appledoll instead of watching tv or playing video games.

This book was easy to read and a great story. My mom and I read it together. We both enjoyed it.The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs

Sometimes we get so caught up in doing things and going places, we forget about the things around us that are so important and beautiful! We forget to smell the roses. This book is so easy to read and you want to read it. I was intrigued by trying to figure out what he might find next. I loved this book!

After acquiring Kims previous book, Simple Blessings: 14 Quilts to Grace Your Home,several years ago, they are a 'must have' in my quilting library! Beautifully photographed and presented, Simple Traditions: 14 Quilts to Warm Your Home (That Patchwork Place) continues her wonderful, warm homemaker style. From the simple wallhanging to more elaborate quilt, you will be sure to find something that will have you 'itching to stitch'. For a quilter who collects scraps and smaller cuts of fabric, this book is great! I want to make the whole lot!

I love Kim Diehl's books. They have beautiful photos. One could spend an afternoon just daydreaming through her books. The patterns for the quilts are easy to read, comprehend, and follow. I highly recommend her books to all quilters.

Simple Traditions: 14 Quilts to Warm Your Home (That Patchwork Place)
For those of you who love traditional quilts, this might be the ultimate book. There are both pieced and appliqued quilts, and there are pieced quilt centres with beautiful appliqued borders - something for everyone.

As in the other two Kim Diehl books I own, there are full and complete instructions for making your quilt, right from getting started to finishing the quilt and binding it. If I really really had to choose my favourite quilt, it would be Feathered Stars Wall Quilt (52 1/2" x 52 1/2") and I have already had a request from my 5 year old granddaughter to make that for her. I must say she has very good taste!

I know anyone who purchases this book will love it as much as I do.

I ordered this book from Amazon,& since took a lesson from the author Kim Diehl,have a quilt made from it, she is a delightful person to have a lesson with ,you would not be disapointed if you took from her.
B.Stratton,avid quilter

Beautiful projects with an old-fashioned look to them. Any quilter would enjoy making them, from a small applique wall hanging to bed quilt size. Something for everyone.

We love this book. Our four children - 19, 16, 8 and 6 - have grown up hearing this story over and over again.

this is a sweet story about a relationship between a grandfather and his grandson. the grandfather makes his grandson a blanket and as the boy grows and destroys the blanket the grandfather makes something new out of the material. i have a close relationship with my grandparents and they do everything to make their grandchildren happy. this story was kind of a reminder of that for me, how they'll always be there for me, and will help me and teach me with whatever tools they may have, but most of all how they'll always love me. i get almost emotional when i read this book. its a good one. get it.

A Grandpa's Love

This is my favorite children's book. It is warm, charming, and fills one
with a generally good feeling. Something from Nothing is adapted from a
jewish folktale. You don't have to be jewish or a child to be thoroughly enchanted with the relationship between grandpa and Joseph . Joseph is a little boy who goes to his grandfather to fix his tattered blanket because "grandpa can
fix anything". The story takes you through the passage of time when grandpa
converts the blanket to a jacket, a tie, a handkerchief, and then a button.
What to do when the button is lost... The pieces of fabric left over from grandpa's
mending goes below to a family of mice who end up with bedcovers, curtains,
table cloths, etc. The text is absolutely delightful, the illustrations magnificent. I have given and read this book numerous times to young children, They always ask me to re-read it to them, while they gaze at these wonderful pictures, and giggle over the mice family's good fortune.

Something from Nothing is a classic folktale retold by Phoebe Gilman in a delightful, playful way. My children love repeating Grandfather's refrain "Hmm, he said as his scissors went snip, snip, snip and his needle flew in and out and in and out. There's just enough material here to make..." along with me as I read and they love discovering new things the mouse family are up to under the family's floorboards or out on the town. They find something new every time! Joseph Had a Little Overcoat tells the same story but we like Something from Nothing much, much better.

This is one of my favorite children's books. I love the artwork and the retelling of an old story. It is a wonderful gift for all your best beloved children.