Adams Books

I bought this book to give to a friend whose little girl had passed away. The illustrations are brillliant and the storyline opened up many venues of dialogue that would be discussed at such a tragic time as this. The book brings hope and a "connection" to that little one's spirit that has passed on. I recommend this book to give to others. It will remain a treasure in their collection just like the memory of the little one who once was part of their earthly family.

I'd like to share some thoughts that other reviewers have touched on briefly or not at all.

I almost didn't purchase The Dragonfly Door because I thought it might be too overtly religious for the people I wanted to share it with. Fortunately, I did order it. The book can be interpreted on many different levels; the reader will bring to it what he or she likes or needs. The story will appeal to members of all denominations as well as to people who belong to no organized religion. Lea's "special place" can be just that, or the reader may choose to call it "heaven." The factual section on dragonflies at the end of the book adds yet another dimension. You or your child will enjoy The Dragonfly Door even if you have not lost a friend or relative. For me, the story brought back vivid memories of my own "lost" childhood.

The art is bright, simple, and will appeal to children. It enhances the text, sets the mood, clarifies emotions, and provides clues to the meaning of words. But it's the language I love most. It is natural, alive, playful, concrete, colorful. The words speak to the imagination. The dragonfly nymphs don't just run while playing tag: they "zigzag between the rocks" as the beetles and minnows "dart through the reeds." Nym "pokes" Lea with one of her legs as she squeals "You're it!" You can see the colors on the water, hear the laughter in Lea's voice, and feel the cold of the night or the softness of a leaf. You can hear Nym's voice "crack" with anger, see her mouth "quiver" when she realizes Lea is gone, and experience the silence and sadness of the empty nest.

Sometimes the art goes where words cannot go. Every character has a personality and a voice--even the sea creatures who don't speak (what they're thinking and feeling shows clearly on their faces). The artist's use of color, light and shadow, her rendition of Nym's dream and Lea's "special place" are nothing short of brilliant.

The characters are real. Leah's love for Nym is a shining presence throughout the book. Nym's playfulness, short-lived temper tantrum, sadness, anxiety, and hope all ring true. After Lea disappears, the questions Nym asks her in a dream are the same questions children are most likely to ask.

There are big life lessons in The Dragonfly Door about "loss and change," if the reader wishes to interpret the book on this level. But there are little life lessons as well. Nym is always polite with the other sea creatures, and she doesn't hesitate to say she's sorry when she realizes she has behaved inappropriately. Lea doesn't deny Nym's rebellious feelings or respond to anger with anger. At a critical moment, she knows just what to say to her friend to comfort her and lessen her feelings of guilt.

Don't pass up reading this book! If it is not available at your public library or your child's school library, talk to the librarians. The Dragonfly Door is a valuable resource for all families and communities.

John Adams brilliantly invites the reader into the world of Nymphs and Dragonflies to explore the changes that take place when Nym's friend goes to a special place.

When I had lost a family member I had read a wonderful story called, "The Water Bug Story." John Adams adds a fresh approach to this story by focusing on friendship loss and giving a voice to his characters. With the help of Gibson's eye-catching nature illustrations, "The Dragon Fly Door" answers general questions surrounding loss, such as feelings about loss, what happens to the nymph's body when he dies, and how a nymph is transformed into a dragonfly.

Adams creatively normalizes typical friendship rivalry and takes the reader on a nature journey to discover that one chooses to resolve conflict, loss, and changes in different ways. Adams concludes the book with uncomplicated educational facts for the inquisitive science mind.

This is a great educational tool for parents, grandparents or professionals to use to help explain the uncontrollable life cycle changes and loss.

Reviewed by Jewel Sample, MS
Award-winning author of Flying Hugs and Kisses(2006), also translated: Besos y Abrazos Al Aire(2006, Spanish edition) and Flying Hugs and Kisses Activity Book(2007)

As President of a nonprofit organization that reaches out to those who are grieving, I was very pleased to read a book such as The Dragonfly Door. This book provides a much needed way to offer children (and adults) a message of hope following the death of a loved one.

Children can relate to the playful nature of Nym and Lea who are the two young nymph friends, the sorrow of Nym when Lea dies, and the comforting feeling when when Nym realizes that he will one day see Lea again as a dragonfly, when he too has made his transformation into a dragonfly.

Our nonprofit organization recommends this book so highly that we have decided to make it available for purchase at all of our events.
-Valerie Marquardt

The debut children's picturebook of author John Adams, The Dragonfly Door dares to confront serious topics - of loss, death, grieving, and transition. Nym and Lea are two close insect friends, but one day after Nym yells at Lea, Lea disappears. Nym searches everywhere for her missing friend, and can't find her. At last Nym falls asleep, grief-stricken, and finally hears Lea's voice one more time. "'I died and went to this special place,' Lea said, her voice full of love. 'But I didn't want you to leave,' Nym pleaded. 'I'm sorry I yelled.' 'I know you're sorry,' Lea assured her. 'I left because my water nymph body died while I was picking flowers in the reeds, not because you yelled.'" The warm, emotional colors of award-winning artist Barbara L. Gibson illustrate this highly recommended picturebook for sharing the bittersweet realities of life with young people.

Finally, a clearly written, comprehensive book packed full of information to help women (and men) develop a business that will generate the kind of income all networkers dream of earning. Thank you Cynthia Stewart-Copier for writing such a helpful book!

"Cynthia Stewart-Copier has identified and outlined a pattern for success, that if followed, will give women the opportunity to break the chains of mediocrity and experience a life beyond their woldest dreams."

I loved this book! Cynthia has a great way of presenting information clearly, and at the same time motivating readers and helping us understand that it is possible to build up a substantial income through network marketing. Good job!

Copier has hit the nail on the head with Dream Big! Finally a comprehesive, no fluff book that deals with the specific issues women face while trying to manage a job, care for a family, and develop a business. Copier has outlined simple steps, when if followed with propell the reader to the heights of success that we all dream about when we first start out in network marketing. She has also included motivational stories from other successful women in the industry, proving once again, that there is room at the top for women in network marketing. Great book, for beginners and veterans alike.

The only thing wrong with this book is the title! It is definately NOT just for women. In fact, I took notes! Dream Big was a pleasure to read. From cover to cover it just flowed. The information that seemed primary at first, developed into a wealth of knowledge and easy to follow steps to launch the reader into success in network marketing. I really enjoyed the way Cynthia mixed the success stories with the tips, making this book fun to read.

Book arrived in the nick of time. Brand new! Although, I can't blame the C grade that I received on the book, I will say it helped me stay average. Thanks a bunch! Science is so not my thing!

My kids love this Science book. It is very interesting, there are lots of pictures.

I have been using "Earth Science" by Tarbuck and Lutgens both at the high school and college level for 15 years. I think that iotr one of the best available.

This book was a wonderful resource for my Earth Science class. It has many colorful pictures, and great explanations.

This book was worth buying, easy to read. If you would like to purchase this book you can contact me through email.

Yesterday I heard Miriam Cohen read "Eddy's Dream"; it was a powerful, tear-inducing experience. This book is a living testimony to the emotive power of children's imaginative play. Cohen calls it a "docu-drama," and rightly so: it is full of drama (and humor), and it accurately documents the process of play in a classroom of young children who are eager to act out their dreams, and who so effortlessly combine their personal dream-plays with their classmates'. Eddy's Dream corresponds with Vivian Paley's work (ex: The Boy Who Would be a Helicopter) in that it focuses in on one child who is feeling different from the others and manifests this in a negative way. The other children do not scorn him for his difference; rather, they rally around him in a beautiful display of unconditional love and community, and in the end, he is transformed by their love. This book shows us that what can happen in a classroom that opens itself to the imagination of children is nothing short of miraculous.

Miriam Cohen's stories bubble with the energy of children. They address the real stuff that's on kid's minds without being preachy or moralistic or stodgy. Eddy's Dream reminds me of the "Jim" series of books that are now classics and in every school library across the country. What's so amazing about this book is it's fresh approach: using Adam Cohen's intimate photographs insead of illustrations. Together, Miriam and Adam Cohen give us a vivid story of how kids interact and what they dream of.

It's a great story for parents to read and for kids to listen to (or read themselves). Best of all, my seven year old son picked it over and over as the book we'd read together at reading time.

You'll love it! And so will your child!

I just had the opportunity to see this book up close, and it's just amazing. I was so moved that these kids used their imaginations to transport a boy mired in sadness to a dream trip to his beloved grandma in Puerto Rico. I just loved Miriam Cohen's ability to lift the spirits of both children and the adults who read to and with them with this book.

It isn't often you get a book these days with black and white photographs. Somehow I think we think kids won't look at them, but what a mistake! This book is simply special. There's room in the text and pictures for the reader to find her/his own magic. And that's what it's all about isn't it. Can't imagine a kid not getting caught up. Thank you Miram and Adam Cohen!

I loved this book. As a teacher for over twenty-five years, I feel the story is real, the portrayal of the chidren is accurate, and the whole feeling of the book is beautiful. I used this book in class to start a discussion about feelings, pretending, how we treat one another, etc. It was a great success. The children loved the photographs. Some children spent a long time pouring over the pictures and commenting on them. I think they liked the pictures so much because they weren't drawings. They were of real, identifiable kids, like themselves. Picture books illustrated with photographs are not too common, and my students were fascinated by them. They wanted to play a dress-up game like the one depicted in the book (which we did), and they asked to read the story again a few days later. My students especially liked the colorful children's drawings in the front and the back of the book. They immediately wanted to draw their own pictures of the scenes in book, so the book worked as a story, a discussion starter about feelings and helping each other, a stimulus to drawing, an exploration of photographs, etc. My thanks to Miriam Cohen and Adam Cohen for producing such a lovely book.

This book was a tremendous help for me. I not only learned a great deal but had fun with this book as I began creating my blogs. I highly recommend this book. Makes a great gift. you'll love it.

I have been contemplating writing a book and a few people suggested creating a blog to test out ideas. I stumbled on this book and figured I would give it a read.

This is a great book if you have little or no idea of what you want to do with a blog.

It gives some good suggestions for things overlooked such as creating a sense of trust by filling out your profile so you give a possible reader an idea of why they should consider trusting you.

It discusses the free services such as blogger and typepad and it discusses what they offer to assist in choosing a provider if you go that route.

There are numerous links throughout the book that help with searching the Net for examples and ideas on what you may want to try.

There are many advice points such as backing up your blog and being careful about blogging at work which causes people to get fired.

There are suggestions for getting your blog noticed and some tools to assist your blogging.

As I am new I can't judge all the material but I found it useful as it gave me a better idea about blogging and where to look for more detailed information.

As mentioned this book is good for someone that is considering a blog and knows little or nothing. Someone who has already researched blogging, probably does not need this book. An advanced blogger can skip this book

Very easy to read. Will get you exciting about blogging and get you started quickly.

If you know absolutely nothing about blogging, this is the book for you. The book spends as much time talking about the culture, community, and benefits of blogging, as it does walking you through the steps for setting up a simple blog.

If you've already done a little homework on blogs, this book will be too basic. Skip it and get the Dummies book on blogging, which spends more time helping you compare and choose the right blogging platform for your needs.

The 4 stars? It's a 5 star book for the beginner, but only a 3 star book for the advanced beginner and beyond.

Once you read or skim the book, you understand blogging and can start your own blog. The book made me think about what kind of blog I wanted to start.

The book compares the major blogging sites in text and chart form. It gives advanced information on photo, audio, and video blogging. The resources section lists a lot of free web sites and articles, and I have used it many times.

Bottom line: this is as good as a source on blogging as any book will be, but any book on blogging needs to be supplemented by surfing the web.

Covered every aspect of dealing with Type 1 Diabetes.
Good reference book to have in the house.

This book is a must-have for any caregiver of a person with Type I (Juvenile) diabetes. It includes straight-forward, no-nonsense facts that are written in everyday terms. It is obvious that the author knows from reality what she is writing about, not just from a text book.

Probably the best compliment I can make is to say that I wish I had this book when my son was diagnosed!

This brilliant well written book really is the everything guide for parents with children with diabetes. The book addresses many issues that will help all parents to raise a healthy well adjusted child with diabetes. The newly diagnosed section is a great resource for a parent that is a new caregiver. Recently I recommended the book to a mom of a newly diagnosed child. She felt that Ms. McCarthy was with her in the hospital during the diagnosis, and the tips she gave were right on!

The book also addresses topics for veteran caregivers, addressing such topics as diabetes and teens, teens and diabetes burnout. It also will help the experienced parent keep a fresh approach to diabetes management The tip sections throughout the book are very helpful and informative for all caregivers. This book should be on the bookself of every parent who cares for a child with diabetes.

This is an excellent book for any parent who is faced with raising a child with diabetes. I purchased this book five years into my daughters diagnosis and learned many new things. This book is very well written for the layperson and easy to pick up for reference. I would strongly recommend it!

This is a very good book for parents (and children as well) It explains
everything in layman's terms and is easy to understand. I raised a diabetic child and would have loved to have had this book availble.Moire is a wonderful advocate for finding a cure fot the disease.

I am typing this review for my nine year old son. Here are his exact words. "I expect people to read this book which are eight and up. It is an extremely good book. I am just starting to read the second one. The book is about a boy freeing a dragon. He meets a girl named Elenna. Elenna has a pet wolf. They have a great adventure. I hope to get the rest of the books"

The dragon was cool and it had a very neat ending. Very well written.

My son age 10 doesn't enjoy reading as much as I would like him to. This book grabbed his attention. He enjoyed it very much and told me so. We look forward to this new Fantasy Adventure Series.

Beast Quest: Ferno the Fire Dragon, is a story about a kingdom plauged by a mysterious power that is drying up rivers, destroying villages and crops, and causing mast turmoil. A young boy namd Tom vows several times to defeat this power, and travels to the king's place. What goes on from there is great adventure, quick-paced action, and cool magic.
For 2-3rd graders.
The print is very large, and the story is very simple. But if I was in the lower grades, I would have thought it the next big series. But Adam Blade does a very good job in writing this series.
Definently a series your elementary grade child has been looking for to make reading more fun.

I bought this at the book fair, trying to find an exciting adventure series for my son. This is the first book he truly could not put down. I read the first chapter to him and then he continued to read, after dinner, in the tub, before bed, until he finally finished it that same evening. It was great to see him enjoy reading so much. We are buying the next one in the series now.

Not a typical how-to-fish book although there is some advice on fly selection. Mostly deals with when and where to find fish in the various habitats which are described in detail (marsh, mangrove, surf, etc.) Essential reading if you want to understand the habits and food preferences of the coastal species you are targeting.

I don't know how many times I've read that the angler should know his quarry, study their habits, etcetera, only to find that there wasn't any actual information about such habits in the book! The reason for this is that it is difficult for anglers to amass such knowledge in anything shorter than a full lifetime, and even then he's only aware of a tiny fraction of the fish's ecology. That's an indispensible part of the experience of fishing, of course. For those of us who like it to take place within a wider breadth of real knowledge about fish, however, there are books like this one. Dr. Adams has compiled a wealth of interesting information from the scientific literature on the ecology of the fish we love to pursue, and presents it engagingly and in a well-organized way in this book. Much of it is applicable worldwide, not just to the areas covered. You will start thinking about fish and fishing in a deeper way after reading this book.

Fisherman's Coast is a unique balance of angling techniques, personal anecdotes and environmental information. Aaron J. Adams seems to mentor his readers of all ages and experience through fish behavior and life cycles, and fishes' and anglers' reliance on and relationship to healthy sea grass, mangroves, salt marshes and other warm-water habitats. As an educator, I hope my students and their families will translate Mr. Adams' approach to their own locales, and use it when visiting southeastern and gulf coast states, and/or the Carribean. How generously he shares his scientific knowledge and personal experience with his readers. Only fish - possibly - know more than Mr. Adams.

Aaron Adams, a Ph.D. in marine ecology, has given his readers a way of discovering and defining "good spots"--not with GPS numbers, but with a systematic understanding of coastal marine ecosystems and how gamefish fit within them. He puts the emphasis where it belongs and provides a model for others to follow in other books (I hope). The prose is clean and clear--no small achievement for a scientist writing in his area of expertise. Some useful photos are included. One could have wished for more), but there are enough examples to communicate the connectedness of life--and the responsibillity we have to protect it.

This book is not an easy read but it is well worth the effort. If you are looking for a "go here and do this" study guide this book is probably not for you.

If you want to understand the habits and habitats of fish you'd like to catch so you can figure out the how-when-where for yourself you will find this book extremely helpful. I have only fished Florida's inshore a couple of times on my own and while I enjoyed the experience I had no clue as to what to look for. When I go back now I will be much better prepared because of this book.

Although this book includes recipes, it contains far more regarding food's role in their culture, lifestyle and religious beliefs. What Scripture forbade and why, sacrifices at the Temple, the agricultural year and its festivals, and other tangible ways that it played into their lives are all included here.

The book begins with a culinary history of the Bible, a timeline and an explanation of dining customs in the `biblical' era, where biblical includes both the Old and New Testaments. It continues with fifty-plus pages on the various kinds of food, including the main crops: Grain and Bread, the Fruit of the Vine, Olives and Olive Oil, Other Fruits of the Good Land, Vegetables, Fish and Other Fruit of the Ancient Sea, Meat, Milk and Milk Products, Biblical Sweets, and Herbs and Spices.

Each section has subsections and pictures; for example, the section on fish includes `Fishing in the Sea of Galilee,' `Hook, Line and Sinker,' and `Fish Dishes,' as well as a recipe for St. Peter's fish. The section, which runs from page 57 to 60, contains color illustrations of anchors from Jesus' time, fish, a mosaic of a fisherman returning with his catch, a mosaic depicting an ancient boat, fishermen pulling a dragnet (Matthew 13:47), fishermen using a trammel net, an excavated boat from the Galilee, a mosaic depicting two fish and a loaf of bread, a carving of fishermen working on an Egyptian canal, a mosaic depicting fishermen from Jordan, modern-day fishermen on the Galilee, the fish market in Acre, and a modern-day fishing net in use.

Other sections have parallel sections and illustrations, and the book finishes with sections on `Keeping Food and Keeping it Fresh,' the Last Supper, `Biblical Weights and Their Equivalent in Our Terms,' `Biblical Recipes' (40+), and `How Much Did Food Cost?'

I have several books on food in the bible, and this is my favorite. You can see other alternatives on my ListMania for `Food in Jesus' Time.' Click `Emily Jamison' above, and scroll down to my ListMania section.

When I was looking for book that dealt with foods from the Bible I ordered several different kinds. I found this one was the best. It gave the history of the Bible times and a section of recipes that would be available during Bible times.

We had our church service last Sunday and had a social hour where we served three tables full of foods from the Bible. We were studying the books of Jonah and Ruth so fish and grains for Bread recipes were available in this book. It was very helpful and easy to prepare. I recommend this book if you are interested in studying foods from the Bible

Food At The Time Of The Bible: From Adam's Apple To The Last Supper
We are using this wonderful resource to help us recreate the village of Bethlehem on the eve of Jesus' birth at our large parish hall this December. It was recommended as an accurate resource by a recreated village in Israel.
I was delighted to find that it contained far more than recipes. It explains the foods, crops, and agricultural practices from the time. The farming practices bring the food to life! You will read about the "Seven Species as well as a multitude of other foods. You will read about farming and harvesting year round; the barley harvest in Spring, grapes, wheat, and pomegranates in Summer, dates and raisins in Autumn and leeks, onions and garlic in Winter. These descriptions are often tied to biblical customs or references: "They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest..." (Ruth 1:22)
Profusely illustrated with photographs and drawings you will see images of tilling, planting, cutting, threshing, winnowing, milling, and finally baking with grains. The photos are thoughtfully presented using people in costume as well as farmers today still using the old methods. I've bought and handed out at least 6 copies of this great resource to people involved in our recreation project.
It is a great general reference as well as an agricultural tour and cookbook.

GREAT BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON FO0DS IN BIBLE TIMES. PICTURES ARE GREAT. I WANTED A BOOK TO HAVE A BIBLE FOODS PARTY FOR YOUNG TEENS. WELL PRESENTED IN A WAY THAT ALL COULD TAKE A PART. BROUGHT IT TO A FRIEND'S HOUSE AND THEY WOULDN'T LET ME TAKE IT HOME. I THINK THERE WILL BE MORE ORDERS FOR AMAZON.

If you're a pastor or Bible studier, this is an excellent, fun, and interesting book. There are lots of illustrations, although the quality of some of the pictures is lacking.

If you're a cook or someone looking into healthier eating, it may not be exactly what you're looking for. There are a couple dozen recipes at the back of the book, but explanation on ancient food techniques related to the recipes leaves you wanting more information.

If you're just curious and interested in the way the Old World esteemed and prepared food this is probably just the book for you. Whatever your reason for considering it, it is a nice book, although a little thinner than I expected.

Please understand that my son did not even acknowledge there were other children at the library story time until he had been going for approximately one year. The presence of the other children either:

1) totally blew his mind and he couldn't process it;

or 2) dismayed him through watching their unpredictable behavior.

Now understand, this child has been around people from the very start (we have a big family), and he gets along well with adults. But he doesn't click well with other kids, and the idea of making friends with one of these specimens was really too much for him to imagine at age 4.

But this book, with its pun on "making" friends, really clicks with him. It sort of lit the light that doing stuff alongside another person is a first step to friendship. The ending line, that they stayed friends forever, I just gloss over -- this child comprehends "forever" and would scoff at the very notion that a predator and two prey animals would stay friends through the next snack time, let alone forever.

We still read it. It is very well illustrated, and we all need reminders about making friends through being friends.

This is the best children's book I have read in years. Adam Relf is very talented. I have ordered and preordered his other two books.

This picture book is so refreshingly sweet and innocent. It immediately became a favorite of mine.

My daughter loved this book at 5 years old and still loves it at 6. She loves the wonderful illustrations and the story of friendship. She has labeled this one as one of her favorites. I love the large pictures - it was perfect to read to her Kindergarten class in the Fall. Even my youngest daughter at 2 1/2 loves it. I highly recommend it.

This is one of the sweetest children's book I've ever read. It writing and art have such an innocence unlike anything in today's world. It's definitely a book for kid's of all ages.