Allen Books

This book introduces jazz to a young audience. It explores the sounds, rhythms, and emotions of the genre through colorful pictures and rhythmic words similar to the beat of "scat" singing.
Lots of the words are there just for the sound of them. By focusing on the sound words, students could develop spelling strategies that help them move from phonemes, the sounds they make, to graphemes, the written representations of those sounds.

This book is excellent. The illustrations and musical text allow for early readers to really enjoy and learn from this book. Perfect for preschool and kdg age. I used this book as the basis of a jazz unit, it worked wonderfully.

"Charlie Parker Played Be Bop" was my son's favorite book when he was two and nine years later we still have fun reading it. I now purchase a copy for new parents to read to thier babies. As a speech language pathologist, I want to share to magic of words and the music they can make! This book is an absolute MUST read for all children.

I wasn't sure how my little one would respond to this book even though I love it. If I ask, "Do you want to read about Charlie Parker?," she lights up and starts literally starts to bop. The baby digs it. Just more evidence that the jazz is a universal language. I like the introduction to poetry, rhythm and randomness ("Never leave your cat alone"). I bought two other copies and gave them to my friends for their babies.

I am an elementary school music teacher with students ranging from pre-K to 5th grade. I read this book to all of my pre-K and kindergarten through second grade classes and sometimes the mood strikes me to read it to older students. There is something in here for most every age. Everyone loves it.

So why does Raschka draw chicken feet in such odd places, e.g., on overshoes, alphabet letters, pancake flippers?

Well, rumor has it that one day Charlie Parker was driving back to his boarding house and, as luck would have it, he hit and killed a chicken that had run out into the street from someone's front yard. Such chickens are called "yardbirds". The alleged events include Parker doing the unthinkable, namely, backing up his car, picking up the dead chicken (aka "roadkill"), taking it to his landlady (hey, it was fresh!), her cooking it, and him eating it. When friends heard this story, Parker was known forever after as "Yardbird", which was eventually shortened to just "Bird".

If you didn't catch the part about the chicken feet on your own, don't feel badly. Insiders like Rachka and myself know it and now you do too. Rachka has done a terrific job in providing a lot of feeling about some very notable personalities. Plus he does it with humor, some of which is very subtle.

My students probably have as much fun going through Parker's history as with the book itself. But all of that is just the preliminaries: I then have to read it several more times with the students reading and acting out the story. We have a rockin' good time.

One of the best books I have ever read. I did read that book long time ago but wanted my mother to read it. She found it very easy to read and she said that she finished the book so fast. I will recommend this book to younger people as older people. Anyone that will like to enlighten their lives....

Estoy atravezando una crisis en mi relacion el cual me ha hecho sentir culpable al mismo tiempo que me han culpado de todo lo que ha pasado. Pero este libro me ha demostrado que no es asi. Ahora siento una gran paz interior. Me ha hecho entender que nada de esto esta en mis manos, y que solo tengo que esperar a que el huracan pase y vuelva de nuevo la calma.

Helps free us mentally from the past. I started reading it and it's so true what has been past from our ancestors (grandparents, to our parents) affect our success in life and how we cope with our problems because of those believes.

I recommend it to anyone that it's feeling tied up in life, one who is fearful or anxious. It's a great book for those who are willing to be open minded, and wants to receive the best. One who wants to move up in life and enjoy it while forgiving those who we have held captive in our insecurities and gruges.

Must read and give as a gift. It's food for the mind, and easy to read.

It is a good book about how you should act in your life. How our parents are doing what their parent do with them. It is good to read and try to put in practice.... It is dificult when you put in practice, but remember practice make the master!!

No words to describe the amazing content of this book.
A must! It changed my life.

Maximum Influence is superior to any books written about influence! Kurt did a great job teaching influence in his book and Maximum Influence is not only a fun read, but is written in a way that makes it easy to apply the principles taught.

A very practical book that seems to have pretty well everything you would want to know about persuasion in one easy to read volume. He has 12 laws that make sense as well as a checklist to ensure you have the best chance to persuade your audience. Definitely a library keeper, especially if you are a salesperson, in marcomm, or a speaker/presenter. Lesson reinforced, information helps persuade, emotion sells the deal. The twelve power laws are:

Dissonance

Obligation

Connectivity

Social Validation

Scarcity

Verbal Packaging

Contrast

Expectations

Involvement

Esteem

Association

Balance

This book is fantastic, it not only explains the importance of each law but it also verbalises it in a way where it's very easy to understand

This is the best and most comprehensive work on human nature and mind dynamics I have read. A must read for any salesperson or any one interested in bringing out the best in people. A very easy read with numerous every day examples of the Laws in action. Simple tools for major improvements in our communicatian skills.

Here, in one place, is a consolidated list, with examples, of the major ways people are persuaded to change behavior.

An insightful, accurate and amusing guide to working with Americans. Having live and worked in the USA and worked for US corporations for 20 years, I still had something to learn from this book. Great tips, eye opening perspectives. Save yourself alot of frustration and read this book!

While it's no secret that business is global, what is frequently not understood is that people are still creatures of their national identity and culture. I've always tried to learn about my foreign colleagues backgrounds and beliefs but until reading "Working with Americans," didn't see the void in that thinking. "Working with Americans," showed me how to see myself through their eyes, and it was rather surprising. Success in these relationships begins with respect. Nothing shows respect better than endeavoring to make another person feel at ease. "Working with Americans," gives non Americans the tools to cross cultural boundaries with Americans, and Americans will better understand how actions they take for granted affect the way they are viewed here at home and abroad.

Remembering my first business and private contacts with people from the US, it took me quite a while to understand the differences to the German and European culture I am used to. The book gives you lots of informaton to understand what the culture is about AND why it is like it is. Furthermore it's fun to read. Enjoy!

Working with Americans is an essential primer that will give global businesses that seek American partners, employees, colleagues, or clients, an understanding of, and appreciation for, the diversity and complexity of the American business environment.

Stewart-Allen and Denslow are the Alexis de Tocqueville's of the 21st century. Their fascinating work illuminates why Americans think and act as they do and provides clear guidelines on how to be effective in playing to these preferences and business practices so as to build more effective and profitable relationships. Just as importantly, their perceptions show Americans how they are viewed by the world at large, also providing them with invaluable insights into building more effective and profitable relationships with businesses abroad.

As an Australian living in the US via Germany, this book totally captures the idiosyncratic ways of Americans in business. It's funny, it's readable, it's got great cartoons. It really should be on every American business school's syllabus and required reading for foreign employees of US companies. My favorite part has to be the last chapter about what to wear -- hilarious! These girls have a cracking sense of humor!

This is a great read for anyone, not just business owners or entrepreneurs.

A quick, concise guide to identify and document your strengths AND weaknesses and help you construct a realistic and achievable plan to get you where you want to be.

I could definitely relate to the real life predicaments Mr. Fishman writes about and how these issues were resolved. You will find that many of these real life experiences remind you of yourself or someone you know.

The book gave me a new awareness and understanding of some aspects of my life I had not thought of before. And as a result, it motivated me to implement some of the ideas to take action to improve my life.

We can all benefit from the fresh ideas and techniques Mr. Fishman shares to improve our creativity, communication, goal setting, and negotiating. I recommend 7 Secrets of Great Entrepreneurial Masters to everyone.

The tips I received from reading this book have helped me understand the importance of revisiting my goals and objectives. Not only did it help me improve my business by updating my action plans, but it reminded me of my personal desires for my business, which really motivated me. Fishman does an exceptional job explaining his ideas by relating them to real life experiences.

So many business books are great in theory, but the translation of the message can be lost in practical, day-to-day experiences. The 7 Secrets is different, because it not only illustrates the individual secrets with real-life scenarios and experiences, but reference checklists for how to incorporate the 7 Secrets into your professional life. Fishman's understanding of how busy and sometimes hectic an entrepreneur's life is evident.

I found this book helped identify what will make me happy on all levels in life. It is a practical tool for anyone in business that is looking for balance between work and personal life. It helped me define why I work so hard to get what I want. Allen Fishman has created a useful guide for walking the path of life as an entrepreneur. A must read for all business owners, add this book to your arsenal.

It has been said that, if you honk your own horn, no one will want to do it for you. This is a book about horn honking.

This book shows an ego at work that is big enough to fill the universe yet small enough to dwell in your heart. Before you reach page 15 of this book, you will have seen over 150 different tidbits of inside information from the author such he loves his mom, he loves his dad, he loves his two daughters, he loves his son in law, he loves his friends and his dreams have been satisfied beyond his wildest expectations. He mentions seven times that he lives in Aspen (all this before we reach page 15) and we are told several times that he hikes, bikes and rides ski lifts. Unfortunately in all of this verbiage we find no mention of his wife or the mother of his daughters. How can a life be so successful and happy without learning how to love another of our Heavenly Father's Creations? Fishman shows us what a ego on display is all about.

There is insight that can be gained from this book and you will find it right there in the Conclusion at the end of the book where you don't have to wade through the "I am happy and successful and live in Aspen, Colorado" drivel. However, the real story of this book is one that hasn't been told and that involves the Power of Persuasion. How did Fishman get McGraw - Hill to publish this book? Had he chosen to discuss his talent of persuasion, he might have come up with a different title than one that appears to be a Stephen Covey knockoff.

This was truely an amazing book, I've read many .NET books, all of which assume zero knowledge of programming, or very little. So when I skipped the first few chapters, or skipped them (Since I've been a Java Developer for several years), I missed valuable differences between Java and .NET.

Be sure you do know your stuff in Java, or else this book will seem over your head. This is not a beginners book. But if you're a Java developer, or have similar programming experience, this book is 100% for you.

My only quirk with this book, is that at times, it's more of a refrence/comparison, over how to use several key .NET features. And it seemed to jump around a little. So actually I'd probably rate this book a 4.75...but rounding up gives us a 5, which it pretty much deserves.

I highly recomend this book out there for anyone who is NOT a beginner programmer, or comes from a Java background. This book is a MUST read for you.

After about 5 years as a java developer, I took a new job as a .NET / C# developer. This book was a great starting point for me. Going from java to c# is a relatively easy transition, but this book makes it much easier and quicker. The book compares the two languages and highlights the differences which made it easier for me to pick up. I'm not a person who reads many books, for work or pleasure, so I don't have much to compare it with. But out of the 10 or so books in my work library, this is the second best book I've used. (The best I own is Effective Java. I'd really like to get one like that for c#.)

As an experienced Java developer who was "forced" to move into the C# and .NET world, I turned to this book to help me make that transition. I am very glad I did so. This book provided nearly all of the background I needed for that transition, and it still serves as my primary C# reference a year later. (By the way, working in the C# and .NET world is not as bad as I feared it would be.)

If you are accustomed to Java and new to the world of .NET and Microsoft books in general, you will find the majority of these books to be written for a less sophisticated audience than you are used to. My advice is to be very cautious what you spend your money on, as many of the books about Microsoft programming topics are not worth the investment.

This book, however, is very much worth the money you will spend on it.

This books hits the spot for java developers, the intended audience. A one page description on delegates, for example, has all the information you need to get started with delegates. The Oreilly book has a long winded chapter on it and the essence was lost in the obtuse example provided.

i could have sworn this book was from microsoft press. This book did a *great* job of being unbiased, and presented "just the facts". It did so in such a clear manner as well, straightforwardly laying out the similarities and differences between java and C#, and each's strengths and weaknesses (briefly).

definitely recommended!

This was the best introduction of horror short stories for me. I am aware of so many top-notch writers due to this compilation. Modern short stories have become a let-down to me after reading this book. You have to go backwards to find solid reading material. There is really no need to get into specifics because the proof is on the pages - many of these stories have left me amazed, and if you do not already possess the stories in this anthology, I strongly recommend this book. It is the main source of my awareness of the classic horror short story genre. I read this book and tried to find more like it, and many anthologies do not live up to this selection as far my tastes are concerned. I only wish that Herbert Wise would edit more anthologies. I love short stories, and though I am not a die-hard short story fanatic, I believe that these writers are so superior that anybody would become an instant fan reading them.

A book to keep by the bedside; tales to enjoy again and again. A haven for those familiar with the genre, and, for the novice, a menu of the fine writers of dark imagination.

Nearly fifty years ago, in the mid-sized Midwestern town where I spent many of my formative years, with some windfall paper route money, I purchased the Modern Library edition of "Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural" (published by Random House, edited by Herbert A Wise and Phyllis Fraser). That particular edition was eventually worn out from extensive reading and re-reading and had long since disappeared from my possession; but several months ago, at a Montgomery County Public Library sale in Troy, North Carolina, thanks the alertness of my sharp-eyed wife, I purchased, for a mere pittance, the *original* edition of this book, published in 1944; it was like encountering a long-lost friend! The dedication page consists of an Old Scotch Invocation: "FROM GHOULIES AND GHOSTIES AND LONG-LEGGED BEASTIES AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT, GOOD LORD DELIVER US!". Of interest also is that on the publication page the following appears: "THIS IS A WARTIME BOOK - The Text is complete and unabridged, but every effort has been made to comply with the Government's request to conserve essential materials." It was in my Modern Library edition that, as a teen-ager, I first read classic supernatural stories by Algernon Blackwood (the well-known "Ancient Sorceries" and the lesser-known "Confession" [but not "The Willows" or "The Wendigo"]), F(rancis) Marion Crawford ("The Screaming Skull" [but not "The Upper Berth"]), M(ontague) R(hodes) James ("Casting the Runes" [my favorite of all of his 30 stories] and "Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad"; both stories, incidentally, illustrate James's adroit and effective handling of understatement), H(oward) P(hilips) Lovecraft ("The Rats in the Walls" and "The Dunwich Horror"), Arthur Machen ("The Great God Pan" [but not "The Inmost Light"]), Oliver Onions ("The Beckoning Fair One"), Edgar Allan Poe (the well-known story "The Black Cat" and the lesser-known but even more disturbing "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar"), and Edgar Lukas White (the eerie "Lunkundoo"). Also among the 52 stories in this collection are some powerfully-effective adventure stories: Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game", Geoffrey Household's "Taboo", Carl Stephenson's "Leiningen versus the Ants", and H.G. Wells's "Pollock and the Porroh Man". (Undoubtedly because of the publication date, there is nothing here by Robert Aickman [e.g., "The Inner Room"], Clive Barker [e.g., "In the Hills, The Cities"], Stephen King [e.g., "Dolan's Cadillac" {terror} or "The Mist" {supernatural/preternatural], or Joyce Carol Oates [e.g., "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"]). The editors provide an Introduction, an Introduction to the Notes, and interesting and comprehensive biographical sketches of each of the authors. Over the past few months, I have enjoyed becoming re-acquainted with these stories. Although there now exist more modern collections of these types of stories (e.g. David Hartwell's "The Dark Descent", "The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories", and "Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories"), this out-of-print book is well worth acquiring, if you should be fortunate enough to happen upon it in an estate collection auction, at a library sale, in a thrift store, or at a used-book seller's.

This book is, quite simply, the best collection of 19th and early-20th century short fiction of the dark variety in existence. First published in the 1940s, this single (albeit fat) volume is a goldmine of the roots of modern horror, a great way to see where today's horror heavyweights got their inspiration and influence.

Some authors whose stories appear within: Bierce, Blackwood, Dickens, Faulkner, Hawthorne, Hemingway, James (both Henry & M.R.), Kipling, Lovecraft, Machen, Poe, Wells, and many more, a good mixture of horror genre regulars and more conventional or 'literary' authors to whom dark fiction was a departure from the norm. If many of those above names are unfamiliar to you and you consider yourself a fan of dark fiction, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

[Sidenote: The book also contains two of my all-time favorite short stories from two slightly lesser-known authors: Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game," and W.W. Jacob's "The Monkey's Paw." As far as I know, this is the only single volume that includes both. The latter story is, in my humble opinion, THE most perfect scary story of all time.]

Once again: Wagner & Wise's collection is the best thing of its kind.

If you're looking for a little fear on your pallet, this book will dish it out in buckets. The authors are old world craftsmen who wrote these stories on dark and stormy nights. As you read, the wind will howl, dead children will laugh, and the scurry of rats will make you look around your room. Drink a glass of wine, eat dark chocolate, and curl up to this one in bed. Dead men do write good tales.

(HUNGRY) is a humorous and motivating book about living life in the fat lane. Allen Zadoff's fast-paced, witty, yet poignant writing style gives any overweight person an honest look into themselves. It's a diet tool that will inspire the reader to reach the same success level that Zadoff did in learning to control the urge to eat, compulsively! Every overweight person should read this book!

As the author says more than once, not everyone will relate to his particular story with food. I think anyone with eating issues would find something in this book to be of help. I could relate all too well, and appreciate the author's candor at revealing things about himself, and his thoughts, that were of help to my own situation.

How is everyone doing in conquering this:
~*weight loss battle*~?
It really is a WAR against those excess pounds, isn't it?

After reading HUNGRY by Allen Zadoff, I decided not to call it a 'diet' because it is not suppose to be a reducing diet but a healthy way of eating.

This book gives you some ammunition to WIN that war!
(Although you will always have to be 'on guard' for the rest of your life!)

It was a worthwhile book to read...It had short one or two pages chapters. None of that recipe filler pages.

One of our 'assignments' was to try and figure out WHY
we over-eat and make ourselves over-weight.
There is a reason. He suggested maybe it is an addiction
or a disease we need to treat not just cover up with a 'diet'?

He lost 150 lbs...The way he did it was to analyze his feelings and
then to not eat foods that are trigger foods. He had us make a list
of red, yellow and green foods....red meaning those
that we just can't stop eating once we start (like sweets)
yellow meaning those that sometimes cause over-eating problems, and
green are those that are OK and good for us; never lead
to a binge. (Like a traffic light, red STOP, yellow CAUTION and green GO.

He didn't tell us what to eat because everyone's list would be
different.
Allen reminded me of my nephew that also lost a great deal of weight.

For instance, how when Allen was at a normal weight, after weighing 360 lbs. (And having only one pair of pants that fit that were worn out in the crouch.)
It was difficult to think like a normal weight person. (Like how to react when a pretty girl flirted with him.)

This is the suggestion that I am going to have to do since I am
an evening nibbler. Only eat 3 meals each day...(From the green list.)
"Three delicious, abundant meals made up of foods I can handle."Zadoff.

It sounds so sensible yet I haven't done that in a long long time.
I need to stop this mindless evening snacking...that mouth hungry not
stomach hungry HABIT! It is very very hard to break these bad eating habits!

If you can get the book, I highly recommend it.

Allen's final statement:
"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can
start from now and make a brand new ending." Carl Bard

I really enjoyed this book. In clear, no nonsense language Allen Zadoff managed to convey to the reader the pain of being very over weight with no self pity, no real excuses. He ate too much at one time. Period. Then, somehow after reaching 300+ pounds, he looked inside of himself and accepted a truth. He needed to eat less. So - no more dieting for him. He decided to establish a traffic light of an idea. Red light for dangerous food, yellow light for foods that need to be approached with caution and green food - the kind one can eat lots of and manage to stay slim. I loved this idea. I don't have a huge weight problem, but I do eat too much at times for a variety of reasons. I swear - as soon as I did what Zadoff said, wrote down my red, yellow and green foods, I began to eat less. And I began to lose weight. Wow. Thanks, Mr. Zadoff. You did a great job. I hope everyone who has ever struggled with weight reads this book. It's short but the message is clear. Look at what you eat. Identify problem foods. Approach them with caution. I guess he said it all.

I can't believe such a terrible book can be reviewed so highly. I think he didn't say anything everyone who has a problem with food doesn't know. IN fact he doesn't really reveal himself at all. He uses thumor to hide behind rather than tell the truth. How does such a skimpy book get published?. He hints O.A is the only answer to overeating. He never explains what home problems kept his addiction active. I find it cruel to give hope to others with one method while telling us nothing else works. Everyone is differet and what works is different. This book is not quite a memoir, not quite a self help book,not quite a book. It is said to be a non diet book but I felt like I had been put on a skimpy diet with this badly written book. sorry. but I could write a more truthful book in my sleep and I have kept off sixty pounds. Hey, let me write a book. Save your money and time on this one. I felt cheated.

I have been wanting this book since it came out a year or so ago. It did NOT disappoint. There is so much in this book that doesn't come from the show. I remember writing a thesis on this show in college, stating that the website actually becomes a supplement to the show and by doing this, it actually pulls the viewer into the show, breaking the fourth wall. This book does that times two. Are the Sopranos based on actual people? Is it truth or fiction? By the time you get done reading this, you won't care. This is a must read.

A stellar examination of the past, present, and portents of "The Sopranos"! Wow! From the die-hard Soprano fans to all those interested schlumps, this book is the must-read needed on their bookself. An entertaining, voyeuristic, and compassionate look at the Sopranos' lives that mix reality and myth into a remarkable anthology of today's most famous mobster family. The show earned its Emmys and then some; the book compliments the show with its photos and commentary on what will become the most talked about series for years to come. In my opinion, there are only a handful of shows that truly deserve such an in-depth perspective as this one does- and this one hits the mark! Two enthusiastic thumbs up and a congratulations going toward the talented and witty writer, Allen Rucker, the only one who made this fantastic book possible for all Soprano aficionados to thoroughly enjoy. Rucker brings an unique standpoint to the Sopranos' family and lifestyle that I never knew existed. I hope he writes the next updated version! If not, "I have friends, you know!"

I loved this book. I poured over it so many times that I have just about worn it out. It has been like a Bible of sorts to me. Very interesting. Anyone who is a true Sopranoholic like I am will love this book. I just wish they would make an updated version of it. I am going to be so sorry to see the season end and just thinking about the series ending is too much for me to comprehend.

Think of this book as one big Soprano History/Dictionary/Vocabulary book and that is what you can expect. Worth every cent.

Great book to have if you are a die hard Soprano fan like myself. Gives you great insights on the Soprano family tree and it also gives Soprano fans a guide on things that you might have missed out on. Overall, a excellent book! Don't keep this book too far away when you're watching the show because it comes in handy

I'm a big Opera fan, and my grandmother bought me this book because she thought it was about great Italian singers. You can imagine my disappointment when I realized this book was about the characters from a TV show focusing on the Mafia. I don't have a TV, so I'd never seen the "Sopranos" show. Reading about something I had no knowledge of, or interest in, seemed dumb at first, but I had the book so I thought "What the heck! I'll read it". Once I started, I couldn't put it down. It is a very entertaining read, and I would recommend it to anyone, even people with no TVs like me, who enjoy a fun book. Highly Recommended! (Note: I have since seen the show at a friend's house, and frankly I must say I liked the book better than the progam.)

Angel Cats is a wonderful reminder THAT the presence of a Divine Spirit, usually attributed only to the best humans, informs our feline companions as well.

The story "Throwaway Kids and Throwaway Animals Found Each Other" alone is well worth the cost of this amazing collection of stories. Linda Lansdell who shared her story helping inner city troubled teens grow into responsible and loving adults is a very good writer. And it all happened because of the animals that the inner city teens helped care for. All the stories in Angel Animals are good but this one story hits home on what animals can do to help change human lives for the better.

I bought this book and read it after reading Allen and Linda Anderson's other book titled GOD'S MESSENGERS: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine. ANGEL ANIMALS is a feel good and thought provoking book to read! All the well written stories offer a unique viewpoint on the special (some would say spiritual) bond we have with our pets and with animals in the wild. Dr. Marty Becker writes a wonderful foreword and endorses the spiritual theme of the book with enthusiasm. I highly recommend this book and the Anderson's other book, GOD'S MESSENGERS!!!

The connection between animals and people is quite profound. The lessons about fidelity, love, caring and relationships are all in this book. My husband and I took time each day to read one of the stories out loud. I can think of my experiences with various animals I have had and realize the spiritual connection.

Great book about humans and animals! Good reading material for young and old alike.