Big Books

Holy smokes! If this had been my grammar book back in junior high, or whenever it was that the tedium of rules overcame my innate joy of learning, I'd have probably learned all this stuff. Learned it and spared countless teachers, professors and bosses along the way the trouble stumbling over my confusion of punctuation and mixed tenses.

Want to tune up your grammar and have a good time doing so? Buy the book!

Mr. Spina covers every aspect of grammar in the book, and it's actually understandable!

Not only do I no longer make silly grammatical errors, but my writing style has tremendously improved. Being a college student, I have to be able to write good essays. So far in my college career, I have never gotten under and 'A' on my essays, and all my teachers think they are wonderful.

To be honest, everything I know about writing essays came from THIS book.

P.S. It's a fun read. Not even slightly boring. I didn't really understand how interesting mountain men were until I read this!


If you want to learn about grammar from A to Z or just want to improve your writing, I highly recommend this easy read over any other grammar book!

Crittur:

Reading this grammar book is like tapdancing with your sweetie at the rendezvous. Who ever heard of a grammar book written by a mountain man? No one. Those are supposed to be penned by bespectacled spinsters. But not this one. It's a hoot! The grammar is muscular, too.

This book is delightful! Mr. Spina weaves his story with lessons in grammar that is original and enjoyable. I never knew the study of grammar could be so much fun. I highly recommend it.

Gary Spina has succeeded in producing a grammar book comparable to the best-selling "Eats Shoots and Leaves" tainted by a mountain man's flare. His book is a laugh-out-loud way to master the rules of grammar. It is a truly painless way (except for the stitch in one's side caused by laughing) to learn. If you're one of many clueless people who can't tell an expletive from an appositive, this book is for you. As well as introducing you to the life of a mountain man, this book will help to keep you from embarassingly dangling your participles in public. It's the most fun you'll have with the English language, and it will even fit in your briefcase. Mary Louise Helwig-Rodriguez

Mutts are the cutest, funniest cartoon around. This little book gives the reader a taste of the personalities of all the Mutts caracters. The last word, as put by Shtinky Puddin' "oh, well... I dunno"

Mutts the comic gets to me, the art is understated, sometimes the humor is corny, but nontheless very touching. The middle of the book with the pumpkins is very funny. And of course, end it with SHTINKY PUDDIN' is classic.

This is not a normal Mutts book. If you have ever seen those little Garfield books that are hardback, well that is the shape of this book. But anyway I bought it, read it in about one minute and twenty seconds. This a very good book though, Buy it only if you love Mutts of want to be introduced to them.

If you were a kid in the 1930s or the 1940s, you remember the famous Big Little Books. Lately they have been revived by George Lucas and some of the large comic book publishers. This is something different, much slimmer, printed in full color on glossy paper... and in many ways, a work of art.

The art is done apparently freehand in ink (w/o pencilling as a guide) and then colored in with colored pencils and pastel chalks. The story? There's no story, you just meet the main characters of the Mutts strip, Earl, Mooch, Sid, Crabby, Woofy, Guard Dog, etc. They give you some advice--- verbally or by example!--- and then we move on to the next. After my wife paged through it, she said, "What a lovely little book." And it is.

i hate using phrases like "a minimalist masterpiece" but how else can you descibe this great book from mcdonnell's fertile mind? to quote jules, or as his intimates know him, shtinky puddin': "i dunno."

if you are already a fan of the strip, this book is a must. he is the true successor to herriman!

[[ASIN:006445083X My Five Senses (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)]

My 4.5 year old pre-kindergarten girls loved this book. It was a great compliment to the week they spent exploring the five senses at school. I can see using this book repeatedly for several years to come.

This is a wonderful book for beginning readers that will introduce then to the concept of our five senses and how they make us aware of the world around us when used one at a time or in combinations.

Scientific concepts are simply explained for kindergarten or preschool children, who will most certainly be entranced by the lively illustrations.

5 senses: taste, hear, smell, see and "touch". I would rather the author had used the word "feel" instead of "touch".

This is the perfect book for reading to kids, and for kids to begin to learn to read. It is very well thought out, covers an excellent topic, has a seamless match between the words and the illustrations, and has a generous amount of repetition to learn the five senses. I like reading it to my kids, and my oldest spends some time reading it to herself and has some of the pages memorized.

My 5 year old son absolutely adores this book. He asks me to read it repeatedly, and has fun pointing out when he's using his senses just like the (adorably illustrated) child in Aliki's book does. It's a lively, fun introduction to an important scientific concept.

We first found this book at a library. Now we have to read it all the time, and at least 3 times in a row. I don't know exactly what it is about the book, but my son loves it.

my son loves this book, and its a perfect size for in the car and to throw into diaper bags. It has cute examples of opposites and great pictures of a lot of familiar football heros.

Using various NFL players in a variety of action and non-action poses, this book introduces young children to opposites. Big & small; narrow & wide; over & under; off & on; and various other opposites are shown. Adults may enjoy this book more, trying to identify the different football stars (some who have left the game) who are pictured in the book (some include Terrell Davis, Will Shields, and Randall Cunningham). However, youngsters who enjoy football will probably learn a thing or two from this book, too.

My son loves anything having to do with a ball. He brightens at the sight of any ball. So, when we read this book together, he pays very close attention and loves to try to find the football in every picture. But beyond the fun, my son has learned the words: hello and goodbye, empty, on and off and others. We have other opposites books, but because this one has bright colors and of course footballs scattered throughout, I really think he learns faster from this one. He definitely has more fun reading it. I highly recommend it as a learning tool as well as a fun book.

This book stands as the first book my two year old son read on his own from cover to cover. Each spread has opposite adjectives (ie., wide and narrow)...Wow! Great photos and big bold words. Young toddlers will love this book!

We love this book. We have a three year old and a 20 month old, and both of them get a kick out of it with the singsong poetry and the great illustrations. They love it when I yell in a kid's voice "we bask!" It's one of our favorites.

Reading this sweet poetry aloud to young children and having them respond to the rhyming has been a delightful activity of mine for thirty years. As mom, teacher and now librarian I have never encountered an unappreciative audience. The illustrations are delightfull, especially the fire flies on the last page. The sounds of the poem are fun for the listener while at the same time relaxing,even soothing.This version is the best.

This is my most favorite rendition (Ezra Jack Keats, Illustrator). I believe different versions of this picture book use different verses from the original poem by Olive Wadsworth since they include different creatures. I've been using this particular version for years.

This story (regardless the rendition) provides for interactive story telling as kids like to guess what number comes next before you turn the page. If it doesn't come natural to them, simply prompt them.

I began sharing this story with a Scholastic edition which had a read-along cassette with a musical re-telling (I highly recommend it). Now, I sing this text and the kids provide the turn the page signals (I prompt them to hum the tune that was used on that Scholastic cassette, now CD).

A counting story, a story in rhyme. Playful.

We love this book! I hope it never ever goes out of print. We started reading it with our son when he was about 11 months old. He loved the rhythms and we all loved the illustrations. It is beautiful to look at while you read. Now our son is almost two and I find that this book just gets better and better for us to read. We all have it memorized (my son chimes in at the end of each line). We are trying to teach him to count and he loves animals, both of which are so wonderfully illustated by Keats. A true classic! A "must have" for kids! I am buying it now for a friend who is pregnant and, like me, loves nature.

There are many, many different illustrations of these verses, but Mr. Keats has certainly done an excellent job of making his book distinctive.

Whereas most of the other books have pastel, baby-style, cartoonish drawings, this book is done in a 'more mature' style, using watercolors in a darker palette. [I would direct you to the Amazon "Search Inside this book" feature but ironically it doesn't seem to be working. Instead take a look at the turtle on the back cover to get an idea.]

Five Stars. A classic rhyme with distinctive artwork. This is a book for preschoolers and kindergarteners, etc. that well may be weary of babish artwork.

The power of the purse may be the most potent tool available to protect the environment. As Marti Barletta makes clear in her book, "prime time" women - those 50-70 - have enough clout to tell companies what to make, not just buy what manufacturers sell, all based on how they spend their money. "Prime Time Women" should make any producer quake: women want cleaner air and water, and as this book shows, they've got the marketplace muscle to get companies to pay attention!

What I loved about this book was that it just exudes respect for customers. Unlike a lot of books in this area, Marti Barletta isn't trying to teach 'tricks' about how to pretend to please women. She's much more serious than that. She's deeply informed, highly thoughtful and utterly determined that no company can really succeed without taking women very, very seriously. And she won't let women be ripped off by anything second-rate. This means that companies that want to win women's business have to take seriously the research she's done and the care and insight she uses to analyze it. There are a lot of "sell stuff to women" books out there that don't respect women at all, but just see them as easy pickings. They're phoney. But this book - and Marti Barletta herself: they're the real deal.

PrimeTime Women is a breeze to read - like sitting around with Ms. Barletta, chatting. And in the room are dozens of fascinating, ready-to-rumble women, chiming in every so often.

The overarching theme of PrimeTime Women really isn't the money they control - it's the fact that they are taking control of their lives. This is a phenomenon unique to Baby Boomers (and a bit older). After fifty is better than before fifty. There has always been a small percentage of women who bloomed in their later years. For Boomers it's become a generational ethos.

The second part of the book is nuts 'n bolts. I was swept away by many of her "word-of-mouth" marketing paradigms. She eschews the cheesy WOM tactics so often used today in favor of real, truly inspired marketing/PR/promotional techniques.

I've always considered Tom Peters the guru of marketing. I bought Barletta 's book because of his comments on the cover -- that PrimeTime Women should be the centerpiece of every marketing/strategic plan. As always, I now agree with him wholeheartedly. This book makes an excellent case about why this is the market to go after, not the youth market. Barletta draws on statistics from the New Strategist, AARP, the U.S. Census Bureau and other organizations, and combines them with her consulting firm's own proprietary research to come up with a true "how to" book, with strategies and tips that companies can put into action right away. I've since bought her other book on marketing to women, and plan to spread her name as the consultant to hire before the competition does.

Those who have already read Marti Barletta's Marketing to Women will welcome this sequel in which she develops in much greater depth her core concepts with regard to the purchasing power of what continues to be "the world's largest market segment." Of special interest to many readers is The GenderTrends(tm) Marketing Model that reveals in her first book why and how women reach different brand purchase decisions. She shares in PrimeTime Women some revealing and valuable new insights from all-new research and DDB Worldwide which will be of substantial value to senior-level executives - including but not limited to those primarily responsible for marketing - in all companies, regardless of their size or nature. Barletta carefully organizes and then presents her material within ten chapters which are divided between two Parts: Understanding PrimeTime Women(tm) and The Field Guide for Marketing to PrimeTime Women(tm), followed by an especially informative appendix which identifies "The Best Resources in the Business."

I presume to offer an admittedly unorthodox suggestion: After reading the Foreword and Introduction, proceed immediately to the final chapter in which Barletta offers an Executive Summary which includes a brief but brilliant explanation of "the seven building blocks" for understanding, reaching, and then increasing share of "the world's largest market segment." My opinion is that reading this final chapter establishes a frame-of-reference and thematic context for absorbing and digesting the material that precedes it. One reviewer's opinion....

As is her custom, Barletta makes brilliant use of a number of reader-friendly devices throughout her narrative that facilitate and expedite reviews later of key passages. They include clusters of bold face items, bullet points, and checklists. For example, in Chapter Seven, "The GenderTrends(tm)Marketing Model Applied to Women, a systematic and simple tool which is designed to achieve three objectives:

"1. structure the complexities of gender differences into an organized view of female gender culture;

2. show how to use the principles of female gender culture to enhance each element in your marketing mix; and

3. apply the resulting insights to the five stages of the consumer's purchase path."

In the same chapter, when examining the purchase decision process, Barletta focuses on the differences between men and women, and, the differences between PrimeTime Women(tm) and younger women. Then in the final chapter, "Notes to the CEO," she briefly discusses the aforementioned "building blocks" and this material offers a value-added benefit to non-CEO readers who are senior-level executives: She provides them with a convincing, research-driven argument to support whatever changes must be made in terms of (a) how their respective organizations view women 50-70 years old, (b) how they position what they offer to them, and most important of all (c) how they nourish and thereby sustain a relationship with them.

How important are relationships to women? As Barletta observes, "Women think that people are the most important and interesting element in life, and they are oriented this way from birth...Women see themselves - and everybody, really--as part of an ensemble company. Their core unit is `we' (sometimes `we two,' sometimes a larger group). They take pride in their caring, consideration, and loyalty to and from others...Women's first instincts are to trust and share, and their mentality is rooted in revealing, not concealing."

While explaining "how to win the hearts, minds, and business of boomer big spenders," Barletta also obliterates a number of misconceptions about female consumers in general and those who are 50-70 years old in particular. Did you already know that women control an estimated 80% of all household spending and the percentage is even high for PrimeTime Women(tm)? Also, that women make 55% of all investment decisions, 55% of all decisions concerning consumer electronics, comprise 60% of all home improvement buyers and make 80% of all home improvement decisions, control more than 60% of new car purchase decisions, and 66% of decisions to purchase computers? With regard to income, between 1990 and 2003, women's inflation-adjusted median income grew 26%, while men's grew only 8%.

"PrimeTime Women are the healthiest, wealthiest, most educated, active, and influential generation of women in history. This is their PrimeTime. And it's your prime marketing opportunity." Because of Marti Barletta, that "window" of opportunity is rapidly closing. What are you waiting for?

The title is absolutly correct. This book is loaded with more information than the average person needs, but it is easy reading and obviously written by someone who loves the ocean and has spent years researching the fish of the Pacific. I also ejoyed the humor and quick wit of the author. This book is a must for anyone who is seeking information about the fishes of the Pacific Coast.

Dr. Phil's trademark humor is incorporated into this book about dating. You'll learn how to choose someone with qualities you admire.

This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to learn about common fish local to the California area. Its a scientifically structured field guide chaulked full of quips and funny little anecdotes. So if you want a good laugh while learning a huge volume of information (even the meaning of each fishes scientific name!), then i suggest you get this book. Dont forget to read the other information in this book like the 'preface' and even the copyright page. Youll never know where youll find the next laugh in this book.

I have worked briefly in Milton Love's lab personally and he is even funnier in person. He is one of the few people ive had the chance to meet whom after i walk away laughing i realized that i actually learned more than i did in a regular class. He knows an enormous amount of knowledge about fishes which is why i also feel this book has merit. Plus he references Ted Pietcsh, who if you have read the news discovered the world's smallest fish as released in January 2006.

I know Milton in real life from UCSB, and he is as hilarious and knowledgeable as he is in the book. I'm studying marine biology, and this helped me so much.

Without a doubt, the funniest taxonomic work on Ichthyology you will ever come across- and extremely and extensively informative to boot. Even the preface is a delight to read, where Love discusses the intelligence of fish (stupider than the stupidest mouse to ever live), if fish sleep, how their names relate to Communism, if they will harm us emotionally, and Love's relative intelligence when compared to other marine biologists. Then he goes through, fish by fish, all the main species off the Pacific Coast, from BC to SoCal. (If you're looking for fish from the Gulf of Alaska, you will be disappointed.) He begins with Myxini and Petromyzone, moves to Chondrichthyes, and then onto Osteichthyes. (Hagfish, Lampreys, Sharks and Rays, and Bony Fish- for fish are actually four different creatures, as separate from each other as Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals are from each other.) Each section looks at the identifying characteristics, distribution, anatomy, commercial fishery, and extra tidbits, still with that trademark humor. And then there's a bit of the parasitic at the tail end of the book. Perhaps my favorite line: 'Your average hagfish can take a bucket full of water and almost solidify it with slime in a few minutes. (I don't know about you, but that makes me proud to be American.)'

Someone gave me this book back in the early 90's I read most of it before my sister STOLE it! Once I got it back I finished it and then one day while on the bus a lady asked to see it, we got to talking about the book and she got off the bus with the book in her hands..... yes, it was stolen AGAIN! I had no clue who the lady was, I only hope that she read it. Over the years while visiting book stores I have always inquired about it but I wasn't sure of the name or author. Well low and behold one day my sister and I were talking about books (we always share the good ones)and she told me that the BEST book she had ever read was Racehoss: Big Emma's Boy. Yes, the one she stole, since then I have been on a quest to replace it. I just bought it on Amazon.com! I can't wait to read it again. It was EXECELLENT! and as I remember, definitely worth reading twice! I am so sorry that I missed the interview with the author that other reviewers have mentioned, I would love to have been able to see the REAL Racehoss!

If anyone had an excuse to go into a life of crime, it was Albert Race Sample, known as Racehoss because he was interracial. The son of a prostitute and grandson of a grandfather who murdered his (Racehoss') grandmother, Albert followed his destiny and ended up in a tough Texas prison, which is darker and starker than anything I've seen in books. In fact, I agree with another reviewer who suspects that Stephen King, and perhaps others, used Sample's book as a model for their prison stories and scenes. Read this book if you're thinking about going to prison--it'll change your mind real quick.

I read this book for the first time back in 1997 and continue to find this book to be among the very best that I have ever read. Mr. Sample delivers his story in a hilarious yet touching manner. I recommend this as a must read for pretty much everyone.

In the mid 1980's I tuned into a repeat program on the local NPR affiliate in Washington D.C. Diane Rehm was the host of a repeat broadcast of an interview with the author. It was such an absolutely compelling interview with the man, now obviously (at that time) an elderly gentleman--that I had to go out right away and purchase the book. It was and still remains a book that embodies everything "Classic" literature is. King must have read this before writing "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption"--and as good a short story and subsequent movie as it was--Race Hoss:Big Emma's Boy is the ultimate real deal. Having heard the interview with the author, I am at a distinct advantage to analyze both the man and his writing. There are simply no superlatives to describe either. God Bless Albert Race Sample--thank you for a book that hopefully be filmed just as it is written. If approached honestly, it would be the finest portrayal of prison life as well as life as a young black man in the Deep South to date.

I am looking for this book which is now out of print I believe. Ordinarily I might overlook this subject matter... but, I was listening to NPR's Diane Rehm 25th anniversary show, in which she played various excerpts of past programs. Diane prefaced... "and the most moving interview for me was with Albert Race Samples" and then I heard this smallish quivering voice with a light Texas accent talking about his time in "the hole" in prison, about how one day (or night?) in the absolute blackness around him, a loneliness and desperation of the soul came upon him... he called out to God and was answered with a glimmer of light right in front of him... from then, he knew he was not alone. I was moved, as Rehm had been... and determined to try to find his book. I could only wish it would be available on CD and read by Mr. Samples himself.

I like the way this book is written. Yes, it's for "kids", but it doesn't read like a child-like book. It speaks to children, coaches and parents in a way that is intelligent, clear and empathetic.

I wish this book was around years ago (I am now an empty nester, my sons are married). My two sons played the junior tennis tournaments, but are now into golf. There is so much useful information and guidance I wish I had access to when my kids were growing up. Kudos to Keith for a book critically important for any tennis parent.

Buy this book then read it , think about it then reread it. I bought the hardcover 10 months ago. I immediately saw I was heading down the wrong road. I completely "stopped" with my child. I knew I was making some mistakes that needed correcting. this book was a godsend. No matter how serious or casual the goals for you child , this book will make you think and help you develop a more positive long term approach. My daughter and I are still extremely involved, we just enjoy it more. Now she drags me to the tennis court. I reread this book every other month. My thanks to the author. enough said

I loved this book! I have learned more about tennis from a child's point of view than anything else I have read. As a tennis coach for children, this is the best book on the subject and I use the principals for other sports as well. A great and entertaining read!

At my junior tournaments, I am offering copies of "Raising Big Smiling Tennis Kids" instead of t-shirts to participants. Great book for parents and pros.

Like most writers, I buy lots of writing guides. And like Robin Stratton, author of The Revision Process, I find that most of them offer all the same old advice: sit straight, have good lighting, don't send out anything with a coffee stain on it. But Stratton promises that The Revision Process is different, and she's right.
This book provides specific examples of how writing can be improved. Sentences that read uncannily like our own undergo her revision process and come out on the other side singing with technique. If you are going to buy one guide to help you write better, this is the one!

The Revision Process gave me specific tools to use in writing and editing in a short and easy to read format. Errors, incorrect word use and overall "sloppy" sentences are easier to spot and correct with the simple training I gained through this book. I like the authors subtle sense of humor, too!

I knew something was wrong with my novel (I have a pile of rejection slips to prove it) but I didn't know what. Unlike other writing guides, The Revision Process helped me look at my novel with fresh eyes. Stratton gives concrete (often humorous) examples of common flaws, with advice about how to recognize and fix them.

Using The Revision Process as a guide, I went back thru the first two chapters of a book I have been "working on" for several years and rewrote them almost completely. What a difference! The setting and the characters are really coming to life. The word count is down and the action is more concise and faster moving. Can't wait to get to the rest of my novel and have already joined a small writer's group to share critiques and ideas.

This is a wonderful user-friendly handbook, perfect for guiding both new and experienced writers through the onerous work of revising. The format is attractive and accessible; the organization is clear; the guidelines are replete with useful examples; the language is easy to understand. From page one the book's intent is clear: To help users improve their own manuscripts. It is not about impressing professors or critics with the author's mastery of grammatical intricacies or literary allusions. This book has now replaced my copy of Strunk and White's ELEMENTS OF STYLE as the reference book I keep at my side as I revise my manuscripts.

THE REVISION PROCESS will become a valued companion for many solitary writers, but I also highly recommend it for use in writing classes at any level. As I teach college writing, I certainly will use it in future semesters. The principles and clear explications are relevant not only to novels, but also for revising nonfiction, essays and stories.