Big Books

Service was prompt, and product arrived exactly as advertised. Wonderful seller, and will most certainly use again. Highly recommended!

Written in the style of Dr. Seuss and beautifully illustrated, this charming story is sure to be a favorite of kids and parents alike. It is the tale of a young Snoodle who, while filled with child-like entusiasm, has little skill at the things he would do. When the older Snoodles make fun of him, he loses heart and decides to leave town and live alone. But he soon meets a mysterious stranger who shows him what he is really meant to be, and the little Snoodle flies off, no longer vulnerable to the taunts of others, but once again filled with the confidence and enthusiasm he was created with.

This story is wonderful for kids facing discouragement or dealing with bullies. It shows them that their worth is not dependent on the opinion of others, but comes from somewhere else entirely. It also quietly makes them aware that they can use their own talents to do good things, or just to "make others feel badly."

We bought this book for our 2 1/2 year old daughter who loves Veggie Tales and enjoyed this story when it was on TV. It is not only a fun read for the family, it also teaches parents and children alike that God creates us, watches over us, takes away our burdens, and frees us to share the glories of his creation with our neighbors. The people at Big Idea clearly show how God's creative nature is passed along to his people through the products they create.

"A Snoodle's Tale" is an absolutely delightful story for the young reader. Although not always perfect, it has a strong-metered rhyming style that is easy to read and fall into the rhythmic beat of the story. A new Snoodle is born in Snoodleburg but he can't find his place in the world. It seems he is not particularly good at anything and everyone is making fun of him. He eventually learns the truth about life and how important he is. Where other books struggle to make a point about everyone being important and having their place in life, "A Snoodle's Tale" makes the point easily and gracefully. This is one of the best young children's books I have read in a long time.

This book is not for the beginning harmonica player, but if you can bend notes and perform octaves/tongue splits, or are able to acquire these skills, this is for you. The author plays the licks beautifully on the accompanying CD and the notation is clear. If you have some harmonica skill, you can play these licks, even though many of them sound complex and sophisticated. Tom Ball must have put in hours and hours breaking these licks down - he's done all the work - you just need to listen, follow the notation, and practice. There are some nice surprises on the CD also - the author has a great sense of humor. One of the best harmonica books I've ever seen.

First of all, this is NOT a book for total beginners. This is a book for someone who can bend the notes, but can't get much farther. This is a book of licks, as played by the truly greats. If you can play all these licks, you are ready for prime time. Then you just have to take it to the last step, which is thinking up your own licks. You will have a much better chance of reaching that point when you learn this material. Very well presented by the way.

Not only are the riffs in this work done correctly but there's a wealth of information on the blues harp and the Walters, too.
Contains a really interesting bio on Big and Little Walter including some interesting insights into their playing style and equipment.
The author is a accomplished professional WORKING harp musician and it shows.
Great for the licks and much more.
also see Little Walter's bio Blues with a Feeling: The Little Walter Story

The best way to learn any instrument is by transcribing the masters and this book makes it easy. Tom Ball has done all the leg work compiling and transcribing classic lines so you can learn them and get way better. Its also a great overview of blues history and music from a harp point of view which is great for anyone that wants a launching point for becoming hip to the blues. Also the book covers a wide range of difficulty levels so it will give newer guys a place to start but will continue to challenge people who have more experiance. Certainly the best harp book out there, and definantly worth the price.
Just so you know all the tunes on the CD are played using a Bb harp. Also the fact that Ball puts multiple licks on a track is a bit frustrating when your trying to play them over and over again to learn them, but if thats enough to deture your purchase of this treasure trove of blues harp greatness, you should probably just stop trying to playing music.
Hope thats not the case. Have fun and good luck!

Other books about professional speaking can put you to sleep with generic information that you already know. Either the author is trying to be politically correct or he or she is just trying to fill several hundred pages to justify the writing of the publication. Fred Gleeck's book is different. Just like the toughest coach you might have, Gleeck's doesn't mince words and he gets right to the point. He also realizes that he may offend some people with his comments. But don't you want a coach that won't sugarcoat anything yet instead will truly tell you like it is? In the book, Gleeck tells you exactly what to do and what not to do. Precisely where to invest your time, effort and money and where not to. I don't think there is a wasted word or a bit of fluff in any of his 239 pages. After reading the book, I immediately gave it to my wife to read to help me plan a strategy for my speaking business and ordered copies for my professional speaking friends so that they could do the same. I also thank those who had previously written comments about this book to convince me to make the investment. This information is so powerful, Gleeck could have forced you to spend $399 on a CD or DVD set, instead he made the same content available for a mere $19.95.

As a professional speaker, you have to understand how to make money. The other books I've read on this topic give you some good tips, but this is the best one I've read on how to MAKE MORE MONEY as a speaker. I highly reccomend it. I benefited a lot from Fred's extensive experience with CareerTrack and his knowledge of the public seminar business. His insights on how to develop your own products are amazing. Without reading this book I'm sure I would have been a speaker, but not a RICH speaker.

This book contains lots of practical and easy to implement advice and information on:
- getting started in your career as a speaker
- marketing a speaker's business
- the mechanics of speaking
- doing your own seminars
- creating and marketing information products, and
- other useful tips.

This book is an essential resource for professional speakers. Buy now and discover its secrets for yourself. The advice really works.

For those who also do seminars, you must also buy Marketing and Promoting Your Own Seminars by the same author.

Mr.Gleek knows his stuff. This book is broken down into bite size pieces. Open to any page and get at least one good idea. This book is also a perfect example of how to use a self-published book as a combination business card, promotional tool, and catalog. The only reason I didn't give the book a 5, is that much of the content is repeated in Mr. Gleeks other book; MARKETING & PROMOTING YOUR OWN SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS.I don't mean the same ideas, I mean whole sections, word-for-word. If I had not bought both books, I would have been totally satisfied with this one.

This is a fantastic book! Made me laugh out loud. Has the greatest lines!
This book has fabulous characters, one of whom is a teacher that sees and inspires greatness in her students in a way that is so relatable to them!This is such a provocative book in the sense that it is so real! Karlene is dealing with classic issues that all teens no matter what geography or time they live in deal with. I am using this book with my reading group to inspire a love of words as well as a sense that anyone can make it with hard work no matter what situations one encounters. Karlene is a magnificent girl in an average environment that is progressing towards her wonderfulness as the book progresses! I recommend the book to teens and adults alike.

Remember spelldowns? This book is way bigger than a classroom spelldown. Karlene Bridges is a phenomenal speller. She studies what she calls "chapters" in the dictionary, like the "Tt chapter" and the "Kk chapter." She lives and breathes spelling.

Karlene's home life is held together by her mother and her burning desire to be the National Spelling Bee champion. Life with an unpredictable alcoholic father makes her world a bit of a roller coaster ride. There are times she recalls tender memories, but mostly there are erratic drunken moments filled with disappointment.

The arrival of Mrs. Harrison, a new Latin teacher, fills Karlene's life with hope. A lover of language, Mrs. Harrison becomes coach and mentor to the young speller. Karlene is welcomed into the Harrisons' home and encouraged in her efforts to excel. With Mrs. Harrison's guidance, contests are won, and Karlene inches closer to her dream.

In SPELLDOWN, Karon Luddy brings the spelling world to life for readers. Her story is filled with intriguing characters and terrific vocabulary words. Even the chapter titles will increase your knowledge of words. Luddy keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they observe each spelling contest and watch Karlene grow.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

While Spelldown is listed as a YA book, I beg to disagree. Karlene, the 13 year old narrator, is a child of the late '60s, and readers who were young then are now adults. Readers will be reminded of those years as this charming young lady narrates her life as an articulate, mature, and vibrant adolescent, who is living in a poor, loving, but dysfunctional family. At times, Karlene is the "adult" trying to create a "normal" family life for her younger siblings and herself. Adults, as well as teens, will identify with Karlene and her world. I hope there will be a sequel; Karlene has captured my heart.

I confess that I am a personal friend of the author, Karon Luddy. I have known her since 1976, and she was a student in several of my English classes. What follows is a paragraph I wrote to her after reading SPELLDOWN. The "crummy little novel" remark was just part of our competing-authors banter from previous emails. WARNING -- the end of the paragraph contains a "spoiler" of sorts. My recommendation: buy it and read it.

"I am so proud of you. Your crummy little novel is absolutely brilliant. I'm a thousand percent jealous! I loved every page, every paragraph, every sentence. The wordplay is mind-boggling! It is so intelligent, so beyond intelligent. But mostly I just loved Karlene. Right from the beginning, so intelligent and independent-minded, half-child, half-adult manque, an astute observer, and yet she does the dishes without complaint and chops down and hauls home and decorates a Christmas tree without feeling sorry for herself. The details you incorporated make it all seem so undeniably real, and Southern, and personal. And I love that at the heart of the novel is the girl's search to understand love, especially family love. She's surrounded by it, immersed in it, but can't comprehend it. At the end, she seems to let go of the need to get an intellectual grip on it and just accepts it, happy that it's real."

Not having a correct informational background on this particular folkhero; I can only assume that the facts gathered are correct. The story is written very well; and the illustrations are nicely done. The story gives facts in an easy to understand and enjoyable fashion.

Loved this book! My son, who is a first grader, enjoyed the story and the illustrations. Very sweet message about how Johnny Appleseed expressed his kindness and love of mankind by sharing and spreading his appleseeds throughout the country. Very easy to read and had just the right amount of pages so that my son completed story in two readings(could have been done in one) which gave him a sense of accomplishment!

Johnny Appleseed is of course a classic American tale of the spreading of apple trees by one very simple and peaceful man who got along with everybody he met. Whether the story is true or not does matter. It still tells about the American frontierland in Colonial days. Johnny Appleseed has become a model of American Patriotism and good will. Aliki has done a nice job of bringing him to life again while keeping the text simple enough so that mid-year first graders should be able to start on this book. The illustrations are oil pastel and tell what they need to without being too busy. They are well matched to the text and, like many books of its day, alternates between color and black-and-white illustrations. This is a nice edition that children will be able to read and learn an American Tall Tale at the same time.

Why 5 stars?:
This book is on a level that most children will be able to read in kindergarten and first grade. The illustrations allow them to use their imaginations. The story is a great introduction to the genre of Tall Tales.

Who knew? I picked up "The Story of Johnny Appleseed" at the library on a whim, and my children (boy and girl; 3 and 5) love it.

Normally we just read regular children's' fair (fairytales, Thomas stories) and I wasn't sure how this 'biography' would go over but they simple adore it. My 3 yo even wants to go as Johnny for Halloween.

Perhaps it is the friendly drawings, or perhaps it is Aliki's way with words, but I couldn't be more pleased at being able to introduce some Americana into their lives.

Five Stars. A 'just right' dose of American myth and legend that young children can absorb and appreciate.

My 2 yr old loves this book, she knows all the characters, but Dora is her favorite of course! Great fun coloring time for my daughter and I............

This is not a "JUMBO" as in large its just thick.
I thought it was one of those poster sized coloring books.
Nice coloring book just not what I thought it was.

i lice to reead this bok,-- it is to be good,,, i engoy it. i kulor variy mushh!! i hart it=you culoer it 3!! <3
Mush love
KUDERKADURKASTAN

My kids love all these characters and so this is a great deal for the price, plus it gives them a variety of coloring pages to choose from.

Swing takes readers into a world that few of us know. Yanow's research is flawless and his writer's voice is full of respect for the rich history of the jazz world. Even novices will enjoy this book. It is the standard for all other jazz books.

Yanow covers almost every aspect of swing(he's left out Banu Gibson!), with a few acceptions. From Louis armstrong's Hot Fives & Sevens to Glenn Miller, to Squirrell Nut Zippers. Surprisingly the tough jazz critic likes Bran Setzer's Dirty boogie Cd, and gives Squirrel Nut Zippers HOT cd, a rating of 9(out of 10)! A great book and Yanow tells it like it is, if it doesn't swing, or the musucianship is poor he's not afraid to say so. a grea thonest book that will tell you what cd's to bu yand what to skip. Includes an interview with big band leader Lavay Smith(he gives her cd a perfect 10 rating)! Even a whole section here on modern swing including Big Bad Voovdoo Daddy, Cherry Poppin Daddies, and more... Fun book to read while stuck on the toilet, I keep one in all three of my bathrooms, and one in the car for when I go to record stores!!!

This is a truly valuable book. Far, Far better than the Musichound Swing book. Unlike that book, which had several different reviewers, Scott Yanow is the only reviewer of selections in this book which makes for a much more even assessment of Swing Recordings. Yanow gives a brief history of Swing and gives the reader excellent bios of the musicians. Yanow also gives very good coverage to today's retro swing music, which, as Yanow points out, is often dismissed as fad by the mass media, many Jazz fans and Jazz magazines. His reviews of the new bands are honest and fair, unlike the Musichound book which, for the most part, seemed so have the view that Old=Good and New=Bad. His recomendations for each artist are perfect in almost all cases. I disagreed with only a few of his selections and reviews. The only complaint I have is a relatively minor one. He virtually ignores one of the greatest Swing acts, The Andrews Sisters. He includea a short bio and acknowledges their popularity, but he doesn't even recommend one CD for the trio. Surely, Mr. Yanow doesn't think the sisters are that terrible! This is really the only omission that I objected to. With the overwhelming selection of CDs to choose from, Scott Yanow's 'Swing' points out the very best selections and will help you to separate the good collections from the not-so-good collections.

Scott Yanow, the editor of the "All Music Guide To Jazz," is probably one of the most readable jazz critics around. Here he concentrates on the music all the kids were talking about, that crazy little thing called swing. As ever, his style is clear and compact, and the breadth of his knowledge impressive. Yanow covers all the bases: the big bandleaders, the important musicians (broken down by type of instrument) and even a section on composers and arrangers. Even when he's talking about unfamiliar artists, he knows how to stir your curiousity (Cab Calloway had a famous older sister...!?), and the book has a lot to offer to a wide variety of readers. Hundreds of albums are rated on a 1 to 10 scale, and if anything Yanow is a little more charitable here than in his "AMG Jazz" reviews... He's particularly kind to the dozens of retro-swing acts that have sprouted up in recent years...but at least he had the good sense to knock the Cherry Poppin' Daddies down to size!

I wish I had found this book 35 years ago.
No ifs, ands or buts - This is exactly what every guitar player should study and learn - no matter what style of music he/she leans toward.
Its written by a top player who knows what you need and knows how to teach you in a simple straight forward manner. Get it.

Here's a book I really wish I had back in high school jazz band. I used to go nuts with the charts back then, trying to figure out voicings and get all the notes in where the arranger wrote "Gb#11b13+" or some such, when that's really the last think you should be trying to do in a big band. But a good rhythm guitarist- as I leanred later- should concentrate on *rhythm*, using minimal voicings to develop a line that really acts like a counterpoint to the bass line. Forget all the altered tones; stick with 3rds and 7ths and develop good movement- think Freddie Greene in Count Basie's band. Simple voicings and solid rhythm.

This book is all about learning those voicings, learning where to subsctitute, and where to simplify to build interesting, musical lines. At that it succeeds marvelously. It doesn't assume any prior skill or knowledge, other than being generally familair with the guitar, knowing some basic chords and having some familiarity with the swing style. All chords are diagrammed as well as written out, so it's easy and convenient for both reader and non-reader alilke.

It's is a great tool for the beginning swing guitarist, the high school or college jazz band player looking for an organized way to approach rhythm guitar, or an experienced guitarist looking to expand his or her style. I've given it four stars instead of five as I think it could be organized a little bit better, and with a little more explanation in parts, but overall it's an excellent book.

This book focuses purely on the topic of its title, i.e. big band swing guitar. The beauty of this book is that the author doesn't just tell you what a swing guitarist does, he gives you the thought process behind it. It is a concise but thorough review of big-band swing style and very effective at teaching what it proposes. The excercises are well-conceived and progressively challenging. I've been working with the book for about a month now and have vastly improved my understanding of swing rhythm style. No tab, but even a little music reading/theory is plenty to get you started here. I was a folky guitarist coming in from another style, and it's been just what I needed.

If you are interested in learning how to play swing rhythm guitar-buy this book. Freddie Green was the master of swing rhythm guitar and the author took his chair in the Count Basie band when Freddie retired. The author breaks down his style in an accesible way, step-by-step. The audio examples are very helpful and of high quality-no cheesy synth rhythm section. The chord voicings,inversions, and substitutions are explained in detail as well as a chapter on how to expand or reduce the harmony of a tune. I've bought two other swing guitar instrucitonal books before I found this one and it is far better than the others.

So many people love Benny Goodman's music, but know so little about the man himself. Hopefully, all of you Benny aficionados will take a crack at this excellent, well-written biography. Firestone has done copious amounts of research, interviewed many people close to BG and has produced an absolutely definitive look at the King of Swing. From cradle to grave, this provides readers with information on Benny as a musician and also as a(oftentimes difficult) human being. If you want a detailed musical analysis of Goodman, you will find it here, but there is also a gossip-y element which adds considerable spice.

Firestone illuminates Goodman's jazz beginnings, the early sidemen gigs in the 20's and then the genesis of the Swing band in the mid-30's. It was great to have thumbnail portraits of the great musicians Benny's early bands, they're all here: the frenetic, pot-loving Gene Krupa, the arrogant Harry James, the gentle Teddy Wilson and the phenomenal Lionel Hampton. At the core is Goodman himself, an extremely hard task master, perfectionist and driven man. Firestone details how nit-picky Benny could be, demanding take after take on various album cuts until it all sounded "perfect." Goodman's notorious cheapskate ways are also detailed.

If you love Goodman's music, then treat yourself to discovering what Goodman was like behind the scenes: difficult, ambitious and addicted to prescription pain killers in later years. Yet despite it all, who could swing like this man? No one.

If you are interested in the history of Jazz, this is one of the books that is essential to your collection. It's not only a great biography about an unusual but talented man, it's the story of a man who stood at the divide between swing and bop, who was a cruel band leader but who nurtured some of the great talents that followed him, who never really mastered bop but whose vision and band format was the foundation that made bop possible.

Goodman was apparently a hard man to like, and this biography squarely faces his difficult personality. He was also a genius, and incredibly hard working. This book does a good job both of telling the story of Goodman's life and the context of his music. There are many compelling anecdotes, and the story is engrossingly told.

This is really the only bio to get of BG. Collier's book "BG And The Swing Era" perpetrates many myths and inaccuracies, mainly because he seems to have this fear about going to primary sources and seems to get a lot of his information off album sleeves and from 12th-hand anecdotes. Firestone's book uncovers some interesting facts, about Benny's flirtation and near-marriage to singer Helen Ward, about the recording of the famous Carnegie Hall concert (contrary to popular myth, there was more than one overhead mike turned on that night, and the band knew they were being recorded) and Benny's near emotional breakdowns in the 50s and 60s and his near total dependence on painkillers and other medications (for a chronic bad back) that also may have altered his personality and brought on some of the bizarre behavior Goodman is infamous for. Briskly-written, filled with surprises, a fascinating read, it should be on the shelf of every jazz fan and big band enthusiast.

No, not the caped crusader folks. That was the title of a 1940 original composition for the Benny Goodman band composed by Eddie Sauter. But it could also serve as a fitting eulogy for the man who became a clarinet virtuoso in both popular and classical fields of music.

Along the way he managed to be credited with launching the 'Swing Era,' was truly amazed at the fans who came to scream (yes scream) at his band's performances and dance in movie theatre isles (oh you thought it was the Beatles who started all that stuff - think again!!), became an International Ambassador to the USA through his music, playing in Moscow and other Russian cities in 1962 at the height of the cold war, and, oh yes, performed what is generally acknowledged as one of the finest performances of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. Whew! But then, you only have to listen to understand why he was so highly regarded.

As a Goodman enthusiast I have to confess to owning a large collection of his music, and I have read several mini biographies of the man. In Ross Firestone's book I found many details not previously known to me, which when combined with an excellent and well researched narrative style, combine to make outstanding reading.

From 'hot shot' clarinetist too young to wear long pants but old enough and good enough to find a place in the early dance bands of the 1920's, to 'King of Swing,' World Ambassador of popular music and classical supremo, this book manages to convey a lot about Goodman the man, perfectionist, genius and who could be a nightmare to work for.

Through some fine research it is also one of an elite group of writings that manages to bring the period to life.

Highly recommended.

Drew. Drew Savage is a lifelong big band enthusiast, presenter and the author of The Deceivers

Happily there are hundreds of 'BG' recordings still available. Here are a few of my favorites.

50 Tracks in One Day With One Hour for Lunch, Of CourseThe famous 1935 session done in a single day for radio transcription services!
Complete Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Concert 1938Definitive Goodman and has the distinction of being in the catalog every year since first released in 1951!!
B.G. in Hi-FiBenny was not happy with the soundtrack for the movie 'The benny Goodman Story and so recorded this Hi-Fi (for 1955!) album of his hits. Actually it sounds great.
1941 Vol 2 The 'modern' band that contained Charlie Christian on electric guitar and trumpeter 'Cootie' Williams who Benny stole from Duke Ellington's band, and the modern arrangements of Eddie Sauter and Bill Finnegan
Benny In Brussels, Vol. 1/Benny in Brussels, Vol. 2 In fine form in Europe
Mozart at TanglewoodOne for the classical fans. Benny was proud to be a performer at the first 'Mostly Mozart' festival of music in New York in 1986. Tickets for his concert were the first to sell out but sadly he died before the session and the event became something of a tribute to him.

The Big Yellow Treasury is a great collection of three stories -- The Pony Show, The School Fair and Henry Goes to the Hospital -- all of which are great for early readers and perfect reading for bedtime.

We own a number of Thomas books (check my other reviews). We've been reading this book for a couple years. My sons are now 5-years old and 4-years old. They are a little too old for the Thomas picture books, which are better for 2-3-year olds.

My sons' bookshelf holds roughly 80-100 books and we have 6-7 Thomas books in our collection. I recommend this book for your bedtime reading.

My boy loves Thomas, and the two "big treasury" books are now an indispensible part of our bedtime reading. We have many Thomas books, but these just fascinate him - they are a bit more complete as stories (i.e. beginning, middle, end) than some of the other Thomas books, and comforting in that there's no nastiness, as in some of the early Thomas books (no angry trains, derailing tricks, etc.) I recommend these books highly.

My 3 year old boy likes this book quite a bit. He likes to have all three stories read to him before he goes to sleep each night. The stories are pleasant enough and the illustrations are colorful. I find the book a little bland but the noncontroversial nature of the characters (there's none of the meanness that characterizes some of the Thomas characters) and the simple storylines makes for good bedtime reading.

My older son is a huge Thomas fan, and had me read him "Thomas the Tank Engine's Big Yellow Treasury" every night for weeks when I bought it. My second son (2 years old) also now adores this book and never tires of the story. Unlike some of the "classic" stories, these are very pleasant and great for small children, as well as for early readers. The books also have bigger and brighter illustrations than many Thomas books, and with 3 stories in one book you get good value. If you have kids between 18 months and 7 or 8 years old, this book is a winner (all of this applies equally to the Big Blue Treasury - the two favorites out of the 30 plus Thomas books the boys have).