Big Books

I usually make a pot of soup every two weeks. I have tried almost all of the recipes in this book and have never been disappointed. There are soups for everyone in here. I have tried many soup books and always find myself coming back to this one. The author really knows how to use spices to make the soup excellent. It's a must for all soup lovers.

I like soups and stews because they are often efficient to prepare and it's easy to make healthy choices. This book keeps you from getting into a rut - lots of new ideas and I have never been dissapointed in the recipes. 8-9 of the recipes are ones that I use regularly. Most are easy to "doctor" to direct the dish to become more of what you like or use more of what is in season. One of my favorites and highly recommended!

I got this one for Christmas and have tried perhaps 18-20 recipes since (I'm addicted to soups and stews).

Often, I have followed recipes in other books which were very disappointing, and sometimes very poorly seasoned. If I repeated the recipe, I often had to adjust seasonings, etc., to make it more palatable. However, every single one turned out perfect! Though I have a habit of improvising, I'm confident that I will not likely change these recipes.

This is a "must-have" book for anyone who works with young children. It is well-organized by age and theme, and contains helpful ideas for running programs at your library. If you have money for only one book, this is it.

Whether you're looking for a programming resource or how to manual, look no further! The authors of this book have put everything a teacher, librarian, early childhood educator and/or parent could possibly need to run successful programs or play-groups. From the handy hints to the books to share and on through the songs and rhymes, this is a complete book that anyone who works with or has children should not be without. Also included in every chapter are fun and easy to do, age-appropriate crafts.
All of the leg-work is done for you...all you have to do is get the book!

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars! These authors have gone above and beyond your ordinary planning books to give you something truly unique. This is like a how-to-guide and programming book put into one valuable resource. Throughout every chapter there are handy hints on how to get your programs up and running followed by everything you need to keep them running smoothly. From the books to share, through the songs and rhymes and onto the crafts, these authors have done all of the leg-work for you...all you have to do is buy the book!

This book is probably really fun for preschoolers to look at, but it certainly seems to be fascinating to the young elementary set, too. And I think it's great that there is a book out there for kids who never quite outgrew the "truck stage." There are lots of detailed captions, vivid, large photographs that older kids can get into, and a nice variety of types of trucks represents. My eight year old uses the book to get ideas for his lego creations and to learn facts about trucks to tell us on road trips.

I picked up this book as an impulse buy "for my daughter." She seems to enjoy it a lot because of the large, colorful pictures of trucks -- including a mobile home toter, a giant dump truck, trial truck, and a concept truck.

Each picture is well captioned with interesting side notes. For example, the book points out the concrete truck's drum rotates both directions, one to mix the concrete (and prevent it from setting) and the other to pour the mixture out.

It's one of her favorites and she's memorized all of the names (listening to a 24 month old say "mobile home toter" is pretty funny). As she gets older, she'll have more appreciation for the footnotes.

I also appreciate how the book displays trucks from different locales. For example, we don't see any "Road Trains" or "Trial Trucks" in the 'States.

Great Book, its very large with big pictures. I would say the book is 18in long by 12in wide. You just have to watch the book with little ones because it has pages that open out of the book. I bought the book for my 2 year old to play with but now its a book that only mommy can read to him because we don't want to rip it. Would recommend for any truck lover.

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Despite Microsoft's claims that their vaunted "focus groups" and client experience consultants have allowed them to offer us painless computing, you and the rest of the world know it isn't true. Waiting for Windows XP or Vista to boot up and shut down certainly are irritations in themselves worth a hack or two.

As you can imagine, this is a large book. That is not just the number of pages (650) but also the format -- of the fold-flat variety. This big book of hacks is easy to work with physically.

The editorial review on this page describes the contents well except that I would alter "contains more than 100 hacks" to "contains almost 200 hacks." Quite a difference.

The writing is clear and informed. I'm sure you have read many of Gralla's magazine contributions over the years. Be sure that the book is not all text. There are plenty of illustrations and even photos (for the hardware hacks) to guide you. The hacks themselves are directed at all versions of Windows, with the focus on XP and Vista.

Consider this book a compendium of all those tips you always rip out of your computer magazine subscriptions to save -- then lose track of. Here they are, all in one place, not easily lost given the size of this book!
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This book has given me immense new ways to work with the Windows XP. It is infomative and simple to understand. I highly recommend it to all Microsoft Windowa XP users. You will be glad you got a copy.

PC users who would understand the underlying power behind the Windows system will appreciate the weighty, information-packed Preston Gralla Big Book of Windows Hacks, a coverage packed with time-saving tips and hints. From how to save regularly-used searches to disabling Windows Mail's splash screen, stopping Firefox memory leaks, and backing up Vista hacks, THE BIG BOOK OF WINDOWS HACKS is a 'must' for any collection catering to patrons behind the novice stages.

Powelson turns to the historical experience of nations for an answer to the central question of economic development: why do some nations grow rich while others do not? The answer lies in the relationship between the decentralization of power and the ability of economic actors to play a role in the formation of transactional institutions. Absolutely necessary for students of development.

Jack Powelson's book, Centruies of Economic Endeavour, gives a clear explanation of why some countries (like the U.S. and Japan) are so much better at providing economic resources to its citizens than other countries, like in Eastern Europe, Africa and South America. His many years in business as well as academia results in relevant and clearly detailed notes for the reader to follow up. This book helped me understand why, even today, so many countries with large amounts of natural resources, cannot seem to get their people out of poverty. Must reading. Highly recomended.

If you believe in Lord Acton's dictum that "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely," this book is for you. There have been a variety of theories why some countries have prospered and some have not. Some say it depends on allowing free trade; some argue it depends on the degree of democracy as opposed to socialism or communism. Douglass North won a Nobel prize for his work to prove that the key is having the right societal institutions. Certainly it takes more than having natural resources.

Professor Powelson (Economics at the U. of Colorado) has worked extensively in developing countries and observed that despite all the good advice these countries received, and had been receiving for 50 years, they were making very little progress. To find out why, he decided to study history, going back over ten centuries in every important region of the world to see what lessons could be learned. His conclusions are startlingly simple: People prosper and societies thrive where there is genuine diffusion of power -- power earned, not bestowed by a ruler. Where power is centralized among a ruling few, the ruling few are able to take care of themselves, but their nations fail to grow and prosper and the people stay poor.

This book explains why every college freshman should be required to study Western Civilization before studying any other. As George Santayana has said already, "Those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them." Professor Powelson has written the most important history book of the past century for anyone interested in the lessons to be learned from the histories of Northern Europe, Japan, China, India, Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, all covered beautifully in this one book.

The Big Brag was the best children's book I have ever read. It was funny because the little old worm was better than the rabbit and the bear. It was funny that the worm saw their back. Like if he saw around the world. Aso that the bear smelled eggs in a tree at a farm and tha the rabbitheard a fly cough on a mountain peak.

One of the most entertaining Seuss Stories I have ever read, makes me glad I have kids or I may have missed this Gem. Story was so good I bought a copy for the day care center.

The Big Brag is a delightful book for parents to read to their kids. When Seuss preaches and teaches to eaches of us, we smile all the while. And his warnings about self-blow-your-own- hornings message comes through loud and clear. If preachers could teach when they preach like Seuss on the loose, our churches would be packed every Saturday or Sunday.

Julia Gran's BIG BUG SURPRISE tells of Prunella, who is eager to share her big bug surprise at show and tell. But a bigger bug surprise awaits the classroom and sends her teacher and classmates into a frenzy. Can Prunella's bug knowledge save the day? A fun tale of bugs and hidden abilities will delight young picturebook readers and libraries catering to them.

Prunella, the protagonist of Julia Gran's compelling Big Bug Surprise is from her antennae like braids and big bug eyes down to her black and yellow bee's knees stockings, all bug. In case the reader missed the point, Gran gives us a look at her room which among other bug wonders contains an ant farm, a bee clock and mobile, a poster of a wasp ala da Vinci, and a grasshopper sculpture of The Thinker that would have made Rodin proud. The one fly in the ointment however is Prunella's total inability to interest the adult world in her bug universe. Neither her parents, the school bus driver, nor her teacher at school have any time for Prunella's passion. Her entreaties to peak their curiosity all end with the grown up intoning, " Not now, Prunella". She on the other hand persists and when it is "show and tell" day at school it is as predictable as ants at a picnic what life form she'll bring.

The members of the supporting cast in this small volume could each be the protagonist of her own book. Ms. Mantis the school teacher is all pointy elbows and nose to go along with her nettlesome personality. The bees in the story are always smiling and seem quite contented with their sweet centered existence. A wonderful spider who appears on each page is Prunella's trusty side kick much as Beaker is with his muppet pal Dr. Bunsen Honeydew.

The action virtually bounces off the pages of this fine tightly woven tale whose moral is the benefit of following one's own bliss. But don't expect me to reveal any more or what the big bug surprise might be. Go get your own copy but please, don't bug me.

This beautifully illustrated book about a little girl who saves the day with her extensive bug knowledge has a very special spread where all the kids in Prunella's classroom are gagging and eee-ewing at Prunella's show-and-tell story about the dung beetle. The response you'll get from little boys and girls when you turn to these pages and read the exclamations with zest is worth every penny you'll spend on this book. I have no doubt that Ms. Gran will become a favorite author of many a preschooler for years to come!

An astonishing book! The author weaves you in and around this story like a jack rabbit on speed! A truly fascinating account of what could potentially happen if someone breaks through security in the world of electronic banking. Give it a whirl...you won't be disappointed!

What a page turner -- I got so far behind on my work I had to call in sick. If The Big Casino were any longer, I'd have to quit my job.

Having been a consultant and a banker, this book was terrific. It poked fun while still proving a suspense-filled, page-turning rollicking good ride. I couldn't put it down, even though it distracted me from doing the dishes, doing laundry, paying bills, making my bed..... Luckily, it is written so well that I could read it pretty quickly.

Think John Grisham, Tom Clancy and the like. You don't have to be a consultant or a banker to appreciate this book.

I highly recommend it.

I don't know who enjoyed this book more -- my kids (who were being read to) or me (I was doing the reading). The story is easy enough for the kids to follow, but interesting enough for any adult. But what makes the book really soar is the hard-boiled, knowing prose, which reminds you of all those great old gumshoe stories and detective movies (think "The Big Sleep, "The Thin Man", etc.) Although this book is, I guess, the second adventure for Sam the Cat, I am now hot on the trail of the first!

Sam the cat detective usually works for a pound of lox, but he's in for more than that amount of trouble when he takes a case trying to find Sandy, the cat actor, who's suddenly gone missing. Sandy is the famous 'blonde' cat who's filmed fifty million Catslop commercials. While this book is written for a Young Adult audience, folks of all ages will enjoy the sense of humor and Chandler-esque word play.

Here's a childrens book that kids of all ages--meaning parents and grandparents!--can enjoy. My grandson read it in school and was so enthusiastic that my daughter bought a copy and brought it to us on a visit. We had a great time reading it to each other, us grown-ups getting a big kick out of the take-off on Raymond Chandler tough-guy detective stories, and the children just hanging on to every word. I heartily recommend it.

A fantastic book for anyone who is interested in big cats. The book covers all eight of the world's big cat species, giving details on such things as; population status,habitat,prey and physical characteristics. With stunning photo's and a clear and concise text, this really is a must for anyone who has a love for these majestic creatures.

This is among the best books I've ever read. It has my top 8 most favorite animals, the eight big cats, in it, the information is etched in terrific print and detail, you can learn tons from it, and the photos are absolutely glamourous. There are few, if any, large cats I have seen photographed that are more beautiful than the ones in this book. Any cat lover should buy it. By the way, here are the eight big cats, in the order I like them(I love them all, but this is just how MUCH) Okay then, my lineup! Here goes:

1. Lions and Lionesses

2. Tigers and Tigresses

3. Jaguars and Jaguaresses

4. Leopards and Leopardesses

5. Cougars and Cougresses

6. Snow Leopards and Snow Leopardesses

7. Cheetahs and Cheetahesses

8. Clouded Leopards and Clouded Leopardesses.

Sensing a trend here? If you are, good. You want to learn and love the beautiful and majestic animals that are the big cats? Buy this book. It's as good as they get. At least in some ways.

This book is a excellent reference for the person who wishes to learn about the "Big" Cats and the "Great" Cats. It goes into detail on all species including sub-species, range, habitat, behavior, the status on threatend species and the tragedy of now extinct species. Superb photography and graphs make this book the perfect addition for your library. The references section of this book also points out other publications which would be benificial to the reader