Big Books

I am adopting a 8 year old girl and she has a 3 year old sister that is being adopted by another family. She was so excited to give her little sister this book that she could read to her for her little sister's birthday. She wrote her a birthday song on the inside cover. It's really hard to find applicable gifts like this for our situation. I was very exited to find this book and my daughter loved it.

very cute book no big message here that we don't tell our children everyday but they can see the pictures of siblings having fun together and this will inspire them

My 3 year old daughter loves this book! We borrowed it from the library when her little sister was born and decided to buy it. Being a little sister myself, it's really cute and touching.

This book is absolutely darling! The pictures are adorable. I found it in a bookstore shortly after I had my second daughter. Since then, the two girls and I have loved reading it at bedtime! Now I'm looking forward to buying it for a friend of mine who's giving birth to her second daughter. I also thought the big brother little brother version was pretty cute.

This is a super photo story book. The exceptional photography highlights life in the eyes of sisters. We have 3 daughters so we can relate to many of the photos. The great photos allow you to "hear" the joy, frustration, excitement and fun that the sisters are experiencing. I highly recommend this book and "Big Brother, Little Brother" by the same author. Not only are they great kid books but many adults will find themselves reminiscing to their early days of sibling joy.

Easy Reading, and the message gets through. A simple common sense approach to fitness and life in general. I have had always had a problem with weight gain and staying in shape. After reading "FIT HAPPENS", I feel I now have the plan to handle both! A book I have already shared with all members of my family members! Thanks to Mr. Pierron for showing us the way to a better life.

"Fit Happens at Any Age" is fitness-made-simple! Interspersed with motivational quotes and stories, Pierron lays out a plan for a fit lifestyle for body, mind and spirit.

Smart training advice, combined with the fuel to live fit!

Fit Happens has made a believer out of me! Mike lays out logical, simple steps to improving one's overall fitness, health and general well being. His exuberance inspired me to follow his clear cut system to develop a better personal fitness and nutritional program. It's easy to begin and everyone could benefit leading to improved physical and emotional well being almost immediately. Start today and you will not be disappointed!

I think Mike's book is the perfect combination of "why" and "how" to get fit. Fit Happens delivers the motivational messages as well as the game plan for success. I love the philosophy of "be bold, be brief and be gone"! The high-intensity and short-duration approach is very relevant for people of all ages living in our "super-busy" world. I have revised my fitness commitment and have begun again...just like Mike recommended I do on page 182. Thanks for the inspiration Mike!!!

I love this book for its simplicity (I guess thats where the "Cliff Notes" reference comes from) on how one can get fit at any age. Mr. Peirron is able to make the sometimes very confusing world of fitness, understandable, usable and humorous. From his "TNT" principles, psychological motivation, and real life experiences (he says he is a former fat guy), every page of this book has something to offer. Of the fitness books that I've read, Fit Happens ranks very high. Not from a technical standpoint, but on how user friendly it is. Congrats to this first time author, you have a slam dunk and "DREAM BIG"

Laura Ingalls Wilder is an amazing, adventurous pioneer girl. She grew up in the big woods in Wisconsin. She went from the prairie to Plum Creek. Laura has a mother, father and three sisters named Mary, Carrie and Grace. Laura also had a dog named Jack. On the banks of Plum Creek, Laura moved into a sod house. When Laura or her sisters played outside, they might see a cow standing on their sod house. A sod house is mainly made of mud. Over the mud layers laied a nice layer of grass. My favorite part about this book is when Laura invites a mean girl from her class to her house, and then Laura took her down the creek and splashed an insect on her. Laura grew up to be an amazing author. She died in the 1960's. I like to read about people who were pioneers and lived in the 18-1900's.

I love the LITTLE HOUSE books. Two books I read so much they've been replaced, and I still have to add ON THE SHORES OF SILVER LAKE and THE FIRST FOUR YEARS. I have nearly the whole Rose series, but that's a different story. I love these books, even at 14! I will pass them on. I still read them all, even though two are cover-less and fixed up with duct tape! They are so special to me, I can't throw them away. These are wonderful books, 1-3 appealing to younger children (although they are still wonderful!) and 4+ appealing to pre-teens and teens, especially THESE HAPPY GOLDEN YEARS, which deals with friendships and marriage. Find out how the pioneers had to deal everyday with so many hardships, like grasshoppers and storms. Even harvesting and moving were huge ordeals, but the American dream never died. Pa and Ma Ingalls emerge as wonderful parents, and the family is close-knit. "Little sisters" may associate with Laura--I know! The books get more detailed and substansial as the series advances, so you may want to collect as your child advances. The illustrations are beautiful!!! This is a must have. This is the ultimate American historical fiction. Even adults can enjoy it...or read aloud. p.s, the adult form doesn't work so I had to use this form. Sorry for being so long, but I totally love these books! I want to give a million stars!

I wonder how many of us women and men for that matter read these books and began to long for a family and community like those found in these books. I recently re-read these books and got a completely new perspective on them from when I was a young girl. The Ingalls' family life and the love they share through tremendous struggle is inspiring and will live on with the generations to come.

The stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder will capture the hearts of your children and their. It is a very wonderful book series for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNG READERS

This book is really adorable. I can't wait for my 3 year old to fill it out with me. It has really great checklists and places for pictures for your older sibling to fill out.

This is a great product. I have been really worried about how my 3 year old daughter is gonna take being a big sister. She has been very spoiled her whole life. When we got this book in the mail she was so happy. I am only 13 weeks so she has plenty of time to wait until she can use the book but she thought it was really cool. I think this a good idea to keep them involved.

I bought this for my 4 year old to fill out for he new baby brother. Some of the questions are hysterical and she loves filling out the information and tracing her feet and his feet. I'm sure both kids with treasure it when they're older to see what she thought of him when he was born.

I bought this book for my 3 year old and it is perfect for her age level. With its large text, humorous check lists, and simple art and observational activities, it is perfect for the younger, new big brother or sister (3-6 yrs). This book allows the child to compare themselves to the baby which shows them how special they are, and how much care the baby needs.

This book is exactly what I was looking to get for my stepson. He is so excited about our new baby and this was just icing on the cake. He can't wait until the baby is born so he can start writing in his baby book just like me and Dad will in ours. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is either having another child or bringing a child into a blended family.

My son loves this book so much that when it started falling apart, I bought another one! He asks for this book every night. Highly recommend!!

This book is beautifully illustrated. The vibrant colors invited my students to be actively engaged while we were reading it together. The rhyme scheme of the book made my students laugh and learn at the same time. Humor is always a good way to learn. I would reccomend this book to anyone.

This book has been a favorite in our home since we got it over 8 years ago. The pictures are beautiful and fun. The rhymes are great. It is one of the few books that I do not tire of reading over and over and over again to the kiddos.

Only draw-back is that it is permanately stuck in my head. Can't go to the zoo without finding myself saying the rhymes. Oh, who am I kidding, that's not a draw-back...it is kinda fun! hee hee

This book has been loved by all of my children, every one of my children old enough to talk have this book memorized.

This is such a cute book. Bright and colorful pictures to look at, with a story that isn't too repetitive. Readers will not mind reading time and again to children

This is a very inspirational book. Great for in-service teachers. I loved their dedication and devotion to their students' success and belief that they are "human."
Wonderful.

a wonderful read... a triumph of heart, mind and human spirit. great job mike, robynn and students. The movie will be a must see on my list.
maj. davie a megahan, usa-ret, huntsville al.

a wonderful read... a triumph of heart, mind and human spirit. great job mike, robynn and students. The movie will be a must see on my list.
maj. davie a megahan, usa-ret, huntsville al.

I usually prefer fiction books, however, this true story of a teacher so dedicated to his students was too hard to resist. It is uplifting and motivating to see that there are others in education who will put their heart and soul into helping their students succeed! So many children need teachers like Mike and Robynn.

A Smile as Big as the Moon, by Mike Kersjes, is a very inspiring and encouraging book. Personally, I was happy to see a teacher who took risks to make those children with disabilities feel proud of themslves. Personally, as an employee at a school with disabled children, I know what it takes to make those children happy. I can call Kersjes a gifted teacher who devoted his time, energy, and money to help those children in special education. Based on a true story, it is very interesting and keeps the reader eager to know what happened next. I would reommed this book to teachers, parents and older children.

Almost everyone dreams about being in charge. In part, that's because they imagine that everyone will jump to fulfill their every whim. If anyone actually tries to lead with that style, they are headed for big problems.

Russell Palmer understands that leadership is all about adjusting to the situation and drawing upon shared interests to get good results. He demonstrates that point best in this book through his personal examples of leading Wharton Business School as its new dean and while managing partner and CEO of Touche Ross. If the other examples in the book were as compelling as his own, this would be the ultimate book in leadership. But those other examples aren't nearly as instructive as his own.

I would observe that such a book isn't really needed except that those who coach CEOs in training tell us that leaders have a hard time learning to lead when they don't have complete authority. If you know a hard-driving talented manager or executive who yearns for a bigger role, this book could add helpful perspective.

russell palmer comes to the topic of ultimate leadership with a very unique set of credentials. palmer was a managing partner of a top wall street firm for many years, he served as the dean of the Wharton School of Business, and he, in more recent years, has begun entrepreneurial ventures. i think, in the middle ages, we might've called him a courtier. the book that he offers us is well balanced between providing insights on management and techniques and skills sets that work or, in some cases, don't. the clarity with which he describes the sets of skills necessary for success is crystal. most of the skills he describes are not unknown to you, maybe a couple might surprise you. with his diverse career experiences, he brings unique and unequivocally brilliant insights, explained in simple terms. one of the marks of success, i feel, of any book that is read, is that it motivates the reader to aspire to higher and greater forms of leadership, whether on the corporate board of the fortune 50 corporation or the rural PTA. this is an outstanding contribution to the literature on leadership and is recommended for those who aspire to make more of themselves. i don't think that it is tremendously scholarly or erudic, good for some readers and not good for others. it is simply, eloquently, practical, informative, entertaining, and inspiring and well worth the purchase, new. be sure to actually read it and not decorate your bookcase with it. you'll be glad you did. i shared it with other members of our management team and it has been very well received.

Although Russell E. Palmer may not be as well known as some of the prominent figures in contemporary leadership such as Jack Welch, Ram Charan, or Peter Drucker, his insights are just as useful. Palmer draws heavily on his widely diverse and highly successful business experience over numerous decades to provide a thoughtful and practical leadership primer.
One of Palmer's main themes is that leaders should tailor their methodologies to fit the particular context or situation in which the leader is engaged. Thus, for example, Palmer argues that the methods that work well for the CEO of a Fortune 100 company would not be equally effective for a managing partner of a professional services firm such as a large accounting firm or an educational institution such as a president of a university.
Overall, Palmer provides an insightful and thorough examination of leadership from a variety of perspectives and various contexts.

his book is written to the business culture in America. Books with a business mindset can be helpful or pointless for the ministry context. A helpful book from business is "Good to Great" and a unhelpful book from business is "Winning" by Jack Welch. This book falls between these two examples. The book is written by a man who knows how to lead. This is a nice difference from some of the current leadership books that are written by experts in academic organization. This author is a leader who has been successful in multiple leadership contexts. Some of the situations that are discussed are not applicable for a minister in a congregation. Churches do not run like top down leadership organizations. The best chapter and the most helpful was the section on "Peer to Peer" leadership. This chapter dealt with the common situation in most congregations. It would be a great chapter for preachers and elders in the church. Peer to Peer leadership is the mode of operation in most congregations because people are volunteers. People are free to come and go as they will. The last section of the book is worth the price of the book. It talks about how to properly motivate workers, but is easily applied to motivating the servants in a congregation.

Russell E. Palmer has had a long and distinguished career. He became CEO of Touche Ross & Company (then one of the Big Eight accounting firms), served as a director on 12 NYSE listed companies, Dean of the Wharton School, and is now Chairman and CEO of his own investment firm, The Palmer Group. He has actually done much more than this, but the point is that he knows leadership from his own practical experience and from what he has seen others do in an up close and personal way. This book is not an academic exercise. Palmer also writes well, so his presentation is clear and concise. Another helpful aspect of the book is the broad list of contributors the author has sharing their insights into the topics most applicable to their experience.

No, Leadership isn't simple. If it were, it wouldn't be so rare and we would not have so many books written about it or courses offered trying to teach it. The author first offers a concise definition of leadership, while being very clear that there are many different styles of leadership. Some work better than others, but they all have similar underlying principles. These are: embodying personal integrity, context driven execution, understanding that in normal times you change what is ready to be changed and then move to the more areas of greater resistance, that leaders have to be ahead of the followers (but not so far ahead as to lose contact with them), and that the point of leadership is releasing human potential.

An executive manager who is also a leader will foster innovation, understand the goals of the followers and use those to meet the goals of the organization, and a sound leader will also possess good judgment. He or she will be personally confident and inspire confidence in followers, will know how to build a rational compensation and reward system, will be an effective communicator, embody good conduct and provide a good example to his or her company, and be a differentiator to their company's success.

The seven chapters showing how leadership needs to be executed within varying contexts are the heart of the book and make fascinating reading. Palmer demonstrates why certain styles of leadership work well in some contexts and not others. He also is able to explain why a leader who is experienced in one style of leadership has an easy or hard time transitioning to certain other contexts. For example, someone used to highly centralized command and control might not be quite as comfortable in a context requiring consensus building.

Do not think of the contexts as either good or bad. They just are and must be managed. The trick is to get the right leader and for the leader to understand the context and act effectively within it. Sure, the leader can transform the situation, but some organizations have a long persistence of culture regardless of the context of a given time period. The contexts Palmer covers are: the top down organization, an organization of peers, the organization in crisis, an organization in need of transformation, the entrepreneurial organization, the academic organization, and the role of national cultures and leading in a global environment. I found all this to be fascinating stuff.

The last two chapters discuss how leaders motivate workers to follow and do what needs to be done while building your leadership capital instead of burning through your credibility. The last chapter recapitulates the qualities of a leader in terms of what was discussed in the text.

I would think anyone interested in management or leadership in any way would want to read and learn from this very useful book.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

I am interested in trying natural childbirth, but what to know about all of my options. In looking at books on getting through childbirth naturally most of the books seemed very anti-doctor and anti-drugs. I just wanted to know all of my options without having to consider the hospital the enemy. I have found that this book is open minded and not preachy. The focus is on techniques to get through labor without drugs, but then there are sections on the drug options and the possible effects. It has great diagrams and information about everything that will be happening inside and outside of your body during birth. I'm so glad that I read it. My pregnancy books had short sections on the actual birth, but I feel much more informed reading an entire book about what might happen and why.

I'm a childbirth educator, really like the tone of this book. Ordered a copy to send to my stepdaughter who's expecting her first.

I really enjoyed this book. It gave me so much information regarding managing pain naturally, various pain medications (and their side effects), and natural and surgical birth. The author does seem to favor natural childbirth, and after reading the book, you probably will, too. However, she does present LOADS of instances when it is necessary/good to take advantage of medical advances, and many stories of women who had all different types of birth are included. If you're at all interested in learning about natural childbirth (or why it might not work out and what might happen, if so), I HIGHLY recommend the book.

i found this book to be incredibly informative and helpful for the birth of my daughter. i read the book almost at the end of my pregnancy - 35 wks. - and found the information to really go above and beyond the information presented in all the other books, including mayo clinic, dr. sears, etc., which i had previously read. moreover, it was the only book that actually discussed, at length, the labor and birth process. it helped me to prepare for birth, far more than the birthing classes that i had taken for over one month, and i believe was critical to help me have a nonmedicated delivery. i would recommend this without hesitation to all expectant parents, including fathers.

I'm 31 weeks pregnant with my first baby. I've been reading this book since about 20 weeks. I feel empowered by the information and stories in it. I am able to more clearly envision what I hope to experience in labor and delivery and feel greater ability to ask questions and participate actively in this transforming experience of birth.

Not a story you will be able to believe,but plenty fun..Copied from the movie BIG,the Sweet valley Twins wish they were grown up(at a carnival)and their wish comes true.They wake up in the morning as 18 year olds.

This book was VERY good. I loved it! It starts off as the twins are invited to this great, big Christmas bash of the year. Of course, the best part was that there was going to be high school guys there! But when they're parents say they're too young for a high school/middle school party, they're hopes and excitments vanish. But that night before they go to bed, they wish they were all grown up so that they could make they're own decisions and not be bossed around by grown ups all the time! When the following morning arrives, they realize they're wishes came true and thats when the adventure and excitment begins! Read this book! You'll love it! I guarantee! :) ~Samantha~

Janet and Joe Howell are giving a Christmas party.Mr and Mrs.Wakefield let Steven go,since they will have High and Middle schoolers there,but NOT Elizabeth and Jessica,they go to a carnival instead and make a wish for being big.Next morning,They are Adults or teenagers.Their clothes won't fit,so they take their mom's clothes.They get a job driving a donut truck,and working in an office.Steven relizes that the women are his sisters.They go to another carnival and look for the wishing well and unwish the wish.

This book was one of the best books out of the sweet Valley twins series. With its series of laughter, fun and emotion it is the perfect book for you hopefully.
It is about these two identical twin sisters Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield. One of Jessica's friends Janet Howell is throwing a joint big christmas bash along with her high school aged brother Joe. The twins older brother Steven is invited to go along with the twins. The twins are very excited about going but Steven isn't. He would give anything for them not to be there so he trys to bargain with them.
Eventually the twins parents Alice and Ned Wakefield find out there are going to be high school boys at the party and are a little worried. With a little help from Steven telling his parents how 'wild' the party is going to be the twins aren't allowed to go. They get very disapointed. That night they go to the carnival and make a wish together. They both with 'I wish i were grown up.'
However, much to their surprise their wish comes true! In the morning they wake up to find they've grown into young women overnight. They quickly escape the house so it doesn't cost major embarrasment and their parents think they've ran away. Steven feels bad and trys to help them.
I won't say anymore, i'll have to let you read it for youself.
I Hope you get as much pleasure out of it as i did.

I first read this book about two years ago, but forgot to write a review.
Liz and Jess's parents were being overprotective and weren't allowed to go to this big party because their parents thought. then they make an exact same wish(they're twins!) and the next morning theie wish comes true! but after awhile they regret what they wished for. if you want to know why then i suggest u read the book. have fun! :)

I got this for my husband for his birthday because he lived for 5 years in Africa as a child and his father used to hunt big game, so he loves reading books like this, and he said this one was an outstanding read.

Reading books by authors like Capstick is a very good alternative to reading fiction. When you are reading fiction, however scary, thrilling and realistic it may be, at the back of your mind you know that it is fiction. Some of it may not even be plausible. When you are reading true adventure, it is then that you can realise the closeness of death to life, you can identify with the characters more closely, and you can feel their fear of something as primeval and primitive as claws, fangs and horns. You can also feel their elation at escaping injury.
This book is not meant only for hunters and any one reading it will learn something new on practically every second page.On the whole I did not like it as much as much as "death in the long grass". Still, the book has its chilling moments. It also has its share of dark humor. The author does not defend hunting and "cropping" of elephants as much as he does in death in the long grass.
Halfway through the chapter on leopards, I lost touch with what the author was trying to say.

Originally published in 1983, this book describes big game hunting in Africa. After a brief introduction, each subsequent chapter contains details and anecdotes about hunting each of the Big Five game animals of Africa (Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Leopard, and Lion). In particular, this book is largely about the dangers of hunting each of the Big Five. All I can say is that being a safari guide/hunter must be an incredible life. I purchased this after reading Hemingway's `Green Hills of Africa' and Robert Ruark's `Robert Ruark's Africa' and was not disappointed. There isn't really a single narrative through this book, it is written in a more of a conversational style, almost as if you are sitting with Capstick in camp in the evening after a day of hunting and he is recounting various tales, `urban legands', and historical anecdotes about hunting each of the big five over a Scotch whiskey. If you don't know who he was, Peter Capstick was a hunter, guide, and prolific author who passed away in 1996. Capstick writes about a much later era than Ruark or Hemingway, things have clearly changed. There are more people about (farming, grazing animals, etc.), and the game is heavily controlled by the national authorities. Overall this is a very good, if not uniquely outstanding, read. Capstick writes with an easy prose, and the pages just sail by. After working through this book, you're quite likely to get the urge to pack up a few of your shootin' irons and buy an airline ticket to Nairobi (I know I did!). I give it only four stars though as much of the ground covered by Capstick has been well tread by others (e.g. everyone seems to feel the need to give their opinion about which of the big five is the most dangerous). I also liked Ruark's writing style more, and there was something more romantic and dangerous about safari hunting in Ruark's era (this is no fault of PC though) - they really were out in Indian territory. The more modern safari isn't quite so wild. In any case, if you love the outdoors, hunting, and testing your mettle against some of the world most dangerous game (or at least reading about it!), I would highly recommend this book. A little different than hunting white-tailed deer!

Many other reviewers have characterized "Death in the Dark Continent" very, very well. It is a bit more graphic than Capstick's earlier "Death in the Long Grass", but not much.
But you definitely do NOT have to be a hunter to thoroughly enjoy Capstick. I think, though, there are a lot of non-hunters who simply haven't discovered how good Capstick really is at "grabbing you, making you sweat blood, and not releasing you until you've died three times, passed Elvis and Hoffa twice, and are coming around for heart attack number 4. Capstick is not just " a hunter with a typewriter". He is Hannibal Lecter mixed with Edgar Allen Poe and Stephen King multiplied by Norman Bates and home-schooled by JAWS. If you thought Amityville and Elm Street were scary, you were wrong. Peter Capstick will show you Scary in "Death in the Dark Continent". If you thought "The Pit and the Pendulum" was mind-wrecking, you were wrong. "Mind-wrecking" starts on page 152 of Death in the Silent Places. Read it early in the day.

If you havent read Capstick, you are missing out on a treat. Not only are his stories, graphic, exciting and compelling, his style of writing is nothing short of superb. Genuinly exciting, and often laugh out loud funny, all of his books are fantastic. When talking about the turn of the century past-time of "galloping lions" (described as "dangerous as typhoid") he writes:" THe elements recquired for the monotony breaking past time were a fast horse, a good rifle, a few lions and not much concern about the future".

Not for the faint of heart, there is a number of gory stories about the fatal encouters that people have, and some well placed warnings about taking any dangerous animal lightly.

A lot like his first book, "death in the long grass" Capstick writes about individual animals- with a chapter on the "big five", Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Leopard ( the best chapter in the book- beatifully written) and Lion. As before he relates his own experinces, plus encouters as described by his friends.

I would recommend Death in the LOng Grass as a first Capstick book, but this is still most highly recommended.