Brown Books

This is an excellent book. It made me totally rethink how I eat, how much I exercise, actually, my whole lifestyle. It's written so that you don't have to have a phd to understand what Mr Brown is trying to convey. The compact size made it easy to look up points while I was talking to my friends.

This book is right to the point and gives you all of the essential information for a healthier diet. I loved it. It makes you want to change your whole lifestyle by working out and eating right. Most people don't understand the impact that a diet like this will have on your life. After reading Live Food Dead Food, it all suddenly becomes so clear.

This book is right to the point and gives you all of the essential information for a healthier diet. I loved it. It makes you want to change your whole lifestyle by working out and eating right. Most people don't understand the impact that a diet like this will have on your life. After reading Live Food Dead Food, it all suddenly becomes so clear.

In Live Food-Dead Food the author stresses how what we eat has a huge impact on our aging process. With that thought in mind, I could not put this book down. It gave me the motivation I needed to turn my eating habits around. Since incorporating "live food", as suggested by the author, into my families diet we have all noticed a difference in the way we feel. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in making a life altering change!

I recently had the pleasure of previewing this wonderful book. It is concise and very personable, to say nothing of inspiring. I was reminded of the reasons we should be more conscious of our eating habits. As a lapsed vegetarian, this book inspired me to reevaluate my diet and remember that our food choices have a dramatic effect on our health and our spiritual well-being.

the best book on surgical oncology when you need to refer real fast... best a resident in surgery can have

This handbook is the must have for every surgery resident or even staff member who's not an oncologist, very clear and easy to read....

As others have said in their reviews, the MDA Surg Onc Handbook is well written, easily readable and a great source for studying for the boards or just quick review before a case or clinic. Our Surg Onc department uses this as its preferred text for the residents - even buying several copies so that they and the students could always have one to review while on service.

Treatment plans are cutting edge but available to the community and the presentation of controversies is helpful in understanding the topic.

This book is essential for inservice and general surgery board review

If you are looking for exellent value for money in (surgical) oncology, you have to purchase the MD Anderson Handbook. In a compulsively readable yet comprehensive style the entire field is covered. In contrast to its title, it is not only focussing on how things work in Houston, but altenative state of the art diagnostic and treatment options are discussed. In our surgical clinic, the book has become a standard reference text.

The photos are very useful for model builders with lots of technical specs and cut away views. I thought the development of the APC was very interesting starting with the half tracks of WW2. Also interesting was the logic behind development of the Calvary variant of the vehicle. Lots of Gulf War descriptions and photos show the vehicles in actual combat. Overall very good reference book for this outstanding vehicle.

If you are familiar with the At War series of books, you'll know what to expect. For those who have yet to check out this great series of books, be assured that this volume is well worth the cost. The authors start with an excellent account regarding the development of the APC. Just on this alone, the book is well worth the cost. Where it really differs with the other books is the well detailed accounts of the development of APC's leading to the Bradley. It certainly does gives insight to how the Industrial Military Complex/Pentagon operates! And then there's the amazing detail given as to the specs of the vehicles..... Is this legal????? Anyway, here's everything you've ever wanted to know about these APC's..... So why are you even hesitating?

A well written and comprehensive book about the M2/M3 series from development to current and possible future versions. The value of the book is the information in its text not pictures. Granted, it has some interesting shots of the Bradley, especially of the interiors, it is not a "photo" reference book. It is a comprehensive account of the Bradley in a very readable form, with detailed technical descriptions kept to an absolute minimum.

The chapters in the book were well laid out, text was detailed but easy to read, chapters flowed logically from one aspect of the Bradley to another. A joy to read if you are interested in armoured vehicles.

This is a very useful and up to date work on the Bradley IFV/CFV family. It begins with a useful summary of the development of armored infantry vehicles from the M3 half-tracks of WW2 to the M113 and the first failed attempts at an IFV. The developmental history of the Bradley and all its variants then runs in parallel with accounts of the Bradley's use in combat. Excellent photos illustrate the book throughout. Well worth the money.

The most interesting part of this book, and indeed, most of the "at war" series, for me at least, is the first portion which describes the developmental history of the vehicle, particularly also showing photographs of the various prototypes which preceeded the BFV. This is a part of the Bradley which is very rarely covered by easily available books, and is worth checking out on its own merits.

The rest of the book is written in plain English, with enough pictures to support the documentation and provide a visual reference to what one is reading. As a Bradley commander, I can pick out a few very small, niggling errors in the technical descriptions, but this does not detract from the general overview one would get as a reader with a more-than-passing interest in the vehicle but without getting to the level of being an operator's manual. Definitely recommended.

Mabel really doesn't like peas, but she's stuck at the dinner table until "every pea has been chewed." Unwilling to eat even one pea, Mabel has the clever idea of hiding the pile of peas...in her ears! Needless to say, when you have ears full of peas "words become confusing, their meanings amusing, ideas become hard to convey." Mabel's mother tells her to "stop," but Mabel hears "hop." "Mabel, hold still" becomes "Get out my old drill" and "Put those tools down" is received by Mabel as "Paint [your] face like a clown." Hilarity ensues. The illustrations are colorful and as raucous as the text. This is an fun book and an excellent choice for working on rhythm and rhyme as well as vocabulary (text includes words like devised, dismay, convey, mission, urgent, conceal, etc.). A great partner with Ain't Gonna Paint No More for a wacky-behavior-themed storytime!

This book is by far one of the best children's books that I have come across in a long time. There is a lot going on in this book and it will keep your child entertained again and again. With very expressive characters that are drawn well and a rhyme that will put your child in stitches this book will never take a rest at your house.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!!!!!!!!! My daughter likes it a lot too although I think much of the humor is directed at the parents. I can see myself keeping this one around for a long time. I was actually giggling out loud the first time I read it. I do have to say that I was a bit worried about giving my daughter any ideas since she's such a picky eater but it's too funny not to share. I hope there are more in the Mabel series!

Mabel O'Leary Put Peas in Her Ear-y is a playful and zany rhyming book with whimsical and colorful illustrations that will become every child's favorite.

It also passed the important child test. My four-year-old granddaughter and I share the delightful ritual of reading books over the telephone when we're miles apart. I read Mabel O'Leary Put Peas in Her Ear-y to Caroline and she giggled and clapped her hands joyfully, and when we'd finished reading it, she asked me to read it to her again. Now that's a recommendation!

Mabel doesn't like peas but she can't leave the dinner table unless she eats them all. What to do! But Mabel has a plan. She hides the peas in her ears. The problem is that she is unable to hear anything her mother says and that causes many problems for Mabel and her mother.

Armchair Interviews says: Mabel's adventures will delight children and adults alike. You'll find yourself laughing along with your special child.

When you don't like veggies, you must eat them anyway or devise a plan to make them disappear. Mabel O'Leary chooses to hide her peas in her ear-y, which makes for an interesting day when she can't understand a word her mother says.

Rollicking rhyme coupled with gorgeous illustrations of the young trouble-maker and her exhausted mother make this book laugh-out-loud funny and an entertaining read-aloud.

What a pity that the author started writing her magnificent, picaresque tales so late in her life! I've hunted down and read virtually every Lena Kennedy novel, and they all share that bittersweet, epic quality. If only more modern-day authors had the talent to paint such vivid little worlds and unforgettable characters!

Very, very good! I did not want to put this book down. Colorful East end (of London)language. You will laugh out loud!

This was one of the BEST books I have ever read. Once I picked it up I could not put it down. I've read it five times and I have to read it again. It keeps me going. It lifts my spirits. I've passed the book to my sister and she's thanked me over and over again. Maggie made me believe that, if she could go through all that she went through and not just survive but thrive, then I could do the same.

MY MOTHER PASSED THIS BOOK ON TO ME 5 YEARS AGO AND I PASSED IT ON TO MY BEST FRIEND. IT WAS SO ENJOYABLE, I FELT AS IF I WERE THERE. IT IS A GOOD BOOK FOR ANYONE, MAN OR WOMAN!! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN....I PLAN TO GET ALL OF HER BOOKS EVENTUALLY!! THANK GOODNESS FOR AMAZON!

I WAS 11 YEARS OLD WHEN I FOUND AND UNPUBLISHED COPY OF MAGGIE. MY NAME IS MAGGIE AND I WAS SO EXCITED TO FIND A BOOK WITH MY NAME ON IT WHEN EXPLORING THE DEPTHS OF MY PARENTS GARAGE. IT HAS GOTTEN ME THROUGH SOME PRETTY TOUGH TIMES. I BOUGHT THE BOOK THIS YEAR AND HAVE READ IT OVER AGAIN 5 MORE TIMES. I LOVE THIS BOOK IT IS MY CONSTANT COMPANION. MAGGIE....NJ

This book is a great way to introduce a child to the idea that 'pretend'can be part of a story, at least as much as real events can. Every second opening allows the reader to become part of the fantasy land inhabited by the children in the story. The illustrations are beautifully done and the rhythm of the rhyming text engages younger children as well as older. Both of my children (ages three and six) find aspects of this book entertaining and interesting. Very highly recommended for pre-schoolers to infants school age children!

This book is a favourite of both me and my two year old son. The beautiful, detailed pictures capture the essence of summer and the magic of being a child, when any activity can be transformed by imagination into something more. Many aspects of beach life are shown, from playing in the surf, to wading in rockpools, to a moonlight bonfire. The verse flows well and complements the pictures, although I would agree with the previous reviewer that the illustrations are the highlight. I love all of Alison Lester's books, but I would rate this one as the best.

.

A rhyming story line in a child's picture book seldom works well. They often seem so contrived and sometimes downright corny.

Not so in Alison Lester's << Magic Beach >>. This book deserves the status of a classic in contemporary children's literature. In fact, the book is regularly listed in the Best Seller lists in Australia, where the author resides. ...

All children love the freedom and fun of a trip to the beach. Alison transports us to one of the childhood's favourite playground, that place where the land meets the sea. The real joys of beachside fun are joined with pleasurable and harmless seaside fantasies.

On alternate pages, we are taken from beautiful realities to even more captivating fantasies. We go from a scene with a sparkling sea to an exciting world where we can ride waves pretending they are "wild white horses". We go from sandcastle building to a land of fire breathing dragons. We explore rock-pools and their magic world of starfish and crabs, and then go to an evenmore magic Kingdom where we can ride seahorses.

The beach is still magic when it's a cloudy and gray day, our imaginations will help us discovered a treasure chest. We can go boating in the safety of bay, and then let the wind and our fantasies take us to the "edge of the world".

We fish and laze on the jetty, and in our daydreams, we catch a monstrous shark.

It is now evening-time, we are toasting marshmallows around the glowing fire, and in the shadows, there may be smugglers hauling in crate-loads of booty.

It's time for bed, and to the sounds of the ocean, we drift off to sleep on the evening tide.

This is a fabulous book which has universal and popular appeal. Let's see if we can get it back on the publisher's lists in the US. It deserves the widest audience possible.

Not O/P in Australia - available in many book shops.

This is a lovely book. It depicts various activities throughout the day at the beach, from building sand castles falling asleep at night within sound of the ocean.

Each double page describes a time and activity (the verse is a little bit inferior to the pics). The subsequent double page has an imagined fantasy activity.

I give this 5 stars for the illustrations, 4 for the text.

There is good reason to rejoice in the States, for it has not been possible to purchase new copies of this incredibly imaginative and lyrical picture book for years. One of my Top 20 during my years of running the childcare center, MAGIC BEACH exudes salt, sand, seaweed, and shells, as it bounces back and forth between the real and imagined adventures of a buoyant cast of young characters. Australia's Alison Lester has done some great illustrating over the past 25 years. This is the best of the best.

I was moved by and influenced to write When The Man You Love Is Ill after reading Maggie Strong's heartfelt book. I was deeply touched by her personal story and wanted others to have a book that complemented the personal with the general.
I still think Mainstay touches the heart of all who have been through the experience of being a caregiver. Five stars

When my husband was diagnosed with a chronic illness in 1992, I was totally unprepared for the major lifestyle changes that it brought about, even though I am a nurse. When I found "Mainstay", it was as though I was no longer alone. There was someone who not only understood but who was able to clearly articulate the experience. The illness and the circumstances were different but the feelings were so similar. The book also gives realistic and practical ways to survive as a well spouse. However, for me, the best part was that the book led to an ongoing organization, the Well Spouse Foundation, that continues to provide support, education, and hope to many well spouses.

Maggie Strong has written a hands-on book for those who are living with a chronically ill spouse or partner. She speaks from her own personal experience and shares the stories that other caregivers have told her. Strong was the first one to write a book that 'tells it like it is." Her writing brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion because I thought my experiences with an ill husband were unique. This book showed me that I was not alone, where to turn for help in finding support groups, how to handle difficult family situations, and most importantly, gave me hope that I could carry on. Being a caregiver is a very lonely existence...most of the attention focuses on the person who is ill. However, illness impacts the entire family. The healthy or well spouse should not be an invisible part of the equation. Brava to Maggie Strong for her courage and for leading the way on this important topic.

For anyone who is living through the challenges of caring for a loved one who is chronically ill, this is a voice of sense and compassion, spoken by one who obviously knows what she's talking about from first-hand experience. Maggie Strong explores every aspect of the experience, from the first dreadful diagnosis of her mate's emerging disease to the social and emotional changes that inevitably wash over the family's daily routines. And while she never glosses over the terrible toll such an experience can take on every member of the family, she also offers plenty of affirming information on what caregivers can do to save themselves while negotiating these difficult waters. I can't recommend this book enough. Short of knowing Maggie Strong personally, I can't imagine having a better companion for the journey my husband and I must travel. The book has literally saved my life! Thank you, Maggie.

This is a rare thing--a practical, down-to-earth guide that's also very personal and written with the power of a good novel. As the wife of a chronically ill husband, Maggie Strong is honest about her husband's long illness and how it has altered their marriage and their family, and about the feelings all caregivers have: the love, the despair, the humor, the determination to go on and transcend enormous problems. There is nothing depressing here, but no Pollyanna either. You'll also learn about insurance, disability checks, dealing with doctors, asking for help, and scores of other ways to manage. You'll learn about a great support group. This voice will stay with you.

This book should be required reading in High ?School...it let's the reader know how and when to use healthcare options, and how important it is to control one's healthe care and destiny.

I am in the process of reading this book. I just finished reading Chapter 3, A Doctor Is a Doctor Is . . . The information in this chapter is extremely important. It applies to all technical fields.

Although the titles oozes with sap, Smith's book is full of original and interesting takes on the state of modern medicine as it concerns chronic and extremely life-threatening diseases. Especially relevant, I think, are his comments about being active in choosing doctors, doing your own research, and not simply accepting physicians' opinions as divine kernels of wisdom. Unfortunately, like many books in this genre, the writing tends toward the glib; patients' stories are seamlessly intercut with an enormous variety of material, from quotes from the relevant literature to interviews with leading research scientists. Good reading, though.

Phenomenal and uplifting. That's how I would describe Smith's book. I purchased this book because I was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year, at age 22. A craniotomy and a long recovery behind me, I'm still left with part of the tumor, seizures, and daily medication. Smith's book not only led me through what he was going through physically and emotionally, so that I did not feel so alone, but it showed the other side: hope. Through many personal stories of people who had diseases ranging from emphysema to AIDS, amyloidosis to stroke, Smith shows the strength and power that hope, positive thinking, and an attitude of "I'm not giving up!" has had on these fighters. This book made me see that no matter how bad I think things are for me, someone is going through worse, but with a better attitude! Everybody knows someone suffering from a chronic disease. I recommend this book for sufferers and their families. Not only helpful emotionally, it is helpful practically, in showing that getting that second, or third, or fourth opinion may make the difference between not only horrible aftereffects of a surgery, but life and death. Most of all, this book leaves its readers with the message of "Don't give up!" I know I won't.

I can relate to this great book!See,in 2001,Iwas suffering from an infection of the upper respiratory tract.Next thing I know,Iwake up.IN THE HOSPITAL.I had a seizure.No big deal.What happened next was:While having my seizure,I sustained a burst fracture of L1 vertebra.A spinal cord injury.My neurologist said I would never walk again.So of course,I was bummed.My mother,though,would hear none of it.She told me that these doctors are not God.They do not decide your fate.Only you do.Therefore,I decided to work my butt off in rehab.
Here it is 5 years later.Am I walking?Yes!Not only that I walk as well as I did before I got hurt.I work 2 jobs and generally lead a full life.
Mr.Smith's book says all the things I feel.The fight against self pity.The realization that your life will never be the same again.The hard work after.The nature of hospitals.The angels in one's life(my mother comes to mind as does the rest of my family and some good friends).
I feel like I was with him the whole time I read the book.I related to all of the stories he cites.I especially like his line that doctors are like weathermen.I say it all the time.They are NOT God...and I myself am a podiatrist.

Brown does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the period of late antiquity in this work. He is able to cover the major political, social and philosophical transition of the Roman Empire of the Antonines to the emergence of the Christian Succesor States with clarity, and accuracy. Although this work does not take an indepth look into any of the many subjects that fall in this period, it is an excellent overview, and maintains a level of scholarship that is almost unparalled in a work of this nature. The book is documented to an excellent degree, so that even the most critical reader can see where it is that Brown is comming from. I would recomend this book to anyone from the avid scholar to the most casual reader.

From an Age of Equipoise to an Age of Ambition- the Poisoning of the Classical Spirit

I found this book to be an extremely clear and well-written explanation of the decline of classical Greco-Roman civilization. The period from the second to the fourth centuries, from the Antonines to Constantine, is covered. The author makes a very good case that the cause for this decline in the classical world was primarily due to a concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands. He shows this to be true in economic, political, cultural, and most especially, religious spheres. He also shows the obvious parallels with our own age without being heavy handed.

First he shows the grand show of power and tradition in the age of the Antonines to be primarily an empty hollow thing. It was the gigantism that precedes decline even if the players of the time could not see it. The societal restraints and governors that constrained individual ambition began to erode. The old code of civic virtue, of demonstrating your greatness by contributing to the benefit of the society, the polis, crumbled. Wealth was concentrated into fewer and fewer hands. The common people were forced off of the land. Bankruptcy became commonplace across the empire. Politically, power concentrated into a smaller and smaller circle centered on the court in Rome, and then Constantinople, and away from the provincial towns and capitals. Culturally and scholarly, all status depended on ones mastery of polished Greek and the ability to quote precisely from the classics (i.e. scholarship depended more on the size of your library than the size of your intellect.)

It is in the religious and spiritual sphere that this tendency to place all authority in the hands of an elite becomes the most insidious, and the most damaging. It is demonstrated that ,traditionally, the average man of the Greco-Roman world saw that world as alive with supernatural forces that he interacted with on a daily basis. The pagan participant in the mysteries experienced the divine through direct contact. This slowly changed with the rise of Christianity. Men were told that only "official" intermediaries could bridge the gap between heaven and earth. As a result this gap widened into a chasm. The old comforting classical assumption that heaven and earth lived side by side in gentle communion faded away. In the author's words, the leaders of the Christian church came to stand between heaven and an earth emptied of the Gods.

With all economic, political, scholarly, and religious power concentrated in the hands of a tiny, ruthless, corrupt elite, is it any wonder that the common man lost any interest in maintaining the empire? The old system of civic virtue and of the old delicately balanced system of obligations from ruled to the rulers, and the rulers to the ruled, had been poisoned.

Any of this sound familiar?

I cannot say enough about this extraordinary book. Everyone who is interested in the environment that led to the rise of Christianity will find this book fills in many details. Brown's analysis of the decline of classical Greco-Roman civilization is well done, concise, and comprehensive. I highly recommend this book!

From an Age of Equipoise to an Age of Ambition- the Poisoning of the Classical Spirit

I found this book to be an extremely clear and well-written explanation of the decline of classical Greco-Roman civilization. The period from the second to the fourth centuries, from the Antonines to Constantine, is covered. The author makes a very good case that the cause for this decline in the classical world was primarily due to a concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands. He shows this to be true in economic, political, cultural, and most especially, religious spheres. He also shows the obvious parallels with our own age without being heavy handed.

First he shows the grand show of power and tradition in the age of the Antonines to be primarily an empty hollow thing. It was the gigantism that precedes decline even if the players of the time could not see it. The societal restraints and governors that constrained individual ambition began to erode. The old code of civic virtue, of demonstrating your greatness by contributing to the benefit of the society, the polis, crumbled. Wealth was concentrated into fewer and fewer hands. The common people were forced off of the land. Bankruptcy became commonplace across the empire. Politically, power concentrated into a smaller and smaller circle centered on the court in Rome, and then Constantinople, and away from the provincial towns and capitals. Culturally and scholarly, all status depended on ones mastery of polished Greek and the ability to quote precisely from the classics (i.e. scholarship depended more on the size of your library than the size of your intellect.)

It is in the religious and spiritual sphere that this tendency to place all authority in the hands of an elite becomes the most insidious, and the most damaging. It is demonstrated that ,traditionally, the average man of the Greco-Roman world saw that world as alive with supernatural forces that he interacted with on a daily basis. The pagan participant in the mysteries experienced the divine through direct contact. This slowly changed with the rise of Christianity. Men were told that only "official" intermediaries could bridge the gap between heaven and earth. As a result this gap widened into a chasm. The old comforting classical assumption that heaven and earth lived side by side in gentle communion faded away. In the author's words, the leaders of the Christian church came to stand between heaven and an earth emptied of the Gods.

With all economic, political, scholarly, and religious power concentrated in the hands of a tiny, ruthless, corrupt elite, is it any wonder that the common man lost any interest in maintaining the empire? The old system of civic virtue and of the old delicately balanced system of obligations from ruled to the rulers, and the rulers to the ruled, had been poisoned.

Any of this sound familiar?

Brown is able to establish the foundations for anyone interested in late antiquity with clarity and scholarly depth that is unparelled in the field. This book, although taking a broad picture of the period, and focusing on a shallow over view, rather than taking an indepth look into any perticular aspect of the period, is still scholarly enough to interest even the most particular historian, but will catch the interest of the beginer also. Browns conclusions are well thought out, and are based on an extensive, and acurate picture of the period. The documentation is incredible, hundreds of documents are quoted, and carefully indexed, in a book under 200 hundred pages, so the most nitpicky readers can see exactly where Brown is comming from. This should be the model for broad view scholarly work, this is truly an excellent work.

This lyrical story is gloriously illustrated by Elena Gomez and makes a perfect, peaceful read-aloud just before bedtime. Don't worry if listeners don't know what a sari is -- this is a story about every young girl's desire to be as glamorous as Mom, and the tender mother-daughter bond that transcends cultures. Plus, by the end of the book, you'll both be wanting to try on a sari.

"Mama's Saris" is Pooja Makhijani's first picture book and I'm happy to report it's a beauty.

The narrator of "Mama's Saris" is about to turn seven years old and Mama, who wears saris only for special occasions, is choosing what she will wear to her daughter's party. The daughter helps, but, really, all she wants is to wear a sari too:

"Mama unfurls it. It shines like the afternoon sun. I watch her tuck one end into her petticoat and pull the other end over her left shoulder. Then she folds the pleats, weaving the fabric into an accordion between her slim fingers.

I look down at my Mary Janes and corduroy jumper. I feel so plain next to her."

Finally, mama relents and helps her daughter dress in one of her saris, accented with gold bangles and a bindi. When she is dressed, the narrator looks in the mirror:

"I feel like I am floating in an ocean of blue. The shiny material makes me sparkle. I think it looks beautiful."

When mama asks, "what do you think?", the little girl answers, "I think I look like you."

It's a simple story on the surface of things, but the text speaks volumes about growing up, mother-and-daughter relationships, and family traditions. Elena Gomez' s warm, lush paintings fit Makhijani's text perfectly and bring the saris and mother and daughter to life. "Mama's Saris" is a lovely, heartfelt debut and not to be missed.

Mama's Saris by Pooja Makhijani is an eloquent and colorful presentation of a story that celebrates the beauty of saris, and the special role they play in an East Indian family. The story is a vivid portrayal of a conversation between a mother and her daughter around the daughter's desire to wear one of Mama's precious saris for her 7th birthday party. It is based on a simple fact common to most cultures - "little girls LOVE to play dress up in their moms' clothes, and discover in themselves the images of their mothers."

A little girl is celebrating her seventh birthday. And obviously, there is a party for which Mama is planning to wear a sari. The little girl has to help her mother decide which sari to wear for the party. When Mama flips open the suitcase filled with saris that she wears only for special occasions, the girl's excitement to wear one on herself naturally increases. They talk about the different occasions Mama wore each of her saris - a black chiffon one "that shimmers like the night-time sky" she wore for Devi Masi's annniversary; the magenta one with "a herd of galloping deer embroidered on it" is the one she wore when Nanima came to visit the first time. And so on and so forth....Finally, the little girl picks an orange one that Mama tells her she wore when the little girl was first brought home from the hospital. She watches her mama elegantly tie the sari, and "weave the fabric into an accordion between her slim fingers."

Seeing her mother shimmer in a beautiful sari, the girl feels a stronger desire to look all grown-up like Mama. And she explains to her Mama she wants to pick a sari for herself because she is a big girl who can "pour her own glass of milk in the morning without spilling and also, does not need the nightlight anymore." Finally, Mama agrees to grant her wish only because it's her birthday. So Mama ties a beautiful, blue sari with gold flowers on her little girl by wrapping the fabric around her again and again. She also gives her bangles to match, and then puts a beautiful glittery bindi in the middle of her forehead! And then asks, "So, what do you think?", and the girl answers with a sparkle in her eye, "I think I look like you!"

I love books like this one where the text and the illustrations enhance each other so much that you can actually feel the textures, and fabrics of the different saris that the little daughter admires in her mother's collection. In fact, wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe that the text and the illustrations flow together just as beautifully as the pleats and folds of an elegantly clad sari. I loved the part in which the author so beautifully describes the little girl's fond memories of her nanima's saris - "the folds and nooks of nanima's saris holding lots of secrets; safety pins and coins fastened on the inside; the smell of cardamom and sandalwood soap all over." That was a neat treat!

Final say:
Mama's Sari is a multi-cultural and a multi-sensory treat.
This book can be just as pretty, stylish, delicate and dignified as your mother's collection of saris! So, let's share the tender and delicate tale of Mama's Saris with our children. Add this to your mother/daughter collection of all things precious! I am sure your family will cherish the book, and talk about it for a long time. Moms/dads of sons, may be the author is considering doing a sequel - Papa's Kurtas???? :D

Additional Resources for Mama's Saris: There's a teacher's guide available on the author's website. A great resource to discuss some of the things that the book highlights. The guide has discussion questions, and project ideas.

Aside from seeing, touching, smelling,and of course, reading the book many,many times, my daughter and I loved singing the lyrics of Mama's Saris (available on the author's website) to the tune of "Frere Jacques"...LOVELY,LOVELY IDEA!

"Mama's Saris

Mama's Saris

Orange and Blue

Eggplant too

Folded Pleats of secrets

Folded Pleats of secrets

Try one on!

Try one on!"

Intrigued with the idea of acquiring some sari fabric, I visited a store in my metropolis that sells clothing and fabric from India. What an amazing experience!

Long rolls of fabric lined the walls. It was like a glittering, glowing shimmering color wheel. Initially, the best we could manage was, "um, how about...orange." We were faced with more patterns and shades of orange to red to yellow than we could take in. The sales woman cheerfully pulled down bolt after bolt and sent the rolls of fabric shooting across the large tables so we could see the amazing designs and hues.

We left with three lengths of color feeling dazzled and elated.

This memory was in my mind as I looked at Pooja Makhijani's new book, Mama's Saris. The little girl in the story is celebrating her seventh birthday and asks to wear one of her mother's saris. Thinking the girl is too young, the mother tries to negotiate the request with her daughter, "Why don't you wear your chaniya choli?"

Ultimately, she is moved by the strength of her daughter's memories of her different saris and acknowledges this special occasion by letting her daughter select one to wear.

The tender give and take between them is beautifully written.

Elena Gomez has caught the glow and shimmer of this elegant clothing in the backgrounds of the illustrations. The fabric fairly swirls off the page as the little girl looks at herself, in the mirror for the first time, dressed in a blue sari with gold bangles on her arm.

Beautiful!

I guess I never really realized that it was a universal instinct. You are born. You grow a little older. And then one day your raid your mother's closet, trying on her dresses, shoes, scarfs, and so on for the sole purpose of becoming, if only for a little while, older. I remember trying on my mom's wedding dress once, in all its frilly early 70s lace glory, and I was not a child usually prone to "playing dress up" as it were. Imagine then if you had a mother that wore clothes that had names like Zardosi, Banarasi, and Kalamkari. Pooja Makhijani has taken a very simple concept and has expanded it to encompass the whole wide world. With simple language and just the right words, she conveys better than anyone what it can mean to a daughter to find herself made into the image of her mom.

A small girl is about to celebrate her seventh birthday and you know what that means. Time for Mama to pull out the suitcase of saris she always stores carefully under her bed for special occasions. On this day in particular she lets her daughter pick out which sari to wear. Will it be the black chiffon one that "shimmers like the nighttime sky"? Or how about the blue with the gold flowers that dance along its border? No, nothing but the brilliant orange, "with edges that look like they have been dipped in red paint", worn on the day when our little girl was first brought home from the hospital will do. Only, it's not enough. The girl wants to finally wear a sari of her own, and this time, because it's her birthday, she's finally getting her wish. She is swathed in blue, bangled to match, and then in the final crowning touch is given the kiss of beautiful glittery bindi right in the center of her forehead. And when asked what she thinks, the kid answers in delight, "I think I look like you!"

There's an awfully helpful Author's Note at the beginning of the book that provides quite a bit of sari-related information for people who, like myself, haven't been initiated into the world of Kantha and the like. Says Ms. Makhijani, "I wrote Mama's Saris after realizing that my own fascination with my mother's fancy clothes was not unique. It seemed as if each of my female friends, regardless of ethnicity or age, remembers being captivated by her mother's grown-up clothes." True nuff. Extra points for the rather nice Glossary of terms, also at the front of the book, that defines everything from what a didi is to chaniya choli, alongside pronunciations. As for the text itself, it really does convey the yearning many a little girl feels towards becoming as glamorous as her mother. Add in the extra delight of dress-up and you've got yourself a book that speaks to all kids of all persuasions.

Now sometimes the stars align in just the right way to allow a first-time picture book author like Ms. Makhijani to be paired with just the right illustrator. What this book required was an artist that could match the author's eloquent ode to the sari in a realistic fashion. A messy illustrator or representational one working primarily in the realm of splotches and blots would not have done this book any justice at all. Elena Gomez is no newcomer to the world of picture book illustration, but she has yet to be recognized fully. And in the case of "Mama's Sari", she proves herself to be especially good at repeating vibrant patterns in this story, and everything from the bedspread to the saris to the wallpaper is reproduced here magnificently. I also enjoyed the moments when the narrator would discuss a moment from the past and Gomez would accommodate by showing the characters from that moment as snapshots lovingly framed and fallen against a multitude of glorious fabrics. Interestingly enough the artist's figures are far more natural when they aren't side-views of faces. Sometimes a shot from the side will look a little forced or unnatural. It rarely happens, however, and she makes up for these with pictures like the magnificent view of the girl's mother smiling in her vibrant orange and red sari, as her daughter pouts over her left shoulder, simultaneously entranced and envious.

All in all, a soft and sweet little book. Written with love and illustrated with obvious care, it definitely is a keeper through and through. Consider adding it to your own collection should you feel you need to beef up your mother/daughter selection. A perfect Mother's Day gift, to say the least.