Elliott Books

This book is Book #2 in Joan's series, THE BABY BET. It centers around the MacAllister family and their friends. Every time a woman is pregnant, The Baby Bet goes into action. Everyone puts twenty dollars into a pot, and Forrest MacAllister, who is the current champion of The Baby Bet, determines not only the sex of the baby but how many babies the woman is going to have. This is usually done prior to a doctor's appointment, and when Forrest announces the news, he does so by producing stuffed toy rabbits (each rabbit representing a baby) in either blue or pink (representing the sex of the baby).

Deedee Hamilton and Ryan MacAllister meet at his sister's twins' birthday party. Now Deedee and Ryan have known each other for several years, but neither have really gotten to know each other due to Ryan's cold, aloof manner (as a result of his wife being killed in an emergency room two years before). Both have deceased spouses, and both believe that they're happy with the way they've been living their lives so far. Yet it troubles Deedee seeing Ryan being so alone, so distant, so she resolves to get him to live again. They start to spend time together, and both become instantly extremely attracted to each other. (Yet they deny it and claim it's only lust.) After having a *wonderful* date together, they make love at Deedee's and the next morning agree to be friends and lovers. Nothing more, nothing else. No strings attached. They also agree to reevaluate their lives since both are secretively miserable with the current state of their lives. (Ryan had resigned from the police force after his wife's death. Deedee wants to start a family, but is a widow.)

FRIENDS, LOVERS...AND BABIES! was a truly enjoyable book about two people finding each other and deciding to live again. Funny, lighthearted, and a quick read. I got through it in two days. The fastest I've ever read a category romance. I was a little annoyed at how Deedee and Ryan "muse" a lot over things, and how Ryan was constantly "running his hands down his face." I *almost* put down the book when Ryan confronted Deedee after finding out she was pregnant. I was almost too uncomfortable with the accusations he was throwing at her. Especially the comment how she just used him for "stud service." But, overall, a wonderful read.

Deedee Hamilton is introduced to us in the first of the Baby Bet series books-Angels and Elves. Deedee runs the bookstore and is best friends with Andrea and Jillian. Andrea's brother Ryan is a cop and at the beginning of the book we discover that his wife is tragically killed and two years later he is still secluding himself from life. He has retired from the police force, never dates, and hardly participates in family functions. Deedee is a life long friend of the MacAllister clan and wants to help Ryan. Deedee, herself, is a widow and feels she can help Ryan. This is a beautiful love story of two people waking up and deciding to live again with the help of each other and family. The great thing is if you are reading the Baby Bet series than you will be happy to know that the rest of the MacAllister clan is involved in this book as well. It is just a fun series.

Frogs and the Ballet, written by Donald Elliot, is a fun, witty and yet serious book of ballet. Detailed illustrations by Clinton Arrowood create a book that all lovers of ballet can enjoy. Whether they are a professional, or a first year student, or whether they take ballet at all.

What a lovely book! It comically brings to life the ballet positions and steps using expressive frogs and humorous phrases to do so. The creative art is a fresh look at classical ballet, and all readers will come away with a new view of dance! This fantasia-like book is a must have for anyone who loves ballet!

My kids and their grandfather love this book. The end will bring a tear to your eye. Too cute!!

Great gift for a grandparent. My father in law loved this book and loves reading it to my son. What a great book to bond with & great father's day gift.

Green Mountain Farm is one of my favorite books on county living. The book focuses not on "how-to" but rather on nature, eccentric characters, contented introspection, and concise philosophical musings. The book is a collection of essays describing a life that many of us dream about: leaving the city to create a happy and successful life in a beautiful countryside. Merrick writes in excellent prose, full of crystal-clear imagery, wit, and occasional humor, easily carrying the reader into his world.

Merrick converts the tedium, never-ending farm work, and other hardships of life on a remote farm into benefits. Even mistakes are fortunate. "We did everything wrong, but it turned out right." Perhaps this rosy view of such a life was mostly due to Merrick's outlook: "It's a matter of temperament, you see."

This book tells the story of a writer who settles in Vermont in 1934 with his family. It is filled with personal stories of adventures that the family had and the people that they met. Early in the book, an immigrant ski maker convinces the family to move up to the Northeast Kingdom. Merrick describes the early days of the ski industry, when people still wore homemade equipment on the slopes. He also describes his part in the 1930s survey of farming practices, contrasting his own experiences working his farm to supplement his writing income.

We have several Lang Elliot CD's, and we and the children enjoy listening to them as we drive as a change of pace from music. I use them, surprisingly to most, to keep awake when driving at night, especially "Voices of the Swamp".

Delighted,

Peter Gareis

There we were, 3 1/2 miles from our vehicle, snug in our geodesic dome tent having backpacked into Monongahela National Forest in WV in August 1981. The setting was idyllic, on the bank of bubbling, scenic Seneca Creek.

In the wee hours of the night, we were awoken by a loud, repeated bellowing. This was no cow. Nor was it a wolf or a coyote. What type of animal could have made that disturbing, haunting noise? Our imaginations ran wild. Was it a sasquatch?

Absolutely beside ourselves, we frantically scanned the edge of the forest with our flashlight for any signs of our nemesis. Fortunately, nothing was seen. I lit our Coleman lantern and left it aglow. Our hope was that it might serve as a deterrent to our erstwhile attacker.

25 years on, I ordered Lang Elliott's Guide to Wildlife Sounds, half wondering if somehow we could bring closure to that terrifying experience. I put the disc into our CD player. Five seconds into track 16, there it was! Mystery solved! And, yes, we had reason to be concerned...

In August 1983, we were confronted with a lesser mystery. We'd arrived at Thompson Falls in northwest Montana long after dark. After pitching our tent and securing our camp for the night, a mysterious sound came from the woods above. What was it? Sixteen seconds into track 29, we now know it to be a barred owl.

This is a great disc. You'll hear a lot of familiar sounds that will give you that, "A ha! Now I know what it is," feeling. Each track is thirtysome seconds long. And, the pictures in the accompanying book are exquisite.

In The Gift, the GypsyBridge Friends series of children's books builds on its impressive start in The Vine. The concept for the series initially surprised me and I had to sleep on that surprise before I understood all of my reactions. I can't remember ever having to think a lot about a children's book before. Since then, I've come to be very enthusiastic about the concept.

The Gift is a four-part resource. First, it's a story told as a parable about a child, Sally, and her friends, Dick, Jane and Tom. Second, it's a Bible lesson using the parable. Third, it's a play lesson with reusable materials. Fourth, it's a series of teaching suggestions for parents (located behind the materials).

But to say that understates the versatility of this book. Most such books pretty much can be used only as a picture book and then as a reader at a beginner level. The Gift can be used at three levels: a picture book; then as a book where the child has the material read aloud to her or him; and then as a reader that is appropriate for about third grade with over 2000 words in it.

Here's the parable. The four children are neighbors in a seemingly adult-bereft world. God and Jesus are around . . . but not visibly. Like most children, the four find themselves sitting glumly on a park bench one day because they are bored. "What can they do to make things better?" Reciting the rhyme, "Gifts from God," cheers up all but Sally, who just walks off as they others are getting excited. Sally just feels sad. Jane fixes a tea party for her, but that doesn't cheer Sally up. Antics by Spot, the dog, make Sally cry and walk away again. The other children feel sadder because Sally is sad. The next day, they take her a cake . . . but Sally just cries again. And she doesn't feel like playing. "Who could help them?" They go to their Father's house through the front door with Jesus' name on it. Suddenly, Sally realizes she should pray to Jesus and ask his help. "Make me joyful in you again." "She feels peace inside her, and the sadness doesn't seem to matter any more, Jesus will take care of it." The children tell Father about the problem and He says He can and will fix it. They all feel better. A few days later, Jane visits Sally again to find that Sally has found a new pet, a fluffy white cat named Fluffy. Jane is happy now and Sally thanks Father.

The parable's lesson is from Philippians 4:6-7. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." The parable is nicely explained in this context.

The book's activity involves playing Jane's Game. There are outlines of Spot, Fluffy, a teapot and two cups on a page that can be decorated with dry erase markers (you'll need to use your own). In the example images, there are also shapes like those in The Vine so you could also put those shapes on the outlines.

Visually, the book will be very appealing to most children. It uses computer-generated animation methods similar to those in the movie "Toy Story." Since it's about children, they will find the material relevant. Also, there are two girls and two boys so there's a chance to relate to a same-sex character. One of the characters, Tom, appears to be African-American which encourages racial openness.

When I was young, I enjoyed the comic-book versions of the Bible that were distributed in Sunday School. These made the stories come to life for me. Unfortunately, there were no similar materials when I was younger. The GypsyBridge Friends fill in that gap in an imaginative way. Now every day can bring a Sunday School lesson for preschoolers and beginning readers!

After you have been reading this delightful book with your child from a while, I suggest that you pray with your child to ask for God's help. That's a way that you can be a greater gift to your child.

The GypsyBridge Friends series of children's books is off to an impressive start in The Vine. The concept for the series surprised me and I had to sleep on that surprise before I understood all of my reactions. I can't remember ever having to think a lot about a children's book before.

The Vine is really a four-part resource. First, it's a story told as a parable about a child, Dick, and his friends, Sally, Tom and Jane. Second, it's a Bible lesson using the parable. Third, it's a play lesson with reusable materials. Fourth, it's a series of teaching suggestions for parents (located behind the materials).

But to say that understates the versatility of this book. Most such books pretty much can be used only as a picture book and then as a reader at a beginner level. The Vine can be used at three levels: a picture book; then as a book where the child has the material read aloud to her or him; and then as a reader that is appropriate for about third grade with over 2000 words in it.

Here's the parable. The four children are neighbors in a seemingly adult-bereft world. God and Jesus are around . . . but not visibly. God's hand starts the story when a coupon floats down from the sky where Dick sees it. The coupon offers one free vine of life "Guaranteed to bring you Joy. Ask in the name of Jesus." Dick heads down to Dad's store and the person at the Customer Service desk gives him a box with a little booklet and a pot in it containing a vine with two tiny leaves. Dick plants the vine right by his front door and heedlessly throws the instructions away without reading them. He waits for the joy to come. While he's waiting, a mug labeled THOUGHTLESSNESS appears mysteriously. Dick tastes it, drinks more and pours the rest on his vine. When Dick returns home from playing with Tom and his dog, Spot, a big purple vine has taken over the front of his house. He angrily cuts the vine down. Next, he starts playing ball with himself. Spot wants to play, too, but Dick won't let him. A can labeled SELFISHNESS arrives. He drinks from that and pours the rest on his vine. He goes for a walk. Now his house is covered with the purple vine again and a new yellow one on one side. Dick gets even angrier and orders his friends to leave him alone. A glass labeled ANGER appears. Dick drinks and pours the rest on his vine. He goes inside and shuts the door. While he's there the purple and yellow vines return along with a red one. He cannot get out of the house! With clippers he can finally get out a window. He asks, "Why would Jesus do this?" Tom asks Dick if he had read the instructions. Dick finds the instructions and finds out that he should "Plant this vine with the love of Jesus. Water with Prayer. Prune with the word of God." There's a box labeled "Love of Jesus," a jar labeled "Prayer," and a small pair of clippers labeled "Word of God." He follows the instructions and all is well.

The parable's lesson is from John 15:1-2 and 5. "Jesus said, I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a person remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." The parable is nicely explained in this context.

The book's activity is using simple shapes to make an image which can easily be turned into a grape vine climbing a trellis.

Visually, the book will be very appealing to most children. It uses computer-generated animation methods similar to those in the movie "Toy Story." Since it's about children, they will find the material relevant. Also, there are two girls and two boys so there's a chance to relate to a same-sex character. One of the characters, Tom, appears to be African-American which encourages racial openness.

When I was young, I enjoyed the comic-book versions of the Bible that were distributed in Sunday School. These made the stories come to life for me. Unfortunately, there were no similar materials when I was younger. The GypsyBridge Friends fill in that gap in an imaginative way. Now every day can bring a Sunday School lesson for preschoolers and beginning readers!

After you have been reading this delightful book with your child from a while, I suggest that you try to create your own book together drawing from the Bible as your inspiration. That's another way that you can be a branch from the vine of Jesus.

you will be hard pressed to find a more thorough account of these bird families, and even groups like the Columbiformes and Psittaciformes that are highly varied in behaviour and morphology etc are given a well rounded overview. the introductory discussion on general characteristics of the family provides details about the general biology (natural history, diets, breeding cycles and population dynamics, ecology etc.), and their interactions with humans (persecution and propagation etc.) among other concepts. as with the other books in the series, all described species and subspecies are illustrated and a field-guide style blurb is offered on each (covering physical features, abundance and distribution and any particulars about their biology like diet, reproduction etc.).
this is a great book and anyone with any kind of ornithological interest (even just a pet parrot) will find something of value in this book - Get a copy!

My name is Per Bergman and I'm interested in parrots and when I need to get some information about a specific parrot, I haven't found a better lexicon to look for untill I find this book .In this book you can look by name, in several different languages including scientific language. If you dont have the name, you are able to find the right bird by looking on the very nice and well done pictures in the book.And it is very easy to find in the lexicon, it's easy to look in and the text is sharp and exact.Even if you have access to the internet, you hardly can be without this eminnent lexicon A very nice jobb indeed.

We have two other "Hunter and Stripe" books, and love them all. This was a great addition to the collection.

L.M. Elliott is the most entertaining, morally informative writer
for youngsters and teenagers alike. Her work gets better with each new
literary adventure, and HUNTER'S BIG SISTER is no exception:
it's the best yet; and so is L.M. Elliott the best children's - and "younger reader" -
writer out there. She is, simply put and to quote my son, "amazing!"

Probably the best book available on its subject. Recommended for students of comparative politics and anyone with leftist political values.

The book offers a stimulating and enlightening analysis on contemporary social democracy and the social democratic party politics in Europe. To note only few of the book's strengths, reference should be made to: the extensive comparative material incorporated, the informative historical account included, the multiplicity of parameters explored and their in depth examination (for example, the study of the electorate in comparative perspective, the examination of the relations between social democratic parties and trade unions, the analysis of the social democratic party political platforms). Apart from suggesting a new perspective for the analysis of social democracy, through what is identified as a process of "great transformation", the book provides an excellent basis for the study of the developments evolved in the politics of the social democratic tradition in the European party systems, suitable for both the student and the expert.
Last but not least, the merits of the book include, an enhanced relevance for the political scientist and the researcher of party politics in Europe. The current juncture in European politics and the new challenges that social democracy is facing in Europe (ex. the case of France) have reinforced the significance of the author's arguments on the fragility and vulnerability of social democracy's electorate force and on the loosening of its ties with its traditional social base.
An excellent book, well written, easily read, substantive on its subject matter, which is worth purchasing.

My 20 month old loves this book. He wants to read it again and again. He loves all of the animals and pulling out the tabs. I bought it right after a trip to the zoo so we could talk about the animals and the sounds they make. He loves it and has learned all of the animals names and sounds. Great book for a car trip or airplane ride....keeps them busy!

My toddler absolutely loves this book. She has learned where you pull the tab out on each page and looks in that direction on the page (and even tries to pull the tab herself!). Its a book that really grows with the child and the illustrations are colorful - eye-grabbing for your little one. I highly recommend.