Park Books

JUST WHEN YA THINK YOU MIGHT KNOW QUITE A BIT ABOUT SOMETHING AT DISNEY, A BOOK LIKE THIS COMES ALONG AND REMINDS YOU OF JUST HOW MUCH DISNEY PUTS INTO THEIR ATTRACTIONS, AND JUST HOW MUCH YOU ACTUALLY "DON'T" KNOW!

Excellent pictures, interesting information. This is a must have for Disney fans of the Haunted Mansion! It even covers Disney's other haunted mansions around the world, and the Haunted Mansion movie. Everything you ever wanted to know!

THis book was great! A ton of information on the ride! I couldnt put it down! It was great.

This book is a must read for ALL ages and ANYONE interested in Disney theme park attractions around the globe. Any Disney fan knows that the Imagineers are very particular about what is revealed to the general public in terms of how they make their Disney 'magic' and I was pleasantly surprised (being an avid Disney fan myself) by the research that went into the making of this book and the amount of knowledge shared with the reader - it DOES in fact reveal some secrets of the mansion and never before seen history of the making of the attraction. (It confirms and dispels some rumors about the attraction once and for all too!) A pattern of discussion is followed throughout the book as you are verbally walked through the mansion's corridors and rooms. Surrell consistently covers the Haunted Mansion in a logical order (Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris) in every chapter. He takes the subject matter full circle by including information about how the attraction was translated to the big screen, and gives the reader insight to how decisions were made pertaining to set design, costume design, and casting for the movie of the same name. If you want an intelligent, thorough and enjoyable read about a classic Disney attraction, and especially an insight to the magic that is Imagineering, this is a MUST READ!

You buy this book thinking it's a great "behind-the-scenes" resource, but it's not. Yes, there is some background information, but the book skips confusingly from park to park, and offers very little technical information on the special effects. The photos are all standard Disney promotional stuff...this book tells you what Disney wants you to know, and nothing else.

Go to doombuggies.com for a much better treatment of this classic ride.

Thank you, Barbara Parks for letting America's favorite first grader learn a splendid Christmas lesson in Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (p.s. so does May.)!

Even at holiday time, Junie is up to her expected tricks, and there's an awful rivalry with Tattletale May. But, alls well that ends well, with tons of laughs on the way to a heartwarming ending.

Brava, Barbara Parks!

These books are Christmas gifts for our granddaughter. She loves thenm and I was pleased with the quick delivery of them from the vendor.

I have never seen my child go through a book this fast!!! We got it for him last night at about 6:00pm, and by 9:00am this morning he was like, "Wow, that was a great book!" He couldn't put it down. He read it at dinner last night, before he went to bed, when he woke up he immediately grabbed this book, he read it through breakfast, and he finished it in the car on our way to the store this morning. I am SHOCKED! All this from a kid who refuses to read anything for more than 20 minutes (which is the amount of time his teacher requires all the students to read their assigned books for homework). I'm buying him the Junie B. Dumb Bunny book for Christmas. It is the only other one rated 5 stars on this website.

Junie B. does it again...she makes us laugh during one of the most memorable holidays in a young child's life!! We see a soft side of Junie B. which rarely shows itself, but allows us to get to know her that much more AND teaches us a life lesson! My daughter and I loved reading this together!

Another story in the series by Park! Keeps you laughing - and will take you down memory lane as Junie B. gets ready for Christmas & will remind you of ALL those "fun" lyrics we made up to Christmas songs! She's still irrepressible & even though her language is "becoming more adult" there are still enough "Junie B.-isms" to keep you in stitches. If you're collecting the series, get going to the cash register!

I am a teacher and I use this book to teach point of view, voice, and character studies, as well as visual clues and class bias. It can be enjoyed as a visually stimulating illustrated book for younger children and as a enjoyable and interesting learning exercise for older children. I enjoy and value this book!

As many teachers and parents have outlined in their reviews of Voices in the Park, Anthony Brown has handed us a remarkable gift. A colleague and I found a single copy of Voices in the Park at a local bookstore where we literally good-naturedly bickered over who would get to buy the book and use it first in her classroom (I won!). I can think of no better book to begin to introduce the concept of voice/point of view to students. I used this book as I began a unit on point of view with my students in Reader's Workshop (3rd grade) and was amazed at the symbolism and subtle nuances they discovered as they explored Voices in the Park for weeks. Even a few weeks into our exploration, my students were still shouting with joy every time they noticed how the illustrations accompanied a shift in mood within the text. Voices in the Park deserves far more stars than are available to give it here. It is a treasured part of my classroom collection. I highly recommend it.

Anthony Browne is the author and illustrator of more than 20 children's books such as Gorilla, Willy's Pictures, Into the Forest and Silly Billy. He has won numerous awards for his work including, the highest international honor for illustration the Hans Christian Anderson Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal twice and the Kurt Maschler Award three times. Browne has once again gone above and behind with his beautiful illustration that tell a story all on their own in Voices in the Park.
Browne has written and illustrated another fabulous book involving monkeys. This intriguing story is told from the perspective of four monkey characters: a bossy woman, a sad man, a lonely boy, and a young girl. All the characters visit the same park and describe their visits completely different. Browne uses different styles of text to represent each character in the story. He also uses different color hues to help express the characters outlook on life. The illustrations have very intricate details, every time it is read a viewer notices something in the pictures that they didn't notice before.
I highly recommend this book for all parents and teachers. Every time I read this book, teachers and children alike fall in love with the very detailed illustrations and interesting story line. The children all respond by pointing out the new images they see in each picture. It is a book that never gets old and gets the children thinking about how everyone can see the same things in a different light.

This is a great book, with very clever pictures throughout. It left my 3rd grade class with much to discuss. They asked to borrow this book for quite some time. I think the only way to improve this book would have been to make the characters human instead of animals.

I found this book when I was getting my teaching certification, and wanted to teach a 4th grade class on "Voice" or point of view. It was the basis for a great lesson! I think this could be appropriate for students in 3rd grade up to a basic high school English class. The same event (a trip to the park) is told by 4 distinctly different characters who all encounter each other in the park. So the story is told 4 times, once by each character. Everything from the word choice, font style, and beautiful illustrations relates the "voice" or point of view of each person. It is not only highly instructuve, it is a visual treat and intriguing. I have read the story many times, and each time the students see something that I missed. I love this book and share it with all my teacher friends and librarians.

Lauren Manoy writes the way I too share my knowledge and experiences (and warnings) to younger people interested in witchcraft. Only I think much more than I've thought of sharing. I truly found her book interesting and useful. She's practical - "you don't have to spend a lot of money on magical tools." She is wise and cautious (as a witch must be) I appreciate her talking about the very emotional teen saying that that person would be better not practicing. I found this true in my experiences with the highly emotional teens. Educational and still retaining that historical mystery surrounding witchcraft. I do recommend it for teens but for the younger folks (girls 10 are asking me) one would have to explain it in simpler terms. Would Manoy consider a book for the younger girl and as I do when giving info on being a witch suggest a mentor? In my fictional (semi) novel, "The Skye in June", I gave my young psychic character a few mentors as I only wished I had growing up. All in all I will continue to recommend this book.

Hello,
I am 13 year old, new found Wiccan and this was the first book I read on the subject. I have just finished reading it and it an absolute pleasure to read with hints and tips through the book. The book contains ideas on her spells and rituals for if you dont have access to some of the tools and herbs etc. that you may not hav access to. Lauren makes it easy to read and not too technical without having to dumb it down.
An amazing book that i recomend for anyone wishing to learn about wicca.
I wish to read more of her work.
Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again.
Blessed be~

This is a great book. It is full of real and usefull information while keeping your attention and not going dry.this is the first book on paganism that I have been able to read all the way trough without getting bored. Lauren Manoy doesn't really put any spells into the book, she leaves her readers to do that for themselves which I really admire. There are tons of resipies. Everything from banishing poverty to getting rid of pimples. The only thing that I didn't like about this book was that it didn't really explain the book of shadows very much, only 3 pages for the entire subject. But all in all this is a wonderful book and I would encourage any beginner (or even experienced) witch read. you will not be sorry.

The one thing that disappointed me about this book was although it started off strong, acknowledging openly that the form of witchcraft known as Wicca was largely a twentieth century creation and addressing well in a section of related spiritual paths the aspects of the various schools of modern Wicca which were borrowed from other religions, the author later slides back into the practice of using phrases like "in Wiccan tradition/mythology..." By the end of the book, I didn't feel the author had done an adequate job of making clear that there isn't just one "old religion" stretching back in an unbroken line to the beginning of humanity.

Not a bad introduction for beginners by any means, especially since it does explain well the difference between various schools of Wicca and which practices come from which school, and the list of recommended works is also quite comprehensive, but I felt it could have been clearer about the origins of the beliefs.

When I started concidering the craft, I came to amazon and tried to find some good books to read on the subject. It was a little overwhelming, there were so many! I went to the local library and checked out my top thirty. After reading each and every book, this was the first one I bought. Why? Because it gave you the whole picture. There were lots of books on different types of witchcraft, history, spell casting,candle magic, tarrot readings... This was the only book that gave brief in-depth overviews of each part, in language that recognizes teens as real people that can think for themselves. She stresses that the power of the craft is not how you cast, but what you are thinking, way down in the depths of your soul. She conciders (sorry about the spelling) all possibilities, and her writing is open to everyone. If she wrote this whole book about the weather, I would still read it just because of the way she writes. I don't know how to describe it, her writing made me feel like my thoughts and emotions were being aknowleged to their full extent. Whether you are new to the craft or have been practicing for a while, defintetly read this book for the insight and unique comprehension. Read the book! You'll be glad you did!

Ever since I was a child, I have dreamed of going to visit or to live in Africa. I don't know why. I have this fascination with Africa, its culture, history, and its wildlife. But at my age and with my income the dream may not ever be possible except this one exception.

Wilderness Family is the first book that truly made me feel that I actually living in the bush of Kruger National Park. The stories shared in the book drew you into this family's lives. Rather than looking at them as an outsider peering through the window at their lives, you felt as though you were part of the family.

You could sense Leo the lion, Wolfie their dog and the way those two animals had a real relationship. It was so humorous to see Leo, this growing lion being submissive to the dog and actually thinking it was a dog at times.

It is a book that I will feel a need to pick up and read again and again as my thoughts will surely wonder to Africa and I will use it to slake my desire to be there personally.

I recommend this book to everyone. There is joy, laughter, sadness, all the emotions there is in this book, but it will happen because it dares you to live their lives with them.

I agree with all of the earlier reviews of this book - it is a must-read! My family had the privilege of visiting Kruger Park last November. Ms. Kruger does a wonderful job of capturing what it feels like to be there. I highly encourage anyone who can to make the trip - South Africa is a beautiful country that shouldn't be missed.

The question is - where do you go from here? After this book you have to take a break before launching yourself into any other read just because there's so much verve and life to this book, it lingers in you for days. You laugh with it and you cry with it. Extraordinary book!

This is one of my favorite excape reads. I've read it many times and each time get just a bit more out of it as well as the feeling of being there and wishing I was. It's an incredible adventure written with humor and honesty. Life was not easy and it certainly wasn't dull. Ms. Kruger displays the courage and humility it takes to survive, sometimes alone, as part of Africa's protector. The interaction between humans and animals, even the fearful-for-her snakes speaks volumes. It's a book I don't want to end. Imagine raising children to appreciate life in this incredible location! Wonderful.

Probably one of the most touching and stirring non-fiction books I've ever read, I finished it far too quickly. Kobie Kruger is a very talented author, with a natural talent for engendering empathy to her deepest maternal love for both animals and her children.

I found myself in tears at their losses and beaming at their joys, and craving a life in Africa, far from telephones and the other modern annoyances of society.

My first visit to Lake Tahoe last week and not knowing where to go I picked up this travel guide. Off trail and on trail the seepsprings were alive with yellows, blues, oranges and it's only going to get better. Some of the hikes at the higher elevations are still snowbound but there are plenty of listings around the lake to keep me going. The list of dayhikes in this book is staggering and since it's written by locals has real credo. You can't beat all the clean air up at Big Blue.

Authors Jerry Sprout and Janine Sprout have explored the Sierra Nevada for more than twenty years; Alpine Sierra Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Ski, Bike, Fish, Drive from Tahoe to Yosemite is the culmination of their combined experience. Written for families and veteran hikers alike, Alpine Sierra Trailblazer covers 88 different trailheads suitable for assorted levels of experience, 51 cross country ski and snowshoeing spots, 72 places ideal for fishing in lakes and rivers or creeks, 6 driving tours, 148 black-and-white photographs, 7 maps, and much more. Organized primarily by site - each ideal location to visit is listed successively, along with notes about its highlights and extensive directions - Alpine Sierra Trailblazer is an excellent supplementary resource for anyone seeking to see Sierra Nevada's natural beauty and wonders for themselves.

Since I live downslope from Yosemite and Tahoe I consider it my backyard recreation area. Cross country ski trails, hiking trails, trails bordering the Great Basin, they're all in here. I like to fish and this serves as my river guide too. It's very user friendly and has a real personal touch. These guys are trail experts and list all the good ones and those less traveled. My son and his wife have gone to Hawaii with their Kauai book and tell me it's also a winner.

This is the third guide we've used in this outdoor series. The Kauai and Golden Gate books have become mainstays in our hiking collection. I like their system for organizing their activities according to region and this one follows the same format. It spans the area from Yosemite's Tioga Pass, takes in Ebbetts and Monitor and Carson passes and covers south Lake Tahoe's turf. This is the author's home base and they certainly have the credentials for knowing all the best trails and sightseeing backroads.

There aren't many adventure guides that feel as personal or are multi-use like this one. We cross country ski, fish, hike, camp and mountain bike so for our family it's a perfect fit.

Two books you most definitely need if you're hanging out at Tahoe is this one and the Tahoe Rim Trail guide. This area has some of the best hiking in the western U.S. We found both books to be extremely current and clearly written.

So far we've used them for both dayhiking and and overnight backpacking trips up at the north end of Lake Tahoe and due south around Carson Pass. Having two to compare has given us extra ideas for sidetrips. We're a family of four and have gotten alot of use from these top notch trail resources.

For any Cleveland native or visitor, this book depicts the Metroparks as it is, in its natural beauty. I ride through the "Emerald Necklace", as it's known, on my motorcycle at least twice annually with my father. The book reminds me of those experiences.

Of particular interest, beyond the great photography, are the histories and information about each of the park reservations. I highly recommend this book.

My husband's grandfather gave him a subscripition to the Emerald Necklace newsletter when he was a young boy. I bought this book for his dad because he is a Cleveland history buff. When Jim saw it, he mentioned how the Emerald necklace would always remind him of his grandfather who used to take him to the various parks around their neighborhood. If you live in Cleveland, you must have this book. It depicts all of the parks in seasonal splendor and even if you haven't visited them all, you will appreciate what a "gem" we have here in Cleveland in the Emerald Necklace. Thanks to Gary for bringing back fond childhood memories for my husband and the family and creating a keepsake for generations to come!

This book rekindles some great childhood memories. During the 1940's and 50's, my friends and I roamed the "valley" as we called it then. Mr. Marmolya captured countless treasures, cropping out today's clutter, and displaying them as they were 50 years ago. That reflects true talent. This is the first book that I have ever purchased after having read a copy from Cuyahoga County Library. Super book!

I have seen many photos that Gary Marmolya has done. He has the ability to capture the essence of Cleveland in his work, and his attention to detail shows us off well. His photos of the four seasons are spectacular. If he's not doing this work full-time, then Cleveland is missing a great photographer who could "sell" our town to many outsiders looking to relocate. He has a great creative soul.

GEMS OF THE NECKLACE IS A MOST UNUSUAL BOOK-FIRST OF ALL I LOVE
HOW GARY MARMOLYA CAPTURED A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE OF EACH SEASON
FOR EACH OF THE RESERVATIONS IN THE PARK SYSTEM. THEN THE BEST
PART IS AT THE BACK OF THE BOOK WHERE HE EXPLAINS WHY HE TOOK
THAT PARTICULAR PICTURE AND WHAT HE WAS FEELING AT THE TIME.
SO THEN, WHEN YOU GO BACK TO LOOK AT THE PICTURE AGAIN,YOU VIEW
IT WITH MORE MEANING THAN JUST A PRETTY PICTURE.
GEMS OF THE NECKLACE IS A MUST HAVE-NOT ONLY FOR PEOPLE FAMILIAR

WITH THE PARK SYSTEM BUT A BOOK SO UNUSUAL,EVERYONE WILL ENJOY IT.A GREAT GIFT FOR ANY OCCASION.THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!!!!!!

This book is so very good that after reading it I feel like I have been there already. It seems to be very complete.

My wife and I recently came back from a 2-week RV trip from Alaska exploring as far north as Chena Hot Springs and as far south as Seward and had a wonderful time. This guide book helped us tremendously on our journey because it was easy to use, accurate, and comprehensive. If and when we do decide to return to Alaska for another trip, we'll be sure to buy the same guide and the latest edition.

This is great for the RV's not so good for tent campers and Motorcycle Adventure tourers.

This is a very detailed book that gives a very good sense for the various campgrounds in Alaska. It provides phone numbers for most places, and we were able to call ahead to check availability and if the wash facilities were available and to check hours of operation. GPS locations are also given for each campground. It also lists some points of interest around the area of the campgrounds. This along with The Milepost were invaluable.

This is a GREAT book! I highly recommend it if you are planning a trip to Alaska. It is VERY informative and VERY detailed. I enjoyed it immensely and I know I will take it with me when I visit Alaska next year! Thanks to the authors for such a great book!

Great book for any Linkin Park fan. I enjoyed the pictures and reading about the tour and how they made their videos.

My friend and I are vietnamese fans of LP and we must say that it's really hard for us here to buy anything about LP we like, because most websites never ship to Vietnam. But luckily, a friend of mine told me about this site. And the first thing we bought when we entered this site was "From the inside". This book is something I think every diehard fans of LP must have. It's full of beautiful pictures, lovely quotes from LP members and commentaries of Mr Hahn about all the videos in Meteora album. I found out a lot more about all the LP members and how they made music. You should really buy this book, I swear you'll be satisfied with it.

I've been a Linkin Park fan for probably about 6 years now and I'm amazed every time hear something new from them. The creativity and energy they put into each note, each measure of anything they put thier names on. That type of dedication is severely lacking in the music business today. I'm glad to say to say I'm a fan, without any hesistation or worries. I've read this book, 2 maybe three times and it's the kind of book you can go back to and get new views of the bands months or years after the initial read. It's a good job, well written and an easy read, not at all full of superflous language and unnecissary jargon. It proves they are a band of thier word, just average kids from SoCal, with nothing more in mind than making great music.

If you are a Linkin Park fan, want to know more about the band, or just want to recognize how six down to earth guys spend their time on tour, this book's for you. This is a diary of life on the road. It is filled with beautiful pictures, and look inside minds of one of the greatest rock bands in history! A must have for any Linkin Park fan!

From the Inside: Linkin Parks Meteora is a really good book. It tells you how the band started out and gives you interesting facts about the band, Linkin Park. The book tells you what the fans mean to the band, and where the root of their songs and music comes from. A 'Rolling Stone' reporter gives you his insight on the band, and talks about the interview he had with Linkin Park. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Linkin Park, or to anyone in a band, or starting a band. They give you good tips to keep in mind if you are in a band and making music, and what to expect.

When Harry Harlow started exploring the science of affection it was in the face of disregard and opposition in the world of medicine and psychology. But he was able to show that affection is vital to the proper development of the newly born, as too is the measured rejection of the newly born's parents when the time is right. Consequently we now encourage the bonding of parents and children through physical handling. (Perhaps more affectionate and supportive friendships outside the family have developed as a result also.)

These were great insights for society and yet Harlow did face opposition. Just when he was saying the role of the mother (and father - but he was less vocal about that) was vital to the upbringing of the baby, the womens liberation movement was trying to get women more freedom - more equality on the basis of being the same as men. How could this new emphasis on the importance of the role of parents (principally women as men were traditionally the 'bread winners') be tolerated? To me, however, there is a mistake in this. We should not be treated equally because we are the same - but for the very opposite reason - because we are all unique. If we are to get the best from each unique individual then each individual must have equal rights and opportunity. Unfortunately Harlow's approach to opposition was often rude and confronting.

After his death Harlow's research faced another challenge - this time from the animal liberation activists. Harlow had done his experiments on monkeys principally, and these experiments necessarily had damaging (and surprising) results for the animals experimented on. Harlow did care for the animals and provided for them as well as he could in difficult circumstances - for example, he always tried to 'restore' emotionally damaged animals. Although we may now regret the methods he and his students used, and certainly not want to repeat them for the sake of student exercises, we should not lose sight of the vital information that was uncovered.

Deborah Blum's book is engaging and revealing - especially concerning the history of human behaviour with regard to affection and love. It is surprising how recent (1950s) some attitudes were that are now totally overthrown, at least in part because of Harlow's work.

But does psychology have more lessons to learn from Harlow? It is my belief that this is so. I recently had a workplace experience where I was confronted by a workplace bully. But immediately I knew this bully was not picking on me - this was just characteristic behaviour that was applied to everyone they worked with. All the stories and rumours I had heard - and continued to hear with more clarity - suddenly had greater presence for me. To overcome my distress at this situation I used the free staff counselling service offered by my employer. Perhaps in doing that I was already demonstrating my capacity to manage, to cope. What, however, of my colleagues who I now had insight to the terrible behaviour of the bully for them? Harlow would not have been surprised that I had bonded with these people - to some more closely than others. But the psychologist/counsellor understood nothing of this - as long as I was dealt with (the immediate client) nothing else could be done. But the only thing that could really be done for me was to smash all the bonds I had built with my colleagues so that I was no longer concerned for them. Was that reasonable?

And what of psychology offered to one of a married couple privately from the bond that links them. What is the risk that this will actually prise apart the bond that needs to be strengthened or at least maintained? I'm not sure how psychology should handle these matters but it continues to alarm me that the insights of Harlow are still being overlooked in areas where they should not be. Is it the impact of the womens liberation and animal liberation movements that have denigrated the research sufficiently to block its use in other areas?

other recommendations:
'Workplace Monsters' John Clarke (Random House Australia)
'Conditions of Love' John Armstrong
'A Crystal Age' W H Hudson

Fifty years ago I had psych classes at the UW, and I helped tend the rats in 600 N. Park. I learned about Harry Harlow, Carl Rogers, and schools of thought in Psychology. Now, finally, I understand and see the importance of what was going on here.

Deborah Blum has clarified the conflicts in behavioral science during the first half of the 20th century as my instructors never could. She has given human faces to the names that were listed in the semester timetables, but whom most students never saw. And Harry Harlow's flaws are not whitewashed, but they are understandable.

Younger readers will be aghast at the parenting style that was advocated by child health professionals over 50 years ago. Many of us, although we were not neglected or abandoned, were not cuddled and made to feel cherished. Harlow, among others, was able to disprove the validity of a sterile upbringing in creating a human adult.

And it is truly a page-turner, well written and captivating.

This book was in great shape and is an excellent read for those who want to understand

This is one of the most interesting and well written books I've ever read on this or any similar topic. To anyone who studies or has studied attachment, Blum offers an amazing look at how this early research changed the face of psychology. To anyone who has read countless poorly written descriptions of boring research studies, this book is an oasis.

I don't believe Blum has portrayed Harlow through rose-colored glasses. On the contrary, anyone reading this book might even wonder whether Harlow's neglect of his own children was a good thing, given his lack of compassion and indifference toward the suffering he caused. My copy is well-worn and has been loaned out many times. I highly recommend this book.

This is an extremely interesting book in terms of underlining how damaging scientific fads can be. The early twentieth century fad of data and cleanliness may well have led to the deaths many children as cleanliness was preferred over attention.

Unfortunately, Harry Harlow is less interesting, and provides an abominable contrast to the subject. Harlow ignores both wives and his children in search for - as he wrote in his school's yearbook - 'fame'. He becomes a chain-smoking alcoholic. Bizarrely, Blum emphasises Harlow's visionary understanding of love with, at times, an almost 'here comes superman' manner. She appears incapable of reconciling her argument that Harlow is the scientist of love with the fact that he ignored his wives and all his children!

If anything, I read the book as reflecting one man's selfish, desperate desire for achievement and fame. Thanks to his interest in monkeys, he and his students seemed to fall over the answer. Not exactly visionary.

A good read though, reflecting the pitfalls of faddish thinking, and also how scientific discoveries (if the fact that a child needs its mother is a discovery) occur. The book also reflects how difficult it can be to refute incorrect arguments.