Shepard Books

This is a delightful book, but more pictures would have been nice for the children of this age group.

yes, the book is a masterpiece... but for those raised on the movies, even "Pooh's Grand Adventure" which purports to be about the final chapter, i doubt any parent could really read this to their 6 or 7 year old. (I have to wonder if the other reviewers actually read the final chapter...) it's unbearably sad, really. maybe when my children are a little older I can read it to them... i get all teared up just thinking about it now...

The House at Pooh Corner is a beautiful edition of the classic book. I purchased it for my three-year-old great-granddaughter for a Christmas present.

It's never too late - meaning you're never too old - for Pooh bear and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. If you need an excuse, you can always say you "had to buy it for the kids!" Absolutely wonderful!

This is an exquisite book. As a young child growing up in America I was also taught some of these famous Tang Dynasty poems by my father. Though I memorized them, I could not fully appreciate their meanings till I was much older. It is a challenging endeavor to teach a child to appreciate poetry, let alone Chinese poetry. The poems in this book are beautifully translated. The translations are accurate, yet they still retain much of the lyricism and cadence of the original Chinese. I think this book is suitable for many levels. Young children will enjoy the simple imagery and the beautiful illustrations, which have all the classical qualities of traditional brush paintings but are more stylized. An older child may be able to more deeply appreciate the subtle nuances of the poems. An adult would most certainly enjoy both. Advanced students of Chinese will enjoy deciphering the Chinese characters on the margins of the pages and comparing them to the author's own translations.

Let's say you're a parent that wants to introduce some multi-ethnic picture books to your kids. Now, you've been reading the recommended reviews and you've heard of this book, "Maples in the Mist". It sounds like a good book. After all it translates the great children's poems of the Tang Dynasty in China. But let's say you're a parent that is worried that maybe a book of classical poetry will bore your little high strung moppets. Perhaps you fear that this book, while filling a need, is potentially less than perfect simply because there are so few like it out there today. Regarding fears, allow me to put your tender mind at rest. "Maples in the Mist" is not only authentic Chinese poetry, not only interesting, not only gorgeous to look at (all thanks to the illustrations of Jean & Mou-sien Tseng), but also an evocative pleasant book that parents will love just as much as their children will. It deserves to belong in every library in the world.

Author/translator Minfong Ho begins the book with some explanations. Though she attempted to get her children to love the classical Tang poetry that she grew up with, Ho found that her Sesame Street addled kiddies didn't have the inclination to sit and memorize the Chinese words. Sensing that perhaps she was going about it all wrong, Ho decided to do an official Chinese to English translation of some of the best Tang poems created with kids in mind. Though this isn't an entirely new idea, few people have translated Tang poetry recently and fewer well. To avoid some of the pitfalls that come with projects like this one, Ho decided not to retain the original rhyme schemes and instead let the poems be translated literally. The result is a collection of sixteen small lovely poems that touch on everything from boyish pranks to the color of maple leaves in the fall.

Accompanying each poem is a watercolor illustration by the artist couple Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng. According to their quote on the book jacket, the pictures have been designed, "in a classic Chinese manner". Each picture comes with a stamp of the original author as well as a Chinese version of the poem to the side. Combing through the collection, it's difficult to settle on one single poem that gives me the most pleasure. If I had to choose though, I think "Climbing Stork Tower" is my favorite. In the picture you see a small village below and in the distance peach mist circles purple mountains. The sun is sinking but is still visible and bright through the early evening haze. Even if the poem itself wasn't lovely, I could just sit and stare at this painted scene for hours and hours. In fact, I think that's part of the reason I liked these painted illustrations as much as I did. They're little pieces of art illustrating great meaningful words. And for those amongst you who wish to know more about the Tang poets themselves, Ho includes a useful section at the back of the book. Each poet receives five or six lines summing up his life (sorry, they're all male) and the role poetry played for him.

Will your children be bored by this book? Well, honestly, it depends on what kind of children you have. If your kids think the only books they'll ever want to read are the ones based on children's television characters, then no, this may not be the book for you. If, on the other hand, you have children that take the time to contemplate matters of the world a little deeply from time to time, this might be for them. This is a book for the dreamy children of the world. For the quiet worldly ones and the loud curious ones. Most importantly, it's a book that you yourself will love reading again and again and again, if only to look at the pictures and hear the pleasant words. Minfong Ho did the world a great service when she created this small gem. We owe her a debt of gratitude.

My almost three year old calls this her "Very Special Book" and asks me to read it to her at bedtime. She ties the poems together, often imagining that the man in the river boat is the son of the mother who mended the coat (two different poems in the book). While we are not of Chinese heritage, we love the softness and serenity of this book. I didn't think she would be as responsive to this book as she is, and it is wonderful to listen to her make up continuations of events unfolding in the poems. It is perfect for her to fall asleep thinking of climbing up mountains and seeing the world for a thousand miles.
I highly recommend parents read this book to very young children, especially after busy hectic days, it's as calming and soothing as a warm bath! The illustrations are as beautiful as the words.

There are pictures in the poetry, and poetry in the pictures. Of course the poems are undoubtedly classic Tang poems, often time referred to as "Thousand Years Poems" because they are so beloved by the Chinese people. I read the Chinese version of the poems and the English version; the translation is very well done. The poems are gentle and very pleasant to read, especially for those children who can't sleep without a story. I enjoyed this book very much; brought back fond memories of the time I was in preschool reciting the poems to the teacher.

This book is great for Middle School Students or even High School Students who want to review the events leading to the Constitution. I am a Middle School Teacher and plan on using the book to review my lessons with my students. Next year I plan on using it to introduce the topic!

This book gives an understandable view of how our Constitution came to be. It is good to read in context with studying other aspects of the colonial time period as well as the Revolutionary War. There is a great map at the beginning and resources at the back with the preamble as well as an explanation of the Articles and Amendments. There is a list of all the signers, a summary of important dates and bit of interesting facts about the convention and delegates. Definitely a good resource.

Maestro reviews the reasons for the Constitution, but fails to mention the Articles of Confederation. The text includes the Virginia, New Jersey, and Connecticut Plans. The book can easily be read as an introduction to the Constitution in one class period. Students could complete a drawing or group of drawings on a picture web to narrate the important details from the story.

I came across one book by Betsy Maestro "The Discovery of the Americas" and I loved it. The text is simple and the illustrations are great. It is historically accurate as well, a must in my checklist. I didn't realize she also wrote the historical series "You Wouldn't Want to..." They are my favorite!! I recommend all of her books, especially for teachers.

This amazing dramatization of the Pooh books is performed by a marvelously talented group of British entertainers who truly bring the Pooh characters gently and lovingly to life. As for this tape, I finally got this figured out. This is part of a four-tape program that represents the complete two-book Winnie-the-Pooh story collection, except the stories are out of order (probably so that they would fit equally on the tapes). Book 1, "Winnie-the-Pooh," is represented by "Pooh Goes Visiting" (stories in order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10) and "Piglet Meets a Heffalump" (stories: 5, 6, 7, 8). Book 2, "The House at Pooh Corner," is dramatized by "Tigger Comes to the Forest" (stories in order: 1 2, 4, 3, 9, 10) and "Pooh Invents a New Game" (stories 5, 6, 7, 8). When stories that depend on previous information are out of order, it gets confusing. My suggestion: Get the "Winnnie-the-Pooh" / "The House at Pooh Corner" gift pack, which is also four tapes (the same recordings), but in the proper order.

This little book is an exact reproduction of a chapter 5 in the original book, Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, with the original illustrations by Shephard enhanced by judicious watercoloring. All the charm of the original, in a perfect size for reading to littler kids, who can feel satisfied at having been read "the whole story." Also good for children just starting to read all by themselves.

Beautifully bound and illustrated, this little book is part of a series of 10 such Pooh books published by Dutton. Don't confuse these "storybooks" with the even smaller and abridged board-books.

[This is a review of the Hodder/Headline audiocassette version] I learned to read by listening (again and again and again and again) to a pair of well-loved and well-worn LPs of the Pooh stories read by Maurice Evans. I always considered them the finest Pooh audiobooks ever recorded. Up until now! Now there's this wonderful series of fully-dramatized adventures of Pooh featuring a brilliant cast of wonderful British actors: Stephen Fry ("Jeeves and Wooster") as Pooh, Geoffrey Palmer ("The Madness of King George") as Eeyore, Judy Dench ("Shakespeare in Love") as Kanga...and best of all, the *incomparable* Jane Horrocks ("Little Voice" and Bubbles from "AbFab") as a squeaky, alarmed, and altogether adorable Piglet. You don't have to be a kid to appreciate these fine recordings (and there are plenty of adult Pooh fans out there who will *love* these versions). Accept no substitutes: this is simply the finest Pooh audio series yet created...... There's more than just this one tape in the series, too. The series includes "Tigger Comes to the Forest" (ISBN: 1840322195); "Piglet Meets a Heffalump" (ISBN: 1840320524) and "Pooh Invents a New Game" (ISBN: 1840322268). Type the 10-digit ISBN number into the Amazon search field to go directly to the webpages for these cassettes.

Any one who loves Pooh, his freinds, and their crazy adventures has to read this book. After Christopher Robin describes his encounter with a huffalump Pooh suggests catching one. Then he and his freinds get themselves into something bigger than they expected!

This book should be included in the bedtime story canon, along with classics such as Goodnight Moon.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, which look like paintings done on wood canvases.

The book shows several different ways that creatures sleep- from snowy cranes to crickets- and ends with of course, boys and girls. Both my 2 year old and my 6 year old enjoy this story. A good way to end the day and settle in with your little ones.

Both my five year old and three year old love this book. There are some familiar sleepy animals like bears, horses and dogs, but there are also a few that we don't think about very often like moths, cranes and even crickets. The children find it so interesting to see how other animals sleep and then compare it to how little boys and girls sleep. My kids have a hard time "winding down" at night so this is a good transition for them. They also get to see that EVERYBODY sleeps. Also worth noting is that the images are truly beautiful. And I like the fact that while this book reads like a poem, it doesn't rhyme.

Every living being sleeps, from the bear in his dark cave, fish among the water ferns, and horses standing up switching their tails, to the snowy crane who sleeps standing on just one leg, turtles inside their shells, seals with their flippers against blocks of ice, and of course little boys and girls. Originally published in 1958, Charlotte Zolotow's Sleepy Book is as fresh and wonderful today as it was over 40 years ago. Her simple, gentle text is full of imagery and magic, and complemented by brand new, evocative illustrations. Artist, Stefano Vitale, has really captured the essence of Ms Zolotow's poetry with engaging pictures of sleeping animals in quiet, subdued tones. Together, word and art create a soothing and comforting bedtime story that will lull little ones off to dreamland. "...but little boys/ and girls,/ when the night/ comes/ and the wind/ whispers gently/ in the trees/ and the stars/ sparkle and shine,/ sleep/ warm under/ their blankets/ in their/ beds."

This is one of the best books I have ever read for children of all ages. I read it to my children and now I would like to read it to my grandchildren. My children adored this book and it always put them to sleep at night and made bedtime enjoyable!

Snarking: sneaking out when your parents are asleep, esp. to go to the theater and see the latest (or oldest) movie. Master snarkers Winston, Walter, and Rat have the technique down pat and somewhat uneventful until one night when Rat decides she wants to go to the Dharma Buns Coffee House. That night begins an adventure replete with werewolves, poets, borgelnuskies, the Napoleon of crime, and other assorted good guys and bad guys.

The town of Baconburg has never seen such a hodgepodge of people and adventures. At least not since "The Snarkout Boys & the Avocado of Death." But as long as they don't run out of Indian fruit bats, everything and everyone should turn out okay.

First published in 1984, the story doesn't seem out of date for young people born in the past few years. But to adults, parents, even young senior adults, some references bring a sense of nostalgia: Drive in movies, shopping malls. Although this is not the first in the series, the story stands alone quite well -- it actually makes one want to find the rest and read/listen to them, too. The action is swift, the characters interesting, and the plot complicated in a witty, twisted sort of way.

Pinkwater takes the reader from the familiar to the bizarre to the impossible in just a short ride. He's created a weird alternate reality that is fun for readers of all ages. In his narration he rushes headlong from beginning to end, leaving the listener breathless and tickling your fancy.

When I was in fifth grade, I thought this was the funniest and most entertaining book in the world. Twenty years later, despite high school, college and law school, my opinion of it is just as high. This is a wild, wacky, cult-classic that kids, young adults and even parents can read, enjoy and re-read over and over.

The sequel to _The Snarkout Boys & the Avocado of Death_, the book features the return of snarkers Walter, Winston and Rat, as well as Uncle Flipping; Osgood Sigerson and Dr. Sacker; the Mighty Gorilla; and that rascally Napoleon of Crime, Wallace Nussbaum. Just as the young snarkers discover the Dharma Buns Coffee House and a rising Transylvanian poet, the city of Baconburg begins to be terrorized nightly by something dark and fast and ... furry? A werewolf?! Quick, grab your stuffed Indian fruit bat and defend yourself!

Just as in _Avocado_, Pinkwater writes simply and clearly, deftly weaving the different plot-threads into a (literally) blazing finale. Quite simply, this is a great, often gut-busting, blissfully zany ride. (I only wish he'd write another one!) I ordered a copy off the internet, read it twice, and am donating it to my local library so that kids can enjoy it just as much as I did, back 'in the day'. Praise St. Barbara of Blint, five burning stars!

Sequel to The Snarkout Boys and The Avacado of Death, this is another great book by D.M. Pinkwater. While it obviously couldn't compare to the original, simply because the first was SO good, this book is still great. I read the Avacado of Death when I was in middle school (for the first time at least), and didn't discover the sequel until I was in college. So naturally that's a rather long time and my expectations were a little high I'm sure. Still, it was great to see all the characters again, and see Walter and Winston having another adventure. This book is fun to read and I highly reccomend it.

When I read this book in my early nubile childhood , I thought it was just a pretty darn funny piece o' work. Now that I'm a wee bit older and wiser I look back on Snarkout with a sort of awe, respecting it for the sheer genious and underground artistry. Werewolves, crazy speeches, donuts, hotdogs, cult movies, bitter rejects and terrible poets. Every man woman and child should experience belly lauaghter. It deserves to be the first cult classic childrens book.

The text and especially the illustrations in this book were just what I needed to explain to my kindergarten students what it would be like to visit the Statue of Liberty. The illustrator shows an aerial view of the statue on Liberty Island, the ferry needed to reach the island, and New York City in the far background. He continues with pictures showing the construction of the statue to the impressive fire works celebration on the Fourth of July. The author explains the building of the statue as well as the purpose. If you had only one book to explain the Statue of Liberty to school age children, I would recommend using "The Story of the Statue of Liberty" by Betsy Maestro and illustrated by Giulio Maestro.

This book gives a perfect response to the questions of a very inquisitive 5 year old--His teacher told a story of Lady Liberty and he was loaded with questions about her-- this book filled in the blanks--Super reading for a child and his Grampy or Grammy.

My 2 year old is facinated with the Statue of Liberty. So before we visited her in person, I wanted to find a simple worded book with lots of captivating pictures and found this one. It really does an excellent job of telling the story of how America obtained Lady Liberty. We would highly recommend this book to any American Patriot!!

I also use this book in my classroom and third graders love it. They are fascinated with the size and grandeur of the Statue of Liberty. This book tells the history of the Statue in simple text and large, vivid illustrations. (Did you know that he made it to look like his mother?) I recommend this book for 7-9 year olds. It will expand their horizons and leave them hoping that someday they will see the Statue in person.

This is a Funny Book. My Favorite Poem Is Us Two. The Poem is about Christopher Robin and Pooh.I Like The Illistrations in This Book. I Like The Book alot!

This Is a cute Book. My Favortie Poem is Us Two. What is it about? Well it is about Christopher Robin and Pooh togther. I like the Illistratrations in This Book.You should get This Book!

In this book, I found a copy of one of my childhood favorites: Forgiven. Nanny lets the beetle escape but she didn't mean to do it. It is a delightful poem with a powerful message. The message isn't hammered home in forceful way. It just flows smoothly as you might expect from A A Milne. (...)

This is a Funny Book. My Favorite Poem Is Us Two. The Poem is about Christopher Robin and Pooh.I Like The Illistrations in This Book. I Like The Book alot!

If you, like me, dream of exploring space, then this is the book for you to read. This book litteraly puts you in the shuttle during one of the flights. From countdown to landing, this book takes you through it all. Out of all the astronaut books that I have read, this one is the best.

Heard the taped version of TO SPACE AND BACK by Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space . . . though supposedly written for a young adult audience, I nevertheless found it a fascinating account of what it would be to like to have to eat, sleep and work while circling the Earth.

It has also made me think twice about consuming something as simple as a peanut butter sandwich . . . while you or I would just go to our fridge and prepare such a delicacy in minutes, when in space, you can't just do this whenever you want to . . . you must have at least one other person with you at all times to do such mundane tasks as hold the jar lid when you go to get a knife.

Long an advocate for improved science education, astronaut Sally Ride, the first American women to fly in space, has written four children's books: "Voyager: An Adventure to the Edge of the Solar System"; "The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth from Space"; "The Mystery of Mars"; and this one, "To Space and Back."

In this book Dr. Ride takes children on a first person tour of a space shuttle mission. She describes preparations for the flight, the actual launch, orbital flight with its characteristic weightlessness, and the return to Earth when the shuttle lands like an airplane on a runway.

As an example of how she approaches this subject. She writes that at launch plus six minutes: "The force pushing us against the backs of our seats steadily increases. We can barely move because we're being held in place by a force of 3 g's--three times the force of gravity we feel on Earth. At first we don't mind it--we've all felt much more than that when we've done acrobatics in our jet training airplanes. But that lasted only a few seconds, and this seems to go on forever. After a couple of minutes of 3 g's, we're uncomfortable, straining to hold our books on our laps and craning our necks against the force to read the instruments. I find myself wisping we'd hurry up and get into orbit." Then she describes how, at about eight minutes after launch, the engines cut off and she is weightless in Earth orbit.

This book is a treat for young readers. It captures the excitement and mystery of space exploration as only a veteran astronaut--one who is both reflective and committed to the education of young people--can relate it. Share it with them.

This is a wonderful, well-written book about a space shuttle mission from start to finish. My 7-year old was enthralled by the book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it to him. The book covers topics that are of interest to kids as well as adults, such as how astronauts go to the bathroom in space, how they eat, sleep and shave, etc. It also covers topics that earthbound folk such as me never even thought about, such as what is done with all the weightless hair, crumbs, and the like that float around the cabin at the end of the day. The topics range from the mundane to the scientific. Orbit, launching and retrieving sattelites, and scientific experiments are discussed in easily understable language. I highly recommend this book.

After reading Two Moons: Worthy of a Master (book 1), I couldn't wait to get Freeman's Captive. This book is just as witty, sexy, and well-written as the first.

Our heroine, Megan, finds herself on Khyra with her wonderful new lover, Khiru. However, not all is paradise, as Megan and Khiru come to understand that Megan will never be able to satisfy Khiru's complex needs as a Master -- a graduate of the exclusive acadamy where Dom/mes and subs are formally trained in the fine art of BDSM.

Back in book 1, Megan's disasterous incident with an irresponsible dom left her with emotional scars. She enters book 2 with all sorts of psychological baggage concerning masochism.

Meanwhile, the whole planet is looking to her DNA as the saving force that will keep Khyrians from eventually becoming extinct (a result of their previous meddling with reproductive genetics). As the wonderfully-twisty plot unfolds, Megan is kidnapped by rebels who want to see the Free Territories gain the same benefit from Megan's fertile body.

Megan steps up to every challenge (or, um, lays down for every challenge?) blooming into a new woman as she is forced to face her greatest fears about sex, bondage, pain, submission ... and utimately, love.

I cannot recommend this series enough, and I cannot wait for the next installment!

I couldn't put this book down, once I started it. It is a first-rate successor to Two Moons: Worthy of A Master. Beware if BDSM shocks you. Although such scenes abound, Shepard never fails to build meaningful relationships among her characters and to characterize them, especially Megan, so that the reader really cares about them. Nor does she neglect a fascinating and tension-filled plot. The leading male character, Khiru, seems remote, but I suspect that is purposeful. The second leading male character, Kalhan, although just as dominant as Khiru, seems more like a real person with honest disappointments, doubts, and emotional attachments. Minor figures such as Leeham, the neophyte submissive, are masterfully drawn and evoke sympathy and smiles from the reader. The leading villain, Vogh, is portrayed as deeply dark and evil as possible. although Shepard fleshes out the character by revealing one weak spot in his armor (I won't tell and ruin the plot!) The structure of society on the alien planet that is the setting seems carefully and believably drawn. Strong recommendation with the caveat mentioned above.

I enjoyed this story and glad I read it right after the first one. Both together made the story even better.

This is a follow on to The first boos Worthy of a Master. Megan gets Khiru a trained Master, but their relationship turns rockey. She is kidnaped by some folks from the free colonies for the same reason that the Global Council wants her, as a source of DNA that will let them repair the genitic damage done during the gene wars. They changed the male/female birth rate to 4 to 1 and then when the wars were over the attempt to nromalize make things much worse and left 1/2 of the couples unable to have children. (Even today genetic manipulation in this regon of the gene is known to cause secfonday problems and unpredictable resultws.) The free arieas are those who refused to submit to the Council because they objected for religious, cultural or other reasons the rule of the Council. Good plot/subplot, sex scenes, and characterization. Reminds me of Laura Antoniou at her best, but without the transsectual issues. Nicley done BDSM, Ds, and MS scenes; even if you generaly don't like this type of book I would highly recomend this one.