Stone Books

This book has beautiful pictures and is very informative. It's a colorful fun book that is great to add your library!

I'm a homeschooling mom and purchased this book to supplement my 1st grade daughter's study of Rome. We are using it as a read-aloud and she is really enjoying it. It gives a good overview of life in Roman times and has a nice timeline on the last two pages covering the history of Rome.

my 7 year old son and I have really enjoyed reading this series. Fortunately we started on the 5th book instead of the the first 4 in the series which simply just aren't as interesting for the most part as the books 5 through 17. I love that the story line is peppered with scientific facts, and that the author gives recommendations of further reading at the end of the books. This was the first series that my son and I read together. It has been a joy to look forward to reading the next in the series, and the books have proivided our home education with little Unit studies to explore facts that are brought up in each book.

If this story was only about a great way to sit under a tree in the summer and take a trip to another place, it would be well worth the purchase. Jamila Pegues weaves a tale that has layers and shadows, lightness and darkness, and tension that builds throughout the story. The sweet heroine suffers her trials with stone-faced determination. And she finds out that there is more to her family and to life than at first glance. As she navigates between Dragon world and her own small town, the reader is compelled to keep turning the pages as the heroine leaves "no stone unturned in this book of Stoney Revelation."

And here is the inspirational part... Pegues wrote it at just 12 years old. She writes a novel for kids, by a kid, but with all the mastery in storytelling of a well-seasoned author much older. It brings a layer of perception that rings true throughout the novel, and really taps in to young adolescent and tweener psyche in a very sophisticated but easy to relate to style.

Alienated... gifted... a seeker... and misunderstanding... these areas Pegues develops in both the dark characters and the heroine. All this is linked together by a secret that unfolds and envelopes the reader bit by bit as the tension builds and the final conflict crashes on the pages, with the world hanging in the balance.

I really feel Jamila Pegues is one of the first writers of the Obama generation. A talented African-American girl, she brings insights from her culture and experiences to bear that are not exclusionary, but will appeal to readers well beyond her own race, well beyond her own age, and well beyond her gender. And the message of bridging differences, embracing destiny, and being willing to sacrifice for others will be a necessary mission for this next great generation.

I encourage adults to read this with their children and use it to discuss themes. But maybe the most important thing is to have this on the bookshelf the next time your son or daughter says 'I can't!' We all know they can... and Jamila Pegues is just another great example for kids to be inspired by.

Happy reading under the Elm Tree...

Written by the author of "The Anime Companion", The Anime Companion 2: More... What's Japanese In Japanese Animation? is a reference especially for hardcore fans and casual viewers alike of Japanese animated movies and television shows, usually called "anime" for brevity. Both The Anime Companion and The Anime Companion 2 are arranged encyclopedia-style, but each one has its own list of A-Z entries; they are independent collections of entries gathered over the course of years. Like its predecessor, The Anime Companion 2 consists of entries, each one a few paragraphs in length, that define a specific Japanese geographical location, historical event or thing that often appears in anime and may well be unfamiliar to Western viewers. From the names of districts of Tokyo and other populous cities, to famous historical revolts, to foods commonly eaten in Japan, religious customs, and much more, the entries in The Anime Companion 2 give the casual browser a better understanding of Japanese daily life and culture roots. Entries are listed in alphabetical order according to the Romanized form of the Japanese words, but each one is also written in the traditional Japanese writing system of kanji, both the modern and old forms if applicable. All words that have an entry are in boldface for easy cross-reference, and icons show the reader at a glance the general facet of life that each word refers to: food, geography, religion, etc. The Anime Companion 2 especially focuses upon Japanese historical references, which were more scarce in anime when the first volume was published but seem increasingly common in modern anime, plus the author's sidebars and comments about anime fandom in general are intriguing. Highly recommended, especially for anime and Japanese popular culture fans.

Featuring detailed information about all of Japan's anime from 1917-2004, This is a great book for any anime lover!

The book covers all of the main stream, unknown & hentai DVD titles that are or where available on the market. It's written in alphabetical (English) order so you can find any title easily! The book summarizes the plot of each anime along with basic history of the series. It also mentions information about where the series is available for purchase (mainly in JP, USA & UK).

If your looking for a way to find new anime, or become an anime guru, this is one book you don't want to go without!

I thought this book was great. I am 8 and read this for school with my mom and sister. Some parts were very sad but I did not want this book to end.

This book is an excellent resource. Everything is laid out in so that it doesn't take a lot of time to do a lesson plan.
The activities are excellent for grades 3 and 4. The practice with observing, recording, and making predictions alone makes this book valuable.
The lessons in life cycles, habitat, and animal adaptations are excellent for any teacher. Easy for teachers who do not have a background in science to teach fresh water ecology.

There is an old story that the Emperor Shah Jahan was sent a large "ruby" by his son Aurangzeb, The Great Moghul. The son who had deposed his father and shut him up in the Red Fort at Agra wished to know if the stone was a true ruby or a "balas" ruby what we know today as a red spinel.

At this time there were a number of famous large rubies known in Europe including the famous Black Prince's Ruby and a large brooch owned by the French crown known as the Four Brothers. European gemological knowledge at this time was not so far advanced as to make the separation between the true and balas stone.

Ms. Huda's facinating translation of Al Tifaschi's "Best Thoughts on the Best of Stones" proves that the Arabs could make the separation as early as the 12th Century. Perhaps Shah Jahan had read his book. This is just one of the many interesting insights in this wonderful little book Highly recommended to anyone interested in the history of jewelry and gemology.



Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones

I ordered this book from Amazon two years ago and I enjoy reading it. The book has several anomalous artifacts in it, including anomalously early stone tools, especially in the New World, saw marks on prehistoric wood, white ancient mummies, ancient batteries, and metal artifacts found in prehistoric strata. If you enjoy anomalous ancient artifacts, this book is for you. I hope Amazon would have Corliss's new book archeological Anomalies: Grahpics I on their site soon so I could order that.