T Books

It is a fine interpretation of the Songs. I was looking for a little bit more of spirituality in it which I didn't find.

From a female perspective, there are times when nothing satisfies quite like really good chocolate. Over the years, I've done my share of research to find the perfect one: rich taste, silky texture, and only a trace of fat and carbohydrates. My search continues.

Similarly, some of us know that there is a longing in our hearts that only deep romantic love can satisfy. Fortunately, the One who placed that desire in our hearts has also given us His thoughts on romantic love, hidden in a Song so beautiful that some may wonder: can this kind of love possibly be real?

Respect, devotion, emotional and sexual intimacy, profound companionship, forgiveness granted and delights shared. All ideals we value in a romantic relationship. But while I value the quality of the ingredients and exquisite process of chocolate-making, what I really want to know is: if it is actually tastes that good, can I have a bite? I think many of us may have wondered if such a love might be too much to hope for.

Gifted and insightful author, Craig Glickman artfully answers these questions as he gently unveils the vision of the Songwriter's heart through Solomon and Shulamith's journey of love, passion and joy. He writes: "Could this much happiness be too much? More than they have a right to expect? Of course not. Their happiness is not about a right to expect but a gift to enjoy." This IS real. And just as exciting, it's not earned or achieved. This kind of love is a gift, and like a box of chocolates, its greatest purpose is to be enjoyed by those who receive it.

I am encouraged, even inspired. Whether you make it this summer's beach book or you read it curled up beside a warm fire, Solomon's Song of Love will encourage your heart to open and receive the love of your dreams.

Romance, passion, and intimacy. These are the landscapes of love and the longing of the heart. The beauty of this is seen in the Song of Solomon. Craig Glickman is a leading scholar on this remarkable Song, and in this new book weaves its hidden treasures into an understandable and enjoyable display. This book provides a clear vision of what real love between and man and woman can be, and what it should feel like. A must read!

This book unveils the mysterious and romantic Song of Songs, explaining its meaning with beautiful prose, and illustrating its message with touching stories. I have never felt more open to the beauty of romantic love than after reading this book.

This "work of art," as Dr. Paul Meier calls it, is a refreshing contrast to the dozens of Christian books that miss the romance. Many are simply ordinary sex manuals with Christian words sprinkled in, while others follow the format of the self-help, how-to guides that guarantee certain steps can "make love happen."

Solomon's Song of Love shows that love goes far beyond our ability to manipulate it. It is not simply our choice. It is also a gift. From God to us, and from us to each other. And it is filled with feelings of wonder and delight that are not illusory, as even some Christian writers have claimed.

I find Solomon's Song of Love refreshingly romantic!

Indiana Jones may have discovered the lost ark, but Dr. Craig Glickman has uncovered Solomon's lost treasure -- the meaning of the Song of Songs. Acting as expedition leader for this adventure, the author guides us through the Song's panorama of romantic wonder.

Buckle your seat belt for the ride! Whether by time travel to view love in ancient kingdoms -- from Sumeria to Egypt and beyond -- or by visits to the havens of poetry in Old Europe, or by excursions to Hollywood's romantic movies and love songs, I discovered secrets of the ancient world that explain the Song, and stories in the modern world that illuminate it.

If you've ever wondered what the Bible really says about sex, love and romance, you need to read this book. For centuries the Song has been shrouded in mystery. But now its breathtaking vision of love is unveiled. Love songs come from the heart and speak to the heart, and none have touched me more deeply than this mysterious Song.

I found out this book is still being sold by Amazon on their Canadian and U.K. websites (amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk). If you're in the U.S. you can order it from those sites, but the postage will be a little higher. There are lots of other Nick Butterworth books on those sites as well - some which you can't get on the U.S. site.

Stories Jesus Told is a fantastic book with clever and humorous illustrations. It impacted me and my children through the stories and vivid illustrations. My kids just keep asking to hear the stories over and over again. That in itself speaks volumes. The stories gave me a deeper understanding of the spiritual principles Jesus taught in the scriptures.

Great story rhythm. Pictures are charming, mixing the past with the familiar present items the children will recognize easily. Just the right mix of text and pictures. I read this to my son when he was 5 or 6 years old and when he could read, he read this by himself. Now I want to give my grandkids the chance to read and fall in love with this book, just like we did so many years ago. It is a classic!!

I bought The Lost Sheep and House Upon the Rock 15 years ago for my children. I have tried to find more of the books since I now have grandchildren. I was very excited to find The Stories that Jesus told. My grandson, 6, and I enjoy reading it every night when he comes for a visit. We love the humor and the illustrations! Please bring more of these books back. We want more.

I purchased several copies of this book years ago for my own children and to give as gifts. It is my godchild's favorite book to read at night. The familiar parables are given an amusing twist with illustrations which enhance the story line and strengthen the underlying lesson. I love this book for both the content and the illustrations and would love to see it reprinted.

Many people are mentioning that this book is about wealth in all its forms, not just money, which is true. For me, it stood out from the other books on the subject for the following reason: It discusses the positive character trait(s) that may be behind the desire for achieving more than we have. In other words, if we want something more than what we have at the moment, what positive characteristics would we have to develop within ourselves to get it and maintain it? Confidence in the face of authority? A higher knowledge about the world or about business? Being more savvy about other cultures? It isn't always "greed" that causes people to push for more. Underneath the obvious goals of world travel or being a multi-business owner, what desirable personal characteristics would we develop by gaining those higher desires? It's the potential positive personal characteristics that we'll gain that we might want to take a closer look at, and work towards developing those. Overall, it was funny, had a great conversational style, and found ways to explain and describe some of the new truths coming out about finances and wealth in a fresh way. It also offered an actual system that can be followed, very helpful. We read it aloud in a group, and enjoyed it a lot.

Wow. This book has got it right! Mark shares with us the true meaning of being wealthy and helps us do it. All of my clients will grow as a result of reading this. And, you will too. Thanks Mark.

Lisa Spahr
Life Coach, Author and Speaker

Mark T. Rafter states on the very first page of the introduction that a manifesto has three steps: Intention, Declaration, and Action. The Wealth Manifesto: Transforming Your Life from Survive to Thrive leads by example. Within each chapter there is an Intention that introduces each of the 14 Articles, a Declaration of the article itself, and a call to Action where you are guided through specific steps toward achieving the declaration.

This is heady stuff, and yet not patronizing or condescending in any way. Mr. Rafter shares his own journey through the various pages, letting you know where he faltered along the way. Learning wealth is not an overnight process, nor is it a simple practice of the imagination. The free downloadable companion workbook is an important complement to the book.

From reading this book, I am reminded that gratitude and compassion go a long way toward transforming my life from one of merely surviving from one paycheck to the next, to a life of thriving because I am wealthy in so many non-financial ways. This gratitude and compassion can unblock energy that, with proper attention, can then generate and grow financial wealth.

How do you define wealth? Do you even know, or do you just assume it has something to do with how much money you've managed to accumulate? According to Mark T. Rafter, money is only part of the wealth equation, and The Wealth Manifesto shows you what makes up the missing pieces.

This book, along with the downloadable companion workbook, helps you define a lifestyle that will ultimately make you wealthy, through a series of thought-provoking exercises. The first section looks at the path to wealth - how you define wealth and what you need to make you happy. The second section invites you to determine your own value and competencies, as you offer your services to the world. And the third section explores the accumulation of wealth through the concept of building systems.

If you've ever read The Science of Getting Rich, you may have felt the author left out a key element of how to get rich. Focusing on metaphysical elements has its place, and it certainly helps us to stay on course as we plan our future. The Wealth Manifesto explores those metaphysical concepts and takes them a step further, explaining exactly how to create systems that can generate wealth for us long into the future.

Creating wealth can feel like an insurmountable task, but Mark T. Rafter makes it seem simple and effortless. Follow the directions as laid out, and you'll be inspired to take action and become wealthy yourself. I highly recommend this well-written and motivational book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger, Bergers Book Reviews

There is more to wealth than having a lot of money, claims "The Wealth Manifesto: Transforming Your Life from Survive to Thrive". Part money-making guide and part guide to making more of one's life to be wealthy in all aspects including friendship and love, "The Wealth Manifesto" states that anyone can thrive in life. "The Wealth Manifesto: Transforming Your Life from Survive to Thrive" is a top pick for community library self-help collections and for anyone who seeks more than one type of wealth.

I couldn't put this book down about a private eye (Lincoln Perry) who is framed for a few murders and must clear his name as the police are tightening the noose. Perry has only his partner Joe and his new girlfriend Amy behind him and everyone else against him. Add to that, the mysterious Thor is thrown into the mix and when all can't get any bleaker, Lincoln must team with Thor to maybe turn the tables on the "real" bad guys. A great thriller!

Sometimes it's easy to forget that Lincoln Perry isn't a middle-aged guy who's been in the P.I. business for a long time. He demonstrates a maturity beyond his years - most of the time. It's when he doesn't do that, when he acts his chronological age, that his life gets very messy. In A WELCOME GRAVE, Perry agrees to do a favor for an old flame, the woman he was once engaged to marry. Now anyone with a grain of sense would know that this will probably not turn out well. Perry doesn't see past that all-too-human desire to put his rival in a bad light.

Alex Jefferson has been murdered, after being tortured. His wife Karen is the old flame. She asks Perry to track down Alex's son, from whom he has been estranged for quite some time. Matthew is an heir, and Alex was a very rich man. When Perry finds Matthew, not a difficult task, Matthew kills himself in front of Perry. The police, who were already interested in Perry because of the rivalry over Karen, are even more interested now.

As Perry keeps poking around, he seems to get into more and more trouble. Someone is either going out of his way to make Perry look like a truly bad guy, or his luck is incredibly bad. All of this causes some strain between Perry and Amy, a friend in the process of becoming more than that. His business partner Joe is slowly recuperating from taking a bullet in the shoulder, a bullet that saved Perry's life. So Perry's support system is a little shaky right now.

This is the third book in Koryta's Lincoln Perry series. He's good, and getting better. One can excuse some of Perry's more foolish choices; he is, after all, pretty young. He seems to grow a little more with each book. The settings are wonderful, the plotting tight. Readers of classic P.I. series, with just a bit more than a hint of noir, will relish Koryta's newest.

This book is the third in Kortya's fine series about Lincoln Perry, a Cleveland private investigator.

Once again he weaves together strong local Cleveland color as well from southern Indiana to tell a Ross MacDonald-esque story of family greed, desires, and repressed secrets.

As his writing progresses, his plots have become even more multi-layered than in his fine debut work and its follow up. The villains are darker and the violence is greater. Complicating this book is that Perry is the most likely suspect in both locales for a couple of murders, and the local law enforcement officials have no interest in his side of the story. That tension between cop and PI has been done many times before, but not recently to such good effect.

It's a wonderful thing to contemplate work this good from someone in his twenties and just how scary good he might become. Can't wait for his next work!

OK people. Let's get past the fact that the author of three outstanding novels is only twenty-three years old. Let's look at his writing and when you do that, his genius is timeless.

The thing about this novel that enthralled me is how the protagonist of the book, Lincoln Perry, kept getting drawn deeper and deeper into the murder investigations in two locations notwithstanding the fact that he was innocent of either murder or the ones that followed.

There is a murderous manipulator at work in this story and how he goes about controlling events and getting the police to chase all the wrong suspects is both frustrating to the reader and infuriating to Lincoln Perry.

Do not pass up on anything this talented young man has written. They are keepers.

I've often heard Michael Koryta mention people who have influenced him or the genre. A Welcome Grave is proof that he himself is influencing this genre now, and definitely for the better!

Koryta has a gift when it comes to the English language. I have not walked away from any of his books without feeling like the characters somehow made their way inside me...inside my head, inside my soul. A Welcome Grave continues the character development of Lincoln Perry and Joe Pritchard, but it also starts to lend weight to some other characters: Amy, Thor. And the dynamics of these characters in relation to Lincoln and Joe add a lot of dimensions to the plot.

Life is never black and white in Koryta's world; I love the shades of gray that develop throughout the course of the book. They help in the suspense and definitely keep the plot from becoming predictable.

Koryta should definitely be a staple of any mystery-lover's booklist!

Great job Frank. Very glad you were able to make it home. The title says it all. Thanks very much for the autographed copy via you golf buddy Luis.

Take care, Jon

In life we regard a hero as someone who has done something great. For example Michael Jordan is a hero to many because of his basketball prowess. In life there's another kind of hero and Frank Anton is one of those.

An extreme pleasure to read the words of a man who spent over five years in the worse kind of hell imaginable, a POW in Viet Nam. Anton's book is more than words on paper it's a living testimony to those who served.

Follow along and you'll find yourself living out the horrific condition he was subjected to. You read about Bobby Garwood and how he turned on his fellow prisoners. Most of all you stop to catch your breath.

From the depths of despair to the ecstasy of coming home, Frank Anton shows that heroes don't always make a thunderous entrance. In fact, those that survived and those left behind are the real heroes. 10 Stars!

This book is quite different from what folks might come to expect from a "war" book. This story brings the raw truth of the personal account of being a soldier and captured. I agree with another reviewer that this account is completely different in that it is about an Army pilot being imprisoned in South Vietnam before being sent up the Ho Chi Minh trail to the North. The years of endurance and emotional drain are hard to even imagine. And then, in the end, find out that your military knew of your locations and only took your picture! Hanoi Jane could do no worse. I served with a sister unit of the 71st in the 178th Boxcars at Chu Lai and was in country when Frank was captured(though we didn't know it that time}. I was getting ready to go home in just a few weeks - Frank's tour got extended by 5 years. Sorry Frank, if we knew where you were it would have been different or we would have been dead. I have the highest respect for this story, the truth, Frank and all the POWs who served their country but the "higher ups" could have done alot more to help but choose only to "observe" instead of have the guts the POWs did. Read this book and put yourself in Frank's shoes and you would ask the same question he did - AND he's right!

This is a powerful book that gets to the heart of what it was like to have been a POW in the jungles of South Vietnam. Anton's account is a remarkable account; a gut-wrenching story that will take you to the edge on a very real nightmare, teach you something about perseverence, and give you hope. It is a story that must be included in any war books you have on your shelves. I urge you to buy this book.

In January of 1968, helicopter pilot Warrant Officer Frank Anton was shot down in Southern Vietnam and spent 5 years in captivity. Many prominent books have been written of U.S. POW's in Hanoi's prisons but this story is a riveting look at POW's held in prison camps in Southern Vietnam which may have been worse.

Frank Anton has written a very detailed and graphic account of severly brutal conditions and treatments he and others suffered at the hands of the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. For 3 of his 5 years in confinement in the south (he spent time in 4 different camps), he weaves a harrowing tale of torture, starvation, non-existent medical treatment, disease, and barbarity suffered by prisoners. He further adds that during his confinement, he was witness to many Americans dying in the camps and also of betrayal and enemy collaboration by one of their own.

After 3 years of confinement in the south, Anton and the surviving members of his camp, in an incredible display of courage, strength, and determination, are forced to march on foot for an astonishing 6 months to one of Hanoi's prison camps known as the Plantation. For an additional 2 years, this was Anton's new home before being released from captivity in 1973.

Upon arriving home, Frank Anton was debriefed by the military and he eventually found out, to his dismay and horror, that our government know exactly where he was the entire time he was being held and that no serious attempts were considered to rescue him or his fellow soldiers.

In the last chapter of this book, which is absolutely astonishing, you will find out why no attempts were made to rescue many POW's. Additionally, you will learn the current fate of large numbers of POW's that were left behind and are currently unaccounted for in Vietnam. This information is highly disturbing and tragic and paints a very callous and unscrupulous portrait of our government with their regard to our missing servicemen.

This book is exceptionally good and comes highly recommended. As a side note, Pfc Robert Garwood (possibly the most notorious U.S. POW collaborator of the Vietnam war) is featured prominently in parts of this book. For those interested in the complete story of Robert Garwood, you would be well rewarded by reading "Conversations With The Enemy: The Story of Pfc Robert Garwood" by Winston Groom and Duncan Spencer.

I found this book to rehash information found in many other sources. It covers a wide range of topics, but none in sufficient detail. A good overview of the topics; for detailed information look elsewhere.

I have a nice little library of books that would put a small library to shame, but I find myself connected to a few much like the kid with his favorite teddy bear. Well, this book is like that teddy bear. I carry it 2 miles each day to and from work. Any good book is invaluable to a job/certification. This is one of them!

I read the entire book over the last few weeks and found that is was very helpful in giving me a better understanding of networking. I learned a lot about the basics and a ton about the advanced aspects of NT networking. I found out about how to use key NT tools and the book was a great resource.

I don't usually take the time to come back and comment on a book unless it's very bad. In this case the book is way better than I've come to expect from most NT books. There were so many extra topics in the book that I don't think I've seen elsewhere. Important registry setting are listed and explained but not ALL of them (with no explaination) just what is important. I liked the IP Management section and DNS overview. The capacity planning section that somebody else here mentioned was excellent and the tuning and troubleshooting chapter had a great section on problem resolution. It covers a very wide range of topics relating to NT and networking and does it very well.

-Tom

This book, along with Tony Northrup's Windows NT Plumbing, will put you a step above your other NT peers. Both of these books go into the nitty gritty details of how NT REALLY works in the real world and how best to deploy and configure it.

Both are excellent primers on networking and TCP/IP as well as NT specifics. Highly recommended.

Anybody who's interested in how we write the world over would do well to pick up this book. It's awfully costly, it's true, but if you're patient and you poke around a little, you can find it used for a third or less of what it's listed for.
Serious linguists specializing in writing might read it through, but amateurs--like me--will just pick it up and leaf through it, stopping here and there, reading this chapter or that, or will use it to look up some specific thing they might want to know about, say, Bishop Wulfila's Gothic script's roots in the Greek alphabet or the origins of the Georgian or Armenian alphabets.
It tells about scripts found all over the world, big ones--Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and so on--and far less well known ones, like Berber, Cherokee, Ethiopian, Deseret and some found in Indonesia and islands in the Indian Ocean.
It tells the historic backgrounds and--for lack of a better word--genealogies of the scripts, then shows how they work.
One thing that irks me no end is a shortcoming not with the book itself, but rather with the publishing business as a whole: the font used in the book is inadequate. It is appalling that in a book about writing systems, there are characters that have to be set in other fonts from the main book forn--sometimes even within one word--and characters that show up as composite characters with diacritics off center from the letter they modify. It is a fairly simple thing to edit a font and add characters as needed. It is a shame that major publishing companies seem unwilling to make the small investment in typography that would let them set a book like this in one font, with all the characters needed, so that it reads smoothly, without distracting inconsistencies throughout.
Now, this is indeed a niggling compalint, and it in no way reflects on the beek itself, the writers or the editors. It is the fault of the publisher, and should in no way dissuade anyone interested in this admittedly esoteric subject from getting this book.

It seems that this book is not intended for a general reader, judging both by its price and by multitude of unexplained linguistic terms plentifully sown in the book. I bought this book becuse of many positive reviews and because it was drastically reduced to USD45. The book scans many dozens of wrining systems, as good as it's possible to squeese into ten-some page article, but unfortunately, many of the systems, especialy the ancient and the modern Oriental are too complicated and extended to be fully accounted in a limited space, so you can get acquanited with some 30 Sumer pictograms and never know the other 550, or you can see the 200 Chinese chanacters and just recall there several thousands more or look into Devanagari alphabet but then keep in mind there is a multitude of amalgams that are not easily recognized and so on.
It is also very helpful if one knows like what exactly sounds a linguolabial or a laminal or a voiced epiglottal fricative, otherwise he may be at lost..

The "World's Writing Systems" is a rare event for in one tome it covers all the ways of writing known to us at present. As a professional graphologist this is an absolute boon not only for what it is but because it is also on special offer. While there are other tomes of similar ilk and implication this work has no equal. Until now the study of written language has had no clearly defined reference work.

It has now. Thoroughly recommended.

Peter West

This a detailed survey of the systems that have been used for writing the world's languages, going far beyond the most familiar ones to encompass ones normally known only to specialists, ranging from the ancient Turkish runiform script to the Vai syllabary of Liberia, invented in modern times. Although it was written by experts for experts to read (and priced accordingly, but see the last paragraph below) most of it is well within the understanding of interested non-specialists. The authors assume a knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet, but it would have been almost impossible to avoid that, even if the book had been intended for the general reader. Even there it is perhaps an exaggeration to say that this is assumed, because the IPA is set out (albeit without much explanation) inside the front and back covers.

In a book of this kind the quality of the printing is a major consideration, as the samples of text need to be large enough and black enough for the individual characters to be read, and ideally should harmonize with the surrounding text in English. Before the age of computer-based typesetting it would have been impossible even to approach this ideal except at enormous price, but now it has become realistic. In general this book comes very close to the ideal, with a very high level of typography.

At more than 900 pages the book goes far beyond a mere listing of scripts with samples. It also includes a great deal of historical and cultural information, explaining how the different scripts evolved to their present state. In addition there is information about how the more successful scripts, not just Latin but also Arabic, Russian, Hebrew, Aramaic and so on, were adapted to languages different from those where they began.

At its published price the book is probably beyond the pockets of most general readers. It is worth mentioning, therefore, that on at least two occasions in recent years it has been available through Amazon with a very large discount, and one can probably expect this to happen again. I bought my copy at 40% of the published price, for example, and with that sort of discount it need not be restricted to libraries and specialists.

...it's missing many language script tables that I was hoping for. Don't get me wrong, this book is amazing and filled useful information and language tables - just not all of them. I was hoping for some representation (optimally in an alphabet table format) of the usage of the Arabic-based script for Hausa, Swahili, the Central Asian languages, and some complete detail of which languages have (ever) incorporated an Arabic-based script, when they did, when it was withdrawn or changed (if applicable), comparative texts with the modern scripts, etc. In conclusion, a treasury of information (a lot of which might be quite difficult to track down on your own and would be very time-consuming), marred only by my high expectations. I definitely recommend this book to language lovers and for those who can appreciate the diversity of human expression.

It's so great to hear someone speak the truth amongst the competitive child-rearing nonsense that so many middle class parents find themselves trapped in. I thoroughly agree with Jen that parenting has changed from the authoritative to the democratic. Time for us mums to let our kids get dirty again, stop the ridiculous circus of classes, teams, and schedules and for goodness sakes be kids! Thanks Jen for finally empowering us 'slummy mummies' and helping me to put the brakes on my kids' childhoods before I wonder where it all went and how I missed it.

I was picking up a book to help me understand my son and his emotions better when I saw this book. I flipped through a few pages and laughed out loud at each page I read. How refreshing!! I told myself I would look at a few more pages and if I laughed more I would get it. After five minutes I couldn't put it down and I was drawing stares from others b/c I was laughing. Instead of a book telling me what I need to do better, this one told me "we all understand and we've been there". It helped me see things in a less tense way and laugh at myself. I have four little ones under 6 yrs, including a newborn, and I went home and read a book for me that made me feel better about ME. What a refreshing concept!

Just when you think everything has been written on the topic of motherhood, there comes another great book on the subject that handles the topic with flair. A surefire way to instill confidence in a new mom, this book hits the issues dead-on. Fashioned in a simple way by addressing the 14 Secrets To Finding Happiness, the author manages to address all "mothering" insecurities and provide encouraging words as well as a bit of a kick in the pants for those self-proclaimed slacker moms! Offers some great advice for mothers of the 21st century. Don't miss this one!

I'll admit up front that I'm bias ... Jen is a friend of mine. And as a friend, I've had the good fortune to see and hear Jen's humor over the years -- on the soccer field, in the pub, at weddings. And I've long thought, and this book just proves it, that Jen is a rightful heir to the following of Erma Bombeck. Why? Because they find the humor in the every day. They are willing to mock themselves while showing us the absurd we take for granted as normal. And they both make me laugh despite the fact I'm neither a housewife nor a mom.
Paraphrasing a favorite commercial of my youth ... buy it, you'll like it. And Jen, keep 'em coming.You're a Good Mom (and Your Kids Aren't So Bad Either)

It's very rare to find myself nodding my head and agreeing with the author throughout an entire book. But that's what was going on while I read this book. I agreed with Jen Singer so much, I almost felt like I wrote this book! It was an easy read, well written, and very fun.

This Bradley Hathaway book and CD are amazing. He is so real. I love it!

This book is cool because it comes with a cd combo. You can really feel the emotions when listening to Bradley read his prose. Highly recommend if you are a fan of indie poetry or just looking for something to listen to that inspires you. He talks about his faith in a way unlike most ive heard. its raw, its deep and it captures your attention.

There are no words for this book. Bradley Hathaway has captured the christian walk in a simple book of peoms.

Bradley's Book is absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!! I't is full of the honest truht about practicaly everything!!!!! I recomend this book for everyone ages from ages 1 to ages 1001!!!! It is deserving of your household and is calling your name... It opens the eyes to the simple beauty of God and his creations... You should buy it!!!!!!!!!!!

This book/cd is an excellent source of inspiration whether you are a Christian or not. Bradley's poems speak to the very basic issues that, I dare say, all of us encounter. From the need for a hug (my personal favorite) to the issue of what it means to really be a man.

The book is an excellent way to explain where the poems came from and a little more about what they mean. The book creates a context for the poems that help people understand the poems and not jump to conclusions about what Bradley "really" meant.

This book/cd offers an enjoyable collection of honest, insightful, and sometimes satirical, poems that will make you laugh, cry, and think.

This book is a Caldecott Honor book! You would think at first glance that this is a photographic journey, but it is not! These are actually PAINTINGS! WOW! Talk about an extraordinary book!
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The idea for Alphabet City came to the author, Stephen T. Johnson, as he was walking along a city street. First, he noticed an ornamental keystone that looked like the letter S. Then, suddenly he saw the letter A in a construction sawhorse and the letter Z in fire escapes. At that moment, it became clear to him that in urban compositions he could discover the elements that form the letters of the alphabet. He hopes that his paintings will inspire children and adults to look at their surroundings in a fresh and playful way! Well, it certainly has done just that for our family!
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This book is perfect for helping to teach the alphabet because the children get to search for the letters as they "stroll through the city" and they can even trace the letters once they find them!
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Stephen T. Johnson also has a companion book titled "City by Numbers."
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This book has inspired me and my boys to look for letters wherever we go. We are finding most of our letters and numbers in nature. Sometimes their "finds" are obvious, like a broken stick shaped like a T. Other times, the boys really stretch their imaginations and I cant see what they see! That's when I just have to smile and say, "OHhhhhhh...." .
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We recently drove into the city. My youngest son, REALLY thought we were in "Alphabet City." As we approached the city, he saw something that reminded him of "Alphabet City." He said, "Look mom! I think we're in Alphabet City!" He was practically jumping out of his seat (the seatbelt kept him down a bit!) and pointed out "There's the E! There's the P!" As we drove further into the city, he grew increasingly enthusiastic! He exclaimed adamently, "Mom! We ARE in Alphabet City!" I didnt have the heart to tell him that we were in "Atlanta." giggles...one day! :-) We took photos of all the letters and numbers we could find that day! What FUN!

Great book when teaching the alphabet, students can see that letters are not just in the classroom but also in real life.

Cool alphabet book. I didn't even realize that the illustrations were paintings and not photographs until I read some reviews! Encourages kids' imaginations, encourages them to notice their surroundings, gives an opening for a geography/history lesson or an opening for an art discussion -- all kinds of uses including the most important one of all - simple enjoyment.

Reading these exciting words: "The paintings for this book were created with pastels, watercolors, gouache and charcoal on hot pressed watercolor paper" I feel a deep urge to take a plunge into doing art. Luckily we can see "it" everywhere, not just New York City.

Stephen Johnson dedicates "ALPHABET CITY" to his parents "for their constant belief in me and my art." Besides instilling confidence & joy, they must also have helped their son develop a sense of color & texture, humor and even x-ray vision! Now he has his first Caldecott award.

This is a joy-filled book. Children spontaneously shout the letters but also share their own made-up stories as they see beneath the surface of the paints. "M" is a favorite of mine, and "W" and "Y" (and on & on!). Who could choose a better image than the "A" of sawhorses to lead to "Z"? Sometimes obvious, and other times subtle, the contrasts in color and season are lovely and great fun. Many eyes will open much wider after experiencing "Alphabet City."

Reviewer mcHAIKU is crazy about art AND this book.

How successful an alphabet book is relies entirely on how well it conveys the alphabet to children. Sometimes books of this nature are so wrapped up in their own cleverness (like the wearily look-at-me-aren't-I-a-visual-delight, "Graphic Alphabet" by David Pelletier) that they forget who alphabet books are supposed to be FOR. Now "Alphabet City" is clever too. No question of that. But what Stephen T. Johnson has done here is whip up a book that inner city kids will immediately recognize and cling to. How many alphabet collections are there out there that form letters out of pastoral or countryside setting? Plenty. Johnson turns the idea on its head with near photo-realistic paintings of recognizable city objects and places.

In his forward to the book, Johnson explains that the roots of this project are based in his own love of the, "particular energy one senses in the people, sounds, and structures, old and new, that constitute a city". While out for a stroll on day, he found he could find letters in the most basic city structures, like fire-escapes and sawhorses. "Alphabet City" is the result. Each letter, always a capital, is presented as part of the environment around it. So the aforementioned sawhorse is the very first picture, with kids being able to readily recognize the "A" hidden in its crossbeams. No letter is going to be immediately easy to find. Johnson doesn't outline them in darker paints or even necessarily point them out in any way. The "R" hidden in leaf covered cobblestones is evident if sneaky. He also cheats a little here and there to get just the right shape. To find the "C" in the cathedral's beautiful window, a late afternoon shadow covers part of the circle. By and large, however, Johnson executes an extraordinarily clever conjunction of images. I would have thought it near impossible to find a "Q" in the city, but the wheel well of a stationary train proved me wrong. Johnson also flits back and forth between different kinds of light and shadow. You'll find yourself quite taken with his mysterious and towering "T", or the snow-covered bench that provides an "O". It makes for perhaps the most interactive alphabetic picture book out there.

This book does work on the premise that the children reading it already recognize the alphabet as it stands. How hard would it have been for Johnson to have place a large black letter in the corner of each page, allowing kids the chance to learn as well as explore? If you're a four-year-old and can't remember if "Q" comes before or after "R", this book will be no help to you. That said, for those kids already familiar with the shapes in this collection, "Alphabet City" can become a game in their off hours. They can walk down the street pointing out the letters they see in their own neighborhoods. Some pictures admittedly feel like Johnson is cheating. He obviously could have located an "L" anywhere, but did he have to make it so difficult for the readers by constructing such a convoluted image? Try flipping randomly to some of the pages and see whether or not you can figure out what letter you're on. Betcha bottom dollar you don't guess "F" or "G".

I complain, but only because I love. Truth be told, "Alphabet City" blew me away. There are all kinds of seasons here and a true love for city living that rings true. Johnson has a keen eye for the beauty inherent in urban living. Rust and peeling paint and moldering iron and missing tilework all combine into truly beautiful portraits. The alphabet has never been done so eclectically. Alphabet books with a designer bent always leave me a touch cold, but "Alphabet City" is different. Like its sequel, "City By Numbers" it's original and lovingly rendered. Consider pairing it with "Achoo Bang Crash" by Ross MacDonald and "New York, New York: The Big Apple From A to Z" by Laura Krauss Melmed for a truly urban and urbane alphabetic threesome.