V Books

Lois Ehlert takes you on a colorful, intriguing story about the life cycle of a butterfly. Excellent for art students at any level! Text is simple enough for preschoolers and can be enjoyed through the elementary grades. Enjoy this exciting trip through nature and its wonders!

As usual, Lois Ehlert stimulates and educates the young reader about the mysteries of caterpillars to butterflies. Not only are the colors absolutely stunning, she provides factual information about different species. This book was a fabulous preparation for my classroom of small children as they watched their own caterpillars prepare for their magical transformation!

Waiting for Wings is a picture book showing the life cycle of a butterfly. The story uses tantalizing pictures and simple words to explain how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The book takes the reader through the stages of the caterpillar's life. Once the caterpillar has become a butterfly the story changes to how a butterfly lives its life. The illustrations pull the reader into this book. The print is large and easy to read for young reader. The text also rhymes for two pages at a time. As the caterpillar grows the pages become larger, until the butterfly hatches. As the butterfly begins its flight the pages are full size. The illustrations and page sizes are wonderful for young readers. This book also contains identification pages on butterflies and the flowers they eat.

I have a three year old daughter who must be read to before sleeping. I also have a three month old baby girl who is often in the bed with us while we read. Often, the baby is restless and cries before we finish our books. Waiting for Wings is a fabulous solution. I find this interesting AND educational for my toddler. In addition, the colors are bright and contrasting, allowing my baby to be entertained while the book is read.

This is a beautiful and very clever book. Pages are cocooned within larger pages, with individual illustrations blending seamlessly into the background illustrations. Like the natural world itself, this book rewards the patient observer, with rich details on the surface and others folded in more subtly. Your kids will be focused in on a little book within the big book, as the caterpillar goes on its journey. It makes the launch to the story within the bigger background pages all the more dynamic, striking as the shift from Kansas to Oz.

It starts with the eggs "hidden from view,/ clinging to leaves with butterfly glue." As we turn the pages of a little book enshrouded in the bigger book, we see the caterpillars hatch, "each one knows what it must do," and we follow the path to metamorphosis. Ultimately, the reader will be rewarded with multiple beautiful butterflies launching up towards the sky, a nice Lepidopterian metaphor for the developmental adventures in store for our little ones. It's a good job of story-telling when we know exactly where the story is going but still find ourselves awestruck.

Finally, as if Ms. Ehlert hadn't done enough, we get several pages at the end on butterfly identification, with information on colors, wingspans shown in actual size, the corresponding caterpillars that precede the butterflies, and the like. We get flower information, and then tips on growing your own butterfly garden. Nice stuff.

Get this book, drill it for a few night-night times, and then take your toddlers to a butterfly pavilion to see the real deal. Good times.

Pomerantz hit the high water mark of urban histories by providing an intimate picture of the emergence of the South's premier inter-racial city, Atlanta, from the standpoint of the two families---one once slave and the other slave owner---who helped to shape its progressive destiny.

As a recent transplant to the city of Atlanta, I didn't know much about Atlanta's history. And as an African American woman with grandparents who left the South in search of bigger opportunities in the North, I was more aware of the racism than I was of how and who ushered in the social and economic change that created more opportunities for my generation. The book is extremely well written and once I started I couldn't put it down. This is great way to learn about history. Anyone interested in Atlanta's history in particular and American history in general should read this book!!!!!!

This book not only is about two families but also about how those two families influenced and built one of the great metropolises of America. Greatly narrated and beautifully told.

I've read several of Gary's books and found this one to be an amazing work of not only scholarship and very detailed research but it was also very readable. Some people may be put off by the sheer size of the book but once I was hooked (it took a few pages), I really couldn't put it down until I was done.

Luckily, I was on a cruise and quite a few sea days to lie back in the sun and savour this wonderful book.

I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone interest in how the South was transformed (both intentionally and unintentionally) by a small number of people with not only immense vision but also immense bravery and a sense of justice.

Bravo Gary!

I am a native Georgian and raised in Metro Atlanta. This book opened my understanding of how, what, when and who made this city and why our state is so political about everything. Unfortunately, the race factor will always play a role in how we view and operate the local and state governments. This book just makes it clearer for anyone who works, lives and does business in Georgia. All Georgia history teachers should read this book. It would make Georgia history so much better for 8th graders and make them think. This is a must for reference material.

It is inspiring to see the growth in the main character's walk with the Lord. I enjoy the characters in this book and love reading about their lives and journeys. Book four, here I come!

The Yada Yada girls just keep getting better with each book. I can totally relate to several of the characters and what they are going through. A great and easy read.

I bought the whole series at one time and read them in order. They are delightful and I began to feel like I really knew this mixed up group of gals. Thanks for the marvelous read that left me wantint to pray more and keep God in the middle of my day. Peggy Touchtone Sholly, Award winning author Down Home Delicious, the cookbook that has made homecooking in vogue again. Buy yours today at[...]

This is my third book of the Yada Yada series. Great story, great price, and the book arrived in good time and in excellent condition. I've just ordered book four from the same sellers.
Thanks from a pleased customer.

I had enjoyed the first two Yada Yada books in this series and this book was just as good. I feel as if I have participated in their prayer group through the first three books and am looking forward to #4!

It's been a good reference so far and will definitely help with real cases when I'm finally out of school.

I'm a veterinary medicine student & I found this book very useful! it's worth buying it!

If you are a veterinarian and don't have this book, get it! Great client education handouts on cd included.

This book is awesome! Does not go indepth, but has ALL the pertinent information related to specific diseases/clinical signs (definitions, Physiology, symptoms, lab work, treatment, follow up care)all on one page! A VERY useful book so far, especially from a tech's point of view!

Just replaced my 3rd edition, the 4th addition is a bit better has some new information, doseages for new drugs and a CD with Client education handouts.

I appreciate Jack and Corrine's book because it focuses on how an individual can work to improve a relationship. There's not a whole lot of psychobabble here; it's not all about how you were raised or when you were toilet trained. The authors take a practical look at how to use compassion, trust and good listening skills to cement the bonds of love in marriage.

This book is a follow up from an earlier book in which some of the same HEART principles are used in business. That's important to know, because the main message here is that the principles taught in this book are universal.

The last point for potential readers of this book is that it is told as a story, not a text book. While I usually am turned off by preachy books, this book didn't come across that way. It's as if the authors decided that they would build on a story to help the main messages sink in better. I think it works!

This book is straightforward, accessible and can be read in one sitting. The skills demonstrated through the story of a busy married couple going through a difficult time, are vital to any relationship. I was able to apply them immediately in my life.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to nourish their personal relationships-- It's not just for the married!

This book has the power to change relationships. An easy-to-read story shows us when and how to use the 5 secrets. It is a helpful model for our most meaningful relationships--better partner, better parent, better friend. Insightful and practical.

I found this book extremely valuable because it actually provided "tools" that can be used to better communicate in general - not just with your spouse. This book does more than just provide you communication tools. It does a great job of applying them through a simple and understandable story line. As I read the book, I kept thinking that anybody managing others in a workplace would probably find that this book - and the "5 Secrets" within it - could greatly improve their communication with others. Managers should learn these "5 Secrets" and pass the knowledge on!

I'm a life coach, and I read a lot of books on relationships. I just finished reading Rosenblum and Dugas's book. It's great.

I'm a big John Gottman fan. Gottman's Seven Keys to Successful Marriage explains the dynamics of couples better than any other book, and it's based on scientific observation which is also unique. Until now, it has always been my first recommendation to clients or friends with couples issues.

Now, I think Five Secrets will overtake Seven Keys as my first recommendation to couples with challenges. It's more user friendly and therefore usable. When I have a client in the midst of troubles, someone that needs strategies to get to the heart of things right away, I will share the five secrets of marriage from the heart, and suggest that s/he read the book. It sets forth a clearer, immediately implementable approach.

Tintin is a great comic book ... funny, witty, adventurous, and with clean language. These are classics! I used to read them growing up in Europe, and I am glad that I can have my children read them too.

Many of us grew up on Tintin and love them for their great nostalgia value, and reminisces of childhood, as well as the brave values of a simpler, more clarified world of yesteryear.
This volume brings together three of the best loved Tintin classics in one handy volume- and for not much more than the price of one.
They are:
Land of Black Gold

An oil crisis breaks out, leading Tintin to the Arab Emirate of Khemed. There he works his way through a series of escapades in the desert and the cities of Kemekhal and Wadesdah where Tintin must deal with the thuggery of the local Arabs . Tintin meets with Emir Ben Kalish Ezab and agress to rescue his kidnapped son Prince Abdullah leadfing him to confront his old enemy Dr Muller, as well as the impossibility of dealing with his charge, the young Abdullah. Quite fast moving and without the flow of some of the Tintin books, this adventure is nonetheless jam-packed with action. We discover that behind all the troubles are agents of a foreign power (Most likely the Soviet Union, whose menace had finally been recognized by the West when this book was first written, in French, 1950. As usual the rest of the gang such as the fiery Captain Haddock and the disastrous Thompson and Thomson add to the brew!

Destination Moon

First written in 1953, 15 years before the first real moon landing in 1969!
I like these books because of their nostalgia value, good old-fashioned values of heroism, adventure good vs. evil. . I first got hold of copies of 'Destination Moon ' and 'Explorers on the Moon' when I was ten, and I was fascinated by the world which they opened up.
Tintin and Captain Haddock fly to the uranium-rich Balkan State of Syldavia, to work with Professor Calculus on his project to send a rocket to the moon, using the mountains of Syldavia as a base. You learn a lot about the fantasyland of Syldavia, and about the unusual perception of the world of his time, by the author, Herge.
This work is amazing in its futuristic scope. The super-modern (for when it was written in1953) Sprodj Atomic Research Center, and the details of the rocket where quite an amazing concept when the book was first published, 16 years before the first real moon landing by Neil Armstrong in 1969.

It is full of adventure, such as when Tintin is wounded while surprising villains at the ventilator grid in the picturesque Syldavian Mountains; and much humour such as escapades with Captain
Haddock's pipe and Professor Calculus' hearing aid , and the famous scene of an enraged Professor Calculus `acting the goat'.

It is a great adventure for all ages, a wonderful album to have.

Explorers on the Moon

This science fictional comic , written in 1954 , 14 years before the first actual moon landing , fails to disappoint , after the precedent set by its prequel , 'Destination Moon'.
This adventure sees Tintin and friends successfully go to the moon and back , defeating such problems as a rapidly depleting oxygen source and villains who have followed them into space .
I read it when I was ten and it led me to become interested in space.
I remember sitting on top of the roof of my home , reading it , and seeing a shooting star fly by. There is something intriguing about these comics.

If you are a Tintin freak, this one is for you. Just buy them

Don't be fooled by the size of this little book. Other readers have stated how the pictures seem much to small in this more compact version of the comics we loved as children. These are just as visually stunning as the original size comics. Best of all, it is hardcover and will not get damaged (a problem I had with the originals) and they are compact enough to take on a car ride. My son is now as much of an addict as I was at his age. Happy reading!

Volume 5: Land of Black Gold (1951), Destination Moon (1953), Explorers on the Moon (1954). This is the fifth instalment of my reviews of each of the seven volumes.

Land of Black Gold makes little use of Captain Haddock (it actually took form before The Crab With the Golden Claws) and is, subjectively of course, the weakest of all the Tintin adventures created after Tintin in America.

The third of the three double adventures, Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon show an amazingly detailed lunar effort, 15 years before the real moon landing, using Syldavia vs. its communist-style rival Borduria (see King Ottokar's Sceptre) as the backdrop. We see a side of Calculus that we had not suspected, a great deal of slapstick from Haddock, highly convincing moonscapes, somewhat drab colours however, but an effective layout; the moonscapes are outstanding. Tintin's friendship with Haddock requires a little tough love. Great stories, and yet exceeded by the last two in the preceding volume and the three in Volume 6.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R52EG2F6D2TTZ This cover is the most beautiful one of all the Pixar artbooks I've owned. That pastel drawing was done by Ralph Eggleston, production designer.

This book will only enhance that feel-good feeling you have after you watch the movie, probably several times if you have kids.

There are a lot of pastel storyboards drawn for lighting studies. They are incredibly beautiful and you can almost feel the texture to them. The colour theory used for the movie is explained to you by Ralph Eggleston.

The pages are filled with character studies, set designs and lighting studies. Most of the panels were captioned to explain the art direction behind. You'll feel as if you're going on a tour at the Pixar studio, looking at art with artists talking to you.

This book gives you the movie.

This is almost a required purchase if you like Finding Nemo or just beautiful art.

There are more pictures on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for my blog's link.

I loved the movie, loved the book. Buy it. Don't hesitate. In years to come this is going to be a classic movie and the book will be valuable as well.

lots of storyboards, beautifully colored concept art and cool character sketches. It's definitely a great art book.

This is another great addition to the Pixar library, great for colour andlighting reference too for artists.

This book does a beautiful job of showcasing the concept art behind the movie. The majority of the art uses pastels as a medium, but there are also examples of pen and ink, pencil sketches, sculpture, digital wire frames, and more. But, if you're looking for actual frames of the finished movie, this is not the product you want.

The thing that sets this title apart from the other "Art of" Pixar books is the quality of the narrative text. All the "Art of" books have wonderful imagery. But, in this book, the text truly immerses the reader into the world of concept art. Conversely, the text in The Incredibles book often goes off on tangents about the director's personal life and events at Pixar. I like how this book keeps the focus on the art.

This is a must for all ethnic groups to read.

One problem with writing intelligent books on religion is that religion demands the author experience it. Halevi takes this difficult challenge and seeks common ground with Christians and Muslims. To find this common ground he is willing to push his boundaries, go beyond his fears to find a common ground.

In his efforts he encounters a Catholic order of religious that seeks to return to the Jewish roots of Jesus as a common ground for Jewish-Christian relations; a Catholic monk of the Melkite rite (Jerusalem rite) seeing Arab-Jewish understanding through the Arab Christian; a common ground of genocide with Armenian Christians; a common ground of love with Sufi sheiks ...

Throughout his search runs a thread of the common monotheistic underpinnings of the three major religions of Israel. A second thread is a more universal acceptance that includes the great Eastern traditions - Buddhism and Hinduism. The third thread is the history of the Jewish people and the reality of strife in Israel. Through these threads, Halevi challenges the reader to confront his or her prejudices in the political and religious arenas.

The net result is not a great book, but one I highly recommend because of the issues raised and the author's personal willingness to share his experience in addressing the issues.

I just love this guy. Starting with a simple urge to connect with his neighbors, Yossi Halevi embarks on an awkward, fascinating, dangerous journey through Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. He discovers a series of surprising characters who dream, not just of peace between Jews, Muslims and Christians, but of spiritual friendship. And the story of these fragile, budding friendships becomes an adventure of almost overwhelming power.

I want to quote from one episode, where Halevi and a madcap Jew called Eliyahu Charanamrit McLean attend a mosque in Karawa village on the West Bank:

"This mosque was a family project: Everyone here belonged to the Abu-Laben clan. They were working class people; the shaykh himself was a car mechanic.

"What do the other Muslims think of you?" Eliyahu asked.

"That we're crazy," replied Saud's father. "They think we chant the name of 'Abdallah' instead of 'Allah"". Laughter.

I asked Saud what he experienced during the zakir [or dance of remembering God]. "That our hearts kept getting closer and closer to God," he said, with the Sufi vagueness I'd so often encountered from Ibrahim. ...

Ibrahim, not to be poetically outdone, added "Our souls went up to heaven like clouds".

"When you pray together," said the shaykh's father, "you form one heart".

I felt sad for this forlorn Sufi Shteibl. Here was an Islam with which we could make peace, yet it was almost absurdly perepheral. Still, maybe the fact that a handful of Muslims and Jews had danced together was enough for God to work with; perhaps He would magnify our prayers, widen the circle of ecstasy." (p. 104-105)

Halevi is realist enough to claim no easy victories. As the level of sectarian violence rises again, his network of friends retains little but hope and prayer. It's a marvelous book.

--author of "Different Visions of Love"

The title is exact. Halevi is an extraordinary person: a mystic deeply rooted in his Jewish faith but who can share a common search for peace and religious experience with Christians, the historic persecutors of Jews, and with Muslims, who have now become the "enemy." I know three of the communities of Christians he shared with and the descriptions are accurate so I can assume the Muslim sections are just as fair. Anyone searching for religious and mystic truth that is non-violent but serious about faith and God will love this book.

Yossi Halevy thinks he is only writing about interfaith connections in the holy land, but in fact the most inspiring aspect of the book is the delicate portrait of his own faith in God, where this deep faith takes him, and the grace of goodwill and wisdom that it creates inside his soul.

I love her illustrations and writing and this did not disappoint. I really enjoyed it.

Susan Branch has the knack of making the ordinary truly extraordinary. Forget Nigella, she is truly the first domestic goddess. This book oozes charm and comfort, I can smell the fermenting orange and gold leaves and hear the drizzle lightly pattering away on the front porch whilst I'm warm and cosy with my recipes indoors. Such is the power of this book, as I live in a country that doesn't even have an Autumn to speak of! The recipes are lovely but they are almost secondary to the feelings and creativity this book inspires with it's beautiful rustic drawings and charming thoughts in Susan's familiar swirling script. A delight as always.

If you are a Susan Branch fan, chances are you already have this wonderful book. "Autumn" delivers the season with no holds barred. The inside of the book is covered with warm oak leaves and acorns ~ a perfect hint as to what is inside! From seasonal decorating and party hints to the delicious recipes, the celebration of Autumn is all here!

The Cranberry Apple Crisp and the Pumpkin Cheese Cake are two of our favoites. Both easy to make and scrumptous! All hand-written, Susan has included short stories and wonderful illustrations in the warm,toasty autumn colors. This book is a must-have for anyone who simply loves autumn!

Autumn is my favorite season and this could well be one of my favorite cookbooks. As with any Susan Branch book, the illustrations are delightful. The recipes are great, too (and not only for the autumn season).

This is a book that will lift your spirits on a gloomy day.

What an excellent cookbook. And it makes a wonderful gift. The recipes are wonderful and the artistry in the book is delightful! I personally use this and have given several as gifts. Practical recipes. It is fun just to sit down and read it!

I dont want to ruin the book for you. If you loved the show then buy the book. I got it for my wife as a birthday present. Enjoy its funny.

This book is super fun! It has tons of awesome details about the writer and the story's background. Lots of pictures from the show. And I really enjoyed reading the whole script! It's all in here! From "It Sucks to be Me" to "You Can be as Loud as the Hell You Want" to "For Now"! The entire script is there so you can make sure you didn't miss anything from the show!

The only problem with this book is: you may be picking monster hair out of your mouth when you read it! This book is super hairy! But it's all part of the fun!

After seeing the touring version of AVE Q, I had to get this book. It has become my favorite show ranking over Phantom of the Opera and Les Miz. (I nerver thought that would be possible.) The book is colorful, full of fun information and most important the full text of the show. Lots of pictures and interviews including other casts besides the original Broadway cast.

As for the mentions of the orange fur shedding, I immediately sprayed both covers with a couple coats of hair spray and it has not shed at all.

Only fault I have is the book was published before the tour so no pictures of that excellent cast headed by the wonderful Rob McClure.
Don't wait BUY THIS BOOK!

Fun and whimsical, this book servers as a great "coffee table" companion to the play itself. It contains the usual info about the creation of the show and its original cast, as well as the full script. If I've any criticism, it's with the "furry" orange cover, which, though fun, tends to shed.

The show was great - the book is wonderful with the lyrics and such. The key downside to the book is that it sheds.