Lifestyle Books

Simply astonishing. This is an encyclopedic work with so much fun, depth and data..full of ideas, rich depiction of the events that shapped our present and likely to shape our future. Who are the greatest leaders and politicians of our time? Best countries? Worst countries? Best systems? Greatest opportunities for success and where to find them? The answers are in this book. Every single book written by Maximillien de Lafayette is a signature of excellence. I am addicted to his books! He opens my eyes on our world...Rating: 5 stars!

My Favorite Book of the Season!



With great interest and enormous joy I read this book and could not put it down. It is fun, fun, fun. I did not know that Estee Lauder perfume "Country Mist" failed miserably in Germany because the word MIST means manure in German, until I read this book!

Surprised to read in the book that some French names raise red flag In France. For instance, Chantal means barracuda, Bernadette is innocent, Angele (Angela) in decent, Brigitte is unpredictable, Lou Lou is a teaser and Maurice is a playboy!



The book is filled with captivating stories from around the world. The author in a bursting simplicity explains the characteristic features and personality of Americans and people in 135 countries! WOW! It is overwhelming. Ranging from tradition, social etiquette and love to the bizarre, the secret and taboos.



I was particularly taken by the list of the outstanding people of our time and those who made a direct impact on our life, starting with George Bush and Hillary Clinton and ending with Madonna and Al Pacino. The roster of the most important American celebrities and the best and worst of our politicians is a coup de grace. Read the book. You got to read it; it is enjoyable and so much entertaining. This is my favorite book of the Season.

The world at your fingertips; this book presents on a silver dish all the important stuff you need to know about foreigners, their countries, lifestyles, taboos, politics, dating and way of life.

In addition, it offers an intelligent analysis of the American way of life, how we do business, our relationships with each other, techniques we use to succeed in our career. In brief, a most informative, and fun book I have read in a decade. One particular section is unusual: The roster of names (national and international) of the most important personalities and events of our time. It is a serious work, however, the great sense of humor of Maximillien de Lafayette adds an extra dimension of delight and fun to the book. It is a wonderful book. You will love it. I give this book 5 stars.- By Shoshanna Rosentein, WJNA.

0n the TV show, YOUNG LOVE Sweet Valley Middle School kids are on it. Yep, that right! They get to be on TV!...

This book is GGGGRRRREEEEAAAATTTT! A Super duper BOOKKKK! I say, if you're a Sweet Valley fan, e-mail me at mimipony38@hotmail.com. This is a great book! Makes you want to read, The Boyfriend Mess! Trust me, that one is even better!

This book was so funny I almost laughed my head off. I can't believe the twins really switched parts, and it was so funny the way Elizabeth acted. Especially Sophia Rizzo's boyfriend, how he mixed up those words! This book is one of the most funniest books I have ever read.

Of the books I read when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001, this was the one that seemed most objective. It was also most challenging to blind acceptance of what the medical establishment might have us believe. Cancer treatment is NOT a black-and-white process, and this book shows why. Patients have the right and responsibility to participate in decisions about their health care, and this book gives information to help in the decision-making process. I very much hope that Steve and Cathy will soon publish an update, as the statistics, surgical options, drug regimens, etc have changed dramatically since 1994. Notably absent is mention of DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Nonetheless, this book will never be totally irrelevant, since the process of acquiring knowledge, and the concept that we ARE free to choose our health care, are timeless and liberating.

As a naturopathic physician, I have never seen any book on any type of cancer as well thought out and executed as this. What a fantastic resource. I have found answers to questions I've had about this disease over and over again. I can only hope that they'll do a 2nd edition to update the research.

The husband and wife team give an excellent view of he treatments and follow up of what to do after treatment. He is the doctor who does the research. She is the person with breast cancer and her choices, and why she chose as she did. And what she is doing now to try and prevent a reoccurence.

I love all the Hank books, and this is a great one for the Christmas season. These books are hilarious and more important to the young reader, fun to read. I'd also check the rest of the series.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

Loved this book !! Hank , Drover ,and Little Alfred are the main carecters in this book along with some songs this is one of my favorite Hank books I have ever !!

A very funny book starin Hank ,Drover , Little Alferd ,and the rest of the gang. One of my favorite Hank books I have read , a heart warming story mostly about Hank , Little Alferd , and Drover . I loved this book !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My daughter has fallen in love with these books and it was our goal to collect the series for her.
This clever and beautiful story book encompasses history lessons, geography lessons, art lessons, cooking lessons and French lessons in a wonderfully fun way for a little girl.
The creative use of real paintings, old photoes and postcards as the illustrations further enhance the experience of Charlotte's journeys into your own child's world.

Charlotte in New York is the latest in the popular series about Charlotte
Glidden, the gutsy 19th century girl from Boston who loves to travel the world
and paint en plein air like her Impressionist painter father. I loved this
book! It brought belle epoque New York to life for me and I learned much that
I didn't know, even though I've lived in the city all my life: camels were
used to mow the lawns in Central Park; Childe Hassam painted many of his
cityscapes from inside a horse-drawn carriage; elevated trains left trails of sparks
and ashes on the streets below; oatmeal makes a great floor polish and the
origin of the word skyscraper.
It's a hard-to-put down, jam-packed read and, as always, the
illustrations and museum reproductions are fabulous - from Butler's painting of the
Statue of Liberty to the box of that new candy, Good and Plenty, that Charlotte
will take back to France -- a souvenir for Monsieur Monet. Delightful!
(5 stars!!)

I am a huge fan of Charlotte in Giverny and Charlotte in Paris-and I have to say this book is my favorite Charlotte yet. Once again we read Charlotte's journal-and her voice is so strong and true one forgets she is a fictionalized character! Of course the period postcards, photographs and lush paintings are all transporting...the author brings a human context to the paintings (we find Charlotte herself in a watercolor by Maurice Prendergast--and she even comes to own a luminous Theodore Butler of the Statue of Liberty...)A beautiful effort on the part of the author and illustrator-I am just delighted by this vibrant, historical, and yet personal journey...the book is a vivid glimpse into a young girl's life in the year 1894...a true success and a glorious read!!!

Dick King-Smith is one of my favorite authors. He writes books that are for children but are equally enjoyed by adults. And this autobiography is no exception. Being a writer myself (though just a journalist right now -- an inspiring children's author one day) his book and his journey in becoming an author was so nice to read. He didn't start out as an author. It was a gradual thing.

If you have seen the movie "Babe" and been delighted by the characters and story, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. I listened to it on tape, and the reader was none other than the author himself, veddy English and likeable. Mr. King-Smith recounts his early years, his stint in the military, the courtship of his wife, the birth of his children and his various careers, including the longest one, that of being a farmer. From these experiences, mostly as a farmer, Mr. King-Smith built a reputation as a children's book author. I was sad to come to the end and longed for more. I hope Mr. King-Smith has another book like it in him; he could follow in the tradition of the much loved James Herriot. A simple memoir, for those of you who like them, full of nice people, animal stories, and the evidence of Mr. King-Smith's sweet nature. A short gem and a breath of fresh air.

This autobiography of a popular children's book author provides a delightful memoir for kids in grades 6-8, telling of Dick King-Smith's life and how he came up with the animal characters which are so popular in his children's stories. Any prior fan of Dick King-Smith's writings will find Chewing The Cud filled with fascinating insights about his life and sources for inspiration.

Super storyline. You will get to use all your fun voices, including the chicken sounds.

I was honored to serve on the Cybils Awards judging committee for Fiction Picture Books. It was truly an honor to give this book our top prize. The prose is both musical and evocative, as told in the first person voice of the little girl, chicken chasing queen herself.

And the art is a perfect match for the exuberance of the poetic text.

Here is our blurb for the awards:

"Mama says "NO," but this farm girl seems determined to keep right on chasing chickens, especially poor Miss Hen, the one chicken that always gets away. This lively story is told in the first-person voice of our full-of-the-devil young lady, using language that sings with the vernacular and cadence of true country storytelling. The illustrations are a perfect match in spirit, and they move the tale along with equal verve, using the rich texture of collage, skilled brush strokes, celebratory colors and charming whimsy. Best of all, we learn that even the wildest hearts are capable of warmth and growth. "

Harrington, Janice N. The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County

I absolutely love this book. It is full of delicious language, "The chickens watch me, and I watch them. I think all kinds of chicken thoughts so they will not know I am up to something... Worms, slurms, swishy-mishy, ickly-tickly worms!" The exuberant text begs to be read-aloud and the illustrations are outstanding.
Right from the beginning, a young African American girl announces, "I'm the chicken-chasing Queen of Lamar County." She tells her own story in folksy language, "I always do three things, eat breakfast, tell stories to Big Mama, and--when Big Mama isn't looking--chase chickens!" She knows that she is breaking her Grandmother's admonition not to chase the chickens because they might stop laying eggs but just cannot "help herself". One double spread shows the girl's shinning eyes and incredible smile as she is reaching out to catch a chicken. Big Mama's wise sayings are fluidly incorporated into the story, "Big Mama says you can do anything you put your mind to -if you want it bad enough". Similes, like "feathers are shiny as a rained-on roof"," Plump (Miss Hen) as a Sunday purse" and "as fast as a mosquito buzzing and quick as a fleabite."
The artist paints in warm colors and utilizes collage to capture the facial expressions, posture and lively action splendidly. The presentation is eye catching: One double spread has the girl closing one eye and peeking at Miss Hen; around her swirls things she is thinking about: eggs, corn bread and a slimy worm, so the chickens can not figure out her real intention is to chase them. A cautious Miss Hen closes one eye and cocks her head so she can peer back at the girl. In another double spread, the little girl jumps and spreads her arms and legs wide, and Miss Hen mimics her by spreading her wings. In another double spread, the perspective is from above so everything going on in the barnyard is visible. Each electric page has full color backgrounds without any white space. Do not miss this gem!

Called "Baby" and "Girl" by Big Mama, the first-person narrator does three things. every morning after she has brushed her teeth whiter than a biscuit. She eats breakfast, tells Big Mama stories, and chases chickens. She has given herself the fine, richly deserved title of, "The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County." Her favorite prey is Miss Hen, who completely and competently eludes her.


In this delightfully humorous story of a small country girl's favorite pastime, young readers, who will likely never meet a free-ranging chicken, will relish the perfect ending. The vernacular of our queen never hits a false note. The illustrations of the happy, self-satisfied child make the viewer smile just to look at them. Collage and watercolor, and chickens flap across pages. The picture of girl and hen studying each other with one eye closed is truly classic. An absolute gem of a book.

It is nice to read this book on-line.I am studying red yeast rice in Chinese.As the book shows that Cholestin is the safe, natural, and scientifically medicine to Lower your cholesterol. Enjoy the drug,Enjoy the book.

It is nice to read this book on-line.I am studying red yeast rice in Chinese.As the book shows that Cholestin is the safe, natural, and scientifically medicine to Lower your cholesterol. Enjoy the drug,Enjoy the book.

It is nice to read this book on-line.I am studying red yeast rice in Chinese.As the book shows that Cholestin is the safe, natural, and scientifically medicine to Lower your cholesterol. Enjoy the drug,Enjoy the book.

This fresh, exciting, and informative story would be a great choice for a child's or classroom's first nonfiction book. Illustrations are vivid and easy to relate to, and the text - complex enough for competent early readers, but perfect for a read-aloud - is engaging. City Hawk tells the true story of a pair of hawks who unexpectedly and uncharacteristically nest and rear their young outside the window of a Central Park apartment. One thing I really like about this is that the author does not anthropomorphize the birds and their plight, but lets the reader follow their story as if they were bird-watching along with the NYC regulars. A portion of the sales of this book go towards the Audubon Society's NYC chapter and helps "support protection of wild birds and habitat in the five boroughs."

Excellent story with historical value . I bought it for my grand son who lives in NYC .Highly recommend

City Hawk is a wonderful story about a real-life red-tailed hawk that decides to make New York City his home. The illustrations are charming and give an accurate picture of what life for a city hawk is really like. This book will appeal to both children and adults, especially those who live in New York and want to know more about their fellow resident, Pale Male.

This book is a wonderful teaching tool for explaining the culture of the colonies. Drawings and photographs bring to life the informational text on subjects such as education, family, clothing, entertainment, and the life of slaves in the colonies. Photographs come from interpretive community reinactment. A table of contents, glossary, and index help the students navigate its information. This is an Accelerated Reader book rated at a 5.9 level. Most of my fifth grade students can read it.

Every book in this series, Historic Communities, is a work of art! Colonial Life is an exceptional eample of acurate history brought to life with drawings, paintings and photographs of costumed historical interpreters in settings such as the Governor's Palace, the Raleigh Tavern and wonderful homes and gardens in Colonial Williamsburg.

The lives of early settlers, slaves, children, tradesmen and more are all examined in a manner that is understandable to young readers and demonstrates how these lives would have intertwined.

Guaranteed to liven up the study of colonial history!

This book wasn't like most history books because it had many pictures. I went to the library to get some books about the 13 colonies and out of all of them, this was the most appealing. Most history books have tiny print and few or boring pictures, but this had pictures to help you learn and medium-sized print. This had basic information. It didn't get to deatailed so if you already know a lot about the 13 colnies I wouldn't reccommend it.