Cynthia Rylant's three early-reader series (Henry and Mudge, Mister Putter and Tabby, and Poppleton) are almost uniformly excellent, but Poppleton has always been my particular favorite. They have a slightly off-kilter feeling to them that makes me smile (and my daughter laugh out loud) even on the fifth or sixth time through.

The second and third stories in _Poppleton Everyday_, in which Our Hero shops for a bed and goes sailing with his friend Fillmore the Goat, are superb even by the high standards of the series. Each one takes a perfectly ordinary situation, lets it spiral into absurdity, and then resolves it in the last two pages. Mark Teague--who has one of the most distinctive styles in children's literature--is provides pitch-perfect illustrations to go with it.

This is a series to cherish. If you haven't tried it, do!

Poppleton is the first character in a long time who has had my girls begging to hear him again. Cynthia Rylant's characters have always been enjoyable. The unexpected quirks in Poppleton's personality got a lot of laughs from my girls, and my 12 year old son. This book makes a great read-aloud for many ages. We have never enjoyed being not relaxed so much.

In Book 8 of the adventures of Poppleton, the popular pig enjoys winter in a trio of short stories. "Icicles" finds Poppleton admiring the very long icicles that grew on his house, while everybody else in town only complains about them. In the end, Poppleton learns there are something in life even better than beautiful icicles. "The Bust" tells how each winter Poppleton finds a new activity to keep him busy. This winter he decides to make a bust of Cherry Sue, the goat who lives next door. The only problem is, he cannot always remember the details of her face. Finally, "The Sleigh Ride" is about the trouble Poppleton has finding someone to go with him on a sleigh ride on a snowy day. Unfortunately, all of his friends are busy baking treats and no one has time to go. If only Poppleton had remembered what day it was. The Poppleton books tell appealing stories aimed at beginning readers that can also be told aloud to younger children. Cynthia Rylant's stories are fun and each one develops a sense of anticipation, since kids pick up that there is going to be some sort of payoff to each humorous situation. The pencil and water color illustrations by Mark Teague use lots of nice bright colors that will delight the eyes of children (and he has a wonderful two-page picture of Poppleton and his friends on a midnight sleigh ride to impress their parents). This is an excellent book for beginning readers, even if you live someplace that does not have snow and icicles half the year...

This latest book of Poppleton is just as sweet and gentle as the others, and it is easy reading for my 2nd grader. You can't go wrong with this book. "The Bust" chapter is the funniest with Cherry Sue, in which Poppleton wants to sculpt a bust of Cherry Sue, but can't remember what she looks like. "The Icicles" chapter in which he meets a clumsy little finch, Patrick, and the "Sleigh Ride" are also good-natured stories that bring the feel of winter to the reader which is perfect for the upcoming snowy season.

This wonderful edition features a judicious selection of Walt Whitman's poetry and essays, edited by distinguished literary critic Mark Van Doren (who is perhaps now as well known for being the father of Ralph Fiennes' character in 'Quiz Show' as he is for his erudition).

Van Doren's preface, itself a famous piece of work, accounts for both the best and worst of Whitman's creations (Van Doren seemed to share Randall Jarrell's view that we can only appreciate the best of Whitman's poetry by acknowledging the depths of his worst work), and seeks to locate the personal Whitman within his verses. This essay alone is arguably worth the price of purchase.

What really sets this anthology apart from others like it, though, is the manner in which Van Doren takes his argument - that Whitman's work was always intimate, even though its themes were variously epical or universal - and applies it to his selection of poems. In inevitable inclusions such as 'Song of Myself', 'Mannahatta' and 'Crossing Brooklyn Ferry', we see Whitman the oracular poet, bringing into his egalitarian imagination the disparate bustle and brio of nineteenth-century New York and ordering them in verse. But when we read alongisde these poems 'Ashes of Soldiers', 'When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd', 'Native Moments' and 'Once I Pass'd through a Populous City', we begin to recognise the truth in Van Doren's thesis. Whitman's fear of death, his concern for the memories of the individual dead (as we see in 'As Toilsome I Wander'd Virginia's Woods'), and his nascently homerotic fascination with his own body (he writes in 'As Adam Early in the Morning', 'Touch me, touch the palm of your hand to my body as I pass,/ Be not afraid of my body'), complement those aspects of his poetry for which he is perhaps most famous: his mythical imagination, exclamatory verse, and descriptive catalogues of local people and places, which remind me of Homeric battle lists, except that they are predicated upon peace, not war.

Combined with his eloquent prose accounts of his activities as a nurse during the Civil War, his letters, and his thoughtful, incisive tributes to those he recognised as great poets (his critical work occasionally resembles the scrupulous excellence of Samuel Johnson), Whitman's poetry discloses subtle resonances that readers might otherwise be inclined to overlook, or forget. Long-time admirers of Whitman will be overjoyed by this classic edition of his work. Those who haven't yet experienced the joys of his language could do worse than look here for a comprehensive overview of his oeuvre.

Not having read the entire book yet, I am not eligible for evaluating it as a whole. However, the poems that I have read amaze me and they are the reason why I call Whitman my favourite poet.

First and foremost, Whitman follows Emerson's thread of thougth in his nature-loving poetry, but Whitman allows himself fewer limits: He not only writes in free verse, he also writes explicitly about his sexuality.

His power, though, lies in his ability to take everyday things and use them in what we might call catalogue rhetoric: In a way he is just making drafts without logics. This is his way of putting everyday America into a poem. And it works. We may wonder what his point is, but Whitman is about sensation, not logics, and the feeling you experience when you read 'Song of Myself', his masterpiece, is truly unique. It is the same feeling you have when you see a beautful forest or sunset. This is poetry at its best.

It was especially meaningful to note that this book was written by a Lutheran pastor. Power Surge is nothing less than a down-to-earth primer on how to go about becoming the kind of church Jesus had in mind. As a lifelong Lutheran who has found it difficult to watch his denomination in continual decline, Mike Foss' book provides a heartfelt glimmer of hope. It may not be too late for the mainline Protestant churches after all.

Power Surge discusses the church's decline, describes where we've been and explains why the old church membership model was doomed to fall short. Based on the practical, successful pastoral and discipleship experiences of the author, Power Surge outlines a dynamic and Biblical discipleship paradigm for the church. The essential aspects of leadership are explained, and the marks of individual and corporate discipleship are revealed and supported.

Power Surge moves beyond the theoretical, focusing on how to implement this fundamental shift within the life of a congregation, including the challenges and pitfalls to be encountered along the way.

In addition to presenting a needed discipleship vision for the church, each chapter provides questions for prayerful reflection. Power Surge works to renew the discipleship of each individual reader as well as each congregation.

A must read for every church leader!

In a nutshell: Ever since the church received state sanction under the Emperor Constantine, Westerners became members largely because they were citizens in a Christian society. As Western civilization grew, so did the church. This membership mindset, according to Foss, is no longer viable in our post-Christian society. No longer does the church enjoy state, or even social sanction. And today, membership in organizations implies dues-paying for the purpose of receiving a benefit at best, and passivity at worst. Foss' answer is to replace our membership mindset with a discipleship mindset. While membership churches will lose steam in the decades ahead, discipleship churches will thrive. Foss then shares six marks he believes are central to discipleship.

This book is excellent because Foss puts clear words to the feelings that many of us have in our gut. I am using his book as the basis for a challenging Lenten sermon series in my congregation. My opening statement, "What if tomorrow we abolished the concept of membership at our church?" grabbed their attention and it has been held ever since. A large percentage of my congregation has purchased this book and is now reading it during our Lenten journey. I have received tons of positive feedback, and there is now a visible surge of passion for our congregation's future!

I purchased this book as a second thought, and found out I got more than I bargained for. The level of expertise and experience with God impressed me initially, but it was the depth of each topic presented by each of the authors that shocked me. When dealing with God and spiritual subjects in books, there are so many approaches, and many that are really weird, but in this book the contributing authors do much to show by scriptures and experience the reality of the need for the church to be seeking God's power, holiness, and evangelistic outreach to the human race. This is not a book of testimonies alone, but scriptures and the reality of the topics listed in the title. Another book that assisted me in certain sections of this book was I Give You Authority by Charles Kraft. Though much different in subject, it assisted me in understanding some things that are occurring in the South American churches. I highly recommend this book for one's bookself, not only for reading, but as a text book for what is happening in Christianity today.

The chapters are written by individuals from various backgrounds who are sensing the Holy Spirit drawing them into a closer relationship with God. This purity of heart has been documented in past and present revivals around the world.

Practical Intranet Security is a clear and concise book that covers the range of today's authentication and authorization technologies. I was particularly impressed with the discussions on SESAME - this was the first book that makes the goals and design of SESAME clear. It also provides good introductory material on network security and cryptography. As an experienced professional, I have found the book useful to see how others have addressed problems in the development of security protocols.

I found the book to offer a great mix of practice "how to" type of advice for application level security integration. It is also to be commended on also explaining the concepts of what is to be achieved first.

Satan is real and his goal is to destroy you---is he succeeding? Discover how to fight off his poisoned arrows! Divided into five lessons, Bubeck's comprehensive workbook provides prayers, Scripture to memorize, discussion questions, and more to equip you with a strong spiritual arsenal to repel the assaults of the enemy.

I have found this book to be a good teaching tool on the subject of spiritual warfare and prayer. It is comprehensive in its coverage, laying a firm foundation of Biblical truth for what it teaches.

As a forensic psychologist who conducts threat assessments and fitness-for-duty evaluations of potentially violent employees, I found Dr. Braverman's book to be the most informative, readable, and practical text available. I recommend it highly to HR professionals, Occupational Health physicians and nurses, employment lawyers (don't be offended by some of Dr. Braverman's constructive criticism of too-conservative corporate counsel!), Employee Assistance professionals, union officials, security officers, anyone who worries about a co-worker's potential for violence, and anyone who has been accused of threatening violence on the job. If more employers took Dr. Braverman's advice, workplace homicides and other forms of violence (e.g., assualts, harassment, hostile work environment, threats, intimidation) would decrease, employee stress would diminish, and worker productivity would improve.

This is the best book on this topic I have seen. As the owner of a mid-sized company, I run into violence, threat and harassment situations almost weekly. The book is intelligent, has useful case studies, and concise guidelines on how to develop and implement policy. The author knows his stuff and has a humane, reasonable approach to these tricky issues.

I look at a lot of cookbooks, and this is one of the best all-around healthy cooking and weight management approaches I have found. It includes lots of charts, guidelines, and hints for healthier eating, plus great illustrations and clear directions. I especially like the vegetarian and fish sections. Each recipe includes a "extra health benefits" section that I found interesting.

If only all authors of low-fat cookbooks could have seen this book first. Each easy- to- follow recipe gives a breakdown on health benefits, preparation and cooking time, and a nutritional breakdown. Often times, there are extra chef's hints on shopping tips, substitutions, or presentation. Recipes that take 10 minutes or less to cook have an easy to read "quick" notation. Perfect for the novice chef; recipes are simple yet elegant. Lessons on different food groups give knowledge you can use in the kitchen and at the supermarket. yummy!

This book is a must for those who not only want to lose weight but keep it off. I have had two copies, my first wore out, and I still use it all the time. I have writen notes in it, and used the guidlines.

Your Perfect Weight gives you a 52 week planner for your weight loss. Alot of questions that I never thought to ask are answered in this book. It gives charts that are easy to read, examples of how to plan your food each day, and motivative ideas for when you are in the middle of a plateau and not lossing weight. It gives examples of how to change your exercise routine when you get bored, and meal plans for when you are bored of the same foods. This is definitely the best book that I have bought to motivate me and to educate me all at the same time.