Guiding Young Children's Behavior: Helpful Ideas for Parents and Teachers from 28 Early Childhood Experts edited by Betty Farber, M.Ed. Preschool Publications. 1999. 329 pp. $24.95.trade paper.

Farber's compilation of parenting advice and tips is a notable, comprehensive handbook for contemporary childrearing. The advice and tips blend the best of tradition and the contemporary. The material knowledgeably selected by Farber gives guidance for being actively and personally involved in the upbringing of children while not becoming overbearing. The numerous innovative, relevant, and practical tips from the experts give guidance for children on the tried-and-true principles of self-control and consideration for others without relying exclusively or excessively on strict, narrow discipline or parental dictates. This is the valuable, timely core of Farber1s book. The experts1 experienced, imaginative guidance is both challenging--occasionally seemingly fun--and instructive, implying that acceptable behavior need not be laborious or constricting.

Each of the chapters of Farber's book is a selection from the writings of one of the number of early childhood experts dealing with a major activity or concern of parenting. Editor Farber herself has much experience in the fields of teaching and parenting, including publishing Parent and Preschooler Newsletter and teaching and administration in early childhood programs. For many parents and teachers, her book can bring enlightened, productive solutions to seemingly insoluble problems and deadlocks of childrearing.

Henry Berry, Book Reviewer

Editor/Publisher, The Small Press Book Review

As a grandmother, I was thrilled to read about practical and loving ways to set limits for my grandchildren. I especially recommend that you check out the chapters on Separation, Helping your child to eat well, and Sending positive messages. This book is my gift to all my friends with children or grandchildren.

Betty Farber's "Guiding Young Children's Behavior" has concrete suggestions and practical applications in simple, direct language. I'm mentoring a child and have no experience at all with children. Farber's book not only presents the ideas, it also gives you real language to use with children. Now I can say what I need to communicate in a friendly, non-threatening manner, yet with authority. It seems to be working. My chapter favorites: Teaching children responsibility; Problem solving approaches to discipline; Setting limits. Also sent copies to 2 cousins and they agree--the book is practical, informative, and filled with great strategies. They like it and I recommend it highly.

Betty Bolte's Hometown Heroines is a superbly presented collection of historical biographies of young women who lived in 19th century America. Each of the nineteen young women featured is so extraordinary that she is remembered with at least one memorial ranging from a city park to a mountain peak. For example, Kate Shelley is remembered for crawling across a high railroad trestle to stop the next train during a dangerous storm, while the young teacher Minnie Freeman led her seventeen students to safety through a blizzard. Very highly recommended for women's studies, Hometown Heroines is a rare and exciting glimpse of how women contributed to Americans history in spite of the male-dominated stories found in textbooks.

Engaging and easy to read, this piece combines historical fiction and the real facts. Ms. Bolte has written about 20 girls, aged 7 through 20, who are little known, but who had an impact on those around them. The book begins with a timeline of inventions of the 19th century. This helps put the heroines' lives into perspective, and is very useful for the young reader. Then, each section has an historical fiction story, a recording of the plain facts, additional resources, and descriptions of ways the figure has been recognized. This book will be enjoyed by even those who don't especially care for historical pieces--the stories are that well-written and exciting. I'd recommend it for readers from the fourth grade on through adulthood.

Reading this book was like being backstage at a play or the making of a movie. The young heroines, in this book, took part in many important historical events in our country and hardly anyone knows they existed. They were the links behind the scenes of our nation's most important times in history and now everyone can read about how these young girls made our country stronger by their devotion to the land and people they loved so dearly.

When learning history in school, we heard more about the male influence in our country and very little about how women (especially young girls) helped to create our country's trail into the future. All of us need to hear more about the women and girls in our country's history and I applaud Mrs. Bolte' for her research and curiosity behind each young woman mentioned in the book. Not only does Mrs. Bolte' give us the story behind each young heroine, she also provides information for the reader to do further research on each girl represented in her book.

Today we are so set on the future of our country, that I found it very uplifting to go back in time and read about some unknown but very important links in our past that helped to create this country and time we live in at this very moment.

I own a hardcover copy of what I suppose would now be called "volume one" of "How Did They Die?" Its subtitle is "The last days, words, afflictions and resting places of over 300 notables throughout history." Since all of us will die, but few will ever be noted in a book like this, the book is surprisingly compelling. Each entry is short, and it is hard to stop reading once you begin. The Donaldsons did good work in putting this together. Those who want a copy in 2002 may have to settle for used, but it will be worth it. From John Adams to Brigham Young, this book has covered most of the best-known folks.

I read Vol. 2, and was VERY entertained. I couldn't put it down. This is the best missive on the circumstances surrounding the demise of famous personages I have ever read. I wish the Donaldsons would put out an updated book or even start a newsletter or magazine.

VERY INTERESTING, I WISH I COULD FIND COPIES OF VOLUME 2. I ALSO WISH THEY WOULD COME OUT WITH A NEW ISSUE. I HAVE READ A SIMILAR BOOK BY MALCOLM FORBES, IT WAS GOOD BUT NOT AS GOOD AS DONALDSON'S BOOK

This book is the best tool I have read to improve upon the game. It provides a valuable tool in the scoring card.
No doubt more poeple would play the game with these well-writtem and truly helpful books.
It is a great companion to the authors' other works, especially Mah Jong Illustrated. SLZ.

After five years of playing this game weekly with the same group of four, we thought we'd covered all the strategic moves possible. This publication has made each of us players rethink our playing styles and open our minds to thinking differently about the game of Mah Jong.

This book is an uncomplicated read for such a complex game. We eagerly await the next publication!

Having a basic knowledge of the game I was looking for a book to improve my hands. This book covers special hands and has great illustrations of each hand which are clearly drawn and easy to read. This book also provided an overview of the differences between the Western and Chinese games. In other books I've found the sections on scoring to be tendious and off-putting, however, this book describes it clearly and gives examples. In summary: A great graphical book for a game that is quite graphical!

This book has been a tremendous help to both my sister and I, after my sister lost her twin to cancer. Words cannot express the depth of pain, anxiety, and seperation that twins feel when they are seperated. This book provides comfort and hope to twins who are left behind. In addition, it provides insight, comfort, and hope to family members who struggle to understand what the surviving twin is experiencing and how to help them survive the valley of a very unique twin grief. This book reads quickly and keeps your interest. God bless all of the twinless twins in this world, and those who hurt when they do.

I received this wonderful book 3 months after losing my twin sister. It has been a true blessing to me, and help in dealing with the loss of my sister, but also my twin. Siblings of twins that have lost their twin, should read this book, they will reach a new understanding of the twin that is left.

Un muy buen libro, entrega una serie de experiencias narradas por terceros en las que se puede apreciar lo harduo que puede ser superar una pérdida de tal magnitud, y que lamentablemente no puede ser apreciada por cualquier persona. Me permitió conocer que muchas de las situaciones que he vivido y sentido no me son propias, hay mas personas en este mundo que han pasado por lo mismo y con trabajo, decisión y fe en Dios se puede y debe superar cualquier tropiezo, pero por sobre todo, la comunicación es y seguirá siendo la llave para lograrlo, habla con tus amigos, tus padres, con un grupo de ayuda, etc., en todos ellos podras tener un punto de apoyo para los momentos difíciles.

TELL A FRIEND: An easy read, large print and captivating. I Read the novel in 2 1/2 days, and did not want to put it down. It made my laugh, cry and remember all of my human faults. You will see yourself and many of the people you have known. Why? It's about life (unless you have not lived). I look forward to Betty Phillips new book-BRAVO!

What a pleasure to read something positive, sensitive and real about women loving women! Love Is Not Enough breaks and warms your heart all at once. A great read.

What a refreshing book about the life of two women in love. We found the book captured the true essence of relationships and the consequences of our choices. We can't wait for the sequel!

The decades Ms Walton devoted to collecting Welsh folklore and oral tradition versions of these tales, combined with her acute knowledge of the Western Mystery Tradition and excellent scholarship makes this the single most valuable text for anyone engaged in serious study of Celtic literature, history or spiritual traditions. Outside of hearing the tales from Taliesin's own lips, this is as good as it gets.

The Mabinogion is an ancient collection of Welsh mythology. There have been quite a few modern translations, especially with the current Celtic revival. In my opinion, however, this four volume set by Evangaline Walton is by far the best. Many myths and fairy tales, while still enjoyable to read, are written in a less than scintillating style. Events and characters are duly described in a kind of methodical history book manner. Walton, on the other hand, brings the characters and stories to life in a truly literary fashion. Thus, these volumes can be enjoyed not only by folklorists and Celtophiles, but also by anyone who loves good fantasy novels --or good novels in general. The Welsh language has long been a source for many fantasy writers, including Tolkien. Though I can't properly pronounce most of the words and names in the Mabinogion, just reading them sends the imagination on an astral journey. Arawn, King of Annwn (the underworld); Rhiannon, Gwydion, Arianrhod...It would be too confusing to go into the details of the stories, but they are almost all concerned with magical battles (of wits as often as with swords) between various mortals and gods. Many of the tales of the Mabinogion are related, but they are not continuous. You could read any one of the four volumes by itself, which may be forced upon some readers if they rely on finding them in used bookstores. Fortunately, there are quite a few editions out there, including some newer ones, so you should be able to buy them as a set.

Back in the early and mid 1970s a series of 4 fantasy novels written by one Evangeline Walton and based tightly on the Welsh myths known collectively as The Mabinogion were published in this country by Ballantine Books. THE PRINCE OF ANNWN; THE CHILDREN OF LLYR; THE SONG OF RHIANNON; and THE ISLAND OF THE MIGHTY were for many of us our first introductions to Celtic mythology. Ms. Walton was an expert storyteller, and having read the 1949 Gwyn and Thomas Jones translation of THE MABINOGION, and struggled through a Welsh-language version for young people called Y MABINOGI: CYFADDASIAD NEWYDD, I can say that her paraphrase of these tales is superb, faithful, and an incredibly exciting read!

The individual novels have long been out of print and hard to find. Overlook Press has just published the four novels together in one elegantly produced hardback entitled THE MABINOGION TETRALOGY.

Although Ms. Walton, who died in 1996 at age 92, began writing her novels decades before Tolkien began his, and her style is leaner and perhaps cleaner (aided, no doubt, by the fact that she was reworking already existing material whereas Tolkien was weaving entire worlds from his own yarn), the Tetralogy should appeal to a similar readership.

I can't recommend this edition highly enough!

As a former student of Betty Lies, and a current graduate student in literature, I encourage you to explore this book. I still return to her suggestions on overcoming writers' block, and have often thought back to her teaching methods as I encounter the turbulence of writing. As she once said to me, writing can be like crawling on your hands and knees among broken glass and coffee grounds, but the rewards are immeasurable. Invest in this book.

I came about this book by accident, a fortunate coincidence. It is a mainstay for teaching poetry in my high school writing classes. In fact, it is the gift I choose to present to my student teachers as they prepare to lauch their careers.

After teaching poetry for 31 years and collecting books, folders, and boxes full of ideas about how to get reluctant students to try writing poetry, one of our new teachers gave me her copy of _The Poet's Pen_. I immediately went to the pink post-it notes she had used to mark activities she had used successfully. What a find!

I have used several of the activites listed in the book,and found that the students not only enjoyed them, but they produced some of the most outstanding poetry I have seen from students--and I have seen a lot of student poetry. Needless to say, I have now purchased my own copy and have my own post-it notes on particular pages.

Each lesson is clear and complete, as well as being able to be adapted for different environments. I particulary liked the Poetry Poker. I keep my bag of words handy where students who feel the call to write a poem can find them.

Thank you, Ms. Lies, for showing this old dog some new tricks.

I found this book absolutely wonderful. A work of historical fiction that brings the characters to life, and makes them real.

Sarah is 16 and living with her family in Concord during the revolutionary war. Her brother and father are off fighting the war, when the war comes too close to home for Sarah's comfort. A bristish soldier named James is wounded, and despite Sarah protests her mother takes him in and nurses him back to health. After some time the soldier gets better, and Sarah realizes that it isn't hate she feels for him.

This is a wonderful story, and one that is very believeable. This is a definite must read for all ages.

I am so sad that this book is out of print. But so glad that I've got a copy. A falling apart copy, but hey tape works wonders. And the only reason it is falling apart is that I've read it too much!

Sarah had a dog. The poor yapper was killed by some darn redcoat during a blasted battle. So when the Englishman was hurt, and Sarah's mother wanted to nurse him, Sarah was outraged. Even more angry when she found out that she had to miss her beauty sleep working the night shift

nursing. So the British guy wakes up, and Sarah realizes that missing her sleep was worth the guy, and then the soldier realizes that he actually loves not only America, but also an American.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. The story takes place in Concord durning the time of the Revolutinary War. Sarah's (the main character)mother is also helping a wounded british survive after a gun shot wound. Sarah hates the idea of him staying her house. But at the end she must choose between love and honor.

When I started reading the book, I could not put it down until I finished it. I recommend it to everyone with spasmodic dysphonia because a person with spasmodic dysphonia can relate to some of the problems experienced by the author.

This is a straight-forward easy to read book. It's approach is more directly applicable to Dystonia and Spasmodic Dysphonia than the book written by Diane Rehm. Diane devotes too much of the book to the personal problems in her life BEFORE getting Spasmodic Dysphonia.

Must reading for Spasmodic Dysphonia patients and their families.

This book should be read by everyone who suffers with this condition. I give it my highest recommendation!