This book was a very good help in algebra for me. It had great descrition and was clear and easy to understand.

This book definitely gives someone all of the basic computer knowledge he/she will ever need. I think it is a good book to learn from, but nothing is perfect, so I gave it a 4.

Sad to see eagerness in trimming everything to the insipid norms of political correctness. Ivan and his Magic Pony was originally Ivan the Fool and the Gibbous Little Horse. So what if they are "handicapped": some sort of handicap is almost required for this underdog-has-to-win type of fairy tales; and the talking horse is a magic creature, no wonder it is a bit weird.
Another adjustment made for no apparent reason is Pinocchio. The tale by Alexei Tolstoy is about Buratino, and it's a very loose variation on Pinocchio, to the point that it's a story in its own right. Why bring the confusion?
As for the fairy tales, they are all wonderful. I read (or was told) them in my childhood.
The Soviet-made cartoons, whence the stills came, are also posh, if you don't mind dull and grainy look of film.

The character of Minnie Pearl was beloved as a simple country bumpkin whose corny humor suggested a ditzy but harmless brain. Her alter ego Sarah Ophelia Cannon was a refined Christian bluestocking. Somehow these two polar opposites existed simultaneously for years and years, and in the later part of their lives merged into one well-round flesh and blood institution.

As a child the girl who would be come Minnie Pearl had an atypical life for her time and local. Born the youngest of five daughters to a college-educated mother and successful businessman father, little Sarah Cannon grew up in an upper middle-class world complete with servants in small town Tennessee. As a child she vividly recalled the arrest of a black suspect accused of raping a white woman. When rumor spread that an unruly crowd of vigilantes was planning to break him out of jail and lynch him, she remembered her father and a handful of other men confronting and dispersing the vengeful mob despite her mother's fears that he might be injured or killed himself. When writing the book nearly six decades later, she said that she no longer remembered the trial or if the suspect was found guilty or innocent; however, her family's loving pride in her father's heroic actions were fresh in her mind.

Sarah Caldwell's marriage to Henry Cannon was far from the standard show biz union-she died just shy of their golden anniversary, and she wrote clearly of her belief in the sacredness of marriage. Married in their mid-thirties, the Caldwell's never had children which was an obvious disappointment, but they believed and accepted that childlessness was God's plan for them. Despite never becoming parents themselves, the humor of Minnie Pearl remained family friendly until her death. Her father, who only lived to see the early day's of his daughter's alter ego, had fortuitously advised her that she would make a fortune off that character if she kept her kind, and "kind" is a word that appropriately describes the career of Minnie Pearl and her wholesome humor.

Although she was a well-known celebrity, Minnie boasted that neither her mother nor her husband was the least bit impressed by show biz fame. Her mother met "This is Your Life" Host Ralph Edwards at a Methodist convention and they hit off very well regardless of the fact that she had never heard of him nor knew what he did for a living. In a more humorous instance, Sarah related a classic moment when she was invited to the opening of a Broadway play. As she and her husband sat in a front row awaiting the curtain, an excited hush fell on the crowd, Sarah looked over and pointed out Elizabeth Taylor who was taking a seat near them. Thinking it was someone he knew but was inadvertently ignoring Henry rose, approached her, shook her hand, and apologized for not seeing her come in.

Now that much of modern day country music has veered of course, it is especially touching to read this book. It is important for those Nashville celebrities and all comedians who feel they need off-color innuendo or vulgarity to be successful to remember that Minnie Pearl's career thrived and Sarah Caldwell had a happy, productive life without ever lapsing into such base trappings.

I saw this book previewed on some TV show, with the author promoting it. Since we are two single women living together in a 1917 house, I thought we would find lots of uses for it. I immediately ordered it. We have referred to it several times; replaced bathroom faucet, replaced lightswitch, etc. We have found it very helpful, although some of the cartoon drawings could be clearer. Sometimes the book is a little cumbersome to work through the cuteness of the cartoon and funny sayings, but all in all, it has proved to be extremely helpful.

In More Than Anything, Joan Hohl brings the reader two novels of two people that found each other when all the odds were against them.

THORNE'S WAY...Valerie Jordan stopped living the day her fiancee died right before her eyes. Two weeks before her wedding day, Valerie simply gave up on life. When her best friend told her that she was returning back to work as the executive secretary for the owner of J.T. Electronics, Val had mixed feelings. A part of her didn't want to give up the blessed numbness that she had felt for two months, where the other part of her knew that she had to go on living, somehow. Feeling optimistic, she excepted Janet's offer, but knew that she had made a mistake the first moment that she set eyes on Jonas Thorpe. Rising up from nothing, Jonas had earned his money through a lot of hard work. The only thing he cares about besides his company is his daughter, Mary Beth, and his former mother-in-law, Marge. When the elusive and vunerable Val comes into his life, Jonas knew that he would have her. His only problem was that he was competing with a ghost, one that Val couldn't let go of. So he asked her to marry him, offering her the only thing he knew she would want...a baby. Val then has to deal with the aloofness of the man she is in love with, while Jonas has to deal with jealousy, which he has never felt, and a feelings of incompletness. When they finally come together, they know that it is worth everything they had to do to get where they were...together.

THORPE'S WIFE...Three and a half years later, Val still isn't pregnant. After her miscarriage, Val desperately wanted a baby. She soon started to feel incomplete as Jonas's wife. She loved him as much as always, and knew that he loved her, but she felt like little more than a possesion. After being estranged for two weeks, Val and Jonas find common ground again, and come together like they were never together before. Where they didn't talk beyond the mundane, now they bared their souls to each other. Then Jonas is kidnapped for politcal reasons and Val believes him dead. After a year of mourning him, Jonas finally returns home where Val has never stopped loving him. Jonas finally knows what is more important than his company...his family.

This updated sequel to Toddlers Together presents a variety of fun and educational activities for children 1 -3 years old to do with their parents, caregivers or teachers. Children's activities are organized by themes and season; each one lists skills, suggested language (specific activity words), materials needed, activity description and ways to engage the class. Although written for preschool teachers, many of these activities can easily be done at home by an energetic parent or caregiver.

If you enjoyed the first two Berkely Brigade novels, you'll love this one as well. Though it isn't quite as good as the first two, it is still a good read. There is just enough suspense to keep the book interesting to the end! I'd recommend 'Murder While I Smile' to anyone.

Ryan loves to play soccer (eventhough he might get distracted sometimes on the field)...and his mom loves to go to his games. Unfortunately she's often a little over-enthusiastic. Ryan gets a little embarassed. He cooks up a plan to trick his mom...and then (along with the rest of the team) misses her when he thinks she's not there.

This is a great Easy Reader for a good first grade reader or an average second grade reader. ESPECIALLY if they love soccer.

Cute & expressive pencil illustrations add to the fun. It even covers the thorny subjects of honesty and (obviously) being embarassed over the actions of a parent in language any second grader can understand.

(Soccer Mom's will "aww" at then end...and their little players won't mind!)

Gloria Skurzynski wrote this book back in 1981 so much of the material is dated as to the pictures and statistics. The book follows the careers of three women: a wildlife ranger, a wildland fire specialist, and a range conservationist. From encounters with bears to teaching environmental classes to tracking down the causes of forest fires this book helps one to understand the day to day duties of those people who take care of the recreation land around us.