I loved this book. Once I began reading, I became immersed in the story. The characters were witty and the plot moved along quickly. The book began in the safety of England and then moved to the dangers of France during the Revolution. It had intricate history details. This book is hard to find,(I found it in the Zshops) but it's worth looking for and a keeper.

This Famous Artist book by Nicholas Ross serves as an introduction to the life and work of Joan Miro, who was much more than a Spanish Surrealist artist. Miro used painting, sculpture, textiles, pottery, theater and enormous public monuments to express his ideas. Unlike other artists, such as Monet and O'Keefe, Miro has not been the subject of a lot of juvenile art books. But Ross does a marvelous job of showing the growth and evolution of Miro as an artist. If you were to flip through this book, you would not think these were all the work of the same artist, which is one of the reasons this is so fascinatiing. Young readers will learn the value of experimenting and understand that there is no "right" way of painting or doing any other type of art. I read this book because I have been doing my own little art appreciation course, and Miro is the one artist who sticks out as a new discovery for me. His most famous painting, "Harlequin's Carnival" (1924-25), which is shown on the cover, gives you but a taste of Miro's conception of art.

These books are organized in a particular way for each two-page spread: On the left page there is an illustration of the artist's home or environment and the story of the artist's life, along with a painting and a small symbol used to indicate the size of the paintings relative to a person. On the right page there are more paintings (usually with a key section enlarged) with text about the artist's work at the time, along with a feature on the artist's technique (e.g., feel and draw, paint in color alone, drawing by chance) with practical projects to try. This is a first-rate exploration of an artist, both for this particular series and in general.

Missing on Castaway Island tells about a sixteen year old girl named Megan Parnell. She is on a camping trip with her mom, Darren (her new step-father), and Peter (her step-brother and long-time friend). While walking in the woods, Megan and Peter find a Vietnamese girl named Thuy. The family works together to search for Thuy's missing brother. The result is one that you won't want to miss! This book reveals the importance of trusting God. The Megan Parnell series, by Joan Rawlins Biggar, is one of my favorite series.

some really unique stuff here...a farm family that was haunted ever after their young boys staged a seance, the Delta Queen's ghost, Missouri's yeti/abominable snowman/sasquatch...grave dowsers! Who ever heard of such a thing? But they are here. The ten new chapters are worth the price, even if you have the first edition. A lot of history worked into this, like Order No. ll which most of us never heard of before, but was a terrible thing. The illustrations are all new, different than the first edition, and there are dozens of new quotes about ghosts.

Katha Logan threw herself into Vince Santini's arms, determined to rescue the rugged ex-cop from the throng of reporters outside city hall. Vince enjoyed being kidnapped by this lovely and enchanting nut who drove like a madwoman and intrigued him with her story of a crime he just had to investigate...with her as a partner! Katha was a little disappointed that Vince didn't talk and act like the private eyes on her favorite TV shows, but he was deliciously, dangerously in her life for real, kissing the living daylights out of her-and tempting her with the potent hunger of his fierce embrace. Vince felt an astonishing tenderness for the lady who'd stolen his unsuspecting heart, but he believed that a man who risked his life for a living had no business falling in love. Katha knew she could cherish Vince forever if he'd let her, but playing lovers' games wasn't enough anymore. Could they learn to fly with the angels and together let their passions soar?

This is a totally awesome book! I loved it!

As I read this tapestry of words and life-affirming illustrations to a group of children who temporarily live with their moms in a shelter for battered women, all, including the boy who had been repeatedly slammed against the wall by his stepfather, responded to the validations and wisdom offered by the author with great respect for the human journey away from despair. The book immediately engaged them. As they listened, the children touched the pages again and again to connect to this source of light. It was a miracle to see the seeds of hope and healing planted almost effortlessly. I recommend this book without reservation for all ages, from childhood to the elderly. It is a tool and a treasure!

This is a beautifully illustrated large-format book. The words are few, but they are great at lulling my very active toddler son toward sleep: he relaxes more and more as I show him the lush pages. Then at the end of the story, he asks me to read the [well-written] explanations of the animal's habits and preparation for wintertime. This book would make a wonderful gift for preschoolers.

Like many others, I browsed the book when I first got it, but didn't take it seriously. I picked it up again in December 1997 and began applying Joan's principles -- and slowly lost 30 pounds. 63 weeks later, I'm maintaining the loss and am still progressing downward. Thanks, Joan!

I am a classroom teacher who likes the ready to use ideas and how well they fit with the existing curriculum. I would recommend it to full-time and part-time teachers as an important classroom resource.