The author has created an endearing character who has real-life concerns of size and self-acceptance. The book is about sunflowers and families, but it is really a tool to help children appreciate their own unique abilities and perspectives. Sunflower Sal is an unpretentious child who loves her family, her life and the large sunflowers she plants yearly. She learns to love her size, as well. By accepting that some things come naturally to her, she gives up her struggle and "thinks big". Her contribution is heart warming, and very like Sal herself.

Sal is a big girl in search of her special talents. She admires her grandmother's quilting abilities and tries to quilt herself, but is dissatisfied with the results. With supportive encouragement from her family, Sal pursues her gift of planting sunflower seeds, and is beautifully rewarded at harvest time. A great book to promote positive self-esteem (especially in girls). Warm, lovely illustrations.

"Long long ago, back when the world was young-that is, sometime around 1958- a lot of artists and composers and other people who wanted to do beautiful things began to look at the world around them in a new way (for them)." In the spirit of Fluxus is a great starting point for exploring a time when Art still occurred in movements. Fluxus was an exciting, and for some, a confusing period that looked at the objects in front of them as Art objects and asked why isn't it Art, why isn't this music? It exclaimed that the sound of one's shoe tapping on the surface of a puddle makes beautiful music that people take for granted and overlook.

This book provides a complete picture of a generation of creating that forever changed the face of Art, and the way one views Art. Packed with full size pictures of performance stills, reproductions of actual printed pieces that were freely handed out like flyers and Art exibition photos, it sucked me in and actually made me look around and really see. It is a well written book that is easily accessible and an enjoyable read.

Anderson creates a very "human" view of our Attorney General. He address many 'rumors' and puts them to rest, rather well. This book is far more educational than One might expect, and delves into the relm of politics. Anderson defines The A.G. as a social reformist, and I think he made a correct assessment of her life long pursuits to make this country a better place. Anderson will have you cheering and praising Janet Reno. I was well pleased with this work.

Like Susanna, I am also a devoted teenage artist. The problems she experiences in the story are very different from everyday life, considering her so-called "crazy" uncle has been in his room for at least 20 years. I really enjoyed this book and the author did an excellent job portraying what Susanna was going through. Although your problems may be nowhere close to what Susanna is experiencing, it shows you what you need to do to find your true self and inspiration in life. When reading the book it seemed as though it was glued to my hands because I couldn't bring myself to put it aside. This book would be wonderful for any teen who is faced with difficult challenges. Especially those problems that seem unbearable; but after reading this book, you will realize that your issues can be solved.

I found this book to be quite humourous, as well as informative. Picture this book as a funny travelogue of two people who don't know the language, the culture, the people, and the customs. In addition, imagine them trying to get around a host of third world (and first world) countries on a shoe-string budget. Their encounters shed great insights on what any traveler could expect, if he or she were to step a block or two away from their four-star resort hotel in order to experience the magnificence of the "real" world we have out there.

I couldn't stop chuckling as I read it.

Yes, there is treasure, but it's been in the house next door for the last hundred years.
The elder Smiths decide that's been long enough so they send for the younger Smiths, Jess and Ellsworth. Ellsworth hasn't been to the Smith compound since he was a baby, and Jess's mom decided Jess needed a little holiday while she spent some time with her boyfriend. There's a dark family secret; why Jess's dad split out of there and has never returned, and of course why any family would wait 100 years before going after treasure in the house next door!
But the relationship between Jess and Ellsworth and all the wacky Smith family members grows stronger, and Dad does come back to the fold, and everybody holds hands and lives happily ever after.
I'm not kidding... They really do.

This is Janet Anderson's third children's novel, and it contains the same sort of thought-provoking depth as her first two (GOING THROUGH THE GATE and THE MONKEY TREE). On the surface, this is a fast-paced, suspenseful read about the Smith family and the "treasure" that is hidden inside an old brick house. Intriguing flashbacks serve to hold our interest as we venture into this house and try to find the treasure.

However, this book is more than just a treasure hunt, and buried along with the treasure is the story of one boy and his outlook on the world. Ellsworth Smith is one of the most convincing characters I have read in a long time, but he's not the only one - all of Anderson's characters are brought to life with a unique and interesting style of dialogue. In the end, this story delivers a message about family, especially through the relationship between Ellsworth, his father, and his grandfather - the message, however, is never heavy-handed. Anderson's prose is amazingly vivid and poetic, and the story is one of her best yet. The book itself is a hidden treasure waiting to be found.

As a resident, I frequently prepared journal clubs, where we have to carefully discuss and scrutinize studies. I gained some introduction from "Appleton and Lange's Review of Epidemiology and Biostatistics for the USMLE". But preparing for journal clubs was quite different. There are many of statistical and epidemiological terminology in each article, some I am familiar with, but others are confusing and new. In this very helpful "dictionary" I was able to find more than 95% of the terms with brief definition and good short explanation that successfully allowed me to soundly evaluate the studies and prepare an impressive brief, neat handouts. The great thing about this dictionary was its well organization and ease to find what you are looking for. My friends frequently borrowed when they have to prepare their journal clubs, and found it really helpful.
It is a dictionary; i.e., arranged alphabetically sequencing the terms, and if a term has more than one name, they mention them all, before the explanation.
I highly recommended to every resident, as it will not only will help during residency, but also surely during real life and practice, especially a with hundreds of "trials, studies" appears in medical journal daily.
I gave it four not five stars, because few explanation were rather short, despite informative, and lack of illustration and pictures, which may require you to use a regular textbook in Epidemiology, this happened maybe almost 1 from every 10 terms.

One of the major problems with studying the field of epidemiology is the inconsistency of terminology that is used. This is because the field is relatively young, is actively evolving and has developed from multiple other disciplines including the social sciences as well as the medical sciences and statistics. As a result, it can be both confusing and frustrating for the student. This dictionary is the "bible" of terminology for the fireld, in part because there is no other. This should be an absolute requirement for the shelf of every student in the field of epidemiology. Even experienced epidemiologists are encouraged to have a copy for reference purposes. The only caution is that a new edition is due out soon. It can only be better than the first edition. Get it.

THE KEY INTO WINTER opens with Clara begging her mother to tell (one more time) about the time she almost lost forever the key that would turn autumn into winter. As a little girl, Clara's mother hoped that if winter never came, her beloved grandmother would not die. She learns, though, that not only does the order of the world depend on the seasons, but that grandmother herself is eager to move through winter so that she can have one last spring. In simple and powerful language, Janet Anderson addresses many themes: the need for natural order, reconciliation iwth death, the longing to control time and hold fast NOW when it seems so precious, and the powerful inter-generational bonds in a matristic culture. Although the author does not say so explicitly, the constantly recurring constellation of grandmother-mother-daughter is a living representation of the Triple Goddess as Crone, Mother and Maiden. David Soman's gorgeous watercolors illuminate the text with their own beautiful rhythms and depictions of rural African-AMerican family life. The interrelationship of text and pictures makes this an astonishingly powerful book.

Although it has been a long time since I have read this book, for some reason it has stayed in my mind where other fantasy books have failed to. I thought it was your average, okay kind of book throughout most of the story, but when I reached the end, I really liked it. Probably what touched me were the implications found there, and often I have thought of the last pages of this story.

This book was overly dramatic and foolish. I felt bored reading it and was often annoyed at the way the author described the events.

This book was one of the shortest we've ever read. Although it lacked the quantity of a masterpiece, it kept our interest because it was unpredictable. The author describes the characters pretty well. The last scene is about graduation experience of five kids who almost worship their teacher. She leads them on an adventure that they will never forget. We especially liked the way the characters' mental states were explained as they go through the change into another reality. The last scene was stunningly brilliant. If you read the book, you'll see our reasoning.

Newton Boys Reading Circle

Albus Dumbledore has nothing on Miss Clough. Down a path behind her one-room school house stands a copper gate. And behind that gate lies the experience of a lifetime -- the experience shared by everyone in town on the day they graduate 6th grade -- the experience that shapes you for the rest of your life. There are no muggles here. Everyone who graduates 6th grade can go through that gate and be changed forever. It doesn't matter if you are new to town, or if your family has been there for generations. The author builds up suspense and then delivers. This is practical magic. I loved it!