My baby likes this book quite a bit. This was the first snappy book she got. The story is O.K. and it is very colorful and fun to snap along to. The Toucan finds out that his friends think his beak is too pound and is keeping them up. Toby gets sad since he loves to snap his beak loudly. Then when he does not snap one night, he gets a letter the next day from the animals asking him to snap loudly once in the day and once at night so they will know when to get up and when to go to sleep. He feels useful and is happy again at the end.

Tog the Ribber is strangely interesting book about a young girl who wrongly passes through the domain of a well known and dangerous ghost on her way to her home. What happens to her because of this mistake, changes her life. This is a book on fear. The illustrations are well thought out and the lyrics are nicely written and corrupted in the point of view of a person deliriously frightened. At first, the over-all impression of the book is dream-like. However, as the reader progresses through the poem, things become more frantic and real. This book is not for very young children. The illustrations can seem too far-fetched and graphic. I believe older children(9-12) would grasp the meaning of such a book better.

The Eiffel Tower has had a digital clock mounted on it for several years which has been counting down to January 1st 2000. Each day the counter is reduced by one until at midnight December 31st 1999 the new Millenium is launched (yes I know it's all in how you count it) The Fireworks display that was started as this countdown switched from days, to hours, to minutes, to seconds and finally to the moment of the turning of the century was the most fabulous of all the celebrations held world wide. And I and my Son were there to witness it. Directly across the Seine from La Tour Eiffel.

This book, written in both French and English is a photo record of the last year of that countdown. The text is charming and informative (and could help you learn some Francais)the photographs of this most photographed of French Monuments are original and imaginative. Each photo of La Tour Eiffel has the digital clock displayed so the day/date is fixed.

If you are a Francophile or just a lover of the Tower, this is a wonderful book.

This book provided a comprehensive review of making a living in Africa. It talked about the futility of coconut farms as a succesful job and talked about where in Africayou could find the best decently paying job and relatively low-cost housing. I liked this book because it was not as dense as other books about trade and fiscal adjustment in Africa I had read. It also helped persuade me not to move to Africa, an option which I had been thinking about when I quit my last job.

I use this book everyday for insight into the architecture of northern Italian homes and farm houses. For design ideas as well as historical backgrounds.

As a teacher who is also environmentally conscious, I not only look for ways my students can learn to reuse and recycle, but also to learn and express their artistic qualities. This book provides a lot of ideas and walk-thrus of art projects that kids can do using simple household materials and basic art supplies. Patterns and blackline masters are included for copying certain designs. The few times that adult supervision is needed it is clearly marked. My only real complaint about the book, is the directions can be a little complicated for youngsters. Having taught the skill of reading written directions I have learned from experience that the directions could be a little shorter and clearer. However, the pictures are good and match well with the text.

Why 5 stars?:
I love that this book is teaching children to express themselves artistically while also reusing materials that otherwise would have polluted our environment. The directions can be a little difficult to read, but if they take some time, or have a little bit of assistance, they should be fine. I would recommend this book for third to eighth graders, but I think even adults would enjoy it.

"The Transformation of European Politics" has become THE standard text on diplomatic affairs of the 1763-1848. Its sweeping theses capture the reader. Where the book runs into trouble is the author's insistence on the culpability of France and Napoleon for the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. According to Schroeder the British and their allies were willing to accept French domination of Western Europe but Napoleon never accepted any limits to his goals and embarked on a campaign of World Conquest. Anything the Brits did to organize coalitions to destroy France was only in response to French aggression, etc. And the Congress of Vienna was the greatest human achievement since man learned to write, despite the fact that it stiffled the development of democracy in Europe. In particular I noticed points where Schroeder selectively uses arguments of older historians, but then fails to use arguments of the same historians which contradict his thesis (Albert Sorel for one). An important work, even if you need to argue against it.

This book is very accessible, and presents a large number of simple, quantitative models for transistor operation in standard circuit configurations. A good book to understand transistors from an engineering point of view.

It is a combination of graphics and photos. It has very eye catching and impressive graphics. Full of photos on airport environment, with 'industrial design' architecture and parts. If you like 'stainless steel' furniture, you will like this book.

The appearance of the 'MB' suitcase can be interpreted as sort of artistic performance. At 21 century, our living becomes more and more mobile. This book is a documentary for frequent flyers.

Philippe Petit's "High Wire", incredible lessons challenge our ideas of life, safety. spirituality and magic. His greatest fear is not falling; it is not being able to step out on the wire.