This is a delightful book with good illustrations. It can be helpful in teaching children in grades 1-3 about physical properties in language they can understand. I recommend it highly. The only disadvantage is that now the physicists are telling us that there are 4 states of matter - the 4th being plasma, so the book is leaving out the newest category. However, I'm sure in the next edition the author and illustrator will find an engaging way to include the 4th state - the biggest example of which is our sun. So - if you're looking for books to teach early grade students about science, look at this author's work (Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld). She has many engaging books to help us educate our children, and have fun while we're doing it.

In this book the author discusses the impact of prices on the efficient allocation of resources and on various segments of the population who are especially vulnerable to changing prices. He also suggests how the international community can help when developing nations adopt sound food and nutrition policy.

Policy-makers in the developing countries are confronted with a primary dilemma. On the one hand, they want high prices for food to stimulate agricultural production. On the other hand, they want low prices to protect (at least in the short run) the poor buyers of food. However, adequate supply of food is not enough to eliminate malnutrition. Poor people must also have appropriate incomes, access to complementary goods and services, and the distribution of food within the household must meet the nutritional requirements of all its members.

It is often said that a secondary dilemma is that between the role of the agricultural sector as a producer of food and its role as a provider of resources for the rest of the economy. The resources may be savings for industrialization, foreign exchange or tax revenue.

The first dilemma has three origins, each presenting an obstacle to reform.

The ultimate objective of policy-makers can be described as growth with equity. But there are at least five proximate objectives and three constraints of food-price policies which are listed below: 1) Allocational efficiency, i.e., the objective is to raise food production and productivity at the lowest cost. 2) Acceleration of aggregate economic growth through the balanced expansion of agriculture, manufacture and services. 3) National food security in the face of international uncertainties. Price stabilization for both consumers and producers. 4) Social objectives (some of which may be in conflict with one another) including undernutrition elimination, poverty alleviation and income redistribution, reduction in rural- urban income differentials and migration. 5) Political objectives such as the desire for political stability, which is important for investment and economic growth, or the desire of a particular government to stay in power through the support from urban consumer groups.

The constraints are the budget, the balance of payments and the administrative capacity. The budgetary constraint consists in minimizing the burden on the budget and on scarce administrative skills. The balance of payments constraint consists in keeping within foreign exchange resources.

The second origin of the dilemma is historical. Policy-makers find themselves with the heritage of a complex structure of interventions relating not only to explicit and implicit measures for output prices, but also with input subsidies attempting to offset the deterrent effects of low output prices, and the high costs of some inputs due to protection, explicit and implicit taxes on the consumption goods bought by farmers, various direct controls and ''ad hoc'' measures to meet specific pressures.

The political constraints call for analysis of the problem of how to built a political base for the desirable reforms. What is needed is an analysis of the reformist coalitions that would provide the constituency for reform.

So as to resolve the dilemma three things are necessary: first, an awareness of the set of objectives and their conflict or consistency; second, an economic analysis and an empirical estimate of the impact of existing measures and of any proposed reforms; and, third, a political analysis of how interests and support can be mobilized for these reforms.

An integrated nutrition policy must embrace much more than ensuring supply of, demand for, and access to food. It must aim at appropriate health standards, particularly the elimination and prevention of intestinal and parasitic diseases, so that the food is properly absorbed by the body; at adequate education, particularly of women, so that people know what food to eat, how to prepare it and how to keep themselves healthy through hygienic practices; and at equitable household food distribution, so that vulnerable groups, such as pre-school age children or pregnant and lactating mothers, get enough to eat.

The benchmark for producer prices is world prices, for they represent the opportunity costs of domestic resources. In countries where producer prices have been pushed below this benchmark, discrimination against agricultural producers should be removed. However, not current world prices but the trend of future prices should be used as the guideline. Using the trend also eliminates the need to pay attention to temporary price fluctuations, which are a disincentive to agricultural investment and hurt consumers. Around 15-20 per cent should be added to the estimated future price trend as an insurance against world prices rising steeply, developed countries reversing their protectionist policies or food becoming unavailable in the world market.

It is important to ensure that higher prices are not absorbed in marketing margins, either by monopolistic private middlemen or by inefficient or corrupt state marketing boards.

The announcement of these prices has to be timely, i.e., before the planting season, so that farmers can incorporate them in their decisions.

Policy must also ensure that agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, seeds, machinery and transport are available.

For each of these purposes, namely, 1) ensuring demand and access to markets, 2) not discriminating against agricultural production, and 3) ensuring inputs, macroeconomic policies relating to exchange rates are at least as important as microeconomic policies for specific crops. An overvalued exchange rate can harm food production for domestic consumption and foreign exchange earnings for imported agricultural inputs, though adjustments in the exchange rate are frequently insufficient.

I tend to agree with the author's thesis of the need of a multipronged attack in regards to the problem of hunger. He seems to have an historical basis to substantiate his argument that getting the prices right by itself, without complementary action by the public sector (on technology, roads, health, extension services, etc.), can be ineffective or counterproductive.

This book makes an interesting read. I just hope that, in the ten years since its publication, some progress could have been made in the 17 issues that the author identifies as in need of further research (e.g., innovation).

When you are knee deep in slides and your eyes are too tired to look through your microscope, Wheater's Atlas will be your lifeboat. Use it and learn all you need to know. I can't say enough good things about this book. Viva Wheater!

I can't believe this is the same guy who writes teen-novels. This
is definetely not a book for kids between 10 and 15.

Not exactly the greatest story to come along, but I'm not going to forget who Zindel is. Very shocking imagery in this one, a perverse psychopath, and a dark look at life in Beverly Hills. It's a nice way to spend a few hours, but isn't for the weak of stomach or for shiny, happy people holding hands.

Descriptive book on the idea of Garbage and Recycle. A good way to get your kids to start realizing how much damage garbage can do. Would of give it 5 stars but a book is not the best way to get to your kid's mind, better visualizations, like a field trip is an excelent idea.

Whistler in the Dark is a great historical mystery book about a twelve-year-old girl, Emma Henderson, who is sad because her father was killed in the Civil War, and her mother has no time to spend with her. When her mother decides to wear a Reform Dress and move to Colorado to start a newspaper, Emma is even more upset. But her troubles become even worse when they arrive in Twin Pines. The gold rush town has no houses, no schools, and no other girls Emma's age. Someone also doesn't want the newspaper to succeed and sends them a threatening note, dumps their ink, and does awful things to try and scare them off. Emma is also scared because a ghost-like figure has followed them from Chicago and, each night, goes by her window at the boarding house and whistles a tune that her dead father used to whistle all the time. At the end of the story, Emma figures out who is trying to scare them away from Twin Pines, and who is the secret whistler. Emma also learns to admire her mother for going West where she could be more than just a mother.

I read this book for my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Maull (who rocks!) The book was a little bit scary at one point, but it was still really a great book. I loved learning about how women couldn't wear pants or do a lot of jobs other than be a mom or wife! My grandmother read the book and loved it, too. So I recommend this book to all girls of all ages!

The title of this book is way out of the strike zone. You see "Who Invented the Game?" and you think this volume is going to be about the origins of baseball, a scholarly little attempt to separate the true history of the sport from the myth of Abner Doubleday at Cooperstown (certainly one of the greatest public relations stunts in history with regards to promoting a small town in the middle of nowhere). However, this book, based on the PBS documentary by filmmaker Ken Burns, is really a condensed version of what I watch every year just before opening day. Not that there is anything wrong with that; the companion volume to the "Baseball" documentary is a weighty tome and an abbreviated version written for younger readers is certainly a good idea. But then the title of the book should be something else (this has struck a raw nerve with me; as a teacher I require students to have a thesis statement that they prove in the body of their essay, which sort of requires them to be about the same thing, and I have the exactly same feelings when it comes to title). "Who Invented the Game?" will answer such burning questions as "Who played the first real game?", "Who invented the curve ball?", and "Why is the pitcher's mound exactly 60 feet 6 inches from home plate?" But the book is not organized according to such topics, instead following the same structure as the documentary series. Illustrated with dozens of photographs this book by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns with Paul Robert Walker might serve well to get youngsters who have not seen the entire documentary interested in checking it out. But for those who have watched all nine innings or read the companion volume, this is ground already well covered.

Susan Robeson presents a unique collection of photographs of her father. The pictures span Robeson's life; his childhod in New Jersey, Rutgers, New York City, stage, screen, concerts, Europe, political activism,and persecution. Robeson is a dramatic figure and he is best captured in pictures and words. This collection is a must for all fans of Robeson. A great addition to your library during this centenial celebration of Paul Robeson.

Every pastor needs to take the opportunity and read Bishop Morton's book. The book deals with the break-down of a pastor, and his restoration. Many pastor must realize that they can not be all things to all people. Read it to get the full understanding of why sometimes our kingdoms fall.

This is a tale which can appeal to many tastes, largely the taste of those who enjoy the authors. But there are three of them!

Fans of Colbert, Dinello, or Sedaris (and, by extension fans of the Daily Show) will enjoy this tale, perfectly expressed by its authors. Rich with wit, this story carries with it the feeling of a Daily Show special report, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sharply written and never losing its purpose, Wigfield asks many questions, and answers none.

Or does it? Perhaps we were never meant to know.