My book is old and literally falling apart because whenever I reach for it to get a recipe, I end up down nostalgia lane as I get lost (again) in the lives of this incredibly beautiful family. It is my very favorite cookbook, and I have a large collection of very good cookbooks. The recipes are true vintage soul food at its finest. It will help establish you as a cook who takes second place to NOBODY. You hear me?

Spoonbread and Strawberry Wine's mostly excellent recipes have delighted my family for more than fourteen years. Many of the recipes, such as the like-no-other macaroni and cheese, banana pudding, and pineapple upside-down cupcakes have become "my" standards. This book, along with a basic Betty Crocker cookbook, taught me how to cook. A must-have for anyone wanting to serve hot, nourishing meals that keep everyone coming home!

I am so tired of cooking something out of this book and then have people try and steal it! :-) Honestly I ran across "Spoonbread and Strawberry Wine" many years ago when it was a paperback bought several copies as X-MAS presents. It's X-MAS time again and I getting ready to order several more... I still have my original paperback torn and tattered from use but it's the ONLY one I'll use when it comes to soul food.... EVERY recipe I have used has been off the chain.... from mac and chesse to pig feet it is ALL GOOD! **** This book also reflects the pride and love of a family for not only food but also for one another... the autobiographical features on family members will make you reflect on your own family.... very touching.... "Spoonbread" is truly a labor of love for food and especially FAMILY!

This is the first book I can recall reading all by myself. "The Color Kittens" brought me such joy that thirty years later I can still feel it. The illustrations are vivid in my memory. My son is thirteen months old and loves books. I am thrilled to have found "The Color Kittens" so we can share the experience again together.

At Last! A reissue of this outstanding book, and most importantly, with the original illustrations! This book cleverly incorporates the concept of color mixing, but the lyrical verse and captivating pictures are what made it a part of our family's fabric. (our 4 adult children are now ages 35-45 and still remember every word) I had about given up ever finding it again. Our family copy, which is well over 30 years old, has been loved to loose paged pieces. This is just in time for our newest two year old grandchild, and I am getting multiple copies, JUST us case it disappears again! Oh wonderful kittens, oh Brush and Hush!

I remember this as one of the books that inspired me to become an artist. The wonderful adventures of the two curious kittens playing with mixed colors has stayed with me since my childhood. I may just buy this book again and remember all the wonderful memories it gave to me.

This is a wonderful read. It makes a great bedtime story and it is also beautiful (the wood carvings) and inspiring. This is good for people tired of reading what is wrong with the environment. The Man Who Planted Trees is kind of like a sophisticated Lorax book. Anyway, buy this book and enjoy it!

"The Man Who Planted Trees" is a wonderful short story about the fictional life of a man who singlehandedly restores a valley to life by becoming the Johnny Appleseed of Trees. More importantly, its about a man who, having suffered the loss of his wwife and only child, chooses to live a simple life in anonymous service with little but his own resources and his love for trees. The short-term effect is almost unnoticeable; long-term its staggering.

The wood engravings that accompany the text stand out and mirror the book's theme of asutere simplicity quite beautifully. Its a wonderful book for children, nature enthusiasts, gardeners and those looking for hope that follwoing one's heart and living out of love, rather than fear, can ultimately make a difference.

I became acquainted with this compelling and moving story through an animation festival. Although the crowd of college students had been rowdy this film was the last shown and people all left the theater hushed. The story is not only about a man who plants trees, it is about how each of us can make a difference in the world by every small action of love. If we do not attach a need for recognition or money to our endeavors, they feed the spirit and health of the world. I have read this book over & over and seen the animated film 4 or 5 times, and I see and learn something different every time. What do you see?

The Internet offers an immense wealth of information on a growing range of topics. Websites spring up every day to offer the world of online users something new or re-packaged to digest! Many Internet directories do a good job of providing links and an assortment of helpful information.

The Internet Kids & Family Yellow Pages directory is geared towards kids and those families who don't want to be hit by an onslaught of social problems and so-called adult materials online. This directory provides Website information about a variety of sites that offer important educational topics such as math, history, geography, other academic subjects, and a number of other interesting topics that will create a deep-rooted interest in searching online.

Readers young and old(er) alike will be able to access information online about animals, art, buried treasures, computers, food, foreign countries, history, insects, interesting facts, the Internet, kings and queens, music, scouting, ships and shipwrecks, space missions, sports history, toys, transportation, weather, and much much more!

The author and her staff provide a good summary description of each site mentioned in the book and they creatively relate topics of interest and increase the desire of their readers to dig deeper in their online researching. I even learned a few things myself and I don't even have a wife and kids! The accompanying CD features an electronic version of the book and some trial online safety software!

As with all child-age educational materials, parents should become seriously and creatively involved with the upbringing of their kids. They need to know what they are being taught today as fact and fiction. They should oversee the online research process to protect their children from various online traps, including errant information posted online as fact. Some of the topics discussed in this book are open for debate and differing opinions do exist. Nonetheless, this is a great kid and family guide and a good starting point for online learning and discovery!

"The Internet Kids and Family Yellow Pages" helps us navigate the net in an understandable and friendly way. I believe the Internet is user-oriented; the media changes according to how and what we retrieve from it. This book has many enlightening tips for us to use. These tips reduce some of the fear and danger associated with cruising the web.

If you are not sure where to start, go to the "10 special don't-miss hot list", or "The Best Of the Rest of The Book", and use the book as a net dictionary depending on the subject you want to learn about. It also has a huge reference of countries, Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

For parents, "Parenting and Families" section, is a wealth of information, and is a "must read" section. FAQ's on net connections, information on virus, spams, hoaxes, child safety, and protecting kids, are some of the most interesting articles I found. Also, see the age to age characteristics on using computers and the net. It is obvious, the author cares for children and their development.

The book is NOT just a list of sites with descriptions of places to see on the web, but it is a product of Polly's wisdom, consideration, and tremendous research. "Internet Kids and Family Yellow Pages" shows us how we can use the digital media as an important & interactive resource for children and families.

Highly recommended.

Jean Armour Polly has been on the Internet for a long time, and she has a good idea of what's happened on the Internet and what sort of information is out there, especially web sites of interest to children. Each edition of this book gets better, and in a few years we might think of this Net-mom guide like a Betty Crocker cookbook, except that she's a real person not an icon from a corporate PR department.

This edition is 744 pages plus a CD-ROM with an electronic version of her book. It's actually not as good as the print version (which stays open on your desk or your knees and is very legible). I was unable to use the search mechanism to fine 'Parrots' or 'Paraguay' which are two subjects in the book. I finally found the online entry by browsing the tabs and files of the e-book.

But back to the print versionk: each annotation is written so that kids can understand it, but they are not sappy or condesceding. As a parent, I think they set the right tone for a family book. Following the main A-Z section is one on countries of the world, and after that the "Introduction" to parenting and families and about 50 pages of reviews of sites for parents including topics like babies, health, death, travel, and information about software filters.

Accuracy is important, and Polly keeps track of URL changes which she notes on her Net-mom web page, and you can also get on her mailing list for updates and other news.

In the back of the book, completely separate from the text, are the ads.for services and products from Disney, an Internet training course (samples on the CD-ROM), an Internet filter company, and a book on the topic by Donna Rice Hughes.

Recommended highly.

I read this book when I needed to understand embedded real-time operating systems. The writing was clear, concise, and well-organized, a rare gem among technical literature of this type. Jean Labrosse used just enough repetition to emphasize important concepts without being anoying.

My project required an RTOS with more features than the MicroC/OS kernel had to offer but, having read this book, I was in a good position to understand the RTOS I did choose. The fundamental concepts were the same and the notation that Jean Labrosse used in his book to describe RTOS components came in handy when designing my own software system architecture.

I have been involved with the development of embedded real-time systems since 1969 and have written a good number of kernels in that time. After swapping notes with the author, he convinced me to try uC/OS-II rather than doing another "roll my own". I'm glad he did. The book is extremely well written, clearly explaining the key concepts and his implementation. The software itself is very functional. I plan to use it in several applications I have on the boards. I would highly recommend this book to anyone contemplating an embedded system project.

There is no equivalent to this book. The knowledge offered here, along with the complete source code for the µC/OS real-time operating system is everything you need to know to understand preemptive priority-based multitasking. Whether you just want to learn what goes on behind the scenes in your commercial RTOS or you're looking for a small, inexpensive RTOS with source code, this is the book for you.

This book is nothing short of a masterpiece. It's absolutly wonderful. It's the only book that i've read 3 times and each time has been better then the first. It's in a time when romance is in the air. What a better place to have it then in the dark forests of Germany with a beautiful maided and a handsome prince? I suggest that if you haven't read it, then you better.

This story is the MOST intriguing romance that I have ever read. It is by far my favorite book. I love how Victoria Holt was able to write a truly spellbinding tale without putting in detailed love scenes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes romances. Victoria Holt's books are suitable for all ages. If you've never read one of her books, it is time to start.

I began reading "On the Night of the Seventh Moon" when I was 12 years old. My sister, 2 years old at the time, tore out the last few chapters of the book. I searched for 15 years before finally finding a hard cover copy in a used book store almost 8 years ago. I have kept it in a safe place ever since and have re-read it several times. Very well written, the characters come to life and evoke a wide range of emotion in the reader. The content is appropriate for young readers without seeming "adolescent" to adults. It is without a doubt the most romantic story I've ever read and one of my most cherished possesions. I'm glad to see it back in print...just in case.

I missed the Madeline books completely when I was a child, so my daughter and I discovered them together. It's an education seeing Madeline through her eyes. In Madeline, my daughter, who is somewhat shy and leery of new experiences, has a heroine who is smart, spunky, and completely in control of every situation.

I like Madeline the character a lot more than I like the books. I've found that very few writers can write wonderful verse, and I don't include Bemelmans in that august company. Some of his rhymes flow nicely together, such as the opening lines of the first book:

In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines. Some of his rhymes are jarring:

and soon after Dr. Cohn came, he rushed out to the phone, and he dialed : DANton-ten-six --

'Nurse,' he said, 'it's an appendix!' Everybody had to cry --

not a single eye was dry. . . . Madeline woke up two hours

later, in a room with flowers.

Still, the story isn't bad. A brave little girl is rushed to the hospital, has her appendix out, then shows off her scar. She makes it so exciting that all the other girls want their appendix out, too. Even my daughter wanted to have an appendix scar, until I explained just what that would entail.

A short children's story about a young girl who lives with eleven other girls in a home in Paris and who has to go to the hospital to have her appendix removed. It was a 1940 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a book for children. This book, and others in the Madeline series, have become classics in children literature and every serious student of children literature should have it on their shelves. Children love these books.

Although "Madeline" probably needs no introduction, this classic story set in Paris is about a Miss Clavel and twelve little girls. The smallest girl is Madeline, who is brave and does not even get scared of a lion in the zoo. Madeline scares Miss Clavel when one night she... Ludwig Bemelmans does a great job of corresponding the illustrations to the content of the story. The scene where Madeline is saying "pooh-pooh" to the lion, it has more color than other pages making it exciting. The illustrations compliment the plot and setting of the story by giving each page a mood that helps create the story. The rythem and humor in this book will appeal to most children. I found when reading it to my daughter we both giggled at the many rhymes which Ludwig Bemelmans chose as the characteristic to tell this story in. I would reccomend this book for readers at the preschool age up to age eight or so. For the younger reader it has a great rythem and illustrations that keep the eye interested. For the older reader the story is equally interesting with a slight hint of suspence. Ludwig Bemelmans drawing's of the Opera, Notre Dame in the rain and of the children playing in the Luxembourg gardens give a classic picture of Paris. The illustrations coupled with the easy flow of the story and rhyme will allow this book to be enjoyed in a timeless fashion! DawnENGL340 at SJC

"Peter pan" is one of the best book I love. As like Wendy, when I was a child I loved Peter from my heart. He is a real child, never never grow up and know dirty or gain unnecessary wisdom.. I seriously wanted to fly away to the Neverland. I think it is very difficult to become an adult with innocence. The child grow up to forget how to fly and don't believe fairly or romantic things. So I hope I would be a child forever. I don't want to be an adult. I think this book is not only adventure, but also sad love story about Peter and Wendy. Wendy fell in love with Peter but he hoped her to be a mother. I wanted them to become happy. Child wants love but when he gets it, he is no longer a child. It is heartless contradiction. The last part of this story is very sad, I think.

The book 'Peter Pan' by J. M. Barrie is a truly beautiful work. It is never too cloyingly sweet or too harsh, and the child's perspective of the world is beautifully crafted. It does, however, bring you along on a journey to the Neverlands, and perhaps for a little while we can be reunited with our dreams.

Although Wendy seems a little prim, she is sweet and motherly. John was offhand and brave, Michael was tiny and believing. My favourite character was, however, Peter. The author really outdid himself on this one. Peter's innocent cockiness and love for dangerous adventures endeared him to me at once. He still has all his first teeth, and his first laugh - what more could we ask of him? His frightful happiness in danger reminds me of my seven-year-old self.

The book retains a magical quality right up to the last page. The midnight scene where Peter coaxes them out of the window has always stood out in my mind; there is a kind of magic in an ever-young boy, small and innocently cocky and always up to some mischief. The ending of the book is very sad, for only those who are gay and young and light-hearted can fly.

Definitely a book worth reading. Adults, trust me on this one: you might think you're too old to read this book, but once you do you'll find that a piece of Neverland still resides in your heart.

Driving with young children in the car quickly convinced me that it was unsafe to not give them something to listen to. After ten years I have collected a large (30+) bag of books-on-tape. I have also loaned them to others and asked for opinions. Peter Pan (read by Wendy Craig) is not only my favorite, but also the favorite of my wife and most of my friends. It is excellent for all ages (4 to 80) and even most hardened teenagers. Humour, presentation, ... a prefect 10.

Sing Me A Bawdy Song is a heart warming book about an American family living in Los Angeles in the 1930's. Being a homemaker, I felt a deep compassion for Emma, the mother of four young children. Her love and dedication for her family was very beautiful. But, this book is not only appealing to women, my husband enjoyed the book as much as I did. Sing Me A Bawdy Song was one of the best written books that I have read in a long time. I hope that Noema Jean Ayers continues to write. I feel she is a treasure to all readers.

Noema Ayer's warm, realistic story of an American family covers an interesting but forgotten period of America's history. Recovering from the terrors of World War I and the hardships of the Great Depression of the 1920's, the Britten family serves as a wonderful example of the incredible socio-economic changes taking place as a nation of strong, self-reliant men and women struggles to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Stoic heros, Emma and Casey, meet the challenges of long separations and the formidable demands of World War II. A good read from beginning to end!

For anyone who enjoyed "The Greatest Generation" (and it seems thousands did)"Sing a Bawdy Song" compliments it well. Just as Brokaw begins his book with a chapter about "Ordinary People", Noema Ayers's book tells the moving story of an ordinary family during an extraordinary time in America's history--the years prior to and during World War II. Ayers's novel relates the story of the Bretten family as they develop pride and a strong work ethic during the Depression years. Interwoven in the story are humor, grief, romance and the dark secret of a child conceived in deception and lust.

The historical research is obvious and well done. It includes such topics as the Menominee Indian tribe in Wisconsin, The Nash Motor Company and the Los Angeles flood of 1938.

An added delight are the many old time favorite songs, such as "Roll Out the Barrel" and wonderful family photos.

For anyone who grew up in the era, or had a family member who did, the book is a definite treat.

THE BOOK Homesick:My Own Story is about a REAL author telling of the times when she lived in China and her thoughts and feelings. Now Jean Fritz is a well known author- not a girl homesick for a home she had never been in.What really got me interested in her book was her.She came to my school when I was studying China (2nd grade).I have always been a reader(I read the 4th Harry Potter book in less then 12 hrs!), even in 2nd grade, but at the time, I wasn't interested in thosew types of history and culture books.I recently joined a book club and they choose the book.Now I'm glad I read it.....it is one of the best historical books I have ever read! (my friend is going 2 CHINA!)

" Homesick: My Own Story" was a real eye-opener for me. I first read it when I was in seventh grade and I still remember what it was like: Looking through Jean's eyes I saw China in a rough time; I learned where the Yangtse River was and about the junks that floated upon it; and how people would get rides in rickshaws pulled by men eager for the money. I broiled through all of her worries and troubles, grinned in happy times, and cried when everything seemed hopeless. I liken this book to "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry. "Homesick..." did not have as much action the way through as that story, but it certainly holds the same endearing qualities as "Number the Stars". This book read very fluently and I came to know much about something I had never been told about. I recommend "Homesick: My Own Story" to anyone interested in different cultures and a personable young lady who would rather have the name Marjorie instead of Jean

We loved this book because we were able to do an author study on Jean Fritz. We have read many of her books. The fifth grade curriculum requires us to study American History. Reading books by Jean Fritz has allowed my students and I to approach history with an open mind. Getting away from the text books has been enjoyable for all of us. Learning through literature is very effective and we have grasped many historical concepts by reading these books.