THE GIANT JAM SANDWICH was one of my favorite illustrated stories when I was a kid. I remember in first and second grade listening to this story at story time in the library. This book was one of those rare books that every kid in the class sat still for because we loved it so much and didn't want to miss one word or not be able to see one of the pictures. The story is rather simple; basically a town is over run by wasps and in order to get rid of the pesky insects, they build a giant jam sandwich. However, the original rhyming pattern adds a touch of flare to the story. Also, the illustrations are a pure joy to look at. This is a great book that most children will enjoy. But be forewarned, it's a book kids might want you to read over and over and over again.

This is an excellent bedtime story to read to your children. The art work is fascinating and each time the book is read a new facet can be discovered. The townspeople in the story band together to rid the town of stinging insects. A delightful solution is found. My children begged for this story to be read to them again and again. Guaranteed to become a family favorite.

My mother recently saw this book at a yard sale and remembered it was one of my favorites. Now at 29 I read it to my stepson , who is 2 1/2, everytime he visits, and he loves it as well. Each time I get to "And they had a feast for a hundred weeks" it fills me with a sense of well being. The illustrations are wonderful - each page is like a story of its own, with new things for children to discover each time the book is opened.

I absolutely love horror and read everything I can get my hands on in the genre. GREELY'S COVE stands out as one of the most gruesome and harrowing horror novels I've read. A young boy is miraculously "cured" of his autism by a strange psychiatrist in the small town of Greely's Cove. Things are not as they seem, however, and bizarre things begin to happen in the town. People vanish, the dead come back to visit the living, and something unbelievably grotesque and evil tries to break through from the Otherside with the help of an evil warlock. Gideon really pushes the envelope in this book. There are scenes that will have you gasping out loud while you read, they are so vile. If you have a strong stomach, love your horror bloody and gorey and creepy as hell, seek this book out. But don't say I didn't warn you!

This is the hardest book to find. People that own it must be holding on to it with both hands! I spent years trying to get it and finally succeeded! John Gideon hit it on the mark with this gruesome, horrific tale. His descriptions form in your mind and freak the daylights out of you. This is the best book for horror lovers! Now that I own it, I treat it like gold. I won't even loan it out. I dare anyone to find a book that horrify's and sickens you as much as this one does. A perfect score for a perfect book. It will haunt you forever! GET THIS BOOK!!

Every page of this book give such gruesome and graphic details of pure evil, that the images that are created in the mind have haunted me even now, 7 years after I read this book. I still see myself reading this book, my mouth hanging open and saying, "Oh My God!" over and over again. I have tried to find another book that holds my attention like this one did, but no book can compare to this one. It is so beyond anything imaginable, that I would just love to meet the author, bow to him and shake his hand. BRAVO!

Wow! I really enjoyed this book. The character of Jubal Sackett was very well developed and set in a historically correct period. I found myself walking in his footsteps as he went further and further west. The story arouses the explorer instinct in all of us. I intend to read more of the Sackett sagas.

I have yet to read many of his books, but I must say that all of Lamour's books are great. Jubal Sackett is a special character. I appreciate that Lamour spent more time on this book (or at least made it longer than usual) in order to give us a full scope of Jubal's transcending years in his migration to the west. The Sacketts are successful because they are well learned in many a trade and they don't take things for granted. They nurture their friendships when they can and comfront their enemies just as readily. You feel this story, you root for the characters and you feel as though you are among them. I guess this is more of a mountain man book than a western, but it still sets the setting for the Sackett's pushing west. A great book.

This by far is the best audio book Ive listened to.

The guy reading the story has an accent that fits the story perfectly. While this is a lengthy book it is never boring
The pacing is perfect and the story itself is riviting.
Do yourself a favor and get this on audio. You will not be dissappionted

I'd write this review in Esperanto, but I don't have the grammer fully down yet. I'd recommend this book highly though. For those who stumbled here Esperanto is an international spoken by over 2 million people across the world to help foster internation communication. The grammer is simple at a level unimaginable, and a determined person could get the whole language under their belt in a year, and that is fluency. I plan on finishing my study of it this summer.

The book itself teaches you key words fast, but not in the right order. It starts with things for the house, and then the town. It should really start with greetings. I hadn't learned the words for hi and goodbye until I'd been in an Esperanto chat, they are "Saluton" and "Gxis Revido".

The book teaches you numbers straight up, and the sound system which uses accent marks so each letter only has one sound. The accent marks are usually replaced with an "x" on a computer though. The number system is easy enough, it's like Spanish or maybe German (which I don't know) with the way the number name works except the teen numbers aren't irregular.

I'd recommend this book... well to every human alive. I really think that one non-national language being international would be more efficent then having everyone learn English and Chinese and Arabic and Hindustani.

The Esperanto Teach Yourself Book is a very valuable book. It presents all the grammar very clearly. A person doesn't have to know any previous knowledge of the language to utilize this book to the best of their ability. There are clear dialogues that are said on the tape. I recommend getting the tape because you can hear the spoken language and acquire a better knowledge of the tape. Also vocabulary is presented but it's better getting a dictionary either from online or the concise Esperanto Dictionary Teach Yourself.

I'm not going to go into a lot of description, but I think this book is wonderful. I have only been studying Esperanto for a few months, and I can already hold conversations. The grammar only takes a few weeks to master, but I am still lacking in my knowledge of vocabulary, which is why I am still studying. I recommend this book to anyone interested in The International Language.

I first read this book when I was 7 years old in the 1970s. I still love it to this day. The characters jump off the page and take you back to the 1940s, a different time and world.

When I was a kid in the late 60's and early 70's, I read all eight books in the J.R. Tunis series in his Dodgers series. Anyone who gets into the series MUST start with this one. Roy Tucker is an integral part in nearly all the books ("Young Razzle" being the exception), and "The Kid From Tomkinsville" introduces him along with the other characters. While some of the dialogue is of the "gee whiz" variety, the book and series are excellent. I'm so glad they were re-released, and I now have all of them. Now, I want to get a Dodgers replica jersey with the name "Tucker" above the number 34. Any kid between 9 and 90 who reads this book will know why.

When I was in junior high, I was addicted to reading juvenile sports fiction. Shortly after beginning seventh grade, I went to the alphabetical beginning of the fiction section in the school library and began moving down the alphabet. As I went, I examined the books and read all that were sports related. In a little over two years, I had read every sports fiction book in the collection. Of all those books, the Kid From Tomkinsville was one of the most memorable.
While the background of the 1940's made the presentation difficult for someone in their early teens in the 1960’s, the descriptions of baseball more than made up for it. Roy Tucker is the title character and an excellent pitcher. However, immediately after one of his best games, he slips and cracks his pitching elbow. This finishes him as a pitcher and the main theme becomes his quest to come back as an outfielder.
He is initially very effective and believes success is assured. However, he soon begins to struggle and doubts creep in. The description of all of this is a combination of one of the best baseball stories as well as one of triumph as a combination of talent, hard work and persistence lead to his success. I still remember the scene where his manager comes to his room and tells him the problem is that he is playing for himself and not for his team.
John Tunis is one of the best writers of sports fiction that has ever lived. He makes baseball exciting, even when all the action is taking place off the field. While our society has moved on to a point quite different from the time period of the story, baseball is still a game where strategy, preparation and dedication can triumph over athletic ability. That has not changed, and the descriptions in this book will continue to keep the attention of baseball fans for decades to come.

"Intense, passionate and romantic, JOE'S WIFE brings to the genre all that is noble and good. Cheryl St.John rises to superstardom with this book. Her masterful writing places her in the lofty atmosphere of stellar constellations. JOE'S WIFE introduces Tye Hatcher, a hero to die for, a man of distinction, a lover of renown, and a dream to last a lifetime. Ms. St.John looks into his soul, affording us a glimpse of anguish, and into his heart to see the depth of a love so deep and pure, it humbles. When his lips touch Meg's for the first time, it curls the toes as a tears slides down our cheeks."

He knows he can never live up to the memory of her dead husband. Is there a chance their marriage could grow into something more than two people brought together out of necessity? Cheryl St. John stories come from the heart, and they never cease to move me. Joe's Wife is no exception. Tye and Meg's story of growth and love showcased the kind of work St. John does best - stories of people, of hope, of love.

"In the tradition of LaVyrle Spencer and Stephanie Mittmann, Cheryl St.John will endear readers with her heart-warming Americana romance, JOE'S WIFE, an endearing tale about second chances and the healing power of love. Don't miss Tye and Meg's utterly endearing love story."

John Marshall defined American law, politics and power. This book paints a vivid picture of who Marshall was, and why he is still important today. The author does an excellent job stating the facts and letting the reader decide for her/himself whether or not Marshall did the right or wrong in the very important decisions he made. This book is enlightening and well written. Marshall's life is wonderfully told through the authors use of clear and concise writing. This book is excellent. It clarifies many misconceptions of this great man who came out of a generation that claims many great men. Marshall may be the least understood of them all, but he certainly is no less important than any of his contemporaries in forming and defining the United States of America.

Those who decry the current state of judicial affairs in this country will be interested to learn that our modern court system has changed very little since its inception back in the 18th Century. This, along with many other scholarly insights, is the compelling undercurrent running through Jean Edward Smith's John Marshall: Definer of a Nation.

Smith, no stranger to scholarship himself, guides the reader in painstaking detail through the rise of one of the most renoun jurists of early American history, John Marshall. Marshall, who served his country first as a soldier under General George Washington and later as the first truly influential chief justice of the Supreme Court, is a figure ripe for investigation at this particularly legal-oriented period in our history. For it was Marshall who, in his landmark decision, Marbury v. Madison, first gave rise to the notion of judicial review, the concept that suggests that the Supreme Court indeed has final say over the constitutionality of a given state action.

What is fascinating about Marshall's life is how bitterly he had to fight to establish what we today take for granted, the Court's supreme authority. Marshall's relentless pursuit of a powerful judiciary was often at odds with the vision of his fellow founding father, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson, who pushed for a small, decentralized federal government in a largely agrarian America, was constanly at odds with Marshall, and the tale of their stormy political battles resonates throughout the pages of Smith's biography.

Of course, the philosophical musings and feindishly political battles of our founding fathers may not make for interesting reading for everyone. Smith's book is chock full of obscure anectdotes and oftentimes difficult-to-get-through detail. All the same, the interested reader seeking to understand just how our current court system got to be this way can do worse than pick up Smith's tome for some insight. For, in the end, the battles fought between America's early political titans bear a strong correlation to -- and perhaps even explain -- blips on the judicial radar screen now called things like "O.J."

The author acknowledges up front that the book has little to say that is critical of the great Chief Justice. Nevertheless, the author presents a balanced view of the man and his times. As befits one of the greatest writers in legal history, Smith's prose is clear, precise and entertaining. Given Marshall's long tenure on the Court and his many accomplishments and associations with great historical figures, this book should be of interest to anyone with a serious interest in American History. One is left with the strong impression that Marshall's role in shaping the government has not been fully appreciated.

bodhiman@hotmail.com from California, USA , 03/04/98, rating=10: Please accept my revised review which I have edited for errors. As a student of martial arts and Japanese history, I found this story, which is little known outside of Japan to be a most impressive example of the ideals of the elite warrior class of Japan known as Samurai. In Japanese, it is entitled "Chushingura" which translates as "Vengeance" The Forty-Seven Ronin Story probably ranks as one of my favorite books about history ( and I have read many). Unlike other historical situations where men were faced with death, these men had a choice between life and death and they chose death with honor. The warriors were driven by allegiance to their code of chivalry known as "Bushido" which emphasizes a fanatical loyalty to their lord, tempered by the serenity and wisdom of Confucianism and Buddhism. The book provides fascinating insight into the feudal system known as "bakufu" under the Tokugawa shogunate and the influences of Confucianism and Buddhism on Japanese society. While it may be fictionalized or embellished in places, the book is based on a true incident which occurred in 1701. The loyal retainers of Lord Asano were given the choice of a free life with a loss of reputation suffered when their lord was wrongly forced to commit seppuku. Instead, the men chose to seek vengeance and restore honor to their clan. The loss of face caused by the death of their lord was more than they could endure and the men sought revenge after a two year facade of drunkeness, unruly behavior and poverty. Ultimately, the corrupt court official responsible for Lord Asano's death was beheaded by the loyal retainers and the men dutifully paid their respects at Lord Asano's grave before turning themselves in for court martial. All forty-seven men were given the privilege of committing seppuku, for which they were grateful since imprisonment or execution was considered disgraceful. The loyal retainers were buried with their lord at a temple called Sengaku-ji which is located just outside of the city of Tokyo. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Japanese culture, history or martial arts. It is one of the most impressive examples of men who refuse to compromise their honor or integrity at any cost..

As a student of martial arts and Japanese history, I found this story, which is little known outside of Japan to be a most impressive example of the ideals of the elite warrior class of Japan known as Samurai. It probably ranks as one of my favorite books about history ( and i have read many). Unlike other historical situations where men were faced with death, these men had a choice between life and death and they chose death with honor. It also provides fascinating insight into the feudal Japanese society under the Tokugawa shogunate and the influences of Confucianism and Buddhism on Japanese society. While it may be fictionalized or embellished in places, the book is based on a true incident which occured in 1701. The loyal retainers of Lord Asano were given the choice of a free life with the loss of reputation suffered when their lord was wrongly forced to commit seppuku. Instead, the men chose to seek vengeance and restore honor to their clan. Loss of face was more than they could endure. The men sought their revenge after a two year facade of drunkeness, unruly behavior and poverty. Ultimately, the corrupt court official responsible for Lord Asano's death was beheaded by the loyal retainers and they paid their respects at Lord Asano's grave before turning themselves in for court martial. All forty-seven men were given the privilege of commiting seppuku, for which they were grateful since imprisonment or execution is considered disgraceful. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Japanese culture, history or martial arts. It is one of the most impressive examples of men who refuse to compromise their honor or integrity at any cost..

This is a perfect example of bravery, honor, and patience. A must read!!

This book is a good complement to one of the greatest movies ever made; although I agree with one reviewer that it's too Russell-oriented (but I don't mind... : ) ). I have one disappointment, though: Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, the score composers, were not mentioned except in the credit. How could they overlook this? Music is a vital element in movies. And I believe anyone who have seen "Gladiator" would not disagree with me that Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard played very significant roles in this masterpiece. Their music is unbelievably beautiful!

Back to the book, buy it! You won't regret it. Reading this book make you realize the zealous effort they put into making "Gladiator", maybe not unlike how the Romans were 2000 years ago. Like the movie, you would want to see it again, and again, and again! Roma Victa!

This book was just as stunning as the movie. The many pictures were not just ones used for promotional purpoises but ones that were actually taken from other scenes in the movie. This book has everything, from parts of the screenplay to photos of the actors and director to the plans for the catapults used in the opening scenes for the battle of Germania. This book is highly recommended to anyone who likes to know how they make an epic movie of such size. Once you have read this book over you'll be wanting to see the movie again, and again, and again so you can see how they actually made these scenes. This movie has a huge international cast including New Zealander Russel Crowe. Hopefully he'll get the Oscar, and then there is the amazing actor Joaquin Phoenix and the late Oliver Reed who died just before the completion of the movie. This book tells you how they made some of the final scenes of Oliver Reed after he died. >Enjoy<

Okay, I admit it, I really like the film Gladiator. However, that does not mean I just buy anything related to the film. This book made the list, though.

First of all, the photos are great and plentiful, and the overall production quality is very good. The real treat, though, is in the concept drawings, storyboards, and reference material (the overleaf, 2-page spread, of Pollice Verso, or "Thumbs Down", by Jean-Leon Gerome has always been one of my favorites). I really enjoyed seeing these film-making treasures.

Secondly, the amount of supporting text is awesome. Insightful, informative, and entertaining, the content really lives up to its title: The Making of the Ridley Scott Epic. I was interested in not only learning how some of the visual tricks were done, but also appreciated the information on each of the primary actors, and loved the inclusion of excerpts from the screenplay (although it would have been a huge bonus to have the whole thing included).

Finally, I appreciated the overall value of the book. True, the DVD provides similar insight into many of the "making of" aspects, but there is a lot of information in this book, and the decision to release it in paperback format makes it a pretty good value. Besides, it "travels" better than the DVD, and provides things the DVD doesn't.

Overall, I'm happy with my decision to buy this book! You get a real inside view of the planning and execution of this great film.

John Dennis Fitzgerald intended to chronicle his youth in Utah for adults, not children. His publisher thought otherwise and the result are these gems. I don't even call them children's lit gems because I find them just as enjoyable as an adult. Before I go on, you should know that Fitzgerald wrote one book about his youth that is for adults, called "Papa Married a Mormon". It is one of the most amazing books on the American west that I have ever read. Sadly, it is out of print, and you may, like me, have to pay an exorbitant sum to get a copy. Trust me, save up and do it. Now back to this book. Every single Great Brain book in the series is pure gold, and the entire set can be had cheaply, so I say buy them all at once. I "put my money where my mouth is" as Tom the Great Brain would say, and bought the lot.

Driving into work today, I suddenly had a flashback to this wonderful series of books. I don't know what jogged my memory, but I cannot forget how much I loved reading the Great Brain series. The Great Brain at the Academy was by far my favorite. I am almost tempted to read them again -- for, what would probably be, the 6th time. Great books for your kids.

It's funny, heartwarming and really involving. All these feelings I felt when I read it when I was 9 yrs. old. It's so amazing how one can be so enterprising and witty at such a young age! Tom definitely had an impact on me then and always will! I grew up wishing to be like him...and I think I got my wish. EVERYONE: Grab this book, in fact, the whole GREAT BRAIN series as soon as you can. The little ones will love you for this great gift! On a personal note: I lost all my GREAT BRAIN books to kids who borrowed from me and never returned. Now that I'm 22 I'm very happy to get a second chance to collect THE GREAT BRAIN SERIES! Victoria Miranda