Cindy Crosby offers fresh glimpses of grace in this beautifully written meditation on life. But it's not the sweet, syrupy kind of life that most Christian authors seem to think we all have (or should have). Rather, it's about the life most of us live, full of hills and valleys, dark clouds and sunshine, birth and death.

Like Crosby, I'm an avid gardener. Though I've never lived in the Midwest where most of her essays take place, she brings alive the mysteries of the life cycle in her descriptions of the tall-grass prairies--ecosystems, really--as they ebb with the flow of life, death, and rebirth. Her prose sings with the wonder of nature.

Likewise, reading of her hike into the Barataria wildlife preserve near New Orleans, a place I, too, have visited, brought back all the sights, smells, and general spookiness of southern swampland. Her deftly modulated prose conveys the awe any thoughtful encounter with the natural world yields, and for Crosby this world is full of spiritual and personal insight. I say "insight" rather than "lessons," because she is careful not to reduce the glory of creation to a simple one-liner from God. No simplistic "thou shalts" or "thou shalt nots" here.

Crosby infuses her book with a deliciously appealing Christian spirituality, weaving it in with a welcome light touch uncharacteristic of most religious writing.

Cindy Crosby finds glimpses of God through flora and fauna. While struggling with a severe depression, she found solace in the rhythms of life she saw in the natural world around her. The cycles of darkness and light reaffirmed the fact that while this world is a fallen one, it is also one in which God provides hope and redemption.

Like nature writer Annie Dillard, Crosby is a keen observer of the environment, and her garden and the local arboretum provide much of the raw material for her reflections. The controlled burn of a prairie fire stimulates questions of human suffering. The birds squabbling at her feeder provide a lighthearted portrait of the church. A sleepless night reminds her that even the darkest hour brings hope of morning.

What is most refreshing is that unlike much contemporary devotional literature, Crosby allows the metaphors to speak for themselves, without belaboring the spiritual point. The voice she writes with reflects the Voice she hears through creation - subtle, gentle and profoundly stirring.

I liked the way this author balanced her experiences in life, sharing both ups and downs. I liked her writing style which really draws you into what is happening by the delightful descriptions of her life events. Best of all I found new ways to take hope when things look darkest. I hope she will write more soon!

I'm seventeen now and I read this book when I was in grade four or five. I read it about three times, then moved to a different city, and haven't been able to find the book again. I beleive this will remain my favorite book forever. It's very emotional, and brought tears to my eyes. I'd love it to be in print again, and make it a required book in schools. Hopefully I'll get my own copy of it soon, and be able to read it whenever I want to.

I'm only 16, but I personally have read this book 4 times. I love it! I recommend it to anyone interested in novels set around W.W.2 Phyllis Green is an exceptional writer and captures you, the reader's, attention and draws you int Ruthie and Cornella's fun loving lives!

This book was really cute and I recomend that it is put in print again so that anyone could read it.

This narrative was perhaps the first poem my children learned--and both they and I love it.

"Seventeen kings and fourty-two elephants

Going on a journey on a wild wet night"

meet all sorts of wonderful creatures in their travels through the lush jungle inhabitting these pages. There are white-toothed crocodiles, green-eyed dragons, small crabs, ponderous hippoptomums, dancing "to the music that the marchers made," not to mention tigers, cranes, pelicans, peacocks, and twangling trillicans. They go off into the night as raindrops glisten on the elephants' backs and the deep dark jungle devours their tracks. Altogether a delightful journey into word play and magical illustrations. Alyssa A. Lappen

This book is musical in its use of language. The verse seems to mimic the marching of the elephants. Reading and listening to the book are equally delightful. The pictures are lush and beautiful. I'm on my second child, and this remains a favorite of my 3 and 6 year old sons.

At last, a well written, well researched book on one of America's most fascinating ladies, Abigail Adams. Based on carefully interjected original research and letters, this book provides a long needed look at the issues and challenges that faced Abigail Adams. The author portrays her as a woman, very much in love with her husband, very much in love with her country, and very willing to try to balance the needs of both. It is striking to realize how totally independent she became in financial affairs, and in domestic issues. The book reminds you of the challenges of communications and distance. It also makes you aware of the personal sacrifices this family made for the young, emerging nation. The focus of the book is on Abigail, but sufficient information on the political events and political players is provided. An excellent look at a very important person. Don't miss it if you enjoy this period of history and are anxious to understand more about its key players.

Abigail Adams by Phyllis Lee Levin is an excellent companion work for David McCullough's John Adams.

Throughout life Abigail and John were inseparable, best of friends, and each others life. Through circumstances John was away in the service of forming a government and the duties to a new nation, but Abigail was not far from his heart, nor he from hers.

We see an unabated ardor in her for her "Best Friend" in life. Abigail Adams saw and wrote with clarity about the time leading to and after the Revolutionary War, and events following and her humanity. We have a unique perspective of the life and times of this period through her eyes written for posterity through her letters to a variety of people surrounding her life.

Not since Barbara Bush, has a woman been both a wife and mother to a President of the United States, even though she dies before John Quincy is elected. Abigail kept her family close to her heart and was the one to keep the family together and the family homestead viable in John's absence.

This is a well written book, solid in research, flowing prose and good details. This book captures Abigail Adams and shows us her intellegence and her perceptiveness of the events of her times. She wrote letters to Jefferson and had comments about all of the people, albeit caustic or poignant, close to John's work and life.

She loved John and missed him greatly when he was away, her letters attest to that, but when she was at his side both flourished. This book gives us a great insight into how Abigail was as a woman and how she coped with private and public life.

I recommend reading and enjoying this book.

I gave this book to my niece for Christmas and it was a huge hit, both with her and with my sister. This was no surprise to me as I had to really guilt myself into giving it away instead of keeping it here in our house.... good thing it's readily available, at least for the time being. Next purchase I make from Amazon I'm throwing this in my basket too. :)

The selections of prose complement the puzzle scenes beautifully and give kids a nice overview of both the Alice and Through the Looking Glass books. The puzzles themselves did not succumb to either "Eat Me" or "Drink Me" (i.e. they're not too big, and not too small, but just right). Each piece is color-coded on the back so you don't mix up the different scenes - a very nice touch. Also included are mylar protector sleeves so the puzzles will presumably stay put after being worked and reworked - another nice touch. Overall, the book is extremely well made and something that deserves to be handed down through generations.

This is the only book of its kind I've found, besides the Escher puzzle book which I haven't yet seen except on Amazon. Bravo to the publishers! Please make more!

A perennial favorite from generation to generation returns in a delightful set of 7 jigsaw puzzles housed in attractive and practical book form. Youngsters and adults will derive additional hours of pleasure from Lewis Carroll's enchanting stories as they piece together episodes from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass."

Each puzzle is paired with corresponding texts from these beloved tales. Thus, we rediscover Alice looking longingly down the rabbit hole, participating in the Dodo's race, chatting with the Cheshire-Cat, listening to the Mock Turtle's tale of woe, watching the trial of the Knave of Hearts, even meeting the hilarious White Knight.

Forty-eight piece puzzles seems an appropriate choice as they challenge younger solvers and entertain older children. Perhaps best of all is the discovery that we can put Humpty Dumpty together again!

Phyllis McGinley is a great author. There are other fine books by her, but this is certainly the best. This book talks about all the things that you would find around a big city, especially New York. There are 27 poems including a parody on East Side West Side. Then they talk about different things from A to Z that you would see especially around a big city. For Example E is for Escalator, and S is for Subway. We checked it out of the library and really thought of not returning it but just paying for the book, but we didn't want to deny other children the joy of reading it. We just got back from New York City, and recited most of the book to them. We're going to try to get it with your search, but we don't think you will ever find a good copy. Most of them are probably falling apart from so much love and use. Please encourage the publisher to reprint it. The lessons it teaches are desperately needed in todays violent society. Through the pages children can visit a much better place.

All Around the Town by Phyllis McGinley takes us all over an anonymous, somewhat dark city-implicitly New York-making stops at each letter of the alphabet. One might guess that K is for kindergarten and S for subway; but would one guess that C is for circus and H for horse? Not in a city of the nineties. Still, thanks to the bright, impressionistic drawings-now watercolor, now charcoal-and its sweeping vistas of the city, the book is far from quaint. Rather, it's beautiful and optimistic. A small poem also accompanies each letter. Sadly, the title is out of print, and libraries are apparently getting rid of their copies, as we've found two library discards in the last year. Each had children's scribbles here and there-no surprise. We highly recommend the book for people of all ages, but especially New Yorkers.

I feel in love with this book. This book is well written, keep it in mind it is much more of an informational book that contains a few recipes. Let me note that the recipes are platable towards modern day tastes. It gives enough recipes for each time ara so you can sample cuisines from the times she has written about. The book is filled with details and gives background to where others have only touched the surface. The book covers ancient history, prehistory, Eygptian, Rome, Greece, the Early Middle ages through the late Gothic, and stops around the 1450s. This is a definate must have for anyone looking to expand their ancient cooking library.

Phyllis Bober has long been a pioneer in the history of cooking/foodways. Her thesis is that we can learn as much about a culture by examining it through the lens of its cuisine as by studying its art, literature, etc. This book is at once highly learned and well written--erudite and witty, like Fisher. An important work for anyone interested in the history of food and eating, the book covers "the prehistory of cuisine," the food culture of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and Europe in the Middle Ages. Good illustrations. Can't wait to read the second volume covering the Renaissance through modernism that Bober is now writing.

This book is wonderful...my baby girl was 1 month old when we got it and she just loved it, other books and pictures lost her interest very quickly . We were amazed at how long she would gaze at the pictures and that she actually had favorites! She is now 4 months old and it is still her favorite. The Puppy and kitty pages make her smile. I recommend this book for any baby. I like this book so much i just bought 2 more copies to give as baby shower gifts!

My daughter is 10 months old and has been in love with this book since we first showed it to her pretty much since she was born. She loves to turn the pages herself and loves when we make the sounds to go along with each animal. Now she is trying to make the sounds herself. Out of a pile of many books this is always the one she grabs for her night time reading session. Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed reading this book because it was funny and had lots of rhymes. The characters were interesting and it was amazing to see a turtle survive when he had been living as a pet and travels with an alligator. The descriptions of the places Bartleby sees is very imaginative . I especially enjoyed the part when he was trying to save the duck eggs and when they hatched they thought Bartleby was a duck also. I was glad that it ended happy but it leaves you wondering about the rest of the journey. Perhaps there can be a sequel here?

Bartleby of the Mighty Mississippi was a great book. The characters such as Mother Wak and Bartleby were perfect for the mood of the story and were well described. It was exciting from start to finish and is a great story for anyone of any age. The characters ranges from extremly funny (like the peeper Zip who alway speaks in ryhme) to really creapy (like the alagator Seezer), and at times and Bartleby's wit and quick thinking save him or his friends. I loved it! I have read almost all of Phyllis Shalant's books and this one by far is the best. For those who have read the other books by her this one is a must anf for those who are new to the author will love to start with the one. The suspense can almost kill you sometimes and force you to keep on turing page after page. You'll never want to put this book down! Read this book now!!

I love this cook book! It's just full of recipes for that wonderful Amish food, and the thing I really love about it is that for the most part, the ingredients are items you probably already have in your kitchen, as opposed to some of the "coffee table" cookbooks you have to travel to France in order to get the ingredients they call for. I wouldn't be without this one, and I've just finished ordering it as a gift. Get this one, you'll love it.

My neighbor has cooked with some of these recipes for years (she is 76). She was so happy to find these recipes written so that she can give them to her daughter, grand daughters and great grand daughters. The author is an excellant authority on Amish cooking.