"Miss Suzy was little gray squirrel who lived in the tip, tip top of an old oak tree." I can still hear my big sister reading this to me. It's the only story I wanted to hear and she read it to me diligently every night for years until I learned to read it myself. Unfortunately, my copy was lost during a move and I have searched high and low these past few years for a copy. I pray Amazon can find one for me.

My sister and I were read Miss Suzy when we were very little. I don't remember all that much about it, except that Miss Suzy was my favorite squirrel and the toy soldiers and it was just a wonderful children's book. Now that I'm pregnant with my first child, I want him/her to have this book too. It needs to be reprinted!

While coping with the violent loss of her world, Miss Suzy is able to create a new one. She perseveres because she looks for the positive, is grateful for what she has and she cares for others rather than focusing only on herself, her troubles or revenge. Her new friends are a wonderful and protective support system. Their interaction is polite, loving and respectful. This is all conveyed in a sweet, simply told story with images and illustrations that invite a child into a world of comfortable nooks -- a tree-house under the stars, a cozy attic and warm kitchen. I still hear my mother's gentle voice as Miss Suzy singing, "Oh, I love to cook. I love to bake. I guess I'll bake an acorn cake." I can't imagine it sung another way... My younger sister and I equally love this book, but I somehow held on tighter to our copy. I just purchased a used copy for her. Please, please, please bring this wonderful story back into print!

I would love to find a copy of this book as it is one of a few books from childhood that still stands out vividly in my memory...I loved the story of generations of a family, living in the same place on Smiling Hill farm, from the first settlers up to the present (at that time in the 50's). Especially about the first family, and the stories of how they lived, making their own clothes, building their own house, making soap, cooking at a big open fireplace. I see the granddaughter of Miram Smith has entered her own review... lots of us it seems who have fond memories of this wonderful story.

I have been telling my wife about this book "Smiling Hill Farm" for years.My teacher in grammer school read this book to our class and I think it was wonderful.I keep trying to find a copy so I can read it again after all these years.At least thirty.It warms my heart.

One of the most memorable childhood books for both my sister and me. We read Smiling Hill Farm while living in Guatemala in the early 1960's; the images of family life in the in rural America are wonderful. Interesting that a few of us reviewers didn't live in the USA as children.

Unfortunatly, i had a severe problem with my bladder control. I am only 29, and up until 1 month ago, i still had a problem almost every night. With this book, i conquered my problem, and now i have a dry night EVERY night. Thank you Dry All Night.

After lots of other tries, this book made the difference for
my 8 year old. He read it and kept reading it every night
for about a month and now has even had sleepovers with dry nights.

Thank you, authors, for helping him gain more confidence
and solve this frustration for him.

My daughter is 5 and only reads a little. But I thought there was enough pictures, so I decided to go ahead with the book. We've dealt with wearing pull-ups, then with waking her when I went to bed, so I was VERY interested to see if this would work.

It sure did! It only took 2 weeks for my daughter to be totally dry. I might suggest, too, that you remove milk as a drink at dinner and bedtime; after we started using the Dry All Night book, a friend told me that studies show that children who drink milk for dinner wet the bed more often. Once we removed milk as a dinner beverage, all accidents stopped and my daughter became dry. She was so thrilled! After a month with no accidents, she gleefully informed me that she didn't need to "read" her Dry All Night book anymore! I only read the book through once. After that it became my daughters job and she did it all by herself. She didn't do a chart and I only occasionally reminded her to look at her book and drink her water in the afternoon. Truly magic! If you are struggling with nighttime dryness for your child, order this book now!

When I was learning to read Middle Egyptian, it was Lichtheim who kept me on track. She has a wonderful gift for translation. Her translations, while very close to literal, somehow manage to carry the atmosphere of the original without sounding as bizarre as a literal translation would.

This is an admirable volume II, consistent with what made volume I my first choice. In this volume, there are monumental inscriptions, instructional literature (including some very amusing works on the scribal life), hymns (including the great hymn to Osiris, and the Akhenaten hymns to the Sun), selections from the 'Book of the Dead', some prose tales and a factual narrative. Introductions and notes are terrific. Ka's are left untranslated.

Miriam Lichtheim's "Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol. 1" is a very good translation of a wide range of texts from Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt. It contains a representative sampling of Pyramid and Coffin texts, monumental inscriptions, didactic and wisdom literature,including the famous "Dispute Between a Man and His Ba", a few hymns, and prose selections, including "The Story of Sinuhe", "Three Wonder Tales", and "The Shipwrecked Sailor". For me the clincher in deciding to purchase this particular volume over its competitors was Ms. Lichtheim's decision to leave the words "ka", "ba", and selected other terms untranslated rather than giving anachronistic, supposed modern equivalents, to these complex words, as other recent translators have done. There are, additionally, excellent introductions and notes.

This book is amazing! I think it's awesome how young writers finally have an outlet, other than on the web. It's unlike anything anyone has ever done before, and it's really good! For example, I've read some collected things from teens, like poetry, that's really bad, but Druidawn is great! I hope there's more to come!!!!

This book is so amazing. It's filled with stories of all different kinds, with one unifying thread. Teenagers wrote them. So much creativity was put into this book, and simply by leafing through it you can see that.

The stories range from humorous to exciting tales of action.

But this book is also amazing in how unique it is. Unlike other young adult books, this one is interactive. It is not a one-ended story leaving kids to wait for more of the plot without any say - it is this books nature to encourage its readers to write their own stories, and send them in.

It's a wonderful, wonderful thing.

This is an excellent book for teenagers interested in science fiction and fantasy. Each story is an excellent contribution by a talented teenage author. This project is also unique in that it is truly interactive and allows authors and artists under 18 the rare opportunity to become published professionally and paid for their work.

I recommend it to any fan of fantasy and all aspiring authors.

Wise Children is a funny yet touching tale of the lives of a theatrical family. Narrated by one of the Chance twins, Dora, it charts the ups-and-downs of the twins' lives, as well as encounters with both loved and hated relatives; with almost every member of the vast family a theatrical performer.

I've read quite a few Angela Carter books, and (while Wise Children is still written in that unmistakable Carter style) it seems far more light-hearted than, for example: Love or The Magic Toyshop, and has a completely different vocabulary, as Carter adopts the voice of Dora Chance -- deliciously witty, with a strong feminist tone, relatively simple vocab, and an entirely unrelenting appetite for drama.
I was a little dubious about reading Wise Children, as the blurb implied a knowledge of Shakepeare would be beneficial when it came to understanding the book, and that the multiple sets of twins and family secrets would become highly confusing. While any subtle Shakepeare references (aside from the obvious) went right over my head, it seems that they played a minor part in the book, as it's full of raucous wit, bubbling personality, theatrical dramatics, and an inexhaustable thirst for life. As for the numerous characters and their relation to each other: Carter manages to evoke such a vivid picture and to bestow each character with such simplistic, unique features, that you become invovled in the Hazard/Chance story (therby avoiding any confusion.)
While the ending to this book seemed a little too good to be true, it fitted in with the unrealistic aspect of the book, and the dramatic nature of nearly every major character.

A great read (as with almost every Angela Carter book) I highly recommend Wise Children.

Angela Carter's last novel,"Wise Children", may well have been the crowning glory to her illustrious career as a fiction writer. It's a coup de grace and her piece de resistance. You don't need to be an afficionado of Shakespeare to appreciate the dazzling humour of Carter's story and celebration of "wrong-side-of-the-trackness" in a theatrical family of multigenerational twins (the Hazards) or thrill to their cross-Atlantic adventures but it'll surely heighten your sense of pleasure if you're familiar with the Bard's comic characters and able to pick them out from among the novel's fabulously diverse and colourful personalities. The novel starts on a promising note and quickly settles into a swinging groove, which Carter skillfully sustains with a momentum that just builds and builds, constantly hitting new highs just when you think it can't get any better. A diabolically clever mix of pathos and humour maintains the balance between realism and a sense of the ridiculous which is unmistakeably Carter. Her legendary tongue twisting, mind bending, linguistic pyrotechnics is in full flower and display throughout. She's in top form and those familiar with the Bard's "King Lear", "Winter's Tale" and "Tempest", among others, will delight in the resonance that the novel's many references evoke. The denouement is also a masterful sleight of hand that is distinctively Carter. "Wise Children" is quite the most fascinating and entertaining novel I have read and enjoyed all year. I finished the book with such a good feeling it carried me for days. This is an "absolute must" for those who love contemporary literature of the finest quality. Don't miss it !

angela carter was the finest english novelist of the last half century. and her reputation can only continue to grow. she continued to improve throughout her career, and wise children, her last novel before her premature demise in 1992.

wise children is typical of carter's style. she mixes the very high with the very low. an immensely intellectual writer, she nevertheless enjoys a good bawdy farce and a smattering of innuendo. this novel (for a plot summary see elsewhere) is a jaw-dropping display in the use and manipulation of language. there is sheer joy in every word. carter's confidence in her own wit was at a premium. it reads in one way as a feminist re-working of shakespeare; all the bard's devices are in view but it is all carried off with such vim and vigour and a deceptively throw-away attitude that it is a joy to read. this is a novel that demands to be read and re-read. all human life is here. get it on your bookshelf now!

Suns in the Sky" by Miriam Bat-Ami is an exceptional novel. It is painfully effective in portraying the whirlwind of hope and agony that was World War II. The book features Chris Cook, an American teenager, and her romance with Yugoslavian Jew Adam Bornstein. Adam and his family are being housed by the government in Chris's town, Oswego, NY. The young couple struggles to maintain their relationship despite the fierce oppostition of Chris's prejudiced father.
This book is definitely a worthwile read. The topic is unusual and intriguing. Not many books are published about refugee camps in America. The character's lifestyles contrast greatly from modern ways of life, making the content fresh, educational, and full of charm. The content is in turns appealing and appaling, and will greatly enrich the reader. World War two is a poignant, fascinating period thatis necessary to read and learn about.
One downside to this book is the style in which it was conveyed. The author chose to present several stories at once, and the fashion in which it switches narrators and time periods can be confusing. However, this aspect of the book adds appeal. Its very interesting to the different perspectives of the characters. There is also some disturbing material included in the book, which some readers might find objectionable. However, I personally feel that this feature is a necessary part of the story. Overall, this remarkable book is sure to be a charmer for all ages.

This book was very good. Its title is Two Suns in the Sky and the authors name is Miriam Bat-Ami. This book involves a young boy and a young girl that meet each other from a refugee camp. Adam is the boy who came from Yougoslavia on a ship to come to America to be free from the war that has been going on. Christine Cook who is the girl that has lived in America her whole life begins to fall inl ove with Adam. I would reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys a story with a little romance in it and in the same timeinformation about a war that is going on in the story and how people from Yougoslavia and other places come to America to be free from the war. I liked this book a lot and I hope i can find more books by this came author to read in the future. Now i am a little more consiuos on how refugees were treated and how other people did not like them just because they were sent to America to be free and safe form the war and at the same time some of their family members are fighting over in their country to make their country independent and free like America. I enjoyed this book and I would read another Holocaust book in the future.

The only thing I can say is Wow! Everything is wonderful and Bat-Ami is an exceptional authoress! It is like a modern day version of Romeo and Juliet, even better in some aspects! Everything seems so real and that it could have really happened! Some parts are sad, while others uplifting. Shows the true meaning, emotions, and just plain everything about a true love story! There are also some good facts about WWII, but that's not really why I read the book. The plot entrigued me. The end left me begging for more. So, if your out there reading somewhere Bat-Ami, you are a WONDERFUL AUTHORESS!

I got this one for my husband. I practice yoga and he is way more flexibly impaired then I. Nice book. I recommend it to beginners.

The book is wonderful, if only the publisher made it a book which could be laid flat, different binding

I have been unable to touch my toes all of my life, "Yoga For Wimps." was recommended by a publication that I subscribe to. I have since been rewarded with a few aches,that have since led to my gaining flexibility where I thought there was not ever going to be any. This book has empowered me to work a lot harder at gaining something I never possessed to begin with, that being flexibility. As a 63 year old with Arthritis in my neck and spine Ms. Austin has given me insight into just how a few simple yet taxing exercises can be a very uplifting and invigorating. experience. If you possess the desire to feel better and are not afraid of a little challenge then this book will definitely give you the wherewithall to persevere your own personal goals,and I have just been getting started. IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been knocked out by every Angela Carter book I've read, but for some reason this early effort is my favorite. It doesn't contain her most gorgeously drunken prose (I think that honor goes to "Wise Children") or showcase her unique storytelling gifts as well as her short fiction does, but it's a powerhouse all the same.

There are some great scenes here: the sensuality of the girl's private dream world at the beginning of the novel, the crushing finality when she and her brother arrive at their uncle's house and she realizes what a grim turn her life has taken, the descriptions of her brother, their monstrous uncle, his long-suffering wife and hapless brothers-in-law, the bizarre puppets her uncle creates.... This is highly imaginative stuff, and it doesn't let up for a minute.

"Nights at the Circus" and "Wise Children" are both very funny novels, and even their darkest episodes can't diminish the humor. "The Magic Toyshop" sinks into darkness very early on and remains there for most of the novel. But Melanie is such an engaging and sympathetic character that you never once give up hope that somehow, she'll find some kind of escape from the dismal world into which she's thrown.

If you've never read Angela Carter, this is a good place to start. It's a bit more traditional than many of her other novels, but it has plenty of bite and a set of characters you'll never forget.

Angela Carter has never failed to impress me. Her imagination knows no limits -- and she illustrates the same whenever she explores the realm of magical realism in her novels. The Magic Toyshop has gothic and mystical undertones that are perfect for the turbulent world of the young characters in the book. Melanie is quite a compelling character. Her struggles have unmistakable fairytale-like quality (Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty spring to mind). The aforementioned elements give the novel a rather unique brand of magical realism. This novel is beautiful, decadent and engrossing. It is difficult to describe the content of Carter's novel without spoiling some vital piece of information, so I won't recount further -- all I can do is share the joy of having read such literary work and recommend it most highly.

A tour de force for Angela Carter. This novel is a perfectly formed gem cut in the inimitable Carter style. The story of Melanie, the 'bourgeois screamer' and her journey 'through the mangle' in the form of her experiences in the magic toyshop is a gripping read which sheds much light on Carter's stance towards, among many things, the subjugation of women and the role they take, or are forced to take, in society. This being a Carter novel, the character of Melanie is particularly well drawn, and her exploits operate within the framework of numerous fairy tale paradigms, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty being the most obvious. Melanie is orpahned at the novel's outset and is transported 'from rural comfort' to the grimy, gritty, basic world of real life in london, in the form of her Uncle Philip's home and livelihood, the magic toyshop. There is very little truly magic about the toyshop however. Despite the numerous fairy tale motifs and subtle literary allusions woven into the novel's fabric ( the younger siblings are reliable literary jokes, while uncle philip is a wonderfully overblown carboard cut out of the melodramatic victorian villain) the plot makes Carter's renounciation, and eventual deconstruction of the role the patrairch takes in society clear. Carter may wish us to consider deeper issues, yet, as with all her work, there is a profound sense of fun imbuing the magic toyshop with an inherent readability. Melanie is of course an upper crust adoloscent thrown into a nightmarish, 'dirty' world, and we can take sadistic delight in observing her naivety, her bizzare reasoning, and her faltering steps into puberty. Yet Carter allows Melanie a strong elemnt of adaptibility: she rarely complains about the lot fate has thrown her, so the strength of the female (espacially when we consider the role of Aunt margaret and her moral immutability) is never far from our minds.
This was the first carter I read and I havent looked back since. The fairy tale elements and strong narrative, as well as the skillful characterization of Melanie ( a character in whom there is little reflection of Carter herself) make this an easy and enjoyable read, while there is plenty of meat in the prose for anyone to chew on: feminism, sixties culture, family units, growing up, romance and love, art, clothing and the nature of theatre, of drama itself, are all tackled in detail. Highly reccomended for carter virgins and afficiandos alike.

Before this book, I'd be a devoted Ayurvedic cook for about one week and then fall off the wagon when I got bored "eating Indian" at every meal. Hospodar's recipies are varied (providing Ayurvedic versions of well-loved dishes from around the world) and their flavours and seasonings diverse (even finding favour with my non-vegetarian husband who claims the Moussaka on p. 96 is the "best dish" I make). Other family faves--scones, paella, squash with wild rice succotash, dal II, chili (be prepared for a taste surprise--it's not your traditional chili, but if I don't call it "chili" I always get compliments on the unique seasonings in this dish). Not only are the recipes simple to make, they're also easy to adapt, allowing even the non-experimental cook like me the joy of substituting ingredients and still having it turn out okay!

Hospodar's introduction to Ayurveda is an adequate first overview, but those interested will learn more about this ancient practice by reading Robert Svoboda or Nancy Lonsdorf's books. I also found a better background on Ayurveda in the first Morningstar cookbook (although her recipes, while delicious, are pretty much all "Indian" in taste).

I recommend this over any other Ayurvedic cookbook--and I've used several over the past 8 years. These recipes allow practitioners of Ayurveda to eat standard fare ("what's available elsewhere") without straying from a path to good health and balance. No need to be suspect of this review: I was introduced to this book at a panchakarma retreat so can't be counted as a friend or relative--just a grateful reader!

Heaven's Banquet has a recipe format that I've never seen before, that makes the instructions very easy to follow. Every recipe I've tried has come out perfectly and is utterly scrumptious. I feel that this is the last cookbook I'll ever need to buy. It has everything I need to make healthy and delicious meals--two concepts that don't usually fit together! also, Miriam Hospodar has a wonderful sense of humor that makes reading and using the book a lot of fun, and makes the serious knowledge it contains go down easy.

I have been a serious cook for over fifty years and have a large cookbook collection. I love to read cookbooks for pleasure as well as resources for recipes. Hospodar's book is one of the very best reads - informative, imaginative, marvellously workable, delicious recipes and very funny as well. It is also visually beautiful. You don't even have to be a vegetarian to find the recipes exciting.