What a joy this book is! My children, including my teenagers, were enthralled with the story, it's meaning and the lovely illustrations. It reminds me so much of the 'picture books' of my childhood. Dale Smith is an incredible children's author, as proven by his other books, Over is Not Up and Night Time at the Zoo. His illistrators are of the finest quality. The collaboration with Pat Day-Bivins makes this a great book for all ages. What a message! We will enjoy this book for years to come.

My first impression was what a lovely book! Then to discover that the story led me into another one with which I was very familiar and loved. I felt comfortable with this and was able, through the small rabbit, to become a part of the story. I also found that the rabbit family exhibited strength in their loyality to one another. In this time of broken families becoming more the norm, I loved enforcing family bonds to my grandchildren through this delightful and beautiful story. Both the story and the lovely paintings will be enjoyed in our home for years to come!

When I purchased this book for my child, I never dreamed that I had purchased such a wonderful treasure. What a wonderful book. It helped give my child a reminder that no matter where she is or where she will be in the future someone is there who loves her. When I read the book, I also had tears of joy for such a wonderful story. Don't miss this book. It's story is so appealing. It gives your child an understanding of Easter. It also has a audio tape that comes free with the book. The authors of this book have told a story that will go with your child to adulthood. It truely is a classic .

My six-year-old is totally into monsters and aliens. It's often hard to find serious books on aliens for kids his age. He enjoys kids stories that involve UFOs and Martians, but craved the "real" thing. This book is perfect for us. I can read it to him and he understands it. He also loves the pictures and often draws them. A must for anyone with a young "alienaholic" in the family.

This captivating book draws in readers of all abilities through their interesting stories and pictures. Some vocabulary may be difficult, but most students attempt to figure it out due to the interesting subject matter.

I am still amazed that Q was able to write such a readable and hillarious book about a trip that turned into a disaster. Only an author blessed with superior skills and humour could pull it off, but he did and 'in spades!' As Q's 'Old Guy' I am putting the finishing touches on a sequel to his book, Fishing With Paul Quarrington by His Old Guy. It delves further into our fishing and casting lives together since we met fifteen years ago and includes Paul's second trip to the Broadback, this time to my territory and with superb fishing.

I talked Paul into making this trip with us. We had fished and worked on his angling skills for over ten years and I felt he was ready to go affter the 'Big One'. Howeverr it was not to be. We ran into just about the worst conditions that anybody could imagine and due to circumstances were unable to go to the Deval territory, one with which I was familiar. I didn't think it was possible for anybody to construct a readable tale as a result of this venture, but Paulie not only pulled it off, but wrote his 'Old Guy' book with all the flair and humour that only a superb author could. I am just putting the finishing touches on a sequel to his wonderful account of that mis-adventure, 'Fishing With Paul Quarrington by His Old Guy'. It fills in the holes that 'Q' left out and includes his next trip with us, this time into my territory and with superb fishing.

As I read "Little Tom" to my three-year-old I was struck by how important the message in this book is to today's society. We all need second chances--chances to forgive and be forgiven. Mr. Smith and Ms. Day-Bivens have done it again. Through vivid word pictures and the brilliant illustrations by Donna Brooks they have created wonderful images that catch the eyes and the heart. What a wonderful story to share with our children. What better way to teach them, and remind ourselves, that even when we make mistakes we can try again the next time. I so appreciate the values that Mr. Smith and Ms. Day-Bivens put into their books. They are quite simply the best children's book authors on the market. Can't wait for the next one!

"~What a special treasure! When I first laid eyes on this book, I was amazed. They've done it again - they've succeeded in producing another beautiful, can't-put-it-down children's book. I didn't think they could outdo the last ones: Over is Not Up, Nightime at the Zoo, and The Rabbit and the Promise Sign, but boy have they ever. sweetness of the illustrations as I began to read. The suspense I as an adult felt as I read each page kind of surprised me, as it was a "children's book". I was a little disapointed as I came to the end of the book and very quickly rounded up my children for a story time. They enjoyed it as much as I, if not more so. It was so special to see the fascination and excitement in their eyes as I would turn each page. I know I will have one on our coffee table very soon and there it will stay"~ for many years to come, along with the other Smith - Day-Bivens books we already have.

This awesome book is full of colorful pages that you you seek your imgaination into the ancient past! You get a real feel to the past as you can thumb through the clear pictures and highlited text. This text is a great resource for both the young and old. For students it can help them get a good grasp of ancient history of what can normally be difficult to learn.

The breadth of Ms Spear's talent is breathtaking... from downright hilarious to totally tragic with all gradients in bewtween... the only regret i have in reading this book was that there isn't a sequel; yet!..

I think Manville showed others he knew a lot about history and Athenian Citizenship

There is not a moment in this book that does not propel the story forward, or explain a previous puzzle, or create a new mystery that needs to be solved. Some books hit a point where nothing is happening and it's a chore to read it, but you can never stop reading Northern Lights (or 'The Golden Compass'). You are constantly wondering what will happen next and the tangled web of sin and evil and mystery that is wrapped up in an amazing plot is sometimes so overwhelming you have to stop and think for a moment.

The main character, Lyra, is only twelve, so reading it you can relate to her young, innocent, sometimes confuzed view to life. But there are also characters of unimaginable ages, Serefina Pekkala, for instance, a witch. Seeing the world through their eyes also helps us to understand the incredably complex plot.

This plot pulls you in very well, thanks to the amazing talents of Phillip Pullman. I have had to oppertunity to meet Mr. Pullman and i found that every part of his story comes from somewhere inside himself, whether it be something he himself has experienced, or something he's always dreamed of doing. This makes the story even more enjoyable to read.

The end is spectacular, grand and overwhelming. Such a huge task for such a small person, and only the company of her deamon to help her continue on her search. What will happen next?

I marvel at this work. The last time I read something that was simultaneously intelligent and for children (and was THIS BRILLIANT) was the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander("The Book of Three", "The Black Cauldron", "Taran Wanderer", etc.)--and that was around 20 years ago.

Since I am one of the few humans who has yet to read about Harry Potter's adventures, I don't know how Pullman stands up to Rowling; but I am very happy that these two "new" authors are here to give us fresh tales of intelligent children and high fantasy.

Anyway, back to Pullman. He has created a wonderfully strange world of armored polar bears, animal familiars called "daemons", witches (good ones and bad) and a topography that reminds me of Jules Verne's mechanical dreamscapes-- sizzling with anbaric power and illuminated with softly glowing naphtha lamplight.

Timewise, Pullman's alternate reality left me happily puzzled. One minute, I thought I was in Victorian London with dusty Scholars and linen-bedecked tea trays. The next, there are cars and machine guns. For once, I didn't mind the wild juxtapositions. It just made for a richer atmosphere. I could feel the damp of London and the knife-edged cold of the Northern European winters.

On characters, Pullman fills out a detailed roster of the good, the bad and the downright evil. Lyra as the girl hero, along with her daemon, Pantalaimon, are terrific. While she is brave, stubborn, and smart, Lyra is very far from perfect. Her mistakes have terrible consequences, and she will be required to live the guilt. Iorek Byrnison, the noble bear with a painful secret, is my idea of a true warrior. Although Pullman imbues his bears with anthropomorphic intelligence, he does not make them completely human. In fact, Iorek fights to keep his identity just like Lyra does in her fight against "the Gobblers".

As for villians, Pullman has created the scariest kind--creatures who rarely raise their voice and can manipulate with pain.

Very, very good reading!

I have to admit The Golden Compass took me by surprise. When I saw it in the children's section, and having read the Harry Potter books, I was expecting something, well, different. This is NOT Harry Potter - not by a long shot. This is not a sugar-coated kid's book. People die in this one, folks, good people, some of them kids. The adults portrayed in this book in many cases cannot be trusted. This book is full of blood & gore, & the ending is ambiguous. Good doesn't necessarily triumph over evil, and everyone doesn't live happily ever after. Consequently, I don't really think I'd recommend it for younger readers.

As an adult, though, I truly enjoyed the complexity of this novel. It's by far more imaginative than anything I've read in a long time. More than just a roller-coaster ride of fantasy, Pullman excels in the development of his characters. It's very rare to find a book where the heroine is a child, & for the author to maintain an authentic "voice" for that character. If the book interests adults (as does this one), you can almost guarantee the ten-year-old at the heart of the story will appear much older than her supposed years. Not so with Lyra in The Golden Compass. Pullman successfully portrays her as a kid - with all the over-confidence, naiveté, and innocence one might encounter in a real 10-year-old. The authenticity makes The Golden Compass an excellent read.

This book caught my eye at a gourmet cook shop. The illustrations are as luscious as the recipes. While there are many "new" vegetarian cookbooks, few measure up to the description as this one does.

I own a number of vegetarian cookbooks, and although all of them are good, they tend to be in the "nuts and grains" variety of cooking. Which I love, but its nice to get a different perspective sometimes, which is why this book is great. It breaks from typical veggie cookbooks in two aspects, actually: types of recipes, and the look of the book. Its simply beautiful, actually. I enjoy flipping through it and looking at the recipes. And so far, although I'm no master cook, the dishes have turned out as well as the pictures.

One downfall, I think, is the focus on mostly Asian dishes (again, I love Asian food, but it would be nice to get a few more non-Asian recipes... maybe in the sequel), and the small number of recipes in the book. I guess you can't have both huge, pretty pictures and lots of text at the same time... oh well.

However, it covers all the basics of vegetarian cooking as well as suggesting some exciting ideas. Pick up the veggie cookbook staples, and then this will make a wonderful addition to your collection!

I just got this book yesterday, which happened to be my parents' 33rd anniversary, and so I made them a gormet meal, which looked gorgeous, tasted good, and was veggie. I made the mushroom and chickpea salad (mmmmmmmmm) and the rasberry roulade, which was rather complicated, but had photos of each step. it was sweet and pretty. :-D the only drawbacks of this book come from its being a gormet cookbook. the recipies take a while to make (about 3 hours for those two dishes) and some ingredients are really hard to find (such as rosewater). but her instructions are excellent, and the food tastes wonderful. For simpler and faster vegitarian dishes, The Teen's Vegetarian Cookbook
by Judy Krizmanic is excellent. It also is very savory, but it is geared toward the college student, and therefore the recipies are a little simpler and more basic. well I hope that this helped, and GO VEGGIES! hehehe

~~Samantha R, MA, age 17

This is a handy if somewhat eclectic little collection, with works by some poets who are hard to find elsewhere, such as Henry Howard. If you don't have a copy of the long-out-of-print Hebel and Hudson anthology of English Renaissance Poetry, pick up this.