I admit that this is the first (OK, maybe the second) children's book that I bought more for myself than for Max.

The feisty wombat who sometimes likes to curl up in a ball is a quite active and wild little fellow. It is having fun with its friends running, jumping and screaming. The effect on Max is not exactly that of a "sweet-spirited bedtime story to ease young ones to sleep."

The highlight of the book is without any doubt the page where the wombat shows how to make funny faces. Hilarious! In fact, I had considered taking the book to the office for therapeutic purposes.

In sum: A fun read with beautiful illustrations. Unfortunately it is not a board book. It is bound to suffer from a three-year-old's enthusiasm.

I am currently studying to become an early childhood teacher, i purchased this book to use with my 3-5's.
I initially purchased it because i LOVED IT! The pictures captured my heart, and the words are large print,easy to read and great content, my 3-5's adore it as much as i do, and it will be a book i'll be keeping for my own chn!
HIGHLY reccomend, you wont regret it!

Wonderfully detailed artwork, a sweet main character, and a tone that warms the heart.

My 2-year-old son and I just love this book. Its message is that it's fun to play games and run and be silly. And the last page, where the baby wombat is curled up at the end of the day with mommy (or daddy) is one of my son's favorite.

You are sure to love it.

Survival Kit for Leaders is one of the rare books that actually carries out its stated purpose-that of providing a practical, interactive guide to developing relevant leadership skills. The authors know what it takes to teach contemporary leadership and they have used their considerable experience to design a learning system highly useful as an individual or a team survival kit. Every aspect of Survival Kit for Leaders has been prepared toward this end beginning with its purpose through executive summaries for each chapter, specific examples and applications, highly useful discussion questions that make the reader become deeply involved, and key points for the readers to learn and apply.

Survival Kit for Leaders has been organized into these relevant chapters that present the critical principles and concepts leaders need to learn, recall, and apply:

Leadership for a Survival Organization
Survival Thoughts for Leaders
Profile of a Leader
Leadership and the Art of Mentoring
Leadership and the Art of Feedback
Leadership and Management
Using the Law for Competitive Advantage
Time Management Techniques for the Effective Leader

These chapters engage both fledgling and experienced leaders and very effectively draw them into the development process. As a result, Survival Kit for Leaders becomes an individual seminar taught by not only the authors, but by the many successful leaders cited throughout the book.

Readability Difficulty Index

6 out of 10 (where 10 requires intense concentration). The book challenges the reader to engage in self-reflection, a task that goes beyond simply reading the book, but calls for interaction with and deeper understanding of its content.

Recommended Audience

Survival Kit for Leaders is primarily targeted at individual leaders, in all situations, to help them survive the challenges of the 21st Century. That said, it would be equally effective in a group setting as a focus for stimulating discussions.

Most Interesting Part

The book has many interesting illustrations that are right on target. For example, in Chapter 5, Leadership and the Art of Feedback, the authors use the term "FEEDBACK" as an acronym to stand for each of its component parts. This mnemonic helps readers relate the concept to their own situations. For example, in discussing "D" for "Dialogue-oriented," the authors not only illustrate how dialogue can be used appropriately in leadership situations, but also cite Stephen R. Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People to reinforce the salient points. This technique is used very usefully throughout the book.

Most Insightful Part

The most insightful part was Chapter 3, Profile of a Leader, a case study of the leadership principles employed by Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish citizen, during World War II. Wallenberg is believed to have saved 100,000 lives through his courageous and compassionate leadership. The chapter not only describes Wallenberg's heroic actions, but also does this in a manner that identifies leadership principles that we can apply to our less heroic lives. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

Most Unique Part

Many leadership books have discussion questions. What sets Survival Kit for Leaders apart are its finely crafted discussion questions. These questions not only challenge the reader to interact with the book, but do so in a manner that brings about the essence of its content. The questions also increase the book's flexibility as a seminar/classroom discussion vehicle.

Weaknesses of the Book

The authors' emphasis on "survival" may give some readers the impression that leadership is a matter of "getting by." Leadership is more than surviving leadership challenges; it is anticipating, meeting, and transcending these challenges. More might have been done to place the book's message in this broader context. The larger role of leadership is there, but it could have been much more explicit such as including discussion questions on the meaning of survival.

Memorable Quote

"Leadership styles resemble fingerprints in the sense that each is different and highly individualistic. Thus, in studying leadership styles, people should learn how to sort the good from the bad, the effective from the ineffective, from the perspective of their own unique personal qualities and circumstances. Through this process of shifting and selecting, through the lens of their own eyes, they can begin to develop the basics of their own leadership style." (p.35)

Why Read?

Survival Kit for Leaders is not one of the trivial "self-help" leadership tomes. It is a serious, finely crafted learning tool designed by experienced, pragmatic authors to help readers make significant process in their personal leadership development. . If you want to improve your leadership effectiveness, buy and use Survival Kit for Leaders

Survival Kit for Leaders is clearly an exceptional book written with wisdom in a clear analytical style. This stimulating book is loaded with exciting stories of successful leaders and superb models including women and minorities. A very important book that absolutely should be required reading for leadership aspirants at all levels.

There are a myriad of different management books available today. This one is different. You already know why you need a new book on management or you wouldn't be looking into this book now. What was available before "The Survival Kit for Leaders" just didn't fill the need. We need to more than survive. We need to flourish and it's a jungle out there. This book provides a workable roadmap that can be used to navigate the pitfalls that can befall both new and veteran leaders and allow leaders to do more than just get by... this book will help direct you to success. The chapter on mentoring alone is worth the cost of the book. Do you know why you should be both a mentor AND be mentored? You will after reading this. After this read, not only will you want to mentor... you will actively want to FIND a mentor for yourself. Each chapter brings new level of revelation/insight to sometimes seemingly tired concepts. While you are setting your goals, make the first one to read this book. The time you spend reading "the Survival Kit for Leaders" will be an investment that everyone around you will benefit from. A good leader has an edge. A great leader has also read this book.

The Saga of Galanor crossed the ocean and reached me in a royal blue journey; a typical Brazilian one. I took a day to open the book - I feared it somehow. When I did, the barriers of time vanished and I was thrown into the fantastic realms of Atlantis and beyond; somehow so familiar to me and, until then, so long distanced in my memory. The story is an image poem; and, the book itself is a film! Watch out, it has a magical effect!

Not only is the book a great adventure, it is beautifully put together. This book is amazing in it's artwork, it's format. It is a book like nothing you have ever seen. This is a book that you will want to pass down from generation to generation. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next saga.

Galanor, a strong leader in a fantasic fantasy tale, that will keep you wanting to read about his next adventure.

I agree with the earlier reviews but I'd like to provide some details about this book's strengths.
First, Payne places the people who made the Mississippi movement at the center the story. He tells the story of both the original local leaders who made it possible for the civil rights movement to happen in Mississippi and the activists who followed their lead in the 1960s.
Second, he extends the time span of the civil rights movement, showing that it would not have been possible without the "organizing tradition" referred to in the subtitle. Payne expertly traces the relationships and linkages between different generations of heroic troublemakers in Mississippi.
Third, he shows that the original radicals, and I mean those who wanted to change Mississippi from its roots, were those who had already challenged the system to achieve personal gain. "Bourgeois" blacks in Mississippi weren't uniformly complacent or fearful. Wisely, Payne does not use this fact to justify any notion of a "talented tenth" that ought to lead the masses.
Fourth, the chapter on Ella Baker is a stunning and riveting account of one heroic troublemaker who didn't receive enough recognition for her efforts.
Fifth, when Payne writes about what we typically consider the civil rights movement, he places you in the midst of the activists and makes you feel their exhileration, exhaustion, frustration, fear, and courage. Scholarly books never have this quality. At the same time, he does this in a historical context and with a critical eye which absolutely illuminate the raw material in a way that first-person and journalistic treatments rarely approach.
For these reasons, and many more, this is clearly the best of many excellent books on the civil rights movement. Some could fault Payne for placing less emphasis on the national and institutional dimensions of the freedom struggle. But, in the case of the black American struggle for freedom, Payne shows us the story begins with, and is carried by, people who tried to change their communities, not their nation.

As a history major, I have various interests. One of my favorite things to study is the civil rights movement. Of all the books that I have seen, few match the caliber of this book. It takes the state of Mississippi (which may be the book's greatest irony)and shows how powerful a grassroots movement such as the civil rights movement can be with the proper forms of leadership. I urge anyone who is interested in learning about the civil rights movement should start with this book!

Two years ago the author taught a short course at my college on the Mississippi civil rights movemement. He used this book, and I've been recommending it to people ever since. His style and content are both amazing, and I feel really lucky to have had an opportunity to read this book in a course structured around it. _I've Got the Light of Freedom_ offers a new perspective on the way history is taught and remembered. Organizing and people's history are emphasized in what happens to be one of the best movement books out there. It's everything scholarly writing should be. Kudos to Charles Payne.

No one interested in American politics could fail to find this an interesting and informative volume. The essays are perceptive, tho some are repetitous. The listing of all the Jewish Senators, Representatives, Federal judges, and governors is valuable. I found it amazing that apparently there was no Jew appointed a Federal judge till Wilson appointed Brandeis to the Supreme Court in 1916 and then there was no Jew appointed to the Federal judiciary till Hoover appointed Cardozo to the Supreme Court in 1931, and not till FDR was any Jew appointed a lesser Federal judge! An excellent reference book.

The editors are to be commended for creating a useful reference work that will be used for years by students of US politics. Their study begins with 14 thematic chapters that explore such topics as the presence of Jews in the three branches of the federal government, the role of Jewish political party leaders, the historical voting patterns of Jews, the political role of Jewish women, and Jewish contributions to foreign policy. This section is followed by a ten-page list of sources for additional reading in each of the thematic subject areas. Other sections, just as important, provide biographical profiles of about 400 Jewish participants in American politics, past and present, and rosters of Jews who have served in the cabinet, in Congress, and in the federal court system, and as ambassadors, governors, or mayors of major cities. This section also includes a chart of concentration of Jewish population in selected major US cities from 1800 until 2000. This book will be a welcome addition to reference desks and general collections in libraries across the country. All levels.

This book does something extraordinary. It presents a vast array of information while at the same time including a number general essays on Jews in American politics. No person seriously interested in ethnic politics and Jews particularly should be without this book.Clearly edited and turned by the press. There is no political slant--all positions represented.

The 5-minute pediatric consult is written in an easy to read outline format. The writers have eliminated unnecesary obscure data and offer a concise outline of all major pediatric diseases. The topics are designed to be read in 5 minutes or less and all the up to date information to diagnose and treat a specific illness is included. The topics are alphabetized, so they are easy to look up. The writers are accomplised experts in their fields and the book has been edited by the distinguished Dr. Schwartz, at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. As a professor of Pediatrics, I highly recommend this book to practicing pediatricians, family practitioners, nurses and students.

when will the CD be available? I travel to several schools providing healthcare to uninsured children and would like to use this valuable reference. (a PNP)

love the format. listed alphabetically, the items are presented in a easy to read format. Just about all I want to know about the problem when working in a busy office. I can read more later but this gets the job done. an excellent 90's type of book. where is the CD?

Colonel John A. Warden III was one of the most distinguished officers of his generation. A veteran fighter pilot, he was--is--as well a true defense intellectual--not the sort of individual often touted by the so-called "defense reform movement," but a true warrior-scholar in the classic image of, say, a J. F. C. Fuller--or a George Patton. Not one to shy away from controversy, Warden was convinced in the 1980's that the United States Air Force--had strayed away from its first principles. It had become a stove-piped, tribal organization, riven by discord and confusion between its "strategic" and "tactical" communities. Warden, in this brilliant work (written as a thesis at the National Defense University), posited an exciting new vision of the centrality of air power in national defense. This book served as an important departure point for the service's subsequent "Global Reach--Global Power" strategic planning framework issued in 1990. By that time, Warden was running Checkmate, a key office in Air Force planning. Through his own initiative and vision, he and a small team of "weapons officers" planned Instant Thunder, the first major response to Saddam Hussein's aggression in the Gulf. Warden briefed Instant Thunder to the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff (the Chief was away), and then on his suggestion to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Colin Powell. Powell sent him to CENTCOM to brief Norman Schwarzkopf. His reaction was enthusiastic, and Warden was directed to brief Instant Thunder in the Gulf, to the CENTAF air component commander, General Charles Horner. Horner, brilliant in his own right, accepted much of what Warden said. But the personal chemistry between the two men was bad, and Warden returned to the States, leaving behind a small staff of acolytes and experts, most notably Lt. Col. David A. Deptula. It was the partnership of Deptula, Gen. Buster Glosson, Gen. Horner, and (back in Checkmate) John Warden that made the Desert Storm air campaign a success. After the war, Warden became commander of the Air Command and Staff College, making notable (and badly needed) changes to its curriculum. This book is a "must read" by anyone who would consider themselves a military and/or air power professional. There are Americans alive today because of John Warden's work. Warden never made general, largely because of petty jealousies by senior people above him. He was--is--a consumate professional and true patriot: never complaining, never self-advocating, always keeping true to his core beliefs. But his truest legacy is this book and the thinking it has inspired--thinking that has lead to five notable American victories over the last decade. Buy it, read it, keep it, use it!

John Warden was the strategist of the air campaign in the 1991 Gulf War. In 1998, he updated his influential book. A must read for anyone interested in the military, its past, present and future.

Col. Warden adds new material to this important work on strategy, especially new material on what happened after the Gulf War. This book is many things. It is a history of airpower. It is a fresh look at the application of airpower. It is a guide for anyone in the military or business world who wants to compete or attack a system. Very readable. With Col Warden's reputation as the architect of the Air Campaign against Iraq, he has demonstrated that he can apply his ideas in real world situations. Outstanding read.

Kaia Svien is a powerful storyteller, taking us on an unforgettable adventure in her new book, TO FOLLOW THE MOON. The strength and courage demonstrated by Basuba, Marion and Fiona travelling to the New World, along with their sacred connection to the Earth, will remain with me for a long time. I look forward to reading this book with my daughter. Thank you Kaia!

Finding a tale that is realistic to the past and to the issues that faced young women and pagan peoples was once impossible to do. However, in this book these topics are expressed in a way that is relative to life today and holds true to what life was like in past European culture.

This book tells of the coming of age of Marion a young girl whose Aunt Basuba is a healer and part of the community of Willow People. Marion, who is very spiritual and devoted to the ways of her Aunt, begins to notice the massive changes due to the increasing accusations of some narrow-minded Christians towards herself and the Willow People. She also sees the sparks of change due to the discovery of the New World and the desire some people have to conquer its "savage" people. She teams up with Fiona, an older teen who is fighting to save forests from being timbered. They have an exciting and dangerous trip across the Atlantic.

To Follow the Moon is a wonderful mixture of feelings all depicting the journey of these three Willow Women out of persecution and into understanding who they truly are. I strongly recommend this book to readers looking for a historic view of women. I also encourage girls to read this book as a guide to the similarities to life in the past and how to incorporate them into them into your life now.

TO FOLLOW THE MOON was a voyage of discovery for me. As it ends with the three protagonists safely arrived in Boston, anno 1641, so I arrived with a new understanding of the Old Ways--the spirituality which we Christians refer to as "pagan." Along with young Marion, I am introduced to a world respectful of and attentive to the ever-changing, yet ever-constant flow of Nature. To follow that flow, symbolized by the phases of the Moon, humanizes us, re-connects us with the humus out of which we grow and in which we must retain deep, strong roots in order to keep growing. Kaia Svien's book helped me to understand how dangerous I and my fellow Christians can be if we cut ourselves off from any other children of Nature and allow ourselves to sit in judgment over them because of ideas we harbor. I heartily recommend TO FOLLOW THE MOON to readers of all ages. It is a wonderful read which broadens as it entertains. Further, I encourage Kaia Svien to work on a sequel, since I want to know what happens to my new friends--Marion, Fiona, Basuba plus of course the faithful Matthew--now that they are in America.

This is one of the funniest books ever written by french intellectuals. The only field work ever done by the founder of structuralist anthropology, who preferred to work from his Paris armchair, its centerpiece is an account of how Claude loses touch with the rest of the company and in the process of trying to find them by firing his revolver, also scares his pack-mule away and thereafter discovers the dangers of writing.

It comes as no surprise to students of L-S to find that the elegiac quality to his science (recherche des temps perdu, indeed!) starts in his formative years in the Amazon jungle. There L-S search for Comte's structure finds the romance of the human mystery, and it sings...a song that would continue through his complex studies of myths...the Immortal has a soul and that soul is the human condition, individual and ineffable; this book is a coda to the nostalgia of Rousseau's savage in Provident nature.

The traditional definition of anthropology is the study of man. And the activity immediately associated therewith are the field notes taken on the spot which the anthropologist then transcribes so the immediacy of his findings is preserved.

Then there is Claude Levi-Strauss, often called the 'armchair anthropologist.' This literate personage journeyed through central Brazil in the 30s, only to record his findings some 20 later in his book Tristes Tropiques, an untranslated title because no equivalent can be found in English.

Reminiscent of his forebear, Marcel Proust, Levi-Strauss presents us with memories distilled through time from which a structure emerges. Let me make clear that Tristes Tropiques is not a chronological account of Levi-Strauss' travels through South America.

Recollections, filtered in Tristes Tropiques, are further distilled in subsequent works and become systems or units which can be analyzed structurally, resulting in the fundamental concept of structuralism, that of universal analogies whose 'differences resemble each other.' One social organization, one myth is without value. Compared to a multitude, they acquire meaning.

Proust's universe is that of his personal recollections, whereas Levi-Strauss extends his own and from there goes on to establish cross-cultural analogies. But both are a product of the French intellectual tradition. The supremacy of the mind goes back to Rene Descartes, the 17th century French philosopher who said: "Je pense, donc je suis." "I think, therefore I am."

Before I started to read "Dunnottar," a visiting friend who's a museum curator (and graduate degreed historian) happened to pick it up from my dining room table. She leafed through it and declared, "This is a good book! May I read it when you're through?" Since her tastes and mine often differ, I wondered if that meant I was going to find the tale a dry one.

Well, I most certainly did not. Janet Elaine Smith's novel takes a story from her husband's (Keith) family history, and peoples it with men and women about whom any reader can't help but care. Being able to guess how John Keith's apparently hopeless love for Ann Hastings would turn out, and knowing enough about the time and place depicted so that I also was sure where the plot must go, didn't keep me from turning the pages eagerly and thoroughly enjoying a well-spun tale.

Romance and intrigue, friendship and betrayal, against an accurately researched historical backdrop. No wonder "Dunnottar" has been an Amazon bestseller. I really ought to make my friend the museum curator buy her own copy.

Dunnottar was not only a great story, but it made a small bit of history come to life! I enjoyed it immensely.

Here is an unusual new novel by Janet Elaine Smith. The beheading of a king, four love stories, the hiding of the precious crown jewels, a bouncy and charming little red-headed girl--all these should be enough of a mix for a historical novel, especially when it is based on the lore of a family we know. "Dunnottar" the title of this book, is actually the name of the ancient castle, the home of the Keith family, ancestors of Ivan Smith. He and Janet, his wife, and author of the novel, are regular attendants of our Federated Church. This is a first novel, to be followed soon by another one, "Marylebone." And so if you are ready for a romantic trip back to 17th century Scotland, here is your ticket.