It was a really good book. I'd recommend it. It is about a boy in Kwamala that wants to be a Shaman. He becomes the Shaman's apperentice. Read this book if you want to know if he becomes a Shaman himself. This would be a good book for 10 year olds.

I saw this book on Reading Rainbow today, and I was enthralled by the story and the beautiful illustrations. The episode took Levar to the village the book was about and introduced us to the apprentice, now grown, being teacher to the village and his twin sons. My daughter is only a year old, but just the colors kept her attention. I look forward to when the words will have the same effect, as I'm sure they will.

The Shaman's Apprenctice is one of the rarest of books. It combines an engaging true story with beautiful illustrations. The result in an aural-visual experience that transcends the age of the audience and presents a valuable message to all. It should be required reading for every planetary denizen.

At our library, I gather books for teachers to pick up and check out for use with their lesson plan subjects. I always pull Lynne Cherry's Kapok Tree for teachers who are teaching about rainforests. When I saw "The Dragon and the Unicorn," I knew I had to order it for the teachers and kids. I wasn't disappointed and don't think our library's patrons will be disappointed, either! The illustrations are not only rich and colorful, they're creative in their design and range. The plot moved at a good pace - not sluggish, nor too much detail, nor too much preachy "do this," "don't do that." Kids will like the gentle, but fiercely protective dragon and the wise, magical unicorn who he protects. Kids will also enjoy taking the journey with Arianna into the world in which the dragon, unicorn, and many other animals live, and where they are being threatened by Arianna's father's destruction of the forests. The resolution of the problem of the king's allowing the forest's destruction is satisfying without being too pat or easy.

This book was so beautiful. I love unicorns and dragons, so it was great seeing the two together. i liked this book because of the story it depicted, and that is that we can all be at peace with the world, and those around us. I recommend this book for people of all ages. it is beautifully illustrated and is full of love!

I was so delighted to find this wonderful enviromental fairy tale with beautiful illustrations of brown people. It is such a relief and joy to encounter an author and illustrator whom recognizes that there are other marvelous colours that can be used when filling in the hues of the characters. The beautiful Arianna lead our family on a mystical journey through a medievel forest in danger, and we learned that the darkness of the forest was full of peace, silence and beauty. Thank you Lynne for letting young readers know that what is dark and brown and black is also beautiful.

What I like most about Lynne Cherry's environmental history of the Nashua River is that it is not only the story of the death of a river, but also of its rival. "River Ran Wild" begins thousands of years ago when Indian peoples first came through the Nash-a-way River Valley. Cherry tells of the history of the river, surrounding her text with smaller drawings representing the changing cultures of the various times depicted opposite full-page pictures. The two most telling pictures are basically "before" and "after" shots of the same scene: an aerial view of the Nashua River winding through a factory town where the river changes color from blue to green to brown as factories dump their waste into the water, and a final shot of the river restored to health today. Cherry, who has devoted her life to environmental issues, includes a timeline and an introduction that covers in more detail how the ecological death of this river came about, and the various community efforts and governmental laws that resulted in fish and game finally return to the Nashua. All too often book like this can only mourn the loss of another part of our environment, so it is nice to see something that that celebrates one of the all too few instances of success in getting back to what we once had.

I used this book with my third grade class when they were studying the effects of water pollution on a large body of water. They had already studied Native Americans in second grade and this book just blended the two subjects together. The step by step portrayal of man's harm to the Nashua River helped my children learn about how they were harming the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Lynne Cherry is a fantastic author and presents two great subjects that are highly interesting to children. Any teacher that teaches either Native Americans or water pollution should include this book in their lessons!

This book was given to me at age 12. I am now 17 and it is still my favorite. I will never outgrow the beautiful pictures, or the very important lesson it teaches. Every page is expertly laid out, with exquisite paintings depicting the river and the era being discussed. The message of environmental conservation and protection is inspiring. Lynne Cherry makes this vital part of our existence understandable to young children, and even adults, often the harder group to reach. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who wants their children to appreciate the world around them and learn that they can, and should, do their best to save it.

Once upon a time, when the world was new, there was no death. There were no seasons, and everyone lived in one place, where the weather was perfect for most, although too hot for some, and too cold for others. A world without death, and without changes or places to grow in a friendly environment, soon ceases to be paradise and quickly becomes overcrowded and unfriendly.

And that's just what happened in the kingdom in which a small boy named Emir lived. Emir's Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers, by Jane Roberts, is a charming story for all ages. The king, Emir's father, sent him on a trip to learn the names of all that he saw: plants, animals, lands, and seas. Being a child, and being used to getting his own way by simply stamping his feet and demanding what he wanted, Emir had much more than names to learn.

Emir journeys to the Land of the Gods first, then searches for the God of All Life. His personality keeps him from getting the answers he seeks. Unable to admit this, he tells a lie to his people, which makes him even more miserable. Luckily, he has a week in which to come up with the true answer. He sheds his pride and arrogance and seeks help from Conscience and Inspiration, from whom he learns that "all living things must have their own seasons of birth, growth, and returning to the earth."

Roberts is the author of the "Seth" books, spiritual classics published in the 1970s. Emir's Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers, lovingly illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings, is a fairy tale for young and old alike, meant to remind us "to honor the cycles of life, the seasons, and world diversity."

Emir is a young prince in a brand-new kingdom with some rather serious problems to solve. In his kingdom nothing grows old and always remains the same. At his father's request Emir (a rather self-important young prince) reluctantly undertakes two journeys into lands far beyond his experience. The first is a voyage to the Land of the Gods to invent the names of all the creatures and plants in this brand-new kingdom. Gaining knowledge and confidence in his own powers, Emir then goes in search of the God of All Life for help with the kingdom's growing population problem. Emir fails to obtain an answer from the God of All life and upon his return makes one up, and by doing so invents the first lie. Aided by Conscience and Inspiration, who show him the true answer he needs to help his people, Emir finally understand that every living thing should have its own season of birth, growth, and returning to the earth. Wonderfully enhanced with pen-and-ink illustrations, Emir's Education In The Proper Use Of Magical Powers is a delightful, whimsical, thought-provoking allegory and a treat for the mind and heart of all who read it.

My grandmother gave me this book for my sixth birthday, and I have been grateful ever since. This is the story of a young prince in the time just after the world has been created. Emir is a rather typical little boy (headstrong, selfish, etc.), but he learns some very valuable life lessons over the course of his journeys. While this is a children's book, it probably wouldn't hurt some adults to read it and take its lessons to heart themselves.

When I began writing Flute's Journey, I was going to put Flute in the woods at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center where I was then artist-in-residence. However, an ornithologist friend said, "put Flute in the Belt Woods!" "What's the Belt woods?" I asked. She told me it was a forest that had been owned by Seton Belt and he had willed it to a church if they agreed to never cut the trees or sell the land. But after he died, the church had the will overturned and put the land up for sale to a developer for $9 million. It's a long story, but many children wrote letters to the bishop of the church asking that they respect Seton Belt's wishes and save the land. And, I'm convinced, that it was their letters that saved Flute's home, the Belt woods. Their letters, like the following one, came from the heart: "Seton Belt trusted you. How can you go against him?" Our campaign to save the woods was covered by CBS Morning News with Charles Osgood and they mentioned Flute's Journey and the children's letters. They asked me what kids could do. I said, "they can write to the church." And so many more letters were sent. Now Belt Woods is preserved forever. Children helped to save Flute's home and children, in many ways, can make a difference in the world. Lynne Cherry

It tells how hard the life of birds can be. I especially liked how it told about the cowbird who came and took one egg away because that tells the way cowbirds are. I liked how the children gaves names to the woodthrushes.

This is a beautiful book! It provides ecological information that a child can understand. It has a strong message and is entertaining as well as educational. It has beatiful watercolor paintings and a compelling storyline. Enjoyable for parents and children.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be... a...Chipmunk? This beautiful book looks at being a chipmunk from the eyes of a 4-year-old girl. From the warmth of a cozy den to the harsh realities of weasels and hawks, this book contains full color illustrations that inspire the imagination. This book is a must have for any parent that dreams of their child living in harmony with their surroundings.

Chipmunk Song provides children with a chipmunk's eye view of the world outdoors, with colorful, creative, and detailed illustrations that can stand on their own. But with the subtly evocative text to go with them, the book is as fascinating to read to children, as it is to the children themselves. You may find yourself reading this one when the children aren't around, just for enjoyment. The pictures of the woods and the underground environment are realistic enough to teach, and creative enough to bring a child into that environment. The text, almost lyrical, takes reader and listener on a woodland adventure they will not soon forget.

I love this book! I read at least a half dozen books to my 2 year old daughter each night before she goes to bed, and this is the one I always leave for last. The words are soothing and spark the imagination and the pictures are large and colorful. This beautifully illustrated book is a wonderful way to end the day and send your little one to dream land. I place it in the same company as "Goodnight Moon".

I bought this book for my infant who's father is Cuban. This book has enthralled him since he was 9 months old and enthralled us from the purchase. I've bought several more copies to give to my Latina friends as baby gifts, because I think all children should have this lovely book in their collection. Thank you

My three year old and I are planning a garden and this book has been an excellent companion to the process. Cherry does a great job of explaining how to create a garden through this story. In it Squirrel teaches Groundhog how to grow his own vegetables so he has things to eat. Cherry also includes a note to parents at the end that gives website information for more on gardening with children.

This is a wonderful book, bound to be a classic. Would appeal to any children, but especially those involved in starting a vegetable garden.

I, too, got this book in approximately the third grade -- 17 years ago. I am now teaching middle school literature and share this collection with all of my students; I also have given it as a gift to every person under the sun, no matter what their age! It remains, unquestionably, my favorite collection of poetry, if not for its content, then for its sheer simplicity and "perfection." (If you read it, you'll understand what I mean...) Judith Viorst magically captures the sadness, scariness, uncertainty, and immense joys of childhood and adolescence -- her rhymes are clever, too! As I return to these poems as an adult, I find them as applicable today as they were more than ten years ago. Thank you, Ms. Viorst, for such an wonderful book!

I originally got this book from my grandparents when I was in third grade--16 or 17 years ago. I didn't like it immediately, but a few years later I fell in love with the quick rhymes and the amusing, realistic subject matter. I still have some of them memorized today: "They tell me that I talk too much. I'm trying not to talk too much..." I'm replacing the book now because I've realized that I lost it sometime in the last year, and I still enjoy re-reading it now. Highly recommended!

My son and I love this book. We received it as a prize at an Earth Day celebration and have gotten a lot of use out of it. I love the beautiful pictures and my son loves it when I make up voices for each of the animals. I feel good about reading this book to him, because the message is clear. We live on a planet with many cultures and many other living creatures. We should respect that. I have gone out to check out other books by Lynne Cherry and love them all. But The Great Kapok Tree remains my favorite.

This book is a magnificient view of how the rainforest works together as a complex community, yet is made simple to bring that message to young children. The big book version is wonderfully filled with detailed pictures that children love to see. I recommend this book to any parent or teacher trying to teach environmental awareness to their children and students. It get the children excited to see what else is out in the world and try to do something before it vanishes, just as the animals tell the man the rainforest community will vanish if he chops down the Kapok Tree.

This is a beautifully illustrated fable of interdependence in the rain forest. As a teacher, I use this story to teach about ecosystems here at home. Even though it is appropriate for younger children, I read it to my outdoor school students (5th-6th grade) on the day we study ecosystems to help them understand the inter-relationships we see and study in the field. I like to bring the story to life by giving the animals special voices (lots of hissssing for the snake, chattering for the monkeys, squawking for the birds, etc.) At first the students laugh and are amused by the voices, but when the tree frogs talk about ruined lives and being left homeless, they begin to get more serious, and by the time the sloth asks "How much is beauty worth? Can you live without it?" they are fully engrossed. After reading the story, I send the students out to find a "magic spot" to do a writing assignment: write their own story of "The Great ______" substituting a plant they have learned about during their week at outdoor school for Kapok Tree.

The only thing I don't like about this story is that students, in their black and white morality, sometimes only take home the message that "it's bad to cut down trees." I like the book "The Gift of the Tree" because it doesn't have this morality tale aspect, and "Just a Dream," because it places responsibility on each of our shoulders, not just "someone" like the tree cutter in this story. But I use this story in conjunction with those others and discuss this issue with the students. This is definitely a classic in Children's Environmental Literature!