The only important novelist France has produced since World War Two. Julien Green would be the other one if he weren't an American.

Henri Rousseau has been one of my favorite painters for a long time so I was glad to see Mike Venezia finally got around to doing this book for his Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series. Ironically, although Venezia includes seventeen Rousseau paintings in this book (which may well be a record for this particular series), my favorite is not included. Go figure. Venezia provides a basic biography of Rousseau, who always wanted to be a famous artist even though he never went to art school. Consequently it makes sense that Rousseau would be perhaps best known for his jungle paintings despite the fact he never traveled to any jungles, just to the Jardin des Plantes, a huge greenhouse filled with plants and trees from all over the world. Rousseau tended to put he mysterious and faraway lands he dreamed about into his paintings and most of his best work exhibits a compelling quirkiness, such as "The Merry Jesters," which shows monkeys playing in a jungle with a back scratcher and a milk bottle or "Tropical Landscape--An American Indian Struggling with an Ape," which shows an American Indian struggling with an ape in a tropical landscape. His most famous painting, "The Sleeping Gypsy," shows a strange meeting between a curious lion and a sleeping musician on a moonlit night. No wonder I always found Rousseau's work compelling. This particular Venezia volume gets high marks for including so many examples of Rousseau's work, along with key paintings by some of his contemporaries, who turned out to be much bigger supporters of his work than the public at large. Usually I like to see more specifics on the artist's work, because reading these books this year is a key part of my do-it-yourself art appreciation course. However, to be fair, once you cover Rousseau's use of strange images and multiple shades of green in all those jungle paintings, there is not much left to say in that regard. I was also happy to see that this time around some of the paintings reproduced were almost as big as Venezia's original cartoons depicting the artist's life. This series features great artists from Sandro Botticelli to Grant Wood, and every time I think I have almost read them all I discover another half-dozen or more I need to track down. Certainly there are other art books and other series that can provide more insights into these great artists, but Venezia does a fine job of introducing young readers to their lives and works.

Just the fact that the pages are matte and not glossy makes my day. Beautiful reproductions, lovely and dreamy story...what more could one ask? I recommend this delightful book for adults (such as myself), as well as children.

This is a sad story. It is very touching and sensitive. This would be a good book to share with a child that has lost a loved one, but should not be used out of that context. It might help a young child cope with the death of a loved one and maybe understand that it is okay to miss them, but it is also okay to go on with their own life.

This is an unique book even among the many written about Paris. The late Julian Green was the only American member of the Academie de France --- and he wrote these exquisite, tender memoirs of Paris in French. The books lays out the French text face-to-face with the superlative English transation [is it possible that the translator is Green himself using a nom-de-plume?] --- this slender volume will repay you with many many joyous moments, particularly if you read French. Not only is it a superlative book on Paris, it is a superlative gem of lyrical writing.

This is the book every post-graduate ought to read during residency days in pediatric ward. It helps boost clinical acumen by making diagnosis at the bedside with a very logical approach. It is excellent while describing the diseases of kidney, heart and nervous system. After going through the chapters in detail it infuses a kind of confidence in making diagnosis; and coming to differential diagnosis for a number of presentations of various illnesses. Sometimes, i feel it is a must not only for dealing with complicated and day to day problems but for passing examinations too.

Excellent. In-depth discussion on history of Saint-Julien. Loaded with fine photos, many of Chateau. Descriptions, ratings, production, land area, owners, and grapes grown of Cru Classe and cru bourgeois. A thorough and informative, 190 page book.

This is an excelent book covering the major stroke syndromes in a clear and concise fashion. Its authors are world-recognized authorities and the information supplied is very valuable...

Overall a fairly good story... but, what really sells this book is the illustration. The colors are rich and engaging, the characters are fun and friendly. Terry Julien's art style is perfect for such a book. His agile pencils and pastels are extremely inviting. When all is said and done... I just love the pictures!