'What a Beautiful Day' is a simple, yet profound book celebrating nature and its beauty. A young boy named Peter wakes up one summer morning and sets out to explore the countryside. We see exactly what he sees - close-ups of nature: trees, birds, animals...but illustrator Thomas Muller allows us to step back and see the vastness of nature. If it's winter and your kids are dreaming of those inviting spring days, this is the book for them.

28 pages

Author Harper Lee said she never thought of her Pultizer Prize novel to be more than a love story of a single father for his two children. It is that, but so much more. "To Kill A Mockingbird" is also a simple social commentary on racism, wonderfully and innocently seen through a child's eyes, and man's rejection of others he doesn't understand. The commentary, 40 years old now, remains as relevant as then. As southern lawyer Atticus Finch, Peck garnered a Best Actor Oscar for his powerfully moving performance that, as one scene elicits, also commands a deep respect of the screen character. As defense counsel for an African-American (a contemporary poltically correct term; then, they were "coloreds") man falsely accused of raping a white woman (not popular in the south), Peck evokes a sense of outrage at the injustice of his client's position. The genius of the film, though, is its perspective of Peck's screen daughter, Scout. And it is her innocent confusion in not understanding why her father becomes chastised by the white community that hopefully gets across the sublimial message that there is no understanding of any form of discrimination. Ranked the 34th best film ever by the American Film Institute, this one will remain always relevant as long as injustice based on discrimination exists. The closing scene is gut-wrenching, but the film as a whole it is truly a moving experience.

In a twist of time and fate I was viewing 'To Kill A Mockingbird' on DVD when AFI released their choice of Gregory Peck's portrayal of Lee Harper's character Atticus Finch, the Southern lawyer who defends a black man unjustly accused of rape, as Hollywood's all-time movie hero. No character in film history has more deserved to be designated as the best 'good guy'. Peck garnered a well-deserved Oscar for his role as a man of understated wisdom and quiet courage and the quintessential father-figure all men should aspire to be and all children long for in their lives. The fact that this film, it's participants, and the basic story are still being honored after 40+ years is a testament to the solid message if offered and the effective manner in which it was presented.

I read this Pulitzer Prize novel when it was published and saw the film upon its theatrical release. The memory of both have long lingered. Enough can't be said about the wisdom of Universal's decision to release this Collector's Edition DVD. The public owes them a monumental 'thank-you'. Interviews with Gregory Peck and commentary by director Robert Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula make us privy to their precious memories surrounding how the charming novel was transformed into the perfect film. Seeing Mary Badham (Scout) and Philip Alford (Jem) (non-professional southern children starring in an Oscar-nominated film) as adults offering insights into their unique experiences was an unbelievable treat. To watch Robert Duvall make his screen debut as 'Boo Radley', and what a debut that was; and to hear his comments nearly a half-century later proves as never before the value of the DVD format and special features.

Watching this film upon its release it was inconceivable that we could one day far in the future hear and see the inside story of its making in the comfort of our homes and from the mouths of the individuals so instrumental in the process of creating a legend.

This DVD is priceless. The details of the making of this time-honored film have now been documented forever in a piece of movie-history that deserves to be savored by any true movie-buff as well as by a generation not yet born at the time of it's release. The message and the method of communicating it are timeless and dear. Please do yourself the honor of viewing this film.

The film, truly an American classic and, for my money, one of the 10 best American films ever made, is splendidly rendered here with a mint-condition print. The DVD also offers a superb mix of additional features, most especially the remarkable documentary on the film, "Fearful Symmetry," by Charles Kiselyak, and compelling yet unassuming commentary by the director, Robert Mulligan, and the producer, the late Alan J. Pakula.

Besides interviews with Mulligan and Pakula, the documentary includes interviews with the actors who play the children, Mary Badham as Scout and Phillip Alford as Jem, as well as with the screen writer, Horton Foote, and the composer, Elmer Bernstein. The documentary also includes interviews with several residents of Monroeville, Ala., the real Macon, to round out a sense of "Macon" then and now.

Among the revelations in the commentary is that production designer Henry Bumstead (Vertigo) masterfully recreated the children's neighborhood on the Universal backlot using houses that would have been demolished by the construction of a freeway. The main titles, by Stephen Frankfurt, with Bernstein's theme, manage brilliantly to capture not only the essense of the film but an essence of childhood, about which both Harper Lee's timeless only published novel and the film itself are very much about. Only later do we discover the nature of that blend of innocence and experience alluded to in the William Blake poem from which Kiselyak takes the title of his documentary.

My only regret is that Harper Lee, though she helped Kiselyak in producing the documetnary, declined to be interviewed for it. In its stead, however, we have another evocation, that of Ms. Lee's voice in the rich tone of nostalgia and reminiscence with which Kiselyak infuses his own small but mighty masterpiece.

Mostly a very good resource. Speaking on a pure scenic level, the author shows you some fantastic views and pretty trails. However, he fails to tell you sometimes when the trail is incredibly rocky or steep. Overall, though, definately worth the money

Tom Thwaites has done a lot for the Pennsylvania trails, and is the father of the Mid State Trail, which is my favorite trail to day hike. This edition of 50 Hikes in CPA is nicely updated from the last edition, and the hikes are all excellent. Dr. Thwaites loves great views, and so do I, and this book will get you to the best of them. One thing I especially like about this book is the careful research that has gone into relating the history of the areas you are hiking in--it's nice to know a little something other than where you are! About the only complaint I have about this indispensible guide is the fact that some of the suggested hikes are quite arduous and long for me. I'm a big guy, so I wear out easily, and this may not apply to you. What I've done, though, is used this book in combination with the MST maps to make my own day hikes with the same destinations. I've also done some of his recomended hikes as overnighters. Between this and Jean Aron's "The Short Hiker" you have a great start on hiking in this area. Kudos to Dr. Thwaites and his efforts!

I only began hiking at the end of September but have done 6 hikes so far. I've done 2 hikes in this book (Bohen Run (#36) Pine Trail and Hemlock Mtn (#41?)), which were my first hike and my most difficult hike respectively. I've also done 4 hikes in Thwaites' Eastern PA book. This author is almost always very precise and descriptive. Even as a beginning hiker I found his text so easy to follow. He points out neat things to check out, side trails, etc. but also leaves some surprises out. Some are good, some are not so good. Sometimes his descriptions leave out things like climbs, which beginning hikers need to know. And some trails are badly blazed or have hunters, which should be noted. Some trails need to be updated. But overall, I can't recommend his books enough. Thoroughly interesting, accessible, and informative. I always feel completely safe with his book in my hands. I still don't see how he did Pine Trail and Hemlock Mtn in only 6 hours though! He must be in great shape! We usually finish about an hour less than the hike time, but that one was difficult. He is definitely the authority on hiking! I hope he keeps writing and finding new trails for us to explore!

Skillful blend of historical fiction, drama and romance combined with not-too distant future technical capabilities. The recreation of past historical events is fascinating and the concept of actually participating them is truly gripping. A masterful job for a first time author. Highly recommended.

Once you open this book you can't put it down! A blend of history, the not so far future and time travel. The author writes it so well, you can really belive these things could come to pass.

"Resurrection Day" is an unusual novel, but very interesting with lots of action and interesting places and characters. There's time travel, political intrigue, romance and adventure in far off lands and times. What more could you ask? From Babylon 500 BC to first century Jerusalem and Rome to the novel's present time in the 2190's, there are exotic cultures, memorable characters and thought-provoking adventures leading up to the earth's end times. Great story. Read and enjoy.....and BELIEVE.

This book could have been a gem for people interested in botany and healing plants, but it does not manage to fill this void. The text is not read by a professional botanist (I assume) and incorrect or dubious facts are common. Furthermore, the text is filled with typos and misspellings that could easily have been caught in a simple spell-checking program. The figures are from older literature and are not well reproduced. The aim with this book, to explain botany in a day, is highly recommendable, but I cannot recommend this book in its present shape and quality-level. A completely corrected, re-formatted, and revised edition of this book is needed. For people interested in the plant families of North America I instead recommend the high-quality work of Zomlefer: Guide to Flowering Plant Families.

Though definitely *not* a field guide. This book is intended to be an introduction to plant families, and it does a good job at that. All the vascular plant families present in North America are briefly described and identification tips noted. Very few actual species are thoroughly described, though the "medicinal" properties of many species, mostly collected from other sources, are recounted here. This book would be better titled "Herbalism in a Day" as it's long on lists of medicinal uses and short on detailed botanical information. I'm pleased I purchased it, but it would be a inadequate substitute for an actual field guide or flora.

When I started a new hobby of photographing wildflowers, I had no clue on the importance of learning plant families in order to identify them. If I couldn't tell from the picture in a field guide, I was up a creek. "Botany in a Day" was the first book I found that organized the families in a simple, clear way that I could understand and this system has become my main guide for grouping and identification. The herbal information is interesting, but not relevant to my project. I'm very grateful for the help I've received from this book

I was expecting more from this book, which I bought for my three-year old ring bearer. The main character is semi-annoying, and the book isn't very interesting. It does give the basics of what goes on at and before a wedding, but I didn't think it explained very much very well, and I didn't think the writing was particularly good, either. And, the main character's name is "Bobby," which seemed annoyingly "typical-kid's-book-character-name."

This book takes the mystery out of the "big day" for young kids, many of whom may have not been to a wedding before. It explains everything from tuxedos and rented shoes to limousines. Illustrations are really beautiful, too. The ring bearer in the story was a bit older than mine, but still relatable. I definitely recommend.

We bought this book as a gift for the ring bearer in our wedding. It helped him out when it came time for the big day. Sending it ahead of time, especially for younger children, give the ring bearer the chance to get over any fears.

The clumsy, poorly written text in the first few chapters is almost impossible to read. Since it's so disjointed and quotes too much from Cezanne's personal letters or from other writings, I skipped over a large portion of this. I was also surprised that the authors tried to make Cezanne into some sort of religious deity, rather than a master of his art; it could be marketing hype accompanying the show, but Cezanne's work speaks for itself. In spite of these flaws, the painting and sketches are wonderfully reproduced, and the accompanying description is pretty good. But because the accompanying description is always laudatory and doesn't adequately talk about his mistakes, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between Cezanne's masterpieces and his OK work. The best part is learning what other artist, such as Monet and Matisse, owned what Cezanne painting (and then trying to speculate on why they liked a painting so much).

Picasso, speaking about modern art and artists, referred to Cezanne as "the father of us all." He was that rare artist whose vision -and ability to express it- was so keen and unique that it can actually impact the way we se the world around us. (How often I look into the trees and think "that looks like a Cezanne.") More than any other book of his work this volume succeeds in showing the sweep and depth of Cezanne's genius. The reproductions are superb and plentiful. The descriptive text accompanying each image, while interesting, needs to be taken with a grain of salt, as is often the case in catalogues of this nature. But the truth is I buy art books for the pictures! For text, try Rewald's book which is also excellent and contains some paintings not elsewhere printed, and deals extensively with the relationship between Cezanne and Zola. I also recommend Gotz Adriani's book on Cezanne. But if you can only have one, this is it.

This is a must for art lovers, in general, and for 19th cent. french art lovers, specifically. Rich in colour images and a detailed editorial on each piece. Also gives the history of ownership.

Absolutely wonderful. A must.

Back in 1993, 4, and leading up to 6, Random House published about 5 or 7 pictureback books from the Thomas series, from the era of Ringo Starr narrating. The main difference between those books and "The Cranky Day" is quite disappointing. "The Cranky Day" (which is even titled wrong. [Cranky Bugs]) is written straight from the vhs tape, as if the closed captioning was copied and pasted into a book. Nothing is explained, and I am not exaggerating. If you haven't seen any of these stories yet, you'll be very, VERY confused when you hear the dialect of an engine say "LOOK OUT!" or, "DON'T MOVE", then to see an image, of what might be happening, with no reasonable explaination given. There never is a sentence in the book saying: "Percy had helped lift Cranky up with a rope, but foolishly forgot to detach it." or something with reason. Overall, it's still an okay book. but I am disappointed that Random House copied straight from the tape...yuck!

THE CRANKY DAY is made up of three stories: Cranky Bugs, Put-Upon Percy, and Lady Hatt's Birthday Party. This inexpensive paperback is perfect for the Thomas fan. It has the colorful photographic "illustrations" that look like the series we're familiar with. This one is REALLY popular with my Thomas fans, and you can read the stories one at a time or all three at once. But beware -- when you're finished they're going to want you to read it again! and again! and again!

This book contains 3 stories from the fifth series of Thomas the tank engine & friends.These 3 stories are titled 'Cranky Bugs','Put Upon Percy',and 'Lady Hatt's Birthday Party'.

Be a Perfect Person in Just 3 days!

Would you ever listen to a book that told you to wear broccoli around your neck at school?
This book is about a boy that wants to be a perfect person. So one day he went to the library. A book fell on his head. He got it and did everything that he was told.
If you want to find out what happens, read the book.

I think that it was a very good book. I loved it. Because it was funny.

I recommend that this book would be for ages 6 to 14.

Who says that nobody's perfect? Certainly not Dr. K Pinkerton Silverfish, the clown-nosed, messy-hotdog-eating author of the book "Be a Perfect Person In Just Three Days!" that mysteriously falls on our hero's head!

Meet Milo. He's your average kid, flawed like the rest of us, and just trying to find a good book on scary monsters at the library when "Be a Perfect Person...!!" flies from the shelf and beans him a good one. The author, Dr. S, is a very strange looking character in his author photo, dressed in a half-tie and Hawaiian shirt with that messy hotdog, but something about his eyes and what may be a smirk on his lips makes Milo want to check the book out. After all, who WOULDN'T want to be perfect?

He takes it home to read and immediately finds out that the road to being perfect is paved with strange tasks. Wearing a stalk of broccoli around your neck for one day and night, and not eating anything, for example. It's enough to make people wonder if you've lost your marbles. Still, if broccoli-wearing brings Milo perfection (kinda' like fasting brings inner awareness), then so be it! Bring on the green stuff!

B.A.P.P.I.J.T.D. is a quick, fast-paced read that will entertain and draw in even the most reluctant readers. It's short, weighing in at under 100 pages, so the length won't intimidate beginning readers. It is funny, ridiculous and clips along at a pace where you can't help but keep reading to find out what could possibly happen next. The language is easy to read but not condescending to young audiences. I teach reading to a group of normally reluctant, low-level readers, and within the first page everyone was hooked! Many of my students even asked if they could read THE WHOLE THING by the next day's class. Lo and behold, most of them *DID*!! This was not my doing; this was the ease and engagement of the book itself. Don't just take MY word for it, take it from the students who normally hate reading: this is a fine, fun book!

I loved it! I found it very, very funny! Milo, the main character, went to the public library to look for a scary story. Then a book hit his head, It was called Be A Perfect Person. The genius, Dr.K Pinkerton Silverfish, is funny too! He is from a nonsense campus called Ripple of Skidrow College. Then he went to get the broccoli, but that was for the Crinkley family dinner. But instead, they had rutabaga. Then Milo didn't eat anything, he was in big trouble! Then Dr.Silverfish told him to do nothing except sip weak tea and go to the bathroom. He thought about baseball, If a ball came back to him, he would have to strike out or hit it with a baseball bat and disobey Dr.Silverfish, and so he had to skip baseball this week. Milo got sleepy and failed perfection. Milo is nice to his family, but not Dr.Silverfish. It's kind of boring to be something that is hard for you.