This is one of my favorite books to read aloud in my k-3 (Quaker) Sunday school class. Marc Gellman's language just captures the interest of the kids. (The pictures are nice but unnecessary.) He tells wonderful stories with messages that speak on many levels. The youngest kids just enjoy a good story with great word pictures, while the older children realize that much more is being said.

This is a delightful book either to give to your child, to read together with your child, to read yourself, or to refer to when you are asked that age old question, "Does God have a big toe?" The answer Rabbi Gelman gives is very sensible, "...God is not a person. God is special and invisible and wonderful and is the creator of the universe. God has made each of us in God's image. But God is not a person. And that is why God does not have a big toe."

This is a collection of 20 'midrashim' (plural for 'midrash' or a story which is told about a story which appears in the Bible to illustrate a moral, i.e. a fable). The author explains all about 'midrashim' in a Note at the beginning of the book in a style suitable for children. One handy feature of the book is that in the table of contents, each 'midrash' is provided with the biblical citation from which the story is drawn. It is divided into two sections, one titled "Adam's Animals", the second "Does God Have A Big Toe?" and with a prologue about Genesis 1, the story of creation. Richly endowed with a half dozen illustrations by Italian primitive artist Oscar de Mejo, this book delights both the eye as well as the intellect.

There is a old Jewish saying, "Words from the heart speak to the heart." These words come from the heart. If you have an open heart they will speak to your heart.

I wish that all of us could have a friend who can bring to life the dry Bible stories we think are no longer pertenant in our modern world. Mark Gellman could be that friend. His retellings of these familiar stories shed new light on man's relationship with God and creation. They are a great starting point for discussions with children and give adults reasons to spend time with some of the scriptures that we think we already understand well. The illustrations by Oscar de Mejo are also provocative and lend new insights into what could be tired old stories. It is sad that the Jewish tradition of midrash is not more accepted in the Christian tradition. Looking at the New Testament in creative new ways (without being condemned for being untrue to the exact word of the scriptures) might give followers of Jesus a better understanding of the their own traditional stories. Rabbi Gellman has a gift for allowing us to participate in these stories as insiders, rather than readers in another time and place. This is a must have if you want to cultivate an interest in the Bible and our relationship with our God--whether with children or adult seekers.

My mom bought this for me when I was a child and we read them so much we wore them out. The second set she bought was for my children and we are well on our way to the third set. Nutshell means just that - child sized books that look just like Mom sized ones. We read all four 'lil books' every night. Your kids will love them too.

I bought the Nutshell Library at a book sale when I was 5 years old with my own money...I read them over and over and over and can still recite them by heart. I'm so thrilled to see that you can still purchase this set. The individual books are still available also, and I've read them to my boys, but when I was little I loved the smallness of this set.

Of all the books that I have in my classroom library, this little set is the one that the children have asked for again and again. I've taught for over 20 years, and have read many, many books over those years. With this little "nutshell", Sendak has truly captured the heart and soul of a child.

Before reading this book, I didn't know much about Buddhism, and reading it made me realize just how little I really knew. It gave me a good perspective on Buddhist practice and especially the difference between Zen Buddhism (what I knew a little about) and the rest of the Buddhist world.

While focusing mainly on the Gelug tradition, HH the Dalai Lama also explains a little about the Sakya and Nyingma traditions. He begins by discussing the First, Second, and Third turning of the dharma wheel, and then discusses compassion and actually gets fairly in depth into the goal and practice of Vajrayana. This is a translation of a talk that he gave so he didn't just sit down and write this book, but it is still worth buying

This book is just what the title implies, an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. As I read through the pages of this book, what transpired was an overwhelming sense of spiritual peace and tranquility. In today's "crazy world," so many people are looking for peace of mind and "a haven from the storm" that will sustain them through the everyday trials and tribulations of life. If you are not familiar with Buddhism and are still searching for that "safe haven," I think you will, indeed, find this book on the philosophies of Tibetan Buddhism both enlightening and enjoyable.