Kids who have some difficulty reading are not usually motivated to pick up a chapter book. This one, however, grabs their attention right away. The antics of Herbie and his friends (especially his trouble getting rid of a girlfriend) capture the reader's interest and maintain it throughout. A great read for those 4th and 5th grade kids who may struggle with reading!

Bright, colorful, and happy, which are characteristics of Suzy's work, this concept book teaches children to count as they sharpen their observation skills and learn more about Easter. Witzy's Backyard Easter Hunt provides great fun for younger children as a read-along and helps to introduce children to numbers in a safe and fun environment.

What wonderful illustration! This book is a must have for any young child. Suzy Spafford has done it agian! Bravo!

I think this book is really cute, all the characters are just adorable. This is the perfect book for babies. Just by looking at the characters in the book they remind you of a baby, soft a cuddling, and so so adorable.

A wonderful book for learning opposites like up and down, fast and slow, with a cute little duck. Our 18 month daughter loves it.

"Freedom dreams, they was always hid in plain sight for anyone who knew how to look and how to listen." (Fogelin, pg.36). Cass, the main character in Adrian Fogelin's Crossing Jordan, frees her mind of prejudice by ignoring a fence that separates her from Jemmie, the young African-American girl who moves in next door. Although hesitant about befriending a black girl, Cass shares mutual interests with Jemmie, and soon a strong bond between the girls emerges. Cass's family, especially her father, deplores blacks, and projects his hatred openly to the rest of the family. In the beginning of the book, Cass also holds negative ideas about African-Americans, but changes as she surrounds herself with Jemmie, and Jemmie's family. The Cognitive dissonance theory provides a platform for understanding the psychological dynamics that Cass encounters when confronted with cultural biases. Defined, cognitive dissonance "is said to be a state of psychological discomfort or tension which motivates efforts to achieve consonance." (Woodward & Denton, pg.160). This occurs when an inconsistency exists between a person's actions and acquired knowledge. There are two ways to reduce dissonance; a person must either change his beliefs or alter his behavior. The dissonance Cass experiences is a direct result from her beliefs instilled by her father, and the increasing amount of time she enjoys spending with Jemmie. She admires Jemmie's running ability, and reading skills, but still sees Jemmie as black girl, and retains stereotypes that blacks steal and lie. When Jemmie is accused of stealing candy at the local grocery store, Cass says, "maybe she did do it, Daddy always said for black people, stealing's as easy as breathing." (Fogelin, pg.45). She defends Jemmie, and tells Andy, the store clerk, "Jemmie is my friend, she doesn't have a thing that belongs to you." However, Cass is uncertain about Jemmie's innocence. She says, "I turned her pockets inside out to show the clerk he was wrong, but as I did it I felt ashamed. I wasn't any better than Andy. I knew Jemmie, and I still hadn't been sure." (Fogelin, pg.46). As the two girls are retelling the story to Nana Grace, Jemmie's grandmother, Cass says, "My smile felt pasted on. If Nana Grace could see into my heart, she would know that when Andy accused Jemmie of stealing I hadn't really trusted her. I had to check her pockets to be sure." (Fogelin, pg.50.) What Cass experiences is known as Post-decision dissonance. This occurs when an important decision is re-evaluated, because the significance is such that a person will look for alternative options in order to achieve consonance. The stealing incident is the turning point in the book, immediately after Cass changes her beliefs about African-Americans. This leads to her state of consonance. Previous to this experience, Cass's actions and knowledge, conflict. Before the grocery store scene Cass says, "I thought maybe I'd give Jemmie my magazines to read when I was done, as long as she promised to give them back." Even when Jemmie's family first moves in, Cass refers to them as "those people", and assumes the absence of Jemmie's father meant he was just another "black" man running around on his wife, and abandoning his family. As time passes, loving and respecting Jemmie and her family change Cass's beliefs regarding African-Americans. Cass can now spend time with Jemmie with no discrepancy between her actions and knowledge, because her newfound knowledge dramatically changes her beliefs. Cass also reduces dissonance by changing her actions. Initially, Cass is reluctant to be-friend a black girl. Instead of walking together to the racetrack, Cass meets her there, and tells Jemmie to leave a few minutes ahead of her. Cass tells Jemmie, "you can't come over here", (Fogelin, pg28.) referring to her house, and only communicates to her through a hole in the fence. As their friendship deepens, Cass lets Jemmie come to her house, even with the fear of her father still in place. By the end of the book, Jemmie asks Cass "will things be different when school starts, will we still be friends?, you know kids are gonna say stuff about us." Cass, without hesitation, replies, "of course we'll be friends, we're not gonna let anything stop us." (Fogelin, pg.93). Cass finally reaches a state of consonance by changing both her beliefs and her actions as the story concludes." The Cognitive dissonance theory provides a clear explanation for the resolution of Cass's uncertainty. Simply stated, a person remains unsatisfied in a state of confusion, and will naturally either ignore the problem, or alter a belief, which will lead to a behavioral change. Cass's friendship with Jemmie overpowers her initial bigotry, and allows for her extreme shift in beliefs and behavior by the end of the book.

Fogelin, Adrien. Crossing Jordan. Atlanta, Georgia: Peachtree Publishers, 2000. Woodward, Gary, and Robert Denton. Persuasion and Influence in American Life. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, 2000.

Cass Bodine is having a lousy summer,until new neighbors move in next door.Her father had heard that these new neighbors were African-Americans, and because of his predjudice immediatly puts up a fence.when the new neighbors move in and see that a fence has been put up, they quickly dislike their new neighbors' from their ignorance. As Cass Bodine watches her new neighbors through a knothole in the fence, she is spotted by Jemmie Lewis. Seeing her long legs and build Cass challenges her to a race and the girls quickly become best friends in secret.Brought together by their love of reading the book Jane Eyre and running entertains the girls. But when their families find out, they forbid the girls from seeing eachother. Read Crossing Jordan and find out how an almost fatal accident brings the families together and what great accomplishment Cass and Jemmie make together. Crossing Jordan Is a fantastic book!I highly recommened it!

Crossing Jordan is a powerful story of friendship between Cassie Bodine, a Caucasian girl, and Jemmie Lewis, an African American girl. They are drawn together by their competiveness in running and a love of reading. From the beginning Cassie and Jemmie's friendship is beset by the prejudice, pride ,and cultural beliefs of their parents. Once it is revealed that the girls are friends , they are forbidden to see each other. Through a turn of life-threatening events, and struggle the parents learn that long held notions of people are insignifigant in a time of need. As a librarian, and mother of a ten-year-old, I'm always looking for good books to read with my daughter. We liked this book because the characters are vivid and lively. At the same time, the book used classical literature in a way that made it fun. As a parent , I feel this book is a must read because it provides a positive platform for the discussion of prejudice, ethnicity, and friendship.

Got this for my 4 year old for our upcoming trip to WDW. She loves to look through it & see all the "rides" she wants to go on. Very colorful with tons of pictures of the rides & attractions. Probably better for older kids, though.

I brought this book for my son to help him prepare for our trip in May 2001. He absolutely loved it! He made a list of all the rides and attractions that he thought he might want to experience himself. It was helpful to him to read the different reviews that came from each of the kids. As we walked around WDW he would say "I read about this ride in the book." This book also helped to enhance his reading skills, which is always a plus. I am anxiously waiting for the 2002 edition to come out since we have another trip planned for May 2002.

Kids visiting WDW should get this book!! It tells you which rides are too scary, rough, or intense. It also contains "Hidden Mickeys", a restaurant guide, & an autograph section!! No Disney kid should be without this book!!

I loved this book because it is really organized and its so precise i can read it during those long lines for my favorite rides.....i am going to Disney World in a few months so im looking forward to use all the hints i found in the book.

This book is a great guide to Walt Disney World. It rates the best rides and attractions. It also gives, in my opinion, the best reviews. I seriously suggest that you buy this book or one of its sequals.

I love these books! I have all of them since 1996. Now that I am 14, I feel that I may be too old for them! I still Love them anyway! I do recomend this book if you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World with you Children and I hope you have a wonderful time there I know I would!!

Birnbaum has done an excellant job with this year's guide to the worlds favorite vacation spot, the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The Hot Tips are indeed useful, and the entire set-up of the book allows for ease of use and quick referencing.

For those who don't visit the resort every year, purchasing the latest edition is indeed a great and inexpensive way of keeping track of the Resort's myriad changes. I myself have vacationed at the Resort many times, and have really only used the book to remind me of what is going on and what changes have been made.

While the first time Resort Guest should hail this as the Resort vacationer's Bible, the experienced traveler should allow for a lot more on-Resort planning.

To sum it up: Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2001 : Expert Advice from the Inside Source is a great guide for keeping track of resort changes for the experienced Guest, and should only be used as a sort of Bible by first time visitors. Hey! It's Disney! Don't plan from the book, and let the magic happen!

This is THE BOOK to bring with you to Orlando, and WDW! We travel there each summer to stay for 35 days, on property! We always buy the Birnbaum's guide, just to see all the new happenings and insider info! It has spectacular colored pictures of the attractions, and the resorts. It lists current specials and prices, just about everything you'll need to know is inside this book. In the back of the book, is a page of valuable coupons! Using the coupons-makes the book FREE! It's also a wonderful souvenier to keep and look back upon...after your wonderful journey into the "magic" of the WORLD that is DISNEY! If you are even "contemplating" a trip to the most popular vacation spot in the Country...you'll be wise to buy this book. P.S. "Have a Magical Day"

"Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 1997 Special 25th Anniversary Edition" advertises itself as "expert advice from the Inside Source." Those who have read previous editions of the book will find some familiar advice among its pages, but there is also plenty of new and updated information to be found, as this year's printing contains news specific to Disney World's 25th Anniversary Celebration. Included are reviews of special attractions and activities, including the Cinderella Castle Cake, the Remember the Magic parade, Returning Guest Tribute, and Illuminations 25.

Those planning a trip to Disney World may be tempted to leap into the information about the Tower of Terror or Alien Encounter, but some of the most valuable data in the Birnbaum's guide is contained in the chapter entitled "Getting Ready to Go." It is in this section that one can learn which are the most crowded weeks to visit Disney World, what to pack, and admission prices.

The "Getting Rea

The premise of _The Vampire Tapestry_ is interesting enough, and makes the book worth reading - a presentation of the vampire not as a supernatural creature but instead some high-order product of evolution. I also appreciated the doing-away-with on Charnas' part of some the genre's more tired cliches such as nocturnalism and the self-pitying introspection that plagues certain other popular vampire characters.

The book apparently grew out of a short story once published in _Omni_ magazine. Unfortunately, the work doesn't seem to shake of that feeling. The five chapters are rather disjointed in segue from one to the next. It feels less like a cohesive novel and more like an anthology centered around a single character.

Our vampire protagonist, Dr. Weyland, starts off as an intriguing enigma, but towards the climax of the book, it seems Weyland is more bored than anything. However, this malaise may have been intentional, and it does serve to explain his actions at the end of the story.

In the course of plot development, Weyland's confidence and amorality are slowly replaced with suggestions of human-like frailty and compassion. These characteristics are brought about by a series of encounters between Weyland and a psychiatrist. Having read this 1979 work for the first time in 1999, I found the author's underlying implication that psychotherapy can take care of any emotional problem to be a bit dated.

One final note; As a citizen of Albuquerque, I was initially drawn to this book because the back cover indicated that it was a vampire story set in New Mexico. In actuality, three of the five chapters take place in New York. If you're looking at purchasing this book for the southwestern setting, consider yourself warned.

A truly excellent book made up of three related novellas from the 'life' of Dr Edward Weyland. Entertaining, intelligent, flawless - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Surprisingly this author has also written a light vampire romance under the name 'Brand' - called 'The Ruby Tear' (which I have yet to read)...

By far one of the very best books I have ever read. I think Stephen King puts it best with the comment of "Unputdownable". It took me a little time to get into the story, the first 20 or 30 pages are a little slow, in my opinion. After that I had a hard time stoping. It was easy to read the 285 pages in a night. Suzy writes a revolutionary vampire novel, I found myself thinking 'Weyland' could be a real person some place in the world, vampire and all.The ending gives me a very satisfied feeling, and the entire book is a pleasure.