On a late winter day in 1972, a cat (soon to be named Dulcy) found a woman worthy to be her human and with whom she would live for the next seventeen and a half years. When Dulcy's lithe and graceful hunter's body began to fail, and the time came to say good-bye, then her story became a song of acceptance and bravery that would drive to the core of anyone who has ever felt close to an animal companion. Dee Ready's A Cat's Life: Dulcy's Story is beautifully, memorably illustrated by the spectacular artwork of Judy J. King and simply wonderful reading from first page to last.

As one who has been "owned" by many felines during my lifetime, I found "Dulcy's Story" to be the history of a wonderful relationship between human and pet, all of the joys and all of the sorrows until the ultimate sorrow of losing a companion of many years. I've gone through it so often and it never gets easier, whether the decision to take the pet to its final rest is made by me through euthanasia or by a natural death. Reading "Dulcy's Story" demonstrates just how these beautiful creatures wrap us around their little paws until we become slaves to all their whims and demands, and we love every minute of it! Unfortunately, many of our family and friends don't understand our loyalty to our pets and, therefore often dismiss us as a little crazy. But that's all right - we know we're OK; it's the rest of them that we worry about and even feel sorry for them if they have never known the unconditional love of a furry friend. Dulcy was a very special cat to a very special human, and the story of their life together is a wonderful testament to their relationship.

It makes me wonder if one or both of my current cats were to write a book on their life with me, what would they say? I would like to think that they would say their lives have been enriched as much as mine has been living together for nearly nine years and hopefully many, many more years.

If you were to take a survey that asked what a cat did with its life, chances are people would say "nap, look out the window, and get into stuff." And of course theyÕd be right. If those people lived with cats, however, they might have a lot more to add, and if they loved their cats, they might understand the magic that a cat brings to the life of the family it lives with.

The author of this book invites us to observe how this magical bond comes about between human and cat and how deep such a relationship becomes when each learns the ways of the other and grows to love and depend on the other.

Dulcy fits the stereotype many people have of cats. SheÕs independent, persnickety, bossy, and fastidious. But as we read, we find out some amazing things. Dulcy actually teaches her human how to understand cat language; and we learn that she is very complicated indeed and experiences many human feelings. We see her express jealousy, superiority, intelligence, impatience, understanding, loyalty, and above all, love.

Dulcy lives a long, full life and has many adventures, some humorous and some humiliating. And because the book is written in her voice, she shares many of these adventures with us. We get to know her human, too, and while we sometimes wonder how Dulcy puts up with her humanÕs foolishness, we come to understand her human in the special way that Dulcy understands her.

In the end, when Dulcy has been very ill for a long time, her human does not want to let her go. When she takes extraordinary measures to prolong Dulcy's life, we get the sense that Dulcy hangs on to life purely for the sake of her human. Just when her human feels that there is no hope, Dulcy manages to scrape together a few more days, even weeks. And when she goes, she goes sweetly, leaving behind a look of love and a lifetime of memories.

This book has a great Old West feel without the stereotypes. That's a refreshing change! I particularly enjoyed the use of real historical personages rubbing elbows with our hero and heroine. They add a reality to the book but don't overpower the story. Great read!

The suspense holds you to every word

Fast-paced novel. Interesting character developments. Kept me wanting more!

A New Coat for Anna is a good book because it shows the cycle of making a coat. The book shows how hard it was to get a coat long ago in World War II. I think it is very educational. I bet there are lots of other people who really want to read this book. I liked this book because it was interesting how Anna's mother had to use her special things to help Anna get a coat. She had to trade the things because there wasn't much money because of the war. At the end, Anna celebrated with everybody that helped her make her coat because she was so happy that she had a new coat. I am eight and I love the book.

As the post-war child of a family that suffered through World War II in the Netherlands, I can say that "A New Coat for Anna" has the ring of authenticity. In many ways, it reminds me of first-hand stories I heard from my parents and older siblings about the hardships--and the creativity--of ordinary people during those very difficult years.

This well-written story takes the reader through a year in Anna's life, as her mother arranges to have a new coat made by bartering with her neighbors. She trades jewelry for wool, and then a lamp to have it spun. Anna and her mother pick lingonberries together, which they use to dye the yarn red. The bartering continues as the yarn is woven and then tailored into a coat.

The story concludes with a Christmas celebration, "the best they had in a long time," where Anna invites the farmer, the spinner, the weaver, and the tailor to enjoy a Christmas cake together. Anna also takes time to thank the sheep on Christmas Day.

Even the candles on the tree in Anita Lobel's cozy illustration remind me of the Christmas trees of my childhood. Whenever I share this inspiring tale with children, I wax nostalgic and tell about the candles on our trees.

"A New Coat for Anna" drives home the harsh realities of war and its impact on the daily lives of children... and their neighbors. But it's done in a heartwarming way. Highly recommended.

I read this book in my third grade reading class. The best part was when Anna fed the sheep apples and gave them paper necklaces. It was sad because they didn't have enough money to buy her a new coat.

I love the questions of who is enemy and who is friend
and how can the human spirit survive in times of tragedy and war that Keehn explores in this story. Anna is a feisty young girl who embarks on a mission with her younger brother Jed to find her father who is wounded in Winchester, Virgina in the Civil War and bring him home to Pennsylvania. Much of the humor woven into this story comes from their transportation, Sampson, a huge plow horse who responds only to Bible verses.

These two young people who are caught in the sweep and heartbreak of the war are strongly portrayed with all the interplay of brother/sister antagonism and love. Jed is "rutchety, " sees the world as good or evil and mostly disagrees with Anna's opinions on just about everything. Anna is strongly appealing, a intrepid makeshift dentist and hopeful baker of apple dumplings which she just knows will make her father recover from his wounds. Even though they meet people from both sides of the conflict and experience the horrors of the war especially when they are imprisoned in Castle Thunder with other refugees,ultimately, Anna and her story glow with quiet strength of character and hope.

I recommend this book highly, not only for young people, but for adults.

Sally Keehn has done it again!Set during the Civil War,using meticulous research,an vibrant voice, and a compelling plot, she takes us on a journey with Anna and her brother Jed in search of Pa who is reported to be dying, in the house of the enemy - a she-devil from Winchester Va. Will Sampson, their horse, who only responds to Bible commands, get them there in time?
Will they survive the sutler who has his eye on Sampson? Will Anna's disguise be discovered?
Who are the real enemies after all?
Anna Sunday is such a riveting read, that I stayed up half the night to finish it. I am now lending it out to my friends. There is a waiting list!
Anna Sunday is a must-have for schools, libraries and personal collections!

Just as she did with I AM REGINA, Keehn has taken a slice of history and brought it vibrantly alive through her young heroine. Anna Sunday is a perfect hero, someone all of us can relate to. Can you imagine setting off with your younger brother and a horse who obeys only Bible commands to rescue your injured father? Can you imagine doing it during the Civil War? Of course you can! Anna Sunday is the brave one in all of us. We can all relate to her--and learn some history along the way. Did I mention it's a funny book, at times, and a poignant one, too? I don't want to give anything away, so let me just say: Buy it for your child, but read it first! You will love it. Destined to become a classic, along with Regina.

This book is extremely useful for anyone new to cameo collecting. There is an extensive history of the cameo, information on famous cameo artists, as well as the different materials used for cameos. It contains a small section on how to date cameos, and how to spot fakes. Overall, a great book for the beginner.

Now available in an newly updated and expanded second edition, Cameos Old & New by Anna Miller is an informative and authoritative guide featuring a wealth of information on the creation, collection, appraisal, and appreciation of cameo jewelry. Filled with black-and-white photographs as well as an inset section of color plates, Cameos Old & New instructs the reader on how to distinguish cameos produced with ultrasonic technology from hand-carved ones, and how to separate old cameos from recent creations. A superb and comprehensive reference, Cameos Old & New is an invaluable resource and reference for collectors, dealers, curators, and anyone wanting to know more about the cameos in their possession.

very good book and helpful too. i enjoy looking at the pictures and it has lots of useful info!

As a founder of a corporation dedicated to protecting children from predators and the like, I found this book very helpful. The author is very likeable, and has done exactly what I wanted to do. I think this is a book that parents should read for the protection of not only their children, but themselves as well.

Again, although the topic is not exactly humorous, the author's thoughts are shared at the perfect time that I would be thinking the same things!

If you think you or your children are immune from sexual predators, think again. Sexual deviance is actually fairly widespread, with about 1/4 of females and about 10% of males having been sexually molested before the age of 14. Just think of how much child pornography there is on the internet and on file sharing programs like Bearshare. Now think about what the percentage of middle aged people who have been sexually molested in their lifetimes might be. The numbers would astound you. Unfortunately, predators benefit from the secrecy that surrounds instances of sexual abuse.

This book is required reading for anyone concerned about the safety of themselves or their children. Lucky for you, it's a very readable book. It covers child molesters, rapists, sadists, and psychopaths, and the deception they use in order to practice their deviance. It also discusses ways to avoid being victimized by sex offenders.

Don't waste your time reading fluff. Read this book. It might save you or your children from a lifetime of hidden humiliation.

I disagree with the editorial review which opined that this "subject matter is likely to appeal more to police or psychology professionals." I am a parent, and not a police officer or psychologist, and I sat down with this book and read it nonstop because it was so compelling.

I think the author does a great job of alerting readers to the danger we face from the human predators around us. She works with the Wisconsin Dept of Corrections and in the book has shared dialogue from interviews with a number of unsavory convicted criminals. Yet the truth is so disturbing that it is easier to blindly believe in an inner good in everyone.

The book contains plenty of insight into the minds of child molesters, and a lengthy focus on deception and lying. There's an overview of how child molesters ingratiate themselves with trusting families in order to get at their victims. And how child rapists are given the freedom to commit their crime again and again when children aren't believed. "Niceness" is their masquerade, in the sense that people doubt that someone so "nice" could be doing something so horrible.

The book also discusses victim-blaming, and why the victims of rape cope by thinking, "If only I hadn't done THIS, If only I hadn't been wearing THAT." And it talks about the wrongness of family therapy as a response to incest, because the perpetrator gets to hide behind the "dysfunctional family" label.

There's a lot more in this well-written book, which I find very relevant to people who want to protect themselves and their own children. I recommend it.

I read this book for the first time about 17 years ago. It actually began my love of reading. It is an incredible novel about the future & the dangers of cloning. Anna is such a real & believeable character. Her brother knows there is something different about her & does not like her. Once he begins to see her clones in public places, he rallies to her side & tries to help her discover why it is that she is so different. Great story & definitely recommended.

I am fifteen now and read this book when I was about 11 or 12. I thought the book was great and still own it. The plot was very interseting and I would recomend it to any young readers, especially those who like science fiction.

This book is written for a juvenile audience, I feel. I read it first when I was about 12 and again several more times throughout my teen years. I love this book. It is about Anna, a misfit within her own family. She is not like them and does not resemble any of them. She lives in a futuristic society where everyone has to type into computers (they are everywhere: malls, libraries, in every home), where they are going before they go there. The computer will then give them permission to go. One particular day, Anna decides to go somewhere with her brother and does not type it in. Her and her brother get separated in the store and he searches for her at length. He walks up to a young woman that looks identical to his sister and mistakes her. Anna finds out about this and there is a confrontation with the parents. Apparently, the mother willingly allowed scientists to inject a cloned egg into her of a famous person (I believe another scientist). This is why she does not look like her family. When the authorities find out that she did not type in where she was going and that she did indeed come into contact with one of her clones, they encourage her to go to a special hopsital/hotel of sorts. Alot of weird instances happen here. But I won't give it away. I highly recommend this to young adults, and even some older ones that would enjoy easy reading and thought provoking fiction. I LOVE this book!

Very very simple - but sweet - nice illustrations. It's not a favorite of my 21 month old, but he does still enjoy it, and brings it to be read sometimes

My twelve month old loves this book. It's the only one he sits still enough to hear.

My eight month old daughter is very spoiled when it comes to books. she has a ton of them. But the only ones she seems to enjoy are these books. She tries to find bean on each page and she loves it when bean leaps and plays peak-a-boo. These books are a lifesaver on long trips to Grandmas house.

For those who adore pasta, this book is a bonus. For those new to the pleasure, this book will hasten the love affair. Straight forward text presentation, plus informative images, insure a number of memorable dining experiences.

I was so pleased when I received this cookbook. For the price it's just a great book. I have a cookbook collection and this is one of my all-time favorites. It is full of delicious , easy recepies and the photos are just beautiful. I would highly reccomend this to anyone looking for a pasta book. You wont be dissapointed.

I tend to associate Williams-Sonoma with snobbery, and was tentative about this book. However, the recipes are darn good and easy, nothing fru-fru. Making homemade is truly a snap, and now our family loves to make and eat it all the time. This book shows how to make all pasta shapes as well as pasta sauces, with every day ingredients.

Highly recommend to anyone who loves pasta!