Every young parents' handbook for parenting - a plain language manual with a CD of important forms. Tips & information on parent needs assessments; hiring agencies; interviewing techniques; pertinent state & federal laws; the do's & don'ts of hiring; investigating references & credentials; employer/employee relationships & contracts.

Who is watching your children? Do you really know, whether it's the baby-sitter or the nanny? Are you an educated employer of your children's primary influence -after you? Do you dread the thought of interviewing applicants for the job of being your children's nanny? What questions can you ask & what do the answers mean? Do you have any idea what the government expects of you as an employer? When you realize how unsuitable was your choice, how do you terminate the employment relationship? What really is a nanny?

If you find yourself asking any of these questions, then The ABCs is for you! Frances Anne Hernan has written a no-nonsense exuberant, acerbic & informative manual to make the job of hiring & firing more palatable, understandable & practised. The CD containing every form you'll ever need is a blessing! I was fortunate to eInterview this author & what an enlightening one it is!

The page count is very misleading. It seems like the book has a lot of forms, but the text on the forms is very useful. The child care reference form is very good, I wish I would have asked those questions when I hired my last nanny. Downloading forms from IRS saves time. The section on job descriptions and schedules is very helpful. The CD-Rom makes the book good for several uses because you don't have to fill in the forms in the book. The only thing missing is simple recipes for the nanny. The best thing about the book is the author sticks to the presenting straight information. She created terms like parent employer and childcare trio, she does not offer her opinions nor does she tell stories. The ABCs of Hiring a Nanny is really a step by step program. This is a great gift for a co worker at the office shower.

There are no national standards for live in childcare. There should be. There are many federal and state regulations. This book not only provides information about the fiscal responsibilities of the process, the needs assessment helps you determine just what you need and how to interview the candidate according to your needs and determine her abilities. One standard that should be introduced is no one should come into your home with out a tb test. The application form(s) and the childcare reference form give you very important information. The web site is really an appendix to the book and connects to IRS forms,provides a directory of placment agencies and nanny training schools. One sad part of the site is there many more placment agencies than training schools. The cd-rom allows parents to print out the forms each time they look for a provider. The page count is very misleading because of the links to forms and the cd.

The glory of the Imperial Guard resounds above all others in the annals of war. Created, built and nurtured as a bodyguard for Napoleon, it grew from a brigade of fewer than two thousand men into a virtual army, and became 'a human fortress which no one but [Napoleon] could dominate and no enemy could penetrate'. And, on such battlefields as Austerlitz, Jena, Friedland, Wagram and Waterloo, it won the laurels of undying fame. Written by France's foremost historian of the Napoleonic Wars, Commandant Henry Lachouque, and translated and adapted by Anne S. K. Brown, this sumptuous work is enhanced by over 180 illustrations, including 86 plates in full colour. This new printing from the second, revised edition of Lachouque's masterwork will be especially welcomed by students of Napoleonic history. The plates alone are uniquely valuable as a source of uniform colours and style, and the text provides the definitive history of an elite body of men. With its vivid narrative and lavish illustrations, The Anatomy of Glory can lay justifiable claim to be one of the most magnificent books on military history ever published. The critical acclaim that greeted it upon its first publication provides ample testimony to its reputation. The Anatomy of Glory is both informative and entertaining: a work of unquestionable quality - termed a masterpiece by Elting - and a monumental contribution to Napoleonic literature.

I concur with the supportive opinions expressed here that this book, The Anatomy of Glory by Commandant LaChouque, et al, is the ultimate reference material for serious students of the History of the Imperial Guard.

I first came upon this wonderful book as a Senior at the University of Minnesota in 1984. My senior thesis was a study of Anglo-French Diplomacy during the Napoleonic period, and I find this book to be a wonderful source of information, not only information concerning the History of the Guard, but also more generalized history of the period itself.

This book, as stated, has a fabulous collection of artwork from the Anne Brown Collection at Brown U., and also does a wonderful job getting down to the nitty gritty concerning the Marshals, the Campaigns, the Politics of the Period, etc. Commandant LaChouque leaves no stone unturned in this hugely successful documentary on the Era.

The fact that this book centers the majority of its attention on Napoleon's Guard specifically is especially attractive to me since even now with the advent of the Internet it's still a bit of a tooth pull to get so complete an analysis of the history of one of the most courageous, loyal and dedicated organizations of professional soldiers the world has ever seen...La Garde Imperiale! These hardcore heroes richly deserve to be remembered, and this book does their memory ultimate honor.

The day I lost my original copy of this book was a sad one, and I'm very pleased I have now had, thanks to Amazon.Com, the opportunity to get a replacement. I most highly recommend this book for any gung-ho student of Napoleonic History...Vive L'Empereur!

I first saw this book and read it in high school. Since then, it has been an indispensable part of my Napoleonic library. It is full of information unobtainable eslewhere in English. The superb illustrations, from the Anne S.K. Brown Collection at Brown University, greatly enhance the presentation, Mrs Brown also being the translator. The book traces the Guard from its inception during the Revolution, its emergence as the Guard of the Consuls, and into its final evolution in 1804 as the Imperial Guard. The personalities who populate it are a truly talented and colorful group, from Pere Roguet, to Napoleon himself. The book almost appears as a personal narrative of the author, Commandant Lachouque, and while he has been accused of being somewhat biased, his references used for the book itself are impeccable. That the book has already stood the test of time is a virtue in itself. The new Introduction to the latest edition is by Col John Elting the noted suthority on the Napoleonic period, and new information on the Guard was discovered by him for this introduction. It not only enhances the Guard's formidable combat reputation, but the book itself. This book is a must for every Napoleonic enthusiast.

SISTER ANNE FRANCES DID A WONDERFUL JOB CAPTURING THE HISTORY OF CRESSON, PENNSYLVANIA. THE PICTURES IN THE BOOK ARE SUPER GREAT. I HAVE BOUGHT SEVERAL BOOKS AS GIFTS. RECOMMENDED IF YOU ARE FROM THE AREA OR HAD FRIENDS OR RELATIVES FROM THE AREA. A LOT OF RICH HISTORY IN THIS REGION.

An excellent book full of historic details and photographs

Ann Delbee's nonfiction treasure introduces us to one of the most compelling personalities of recent history. Camille Claudel was, in trite terms that fail miserably to serve her, a contemporary, colleague, and lover of the famed sculptor Auguste Rodin. Not merely a biography, but an unabashed dissection of the life, loves, and works of a true Renaissance woman, this biographical masterpiece illuminates every nuance of an extremely complex persona. Detail and development are so extensive that it is difficult to remind oneself that this is not AUTOBIOGRAPHY. We are thrust into the midst of the stormy relationship between Claudel and Rodin and learn of her influence on the great artist's life and work. At the same time we reflect on Claudel's own place in the art world of her time. The artist paints a vivid portrait of Camille's home and family life, particularly the special bond she shared with her brother, the poet Paul Claudel. Delbee succeeds with splendor in developing an understanding of Camille's unique positon as a woman in her society. Ultimately, Camille Claudel rises from these pages both triumphant and tragic.

This is a book that I wish I had not read and yet it is one of the best books I have ever read. Camille Claudel's soul found it's path into mine and I felt all the hate towards August Rodin that she was incapable of because of her love for him and breathtaking passion for her own and his work. In a lot of ways this book resembles "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" in revealing how a human spirit will not bend....

When I first read the story about Anne Frank, I was in 8th grade where every english teacher in my school had chosen to read this story to all of there students. I had no idea of what the story was going to be about and also had no idea who Anne Frank was. But after reading about her life, I had saw how hard it must have been for her.

This year in school we had to choose a book to read and do a book report on it. I had chosen to do Anne Frank because I had already read a little about her but I had wanted to learn more information about her and life for Jewish people during WW2. By reading both of this book it had shown me how hard it was for Jewish people of all ages. They where taken out of there homes and sent to a concentration camp where most of them later died. It puts the whole world to shame because we all knew about this and nothing was getting done early. But finally we were able to help them and save them.

It takes a brave little girl like Anne to be able to write everything down in a diary that was happening in her life. And by Mr. Frank giving Anne's book to be published must had taken a lot of courage also. But in many ways we are glad that he did because Anne had showed us in many ways how tough it was to be Jewish and how hard it was to go into hiding. I would recommend this book for people off all ages because it is a wonderful book, and I know everyone will enjoy reading it.

Even though I was born during the war and grew up with the remembrance of it I was untouched by its reaality. When, at the age of 14, I first read Anne Frank's diary it was perhaps the most amazing encounter with the horrors perpetuated on millions but seen through the eyes of one person.

Her little diary gave the world a personal view and meaning to the millions who suffered the same fate. It will continue to be read and lets hope they will be young readers, caught in time to perceive it while their hearts and minds are still impressionable. It simply proves that life is a wonderful mystery. Anne Frank's diary and death were destined to touch the hearts and minds of millions. Her legacy written into history as a trivial, adolescent words scribbled in her little diary to transgress time.

My own question when reading her diary was "who was Hitler?" which brought tears to my mother's eyes. She said, I was told that someday your children will ask ! that question. One great and powerful forgotten, another, a little sparrow, remembered by millions.

I've always loved reading about European history, and several times over the years I've read about the famous salon of Madame de Stael. However, none of the books ever said anything except that it was a meeting place for the great intellects of the time and that Madame de Stael was a brilliant conversationalist. I wanted to know more about this woman, and was very happy to come across this biography by J. Christopher Herold. I just finished the book, and can say without hesitation that it's one of the best biographies I've ever read. It reads like a novel; indeed, Mr. Herold has the insight into character of a great novelist. Additionally, he writes well and is extremely witty. He is not blind to the faults of his subject. Actually, her faults probably outweighed her positive traits. She was remarkably selfish. Her needs were the only thing that mattered. Everyone had to be at her beck and call. She was also extremely manipulative. When one of her numerous lovers would threaten to break off with her she would threaten to kill herself or find some other way to make them so guilty that they would come back. She was fickle. She would write to one man and tell him that her life revolved around his love. Of course, at the same time she might be writing to two or three other men, telling them the same thing! Despite her reputation as a staunch foe of Napoleon, she could sometimes put her self-interest ahead of principle. She was willing to turn her head the other way and stop criticizing Napoleon when she thought that Bonaparte, as a quid pro quo, would be willing to repay some money that the government had owed her father. One of the difficulties in remaining open-minded concerning Madame de Stael's intellectual achievements is that her rather unruly and pathetic personal life tends to color one's judgement. At her home in Switzerland she surrounded herself with various intellectuals who were either past lovers, current lovers, or those hoping to be future lovers. The scenario played out like a Marx Brothers movie, with Madame de Stael as the Margaret Dumont character. Everyone lived in the same house, yet when it came to dealing with feelings rather than with intellectual topics everyone communicated by letter rather than by discussion. Everyone engaged in histrionics- there was much swooning and talk of suicide. One man, August Schlegel, in a letter which is reproduced in the book, promised to be Madame de Stael's willing slave. Some lovers, such as Benjamin Constant, would break free but when summoned by Germaine would crawl back like a whipped dog. The home of Madame de Stael was a bouillabaisse of the debased. One thing that Mr. Herold can never satisfactorily explain is how Germaine was able to exert this gravitational grip on the men in her orbit. Despite having flashing eyes and an ample bosom, she was not attractive. Mr. Herold tells us that she had superhuman energy and was a brilliant conversationalist. Perhaps that is where the problem lies......we can't be present at the conversations, and Madame de Stael lived in the days before radio and newsreels. But, somehow, she attracted the "best and the brightest" of her day, and that was enough to worry Napoleon and cause Germaine's exile from Paris. One amusing thing about Madame de Stael is that she was always tongue tied in Napoleon's presence. Mr. Herold relates a story concerning one time when Germaine was invited to attend a function where Napoleon would be present. She vowed she would be ready for the occasion and prepared answers for every possible question. Unfortunately, on the big night Napoleon took one look at her low-cut dress and merely remarked that is was obvious she must have "fed" her own children when they were babies. Alas, Germaine once again didn't know what to say. She did get her revenge years later when Napoleon's second wife gave birth to a male heir, the King of Rome. When asked to say something "nice", Germaine thought a moment and said, "I hope they find a good wetnurse!" Score one for Madame de Stael....

Madame Germaine de Stael's epic life- from her precocious involvement with the eminent salon of her mother and her subsequent development as one of the most formidable intellectuals and dazzling conversationalists of her day, to her influential literary career, and her operatic relationships with fellow intellectuals including Benjamin Constant- all are covered with infectious enthusiasm and elan in this wonderful biography.

The historical importance of this vivid personality is explored in ways that often provide a unique perspective on the most important historical happenings and trends of Germaine de Stael's time. As a child, she was the pet of her mother's circle of friends, which included the likes of Gibbon and Diderot. As an adult, when she cultivated an even more brilliant circle of her own, she associated with many of the most important people of her day, including Talleyrand, the Schlegel brothers, and Goethe. Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun painted her portrait, and Julie Recamier, the aloof beauty known from the famous David painting, was one of her closest friends. As for her intellectual contributions, her ideas were widely influential in the development of German Romanticism, her impact on the development of Romantic literature cannot be denied, and she may very well be the first woman to be widely recognized for her contributions to political philosophy. She played a pivotal role in the French Revolution. Napoleon, perhaps a little intimidated by her powerhouse personality and unconventional ideas, despised her and persecuted her with obsessive zeal.

J. Christopher Herold may not be insensible to the force of Madame de Stael's personality, but he is not simply a devoted admirer of Madame de Stael. He gently pokes fun at the wild melodrama of her tumultuous personal life and some of her literary works, while expressing admiration for the sheer passion Germaine de Stael brought to every aspect of her life. J. Christopher Herold's effervescent and lively style complements the flamboyant, witty Madame de Stael- it's the perfect match of author and subject. Here is a rare thing- a biography that you'll actually want to re-read. Rare for me, anyway. Mistress to an Age is funny, thrilling, and as dazzling as Germaine de Stael herself was.

The first Angelique book, Marquise of the Angels, left fiction's most intrepid heroine penniless, without a name or a friend, and with two small children, one a new-born.

This gripping book details her humiliation and surrender to the degradation of the Paris underworld, her search for revenge on those who killed her beloved husband, and her determined and relentless climb out of the gutter. Determined to find a better life for her children, Angelique uses every weapon in her armoury to survive, then to escape poverty and hopelessness to find a new place in the dangerous, unjust and ruthless streets on 17th century Paris.

Undoubtedly the greatest series of books ever written

I'm only 15 yeras-old but I really enjoy reading. I've read some great books (like The Mist of Avalon; or one of Agatha Chritie's mistery) but this one really caught my attention. It was recommended by mother and I truly liked it. Not only this one, but the entire series of Angelique. It has a great story and it's well written. What a great life this Angelique had!! Really exciting! So, I strongly recommend for you to read, not only this one but entire series. Believe me, it's worth it!

This is the second book in the Angelique series which in my opinion is the best historcial adventure series ever written. Both Serge and Anne Golon were true storytellers, managing to blend fictional characters with real historical figures in such a way that I could not tell the difference. I loved this story from the first page to the last page written in English which is book 10. I still have the original copies which now are 30 some years old. Unfortunately the last three books in the series have never been translated from French to English. I sincerely hope that one day the last 3 books and indeed the whole series will be reissued for new readers. This is a timeless classic and I would purchase the new books because I reread this series yearly.

I couldn't put it down! I'e never read such a book. It may sound like nothing but a sermon, but it's nothing like that! I'm a sophomore in high school, and I know excitement when I see it. On a field trip to the Holocaust museum, some students open fire, and Nicole passes out as she's trampled by the crowd, waking up to find herself in Nazi occupied France in 1942. All the people from her real life (parents, sister, and schoolmates) are here, andthe boy she had a crush on is even madly in love with her. But Nicole soon learns the real meaning of life, and that boys and clothes hardly matter as much as family, safety, and even food enough to survive when she finds herself in a concentration camp... with Anne Frank.

The more you know about the Nazi occupation of Paris, France, and the checkered French response to it, the more you will understand what a remarkable feat authors Bennett and Gottesfeld have accomplished in a book ostensibly for young adults. This book, full of the adolescent longing, romance, and expression of young sexuality that marks Anne Frank's own diary, is a veritable Sophie's Choice for teens. If only all historical fiction for young people could be this powerful. There are three main reasons for Anne Frank and Me's power. First, every teen (and this adult reader) will come to fall in love with the authors' heroine, a modern Christian tenth grader named Nicole, who describes herself accurately on her Girl X website as a "girl in the middle." She reminded me too much of too many of my own students, too distracted by the drama of their lives to do their homework. But under Nicole, and under my students, is a young woman who could change the world if only she'd let herself seize the day. Second, the authors' research is brilliant. Nazi-Occupied Paris comes to life as a teen would see it. Readers will understand all the major events, including the anti-Jewish laws, the yellow star decree, the July 1942 round-up of foreign-born Jews, the black market, the continuation of Paris' cultural life, the collaborationist press, the French fascist miltias, the killing of innocents in reprisal for acts of resistance.... It's all there. Both present and past are expertly rendered from a teen's eye view. The dialogue is crisp and idiomatic in the present, truthful in the past. The authors embrace Nicole, including the same romantic and erotic longings in her life that Anne Frank wrote about in her own diary. Nicole is in love with a boy who loves her. This love is reflected in her diary, as you might expect. Under the circumstances, knowing what we know about what is likely to come, it is both breathtaking and heartbreaking. Heartbreaking too is Nicole's chance meeting with Anne on a cattle car on the way to Birkenau. Parts of this book made me, a Christian teacher, shudder. I like to think that were I alive back then, I would have been another Miep Gies, doing everything I could to keep Nicole's--or Anne Frank's--family alive. I like to think I would have brought food to the Secret Annex. But who can deny that most of our Christian brethren were too worried about their own lives and too influenced by centuries of anti-Semitism to do what we could to protect our Jewish neighborhors? It made me uncomfortable to be confronted with this reality as I read. But so be it. The point of reading is not to be made comfortable. Lastly, this book is a great read, full of plot twists and turns that defied my best efforts to guess what was coming next. I read it in a single sitting, something I haven't done with a young adult novel since Speak. Whether you're a teen or a parent or a teacher or a grandparent, put Anne Frank and Me on your reading list, somewhere near the top. You will glad you did.

I had been hearing rave reviews about the play "Anne Frank and me" and I was excited to have a chance to read the novel version. I was not disappointed. It was the most witty, intelligent, honest Young Adult novel I have read in a very long time, if not the ever. Cherie and Jeff have done a fantastic job not only conveying the angst teen girls all over the world go through on a daily basis (unrequited love, the mind-numbing spirit destroying hell of high school, not being able to connect with your parents) but they were able to deal with one of the most serious subjects in history--the Holocaust. I feel that this book should be put on to the reading lists of schools all over America--it really brought the horrors of an old historical event that isn't extremely relevant to a middle-class Protestant young adult to life. Buy this book--you won't regret it!

The needs assesment and the forms on the companion disk were very helpful in our first search for a nanny. We did not find the consumer information about agencies to be offensive, and in fact felt the author was giving us a choice to hire an agency or do an independent search. We found an agency that met our criteria and the agency found our nanny. We thought the author's experiences as a nanny was the reason the book was written. On the author's web site abcnanny.bizland.com she makes it clear she is not against nanny agencies and is announcing a directory of nanny agencies to be posted on the site in June. The book is a handbook and gets down to business quickly which we appreciate and did not consider a cold approach.

At first glance, one would think, what would I need a book for to hire a nanny. Well, my eyes were opened wide after reading through this book, The ABC's of Hiring a Nanny. It is probably the most comprehensive, yet easy to understand and follow, guide I've ever encountered. It lays out all the things one needs to think about (and some you don't think about) when hiring someone to trust with your children. It brings up many points which need to be looked at before a certain situation arises, and before you are into it with a person that may not be right for your family. The writer has brought together everything you need to know. It also includes a diskette for forms you may want to print, which is a terrific bonus. Certainly worth recommending.

Many of us interview candidates for various positions in the workplace on a daily basis and this book shows us we should use the same techniques when hiring a nanny. The forms are helpful throughout the process and are easy to use. The author was more interested in passing on information that would be useful to parents rather than share her experiences as a nanny. Parents need to know just who they are entrusting their children to and can't assume they are leaving their child with a nice person that wouldn't dream of hurting a child. The links to IRS and INS allows you to download all the forms you need, saving phone calls and snail mail time.

This superb new book is a much-needed wake-up call. The authors remind us that there are innocent, vulnerable children behind the symptoms of ADHD. Millions of children are yearning to be heard, acknowledged and loved unconditionally. This is a must-read for anyone who cares about the plight of children today.

"It is more important to know what kind of a man has a disease than to know what kind of a disease a man has." - was given to us by Sir William Osler in 1871.

The current exponential rise in prescribing rates of stimulant medication for children is both concerning and difficult to justify.

In 2002, Halasz et.al. give us a careful and yet concise consideration of children with problems associated with attention and activity. "Cries Unheard" greatly assists us to re-cognise and re-consider Osler's truth, especially in relation to vulnerable children and childhood "illness/disease". Thank you to the authors!

a must read for all concerned parents and teachers