Wow. This book was one of my all-time favorites. After reading Laura and Tom McNeal's first book, Crooked, I thought that it would be nearly impossible for them to top it. But I was very wrong. Many different peoples' lives are focused on, creating an opportunity for many surprises towards the end. Almost immediately after the book starts, Mick (the main character) is faced with a problem which draws us, the readers, in and makes us sympathize with him. It is amazing how all of the characters' problems are tied in just by the common thread of where they all work. Another masterpiece by the McNeals...

This book was on of the best books i've have ever read. I am 13 and i don't read that much, but when i started this book i just couldn't put it down. I usually don't read books of this type but my friend said I'd like it so i tried it and loved it. I recommended it to all my friends and almost all of them loved it. If you aren't into reading you will still love this book. At least pick it up and try it out. You should love it.

Mick has adjusted well to his stepmother and is content with his home life - until he opens the wrong email and discovers his stepmother's secret affair. Should he tell his father, or keep his stepmother's secret - and who is her lover? Mick finds his life increasingly confusing as he struggles to understand both his elders and himself.

Knowing Laura personaly, I can tell you that her two children are living proof that the content of her book is a success! If you want to really understand,identify and connect with your child, this is a must read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

This book truly does give us 10 ways to capture the heart of our children. . . ways to make children feel important to their parents and adults around them. It also helps the adult to see things from a child's perspective. I showed my 4 year old granddaughter a dogwood tree in bloom. She became frustrated because she could not find the dogs! Had I not read this book, I might have missed her precious perception of a dogwood tree!

As a new parent of four adopted children, I'm finding there is so MUCH I don't know. I'm also finding myself returning time and time again to the heartfelt advice offered in this important little book. It's beautifully written, easy to understand, and contains some of the most practical ideas about parenting that I've found. The author, Laura Eldredge, has done an excellent job of translating her love for raising her own children into ten concise ideas that every parent can use. Buy this book today, read it, share it with your children, and then pass it along to another parent. Better yet, buy two and give one away -- I guarantee that you'll not want to part with yours!

I borrowed this book from the library and felt lost when I had to give it back. So I want to get one for myself to keep and use whenever I need to reference back to it. Great ideas that we will definitely be using around here.

I am already utilizing several ideas from this book and I haven't finished reading it yet! The concept of teaching practical life skills to one's children to develop their self-confidence as well as helpfulness is great. My children are responding very well to new habit formation. They are also looking forward to getting their own recipe book with foods they can make themselves without Mom hanging around.

This is a great book. I've been hording my neighbor's dog-eared copy for a few years now. Every time I look at it, I find something other tool to try. I've finally decided that it is time to buy my own copy and let my neighbor lend hers to someone else who could use it.

This book is adorable! Finally there is a book that teaches children about real facts and information in a delightful setting. The photos of the real animals jump off the page and the illustrations are charming! My youngest will sit and look at the pictures over and over, while my seven year old will read the book and fact boxes and then ask me "Did you know?" questions. I learned a great deal from this book and so did my kids. I would recommend this book to anyone with young children!

I liked seeing the photographs of the tigers. There is a lot of information about other animals, too, and a scientist with antlers.

The combination of adventure and educational material in this book made it a great hit with my daughter and her friends, as well as the moms and teachers. The story follows a boy on an expedition to study the paths of some endangered tigers. We love the photo/drawing combination and the extra tidbits of info on the sidebars. A friend borrowed the book for her 6th grade class, and they loved it, too - I would extend the recommended ages to at least 4-12. (I'd guess it's a 3rd grade reading level). We can't wait for the series to be extended to more adventures of Riley.

Collaboratively written by Laura Hurwitz and Amanda Lumry, Alistair On Safari is an engaging and informative children's picturebook that alternates simple, cartoon-like pictures by Sarah McIntyre of young Alistair and her friends, and superb color photography by Amanda Lumry of wildlife from baboons to lions and hyenas. Filled with facts about these amazing creatures, Alistair On Safari is a great book for introducing young readers to the exciting wonders of exotic wildlife.

The engaging illustrations, beginning with the cover and end pages, set the scene and move the readers, children and adults, immediately into the African adventure, Alistair on Safari.The intense color and outlining of the whimsical illustrations project well to a classroom of children gathered around the reader. Children grades K - 6 have been eager to look closely at the featured wildlife photography and follow the story line enhanced by the illustrations. They have been keenly interested in the "tid-bit" fact boxes. They have been delighted to find the interactive website at alistairadventures.com, fill in their own passports, compare their animal footprint recognition scores, then go back and reread the book. They have been challenged to photograph their own vacations (single-use box cameras are great!)and write their own travel adventures. Alistair's intense focus on photographing a leopard as requested by his mom is a gentle warning to the adult reader about setting up possible unreal expectations and creating stress for children. The children I have shared this African Game Reserve Adventure with are looking forward to Alistair's next adventure. We would love to go with him. A Bellevue teacher

Alistair is a terrific book that is interesting, refreshing, educational and FUN! The story line was great because it was easy to follow. My kids enjoyed the "factoid" boxes which are unique and educational.

Photographs combined with the cartoon images really seem to hold the kid's attention and interest. The photos were magnificent! I would recommend this book to anyone with children!

There are not many books on the market that have as much to offer as this book does. To sum up this children's book I would use one word: Refreshing!

And more and more they cry every night. They love andy, they now refer to every ant they see as andy. This story is more than just about an ant that loves adventure. This book tells us how to get along. A book for children and adults. I not only hightly recommend it, but it's a MUST!!!!!!

This book puts tears in my eyes everytime I read it to my children. In this world where so many books are trite and meaningless, this wonderful story teaches us something about how to get along in deep and profound way. My favorite line is "I love my family because they are who they are. I also love adventure, because I like to see what there is to see." I don't know what it is about the illustrations but my child loves to just sit and stare at them. I highly recommend this book.

What an enjoyable read. It has helped me encourage children to explore the world and look at things from many different angles. It promotes diversity. All adults and children should read it. All teachers should purchase one for their classroom!

I don't think I've ever seen a better piece of journalism.

I didn't expect too much from this book. I bought it for the usual tourist reasons (we were in Stockbridge to hear Arlo sing in the church). Published by Berkshire House, it graces the "local shelves" tables of every local bookstore and gift shop.This book didn't actually need to be GOOD. It just needed to have some scraps of fan information about Arlo and some old pictures of the Church and Officer Obie and so forth...

I cannot begin to describe how surprisingly satisfying this book is. It is really a first-rate job. It is so much more wide-ranging and thoughtful than might have been expected.

And Laura Lee covers the exact range of topics I was interested in, with just the right balance.

For example, about a quarter of the book is devoted to the "pre-Arlo" era. It's more than a lick-and-a-promise, interesting both in itself and as a jumping-off-point for musing on How Things Change. I never realized that the little fork-in-the-road Van Deusenville area of Housatonic was once a significant industrial town... At the same time, a quarter of the book is just about enough. I didn't want to wade through monograph on Great Barrington history, and after paying proper respect to the Bostwicks and the Van Deusens, we get to Ray and Alice Brock by page 65.

The thing that makes this book so splendid is Lee's sympathetic attention and reporting of _mild_ differences in opinion. I'm not sure I've ever seen a better piece of journalism. You see events refracted through different peoples' eyes--NOT a big-deal Rashomon conflict, just, well, different people saw things a little differently.

For example, Arlo's guru, Jaya Sati Bhagavati Ma, is seen through Arlo's eyes. She is also seen directly and with respect through Laura Lee's. However, Lee also reports the Berkshire Record's description of her as "a spiritual Ethel Merman wielding a Brooklyn persona" and Alice Brock's remark "Here is this dame, she's my age, she's from Brooklyn, she's Jewish, just like me, but she had this giant scam."

Thoroughly satisfying, absolutely first rate.

I finished Laura Lee's lovingly crafted book over the Labor Day weekend, having enjoyed it immensely. It becomes obvious that Laura Lee has a special love for the Trinity Church (now the Guthrie Center) because the history of The Church is exhaustively recorded in the first half of her book. I think it's safe to say that if you need more information about the history of Christianity in colonial Western Massachusetts than what Laura provides, you're likely well out of the general audience this book aims at. I think Laura hit the highlights as it pertains to the Housatonic/Lee/Van Deusenville area, and the Trinity Church.

The book springs forward in the second half to chronicle the uniquely strange and humorous events surrounding the Alice's Restaurant Massacree, the film "Alice's Restaurant" (itself a baffling blend of truth and fiction) and the subsequent history of the Church, having fallen out of the Brock's hands and ultimately into Arlo's. Lee closes the loop on all these wonderful events and brings us right into the modern era of the Guthrie Center, leaving the reader with an intimate feeling of hopefulness about the renewed Church and the lives surrounding it.

I suggest reading the book, listening to the song, watching the film, visiting arlo.net, and visiting Great Barrington. These are all the pieces of the puzzle. Thank you, Laura, for providing such an informative, entertaining, and loving overview of the Church that was, the Church as it is, and the Church that will be.

- J. Dock, Sept 2000

Ms. Lee has really captured the enduring spirit of a community and a time in this book. The history of a church in the Berkshires seems like an unlikely topic, but add the fact that the church is the same one from "Alice's Restaurant" and an element of interest is added. What was a nice surprise was how interesting the history of the church and its surrounding community really is. Ms. Lee has given a slice of American life through the church from its beginning to its famous showing in the saga of Arlo Guthrie in the '60's and now. I sincerely hope that this book will help others to see the importance of understanding of our history and will help the Guthrie Center.

this is the most inspiring book. i love the beautiful designs, and this is a wonderful way to bring art into your home.

Skrebneski brings the passion in these gowns worn by models to life in his dramatically light photographs.

The gowns of Sardian, John Anthony, Cristobal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain, Erik Mortensen, Geoffery Beene, Chanel, Lagerfeld, Dior, Gerre, Feraud, Galanos, De Givenchy (his source of inspiration throught out his career) Charles James, Lacroix, Lanvin, Montana, Laroche Norell, Poiret, Erte, Ricci, Gerard Pipart, Saint Laurent, Arnold Scaasi, Scherrer, Schiaparelli, Ungaro, Valentino, Philippe Venet, Versace, Mdme. Vionnet and Vera Wang are photographed in the most dramatic sense. The detail of couture is fully illustrated.

This book is an inspiration to all who are interested in fashion design.

Pages are opened to reveal an almost disturbing beauty in the photographs by Victor Skrebneski of the world's greatest clothes. The book, The Art of Haute Couture, blurs the line between fashion and art until there is no distinction. Emphasis falls on various designers - arguably the best of our time - such as Givenchy and Chanel. In the photographs a portrayal of a beautiful, sophesticated and unreal type of life seems to unfold in the simple photography of beautiful clothes. Truly glamorous, this in a rare find for a lover of fashion, a must for someone who considers couture masterpieces, and designers such as Yves Saint Laurent and Versace nothing less than geniuses of art.

"...the book provides an invaluable guide for parents or professionals keen to update themselves on the diagnosis, treatment, and causes of autism. It should also prove a very useful introduction for students and others who want to nkow more about this fascinating condition."

From a parent's perspective, this is the first book to be read when autism is suspected in your child. Missing are the generalizations and stereotypes, as well as conflicting symptoms, found in many other books. Lots of helpful information to help you understand your child better, how to best help him/her at home and the various treatments/therapies available to your child. If your child doesn't meet the "classic" symptoms of autism, this book will bring better understanding of the all encompassing term "autism."

Manages to pack an incredible amount of information into a very small space, while remaining wonderfully clear and jargon-free. Invaluable for anyone who wants to acquire an overnight grasp on the state-of-the-art research into autistic spectrum conditions, their causes, and the best methods of education and treatment.

If you are an outdoors-person, then this is a must read. Anyone involved in any outdoor groups should read this and have members read this! Newcomers and old pros alike may love this literature, for its leasons are timeless! Thank you, Laura and Guy Waterman!

This title and "Wilderness Ethics" are pioneering works forming 'a code that we can live by'. Guy chose to climg the high ridge one last time, on a trail, 'beyond the ranges'. His true farewell will be publication of his collected works forthcoming.See also books by the late Scott Nearing & his wife.

This book was one of the originals in this subject, not to mention one of the best. What is great about this book is that not only is it a how-to manual for leave no trace camping, but it also explores the multi-faceted issue of "what are we trying to preserve" with our remaining wild lands. As someone who works in the field of backcountry land management, I couldn't recommend this book more highly to both hikers and land managers alike. Check out the companion book, Wilderness Ethics as well. Pete Ketcham, Green Mountain Club, Vermont.