First, this book is enormous! 800 full-size glossy pages - it must weigh 15 pounds. Not something you want to carry around in your backpack.

This book is truly a labor of love. Everything about it is of the highest quality, from the text to the photographs to the printing and binding. Not only do the authors know their subject intimately, but they delight in sharing their knowledge with the reader. A remarkable work, and a great tribute to everyone involved in its production.

As an amateur naturalist and nature photographer I was intriqued by the colors, patterns and variety of lichens, but knew little about them. As my lichen photography collection grew,I wanted to identify the lichen species I had photographed, so I did some research. I returned over and over again to a website that highlighted the chapters and images in "Lichen's of North America." The book seemed an expensive investment for an amateur like myself, but, after reviewing other books on lichens at the library and in bookstores, I realized this book has no equal. Inevitably, I placed my order. When the book arrived, I was first surprised at how BIG it was. Hundreds of four color images jumped off the pages, each a work of art. Most importantly, the text is fascinating and easy to understand, even for a non-scientist. I read the first 14 chapters over the weekend. I was amazed by the important role lichens play in the biodiversity of life. It opened my eyes to an understudied and little understond life form that has a profound influence on the past and future of our planet. I recommend it to anyone who has any interest in biodiversity, natural succession, preserving the environment and nature in general. You will see Lichen in a whole new light!

Wow sums it all up. The description said "hardcover, color photos, 'X' amount of pages, yet when I picked up a huge, heavy box, I had no idea the book was this great. Touches on just about every lichen in North America, and the pictures are a huge help. Offers identification tips through visual assessment and chemical testing. If you need to research lichen, this book is a great investment at a wonderful price.

I bought this book to use as resource for my environmental education and religion/spirituality work. As a musician and songwriter for the Earth Mama projects, I review lots of current music materials. This is the finest I have seen. Notation is clear and accurate. Commentary and notes on the songs and ideas are articulate and thoughtful. The entire volume (over 400 songs)is a rich resource of material from many traditions which I will savour and enjoy for years. References, incidentals, quotes and comments sprinked throughout are the icing on the cake. I have given several of these as gifts to schools, music departments and organizations. They are always delighted to add Songs for Earthlings to their library.
Joyce Rouse, AKA Earth Mama...

This is a great resource for anyone who likes to sing earth-friendly songs. Great selection, well organized, and the hole-punched format fits well with the many notebooks of music I have.

I am a choir director for a small, non-denominational Christian church. We like to do music from a wide variety of traditions. This book has been like a gift from the Gods! It's an amazing resource for music from so many different traditions, organized in an easy to use way. Every time I look through it I find something new.

This is the most beautifully illustrated Mother Goose book I have seen. Sylvia Long has taken her own interpretations of these classic rhymes and turned them into a wonderful imaginative feast for the eyes. The animal characters behave so life-like as they take the place of their human counterparts! I also like the way the author groups the rhymes according to themes. For example, all the rhymes containing words about specific animals, physical traits or characteristics tend to be grouped together. There is also an index of first lines in the back of the book.

My daughters continually pour over the images every day, and were even inspired to write and illustrate their own interpretations in their personal copybooks. The rhymes are classic, but in this book, the images tell their own stories as well!

5 Stars.

This is a wonderful book. The book takes you through more than 75 classic Mother Goose Rhymes including Jack and Jill, Old Mother Hubbard, Little Boy Blue, and Little Robin Red-breast.

Each rhyme is superbly illustrated allowing your youngster to understand the meaning of the rhyme through pictures.

This is a keepsake book that will surely be passed down from one generation to the next.

As I have read this book with my 2 and 4-yr old grandsons, I have thought that it must have won an award. The glowing reviews of others on your site seem to validate my opinion. Sylvia Long's choice of rhymes and illustrations for each two-page spread provides an opportunity for Grannie and the boys to communicate about the meaning of these old rhymes. The boys understand their meaning because of the beautiful illustrations that give the rhymes a new life in our modern world.

The more crowded life gets the more I love to look at these beautiful pictures. Genuine grace at its best. It is one of my most favorite coffee table books. If you love the sea you must have this book.

This is absolutely a "MUST HAVE" book! The dust jacket alone is beautiful, but just wait until you see the artwork inside! "Breathtaking!" Wyland fans, you're really missing out if this book's not in your collection.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves dolphins, whales and other sea life. It has lots of beautiful artwork with thoughtful quotes beneath. There is also some interesting information on Wyland.

First, there is a section on whales, followed by one on dolphins, manatees and other sea life. Next, there are several collaboration pieces. Wyland worked with artists such as Jim Warren & James Coleman to create many stunning pieces.

I especially liked one with babies & dolphins he worked on with Janet Stewart. I also loved the section on the whaling wall murals. The walls are shown both in-progress & finished.

I found the information on each wall and about how the walls came to be fascinating. A detailed list on of all the walls & their specifications as well as a list of all the Wyland galleries are a nice bonuses.

A good workbook and reading/reflection book on grief.It fits the subtitle "transcending grieving." I use it with other mother's who have lost children, but it appeals to all kinds of grief issues. There are opportunities to just pick the book up and let it open to a page for inspiration, workpages and activities for thoughtful reflection, and passages of people's stories to aid in the reader's own journey. It comes with a concentration on growth instead of loss through the process of death. One reading this understands they are not alone on this road through the thoughtful anecdotes related on these pages.
When I received mine, the binding was broken on the contents and one of the later pages of the book. The message of the book is intact even if the pages are not.

I love this book, it made me cry and laugh. I understand the feelings I have beeen going through for the past 3 years.
Sylvia and Nancy are a good writing team. I will keep this book close and find comfort in it when needed.

If your dealing with grief this is a good book to read. As always Sylvia's humor livens up her books and all of her books are great! This one lets you know that what you are feeling is okay and don't judge yourself what you are feeling when you ride the dark horse of grief. Both her and her daughter in law have alot to offer when dealing with the loss of someone you love. Mine was my son Jon.

im not too big on meditatoin, but id like to be. i chose this book as my introductory unit for relaxation and meditation and so far its worked splendidly. each week, on monday nights, i light candles and read an exceprt from the book. its calming and slowly im starting to feel it work into the rest of my life. a little bit of sylvia every day is a good thing!

i also recommend sylvia's book, "Prayers", as it makes a great ending to her meditations. :)

It's amazine that such a small book can have a profound effect on a person. You don't even need to know anything about meditating. Just read through the meditaions and you'll begin to feel the change. It's even small enough to carry around with you.

If you're curious about what meditation is or wondering how to start meditating, I'd suggest buying this book. As I said earlier, you don't need to practice the meditations to 'feel' a change. Sylvia's words do the work for you. And the book contains a few additions from her son Chris.

comforting book. as always for sylvia. i wish it would be brought out on tape for easy listening. thanku forgiving me peace.

I enjoyed it, 400 pages is usually a lot for me to but it was a fast read. I laughed and cried.

My girlfriend got me to read this book, at first I didn't want to because one look at the cover I said Aw hell, another male-bashing book! After getting into it, I was pleasantly surprised. Two thumbs up, Sylvia!

Pretty good story, my girlfriend told me about Depth of Field and how it relates to us fathers especially fathers of daughters to own up! I enjoyed it.

In Tokyo Airport, on the way home, I browsed this book and had to have it. The flight was about 12 hours and airplane was empty. People worn mouth mask for afraid of SARS. TV everywhere broadcasted war. Passangers looked tired and sad. I just read this "Take A Deep Breath" to myself, cry a little, stop a while, take a deep breath, nothing is more meaningful than breathing and feel the livelyhood of conscious breathing. Look outside, so vast, so surreal, so steady as nothing is happening or everything is happening. This book can touch your soul and mending the bleeding heart. Let breathing cleanse and carry you.

Take a Deep Breath is a beautiful collection of haiku poems, accompanied by commentary illuminating their meaning and implications. Both the poetry and prose show the way to attend to the present moment; to "just this." Yet as the authors point out, everything is contained in "just this." And so, this slim volume addresses the deepest of questions: Can we let go of the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and our place in the scheme of things? Can we open our hearts to ourselves and to others just as we are? Can we experience ourselves and the world in a truer, deeper way?
Take a Deep Breath takes up these questions with an extraordinary clarity of perception and observation; doing justice to their complexity with a complete absence of pretension. The book is steeped in images of nature, and the power and grace of the natural world are reflected on its pages. After reading it, it's impossible not to be more aware and attuned to the smallest of things - the quality of autumn twilight, a falling petal - details that now resonate with beauty and depth.

This slender,intense book is filled with quiet surprises.

For any reader-but particularly for readers not familiar with haiku or Buddhism-the book offers a gentle but profoundly stimulating introduction to the elegance and power of haiku and the simple but elusive core of Buddhist thought and practice.

The poetry and the commentary could easily stand alone, but they mesh beautifully and carry our appreciation of each to a deeper level.

The poetry and the prose invite us to stay in the moment, to allow ourselves to stop, to pay attention to things as simple as a leaf, the song of an unseen bird, the brakes of a garbage truck, or our own breath. This is the experience that is available to all of us, at any time. It costs nothing and requires nothing outside of ourselves. This is, as the Ryans show us in so many ways, the "basic experience of deep spiritual knowledge."

But can we stop, or at least pause, long enough to really pay attention? Most of us don't seem inclined to stop very often as we race through life, but it can be done, and it is (I believe) worth doing even if we can slow down only from time to time. Take a Deep Breath is not a meditation manual but it can become a thoughtful and compassionate friend who is always near at hand. I think you will find that it is a book that you will keep by your bedside, carry with you when you travel, and to which you will return many times.

Lukas, mi hijo, tiene 1 año y un mes y hace 4 días que comenzamos con esta técnica, antes de eso el siempre durmió en nuestra pieza (en su cuna) y despertaba varias veces en la noche (generalmente había que tomarlo en brazos para que siguiera durmiendo). Ciertamente ya hemos notados varios avances en término de que ya no llora tanto antes de quedarse dormido y que ya solo despierta una vez en la noche (tipo 6:00 am) pero hay algunas cosas que nos preocupan y que el libro no hace mención, basicamente son las siguientes:
- Es normal que comienze a tener miedo de entrar a su pieza..??
- Desde que comienza el ritual (baño) el ya se da cuenta de todo y se pone muy asustadizo, solo quiere estar en brazos y de preferencia de la mamá (ambos hemos participado, aunque yo he tomado una rol mas activo).
- El acostumbraba a obrar dos o tres veces al día, estos dos últimos días han sido 7 y 5 respectivamente, pero con la misma consistencia de siempre y sin presentar otros problemas del estómago.
En resumen, pese a que estamos contentos por los avances presentados, lo notamos muy temeroso y no sabemos si es normal y va a pasar con el tiempo.
Agradeceré inmensamente sus comentarios, de ante mano, gracias.

Atte, WR.

My husband and I thought we lost our nights together after our son was born. We indulged in every " crime " most pediatricians and experimented parents warned us against. The baby slept with us, in our bed and was a perpetual nurser. He was eight months old and still waking up every three hours to feed; He would go to sleep as late as 1:00 in the morning, sometimes earlier, but for us it was the same, since we knew he'd be up again in no time.

When he turned eight months we decided to get our relationship back. We had " duermete nino" resting in a book shelf.

It took a lot of courage to go thru with the recommended method. Did we suffer in the progress? oh yeah we did! but in no time, ( for us two nights) our son was sleeping thru the night, from 8:00pm to 8:00am.

We have romantic dinners now. We watch a movie on t.v peacefully and our relashionship is back to before our son was born, with the plus of having a beautiful boy to play with: DURING THE DAY.

Was it worth it? a hundred percent! Not only for us, but for our son as well. He adores his new routine, and now we put him in his crib and leave the room in total darkness, and though he remains awake for a little bit, he does not cry. He smiles at us when we said good night, and when I go check on him five minutes later, he is sound asleep.

If this sounds ideal for you, give it a try. According to statistics is 96% effective. How about a good night sleep?

My son was 18 months, and he was still needing to have someone in his room until he fell asleep (rubbing his back, singing, etc.), otherwise he would cry, and cry, and cry... One of my sisters and some friends in Spain recommended it to me but I could not find it in the US. Finally, this summer I visited Spain , and I bought it there. What an investment! In less than a week he was falling asleep by himself. It worked wonders, believe it or not. It provides easy to follow steps that will make your night time an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

The first installment of THE BURNETT BRIDES introduces us to two of the three Burnett brothers -- Tucker, the local marshal and his older brother Travis, who runs the family ranch. The third brother, Tanner, has been missing since going off to fight in the war. Their mother, Eugenia Burnett, is quite adamant that her boys are going to be married soon, and she's doing her darndest to see it happen. Her first project? Travis.

The year is 1874. Texas is rough, open and not the place for a lady to be making a living on her own. Madame Desirée Severin, Voice of the Dead is getting by though, running séances for people who want to speak to their deceased loved ones one last time. Business has been steady since settling in Fort Worth and Rose Severin, aka Desirée, hopes that she'll be able to save enough money to get to New York to become an actress like her mother.

It's not going to happen if Travis Burnett has anything to say about it though. The rugged rancher sees Desirée Severin as a cheat and is furious that his own mother had been at one of her séances. Overly protective of his own, Travis threatens to shut down Desirée's business if she ever speaks to his mother again. But if Travis thinks his problems are now over, he's in for a big surprise.

Eugenia Burnett has a few cards up her sleeve yet. After watching Rose stand up to Travis and his high-handed ways, Eugenia is convinced that she is the woman who could get her oldest son to the alter. One tiny little lie wasn't going to hurt anyone, and if it could bring these two together then it would be worth it.

Believing his mother's accusations about Rose, Travis puts her under house arrest--his house. He can fight the growing physical attraction he has for her, he can even fight his growing admiration for her strength and spunk, but when he starts to fall in love with his captive cheat and liar he knows he's in big trouble. Maybe forcing her to live under his roof and sleep in the bedroom across the hall from his wasn't as good an idea as it had seemed in the beginning. Although from where Eugenia stands, things are going right on schedule.

------------

Sylvia McDaniel's THE RANCHER TAKES A WIFE is such a fun read! Travis Burnett sees the world in black and white while Rose sees the world in vivid techni-color. They bring out both the best and the worst in each other, causing some of the funniest arguments I've read in a long time.

For those who enjoy frontier romances, this is a great read. But if you enjoy spunky intelligent women, alpha men and sexy, laugh out loud dialogue this book is for you. The next book in this series is THE OUTLAW TAKES A WIFE, Tanner's story, and it will be available in January 2001 from Zebra books.

~sue

Sue Waldeck
Road to Romance

http://www.roadtoromance.dhs.org

There's a hot time in the old town in Sylvia McDaniel's new romance, "The Rancher Takes A Wife," and the West has never been more exciting. In her new trilogy series entitled "The Burnett Brides," McDaniel examines the lives of Travis, Tucker, and Tanner Burnett and their delightful mother Eugenia's plans and schemes to get her boys married.

In this first installment, pretty séance-holder Rose Severin has come to Fort Worth to earn her fortune with ultimate plans to make enough money to get to New York City to live out her dreams as an actress. When a chance mystical meeting with Mrs. Burnett earns Rose the ire of her son Travis, Rose must prove her innocence in a crime she is falsely accused of. In the process, she and Travis must deal with the undeniable attraction they feel towards one another. Will Mother Burnett's matchmaking wishes come true with these two independent young lovers? It's an exciting ride to find out!

Sylvia McDaniel's new series is an exciting trip back to the Wild, Wild West of love, so get ready for a big time in Cowtown tonight! Readers will soon come to realize why McDaniel is considered one of the up-and-coming authors of western historical romance.

Travis Burnett is one worked up cowboy! His mother has been taken in by a young woman that is nothing short of a con. Rose Severin, better none as Desireé, travels around as a spiritualist. She longs to become an actress but until that time she performs seances to help the loved ones of dearly departed souls make peace with their grief. Travis does not accept what this woman pratices as a job for one minute. And he vows to expose her fraudulent business and has her arrested for fraud, then run out of town.

His mother wants to see her sons wedded and she longs for grandchildren, so she sets out to make this happen, starting with her oldest son. The scheme she pulls is certainly effective, which sends Travis roaring out of town to bring back the thief that stole his mother's wedding ring. Oh boy, the fireworks explode in this Texas town!

This story kept me amused as the gypsish heroine went all out to keep the hero in a constant state of upheaval. Much to my delight, as he was a tad arrogant and needed to be brought down a peg or two and this heroine did it quite nicely. Her antics had him falling for her in spite of what he thought of her wrong doings. They were great together! I do look forward to the rest of this trilogy as I am curious to see what lengths Mama Burnett will go to to have her other sons wedded as well. She is definitely an interesting character!