In Materia Poetica, Sylvia expresses the feeling and the essence of homeopathic remedies in delightful poetry. It is a wonderful learning tool for students, and knowledgable homeoapths will appreciate it too.

Not only is Materia Poetica : Homeopathy In Verse by Sylvia Seroussi,MD a wonderful collection of poetry, but it serves as a great reference for choosing that "right" remedy. By portraying the essence of the remedies in verse, Dr. Chatroux has captured the symptoms, quirks, and personality types for which the various remedies are meant to treat. A great addition to ones homeopathic library, as well as great fun to read.

I wish I would have had this book when my children were younger and I was frantically searching for a friendly guide to homeopathy. Most of the books were awfully complicated and required answering so many questions about symptoms that, by the time I'd figured out the right remedy, the fever was gone, the earache finished or the headache had disappeared. This book demystifies homeopathy, and brushes it with beauty, whimsy and deep wisdom at the same time. First, it's a beautiful book, with lovely black and white botanical drawings. And the concept is original; the author simplifies and clarifies homeopathy by describing properties of the 101 remedies in poetry. And she makes it fun, too. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for alternatives to conventional medicine, especially parents of young children. Actually, it's a great book for anyone who loves poetry, plants, beautiful books, the healing arts...the list goes on and on. Part of the uniqueness of the book is because Sylvia Chatroux is a unique doctor, an MD as well as a homeopathic doctor. She's also the kind of doctor everyone wants to have; she believes in the body's ability to heal and she is deeply committed to helping people heal themselves. That spirit comes through in this wonderful book.

This book is the best of the lot! If you are serious about meat goat production and profitably (and not just interested in raising pets), this is by far the best source for tried and true methods. The dog stories and recipes are frosting on the cake. If you can only buy one book about goats, it should be this one!

Sylvia Tomlinson's new book "The Meat Goats of Caston Creek" offers much more than just technical information for potential goat farmers. As a typical urbanite, I may never have the opportunity to raise goats, but I found the book a fascinating piece of "escapist non-fiction" that is well-written, genuine and extremely informative, even to a layman. Ms. Tomlinson offers a perspective that is rare among technical writers: she combines humor, human interest, and social commentary with the more factual advice on goat raising. I look forward to more books from Ms. Tomlinson.

This book took me on a warm and introspective pilgrimage of many pleasant metaphors. By sharing with us her ups and downs of life on a ranch, and her perspectives of the underlying meanings behind the joys and tragedies on the ranch - Sylvia Tomlinson poetically and masterfully drives home the notion that we truly do have the upper hand in crafting our own reality, and in turning misfortune into good. A truly inspirational voyage that brought tears to my eyes and made me want to runaway and partake in a Camelot of meat goats. A must read for those needing a pleasant and different read - that promises to put one back in touch with their kinder selves. Bravo !!!

My daughter (age 3) likes this book so much that I have to read it to her at least twice a day. This has been going on for over a month and luckily, I'm not really tired of it yet!

Rattlebone Rock is so fun to read. Children love the rhythmic text and really get into the book by making the spooky sounds the author writes of. Read it through once to a class of K-3 students. Then read it again and again, and have them chime in during the graveyard ghostly parts! This has been a hit with the k-3 students I have read it to. They will love the text and the great illustrations. A Halloween Book I wouldn't be without!

This book is great for Halloween! Our children really enjoy repeating the rocking, rythmic sounds made in this graveyard!

What a wonderful experience it has been for me.Really easy to read and understand if you have questions on any aspects of life they will be answered.I don't regret buying it, definitly a keeper!!! I love it!!!

This was probably some of the best money I have ever spent. Sylvia has such a divine way with words. She walks you through your journey on earth with such ease and eloquence, you are left without question as to our purpose here. She has changed my life as I am sure she has changed many others. If you have any doubt as to our souls continued life after this, please read these books and put your mind at ease.

The Journey of the Soul series is astonishing. This is truth wrapped up in love. The truth we've all known and forgotten and the love we've all known and forgotten that we are.

The reading is easy, the writing plain spoken, gentle and clear.
The messages from Sylvia, Francine, and Raheim are vibrant with the reality of life lived in acceptance and understanding. Mother God as the loving warrior custodian of earth ... Azna ... and Mother Nature ... not to trifle with her protectorate ... including our own true selves ...

Father God as Om, original essence, Spirit, so oriented to essence and spirit that he has a hard time appearing in form for long ... on Om's behalf we experience ... with Azna's help we keep the promises we've forgotten that we made before we came ...

With Sylvia's help we remember how to encourage ourselves and others and to be at ease in the natural order, not dominant, not judging, not forsaking our own gifts.

Reading these books ... well, it's a bit like sharing a hot tub with God and Goddess ... almost a trip back Home ... a window into the loving structure of the universe that will not be a surprise to readers of Sylvia's other books. But there's more.

In these books she provides exercises and meditations we can use to help ourselves remain connected to the loving best we truly are and daily want to be.

Five stars to this gracious lady author teacher pastor and thank you to her for sharing these gifts.

My (10-year-old) daughter brought this book to me with a request: "This is what I want to buy all of my friends for their birthdays this year!" She loved the sense of adventure and risk-taking that Beth Baker describes in this approachable biography of an American heroine. Baker's wonderful writing is complemented by terrific underwater photos of Earle in action. Baker's book captures qualities in Earle that many kids--boys and girls alike--will find inspiring. A terrific read-alone for 4th-7th graders; also an engrossing read aloud text.

Kudos to Beth Baker for writing a book that is not only inspiring but informative and entertaining. Sylvia Earle, Guardian of the Sea, is a well written documentation of the life of a most interesting pioneer. Ms. Baker expertly captures the experiences of a woman, who plunged into the undersea world of exploration -- a field that has long been male dominated. Like Jacques Cousteau, Earle is curious about the wonders of the ocean, and undeterred about what her perceived role should be in the world, she successfully becomes a noted scientist, marine biologist and deep sea diver.

Her life is a shining example for all to strive and achieve their highest goals. It is of particular significance to young girls, who can read about Ms. Earle's pursuits and enter arenas that they might have thought were closed to them. Although the book is geared toward 9-14 year olds, it is an enjoyable read for all who have ever dreamed.

If you'd like your children to learn the rewards of perserving against great difficulties for what they believe in, the intrinsic value of the ocean and all living things, the adventure of Sylvia Earles life is an inspirational tale not to be missed. She was a true pioneer whose passionate quest for knowledge of the ocean and its inhabitants ran head on into societies reluctance for women to pursue professions beyond telecommunications and restuaranteurs(operators and waitresses). Author Beth Baker starts the book with Sylvia out of air, deep in the ocean, and keeps your attention throughout. This superbly crafted account, complete with color photos, is a delight for young readers.

Just to say, read and heed the title and you'll be more than half way there. A wonderful addition to my library and a tome to calm and direct ones self in these times and always.

This is a beautiful book. It tells the truth about who we are and what we can do about it. Ms. Boorstein's book is a jewel. This isn't fluff but good rational information on improving 'Mindfulness.' Anyone who follows Buddhism in any form will find valuable contemporary instruction. Good read.

This is the first book I've ever read by Sylvia Boorstein, but I doubt it will be the last. In Pay Attention, Boorstein teaches us about the ten Paramitas, or the pefections of the heart. She uses parables and stories from her own life to teach us what the paramitas are about as well as how they are beneficial to us if we put them into practice. She's very open, honest, and kind and writes the book as if you're sitting right there next to her and she's having a conversation with you. She doesn't make anything confusing or get too wordy like many Buddhist authors of today do.. she just tells us what we need to know and offers a few short stories to help get the point across. I personally found this book to be one of the best additions to my spiritual library in quite a while. If you're looking for a good book on Buddhism, spirituality, or just something to lift you up and make you feel better as well as the people around you feel better, I would definitely recommend this book.

The Quilter's Legacy is the touching story of Sylvia Bergstrom Compson and her dedicated search for her mother's quilts. The story winds around Elm Creek Manor, then and now. The story is as gentle and intricate as the fins quilting stitches used by Eleanor Bergstrom herself.

Never predictable, always suspenseful as to what we will find at each stop along the way, this book is for anyone who has an interest in family, legacies or quilts.

By now we know all the Elm Creek regulars, Summer, Sarah, Matthew and Andrew. The author sweetly addresses the marriage of Sylvia and Andrew as she wakes up in the arms of her new husband, showing that love is for all, not just the young.

The description of the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 was spot on and timely in view of the times we are living in. Of course, that particluar flu won't hit us again, but it is a strong reminder of the transitory lives we all lead.

I only wish that we saw more resolution in the situation with Andrew and his children. But perhaps that story is yet to tell. My only fault was that Jennifer has the date wrong for the sailing of Titanic. She sailed from Southampton on April 10th, 1912, not the 12th.

With rich descrptions, and warm characters playing against a cross section of America, I can only compare this book to the experience of snuggling under a cozy quilt while eating warm cookies with ice cold milk. Pure bliss.

Jennifer Chiaverini's storytelling gift is surpassed only by her knowledge of the art of quilting. She ably entwines the craft with the lore in the sixth of a series beloved by fans of the Elm Creek Quilts series.

Sylvia Bergstrom Compton, director of the Elm Creek Manor, is preparing for her late-in-life wedding to her longtime friend, Andrew. She decides that, instead of making a new wedding quilt, she will use the beautiful masterpiece quilt pieced by her mother, Eleanor. Sylvia's mother died at age 30 and Sylvia barely remembers her, but she does remember the beautiful quilts that adorned the beds of her childhood home. She climbs to the attic of the Manor to rummage through crates and trunks and discovers to her dismay that not a single quilt remains. Sylvia left home at an early age and her sister had sold the valuable quilts decades earlier when the family fell on hard times.

Sylvia's younger Manor employees help her launch an Internet search. Through emails and phone calls, Sylvia learns of quilts in homes, museums and shops that match the descriptions of those she most vividly remembers from her childhood. Sylvia and Andrew set out on a nationwide tour in Andrew's motor home to follow the scraps of information.

THE QUILTER'S LEGACY chronicles the search for her mother's masterpiece quilts and, thus, the history of Eleanor's life in Manhattan and Pennsylvania at the turn of the 20th century. Sylvia learns that her mother defied her parent's Victorian dictum to marry to enhance the family fortune by eloping with the man she loves. The hardships and glories of the early years, from the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic to the sinking of the Titanic weigh upon Eleanor's family. Sylvia and Andrew ramble through museums, antiques and crafts stores from California to Iowa to Pennsylvania in search, not only of the quilts, but of her mother's past.

As Sylvia recovers some of the lost quilts and resigns herself to the loss of those that can never be found, she rejoices in discovering her own legacy. Women who quilt will revel in the detail and history of famous patterns and the stories they tell. For non-quilters, a door may be opened to tempt one to delve into this intriguing craft.

--- Reviewed by Roz Shea

In 1899, New York Eleanor Lockwood knew she had a bad heart from the Scarlet Fever she contracted as an infant and her parents did not expect her to live much longer. They both kept their distance and her only adult loving came from her nanny Amelia Langley who genuinely adored her charge. The Lockwoods hoped their family fortunes would be reversed when their elder daughter married a rich man's son who would pump money into the family business. Abigail had plans of her own and eloped with her father's rival leaving Eleanor to marry the jilted groom. Eleanor couldn't go through with it and eloped with Fred Bergstrom and went to live with him in his home at Elm Creek Manor in Pennsylvania.

Years later, Eleanor's daughter Sylvia is dismayed that her sister sold her mother's five beautiful quilts. One of the Elm Creek Quilters locates a website whose purpose is to reunite quilter and quilt. From the replies she gets on the Internet, Sylvia accompanied by her fiancée Andrew set off on an odyssey to find out the history of each of the quilts once they left the family.

Past and present are played out in alternating chapters so that readers get a feel for what Eleanor's life was like and how Sylvia reconnects with her mother who has been gone for more than half a century. Jennifer Chiaverini's fascinating family saga, rich in period detail and showcasing characters who though elderly continue to live life to the utmost. This is a superb novel in a heartwarming series.

Harriet Klausner

Published in 1996, "Red Light" is a quick, interesting read that opens a window to the everyday world of New York and New Jersey sex work. Focusing primarily upon different types of prostitution and "exotic" dancing, writer James Ridgeway also touches upon porn films, phone sex, and computer-oriented enterprises. The black and white photos by Sylvia Plachy ably illustrate the world that's being delved into here.

Because "Red Light" was published in '96 the subject of computer oriented work is out of date, but the predictions regarding that arena have turned out to be mostly true. Frustratingly, Ridgeway occasionally makes sweeping or trite generalizations - particularly in the introduction - without presenting information beforehand to bolster his statements. The biggest drawback to this book is that it is geographically focused on New York and New Jersey, which are unique to anywhere else in America. Lastly, while it is often understandable, Ridgeway sometimes uses language that hinders the reader from deciding how he or she feels about a certain situation or person; or he turns the narrative in a negative direction if an interviewee starts to express something positive.

Even so, since I'm interested in human sexuality, our society's dichotomous, hypocritical and confused views on sex, and because I believe in freedom of choice, I thought "Red Light" would provide uncensored insight into the sex worker's life. It did that, though not to the extent I'd hoped. Mr. Ridgeway mainly focuses on the squalid side of the business (e.g. street prostitution and small time go-go dancing), and limiting this exposé to New York and New Jersey says more about the culture of sex work in those areas than it says about sex work everywhere else. However, even within that limited area the authors had their work cut out for them, which they presented in a bold and visceral style that gripped my attention.

"Red Light" will undoubtedly get people to re-evaluate their perceptions of the sex industry. The inherent dynamics of sex work - greed, laziness, male lust, fear, danger, fantasy, and denial - ultimately reveal the banality of commercialized sex.

Short and Sweet review: This book digs deep and gives the reader a taste of what happens in the sex "industry". Buy it! I was not disappointed.

An excellent survey of all types of sex work, from phone sex, massage parlor, brothel and street prostitution to stripping. The author presents a balanced and readable work. I recommend it highly.

Ms Cochran has succeeded in gently blindsiding the unsuspecting adult reader who thinks he/she is reading a modern day fairy tale to the little ones. Subtle and not so subtle messages abound about what we say and what we model to our children. With thoughtful reflection, this book can be a springboard for meaningful discussions with our children...and something to think about while caught in traffic. The illustrations are superb and the writing style entertaining. Several copies sit in my pediatric waiting room.

This is an undiscovered gem! I read this book with my daughters and we all found something different to enjoy, whether it be the story, the pictures, the message or the cast of characters. This book has sparked conversation on our family and style of parenting, we keep going back to look at it again. By the way, my daughters are 20 and 22 and wondering what sort of parents they may be.

As a physician I have often wished that Human Beings came with 'service manuals' - instructions for optimal care and feeding of the soul. Sylvia is the ticket. Read it and read it again. Share it with the Human Being you love!

This is a much revised and expanded version (from 161 pages to 243 pages now), with many more master pages for reproduction. The Table of Contents gives a more detailed listing of topics. References and Resources are more extensive. Chapter 1 gives longer lists of characteristics of the gifted child, and also of the perfectionistic, creative and the twice-exceptional (giftedness coexisting with a learning challenge or a disability, such as ADD/ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome).

Gifted students tend to learn less in the regular class and are often underachievers. This book provides resource materials for a wide range of subjects for helping them to "compact" the curriculum (cut out what is redundant to each) and form flexible groupings so that individual needs can be attended to. It is based on accumulated fruitful applications and it should be a standarad reference for all teachers. (Part of the content could be for American use only.)

I've found that having my own copy of this book is invaluable, as it helps me understand where the teacher might be coming from and discuss with her what options might work well for my (highly gifted) children. I gave a copy to my son's teacher--and she uses it so much she can't share it with the other teachers. I suggested the school librarian purchase a copy, and it's in high demand--it keeps disappearing. Many teachers are more than willing to find ways to accomodate the special needs of gifted children, and are actually looking for guidance on how to best differentiate their curriculum. This book gives them many different tools, and guidance on how to use them.

This book is a classic. It is a very good "how to" book for teachers. It is full of practical information and examples that teachers can use in their classroom. It is an excellent book for parents to use to advocate for gifted education with their teachers and in their school districts. The techniques are very low cost and easy to understand. A must read and must have!