this book is excellent to describe a giant squid the mystery of the deep.with facts and info its excellent to describe it. i love evry thing about it you dont get better than this! WELL DONE JENNIFER DUSSLING!

This book will make kids laugh and churn their stomach too! Full of incredible bug facts, it is perfect for studying insects! Penner really does simplify science by writing with a text that is fun and easy to read. Gross, fun and informative! The illustrations almost look more real than photos!

This is one of the best children's books I know of. It is short enough for pre-schoolers to enjoy, but the vocabulary used is advanced enough for children in higher grades to read. The illustrations are beautiful enough to frame. I highly recommend this book to all mommies and grandmas.

Panos Koulermos is my favorite architect. This book is contains many of his last works, and is excellently laid out and illustrated. This is not a book for those who are interested in merely the latest trends or in silly things. This is a book where one can see breathtaking work, with strength and enduring qualities of a true master.

Twenty biographies of women of distinctive accomplishment. Emmy-winner; blind therapist; several different business owners (Painter, Plumber, Carpenter, Personal Ad Writer, Dog Trainer); singer; court clerk in the John Belushi and Night Stalker cases; just to name a few.

Questions of character abound in this book. How does a child come to appreciate doing that which is right? How does a child make sense of the board/rabbi relationship? Why do things happen the way they do? Why do the righteous suffer?

This book does not have a Disney-type ending and pre-reading by parents will help children deal with a religious or professional leader who has to move his family from community to community or with the death of a parent.

As a diver at Marine World/Africa USA it was part of Don Reed's job to swim with sharks. He fed them and cleaned their tank. At first he was afraid when he felt a scratchy stomach brush past him or saw an approaching pair of jaws. Soon, however, he grew used to the sharks. He was even comfortable with them, admiring their strength and agility. He especially cared for Sevengill, a massive brown shark with black spots and golden eyes.

Sevengill did not scare Don Reed. He began to trust her...Until the terifying day he felt her teeth. Then he realized his mistake. A shark can never be someone's pet.

From the back cover of the book.

You may have heard that "Twilight in the Forbidden City" is the book that Bernardo Bertolucci's movie "The Last Emperor" is "based" on. If at all, however, this is true only with regard to the first part of the movie (the book was published in 1934, just as Pu-Yi had ascended the throne of "Manchukuo"), and actually, the book should not be read or understood in this limited sense at all. Primarily, this is the personal account of a British diplomat and scholar of the Chinese history, society and culture who, at some point in his career, was appointed to the (for a westerner: virtually unprecedented) position of tutor to China's last monarch. True, those who have seen Bertolucci's movie will recognize individual events described in this book, such as the emperor's birthday and wedding ceremonies (Bertolucci obviously used Johnston's description of the birthday rituals as a model for the spectacular coronation ceremonies at the beginning of the movie - as Johnston had not yet been made tutor at that point, he could not give an eyewitness account of that event), and Johnston's constant battle with the corrupt and reactionary palace eunuchs, as best exemplified by the fight over the emperor's glasses (without which Pu-Yi arguably would have lost eyesight before long).

But Johnston's book is not merely a biography of the emperor. Rather, it is an account of the last period of the Manchu empire, and of the Chinese society in the second half of the 19th and the first decades of the 20th century. In addition to the author's personal impressions gained inside and outside the imperial palace, up to and including Pu-Yi's dramatic flight from the Forbidden City in 1924, which ultimately ended in the Japanese legation, the book also renders Johnston's view of the role of the major foreign powers at the time (Japan, Russia, the U.S., Germany and, of course, his native England), and the emperor's predecessors and their politics, such as the powerful empress dowager Tzu-Hsi (named "the Venerable Buddha"), the reform attempts of the unfortunate emperor Kuang-Hsü (which earned him, at the age of 28, lifelong humiliation, imprisonment and ultimately death in a tiny and windowless building within the imperial palaces), the Boxer Movement, and the brief and likewise unlucky interlude of the reign of Pu-Yi's father (Kuang-Hsü's brother), Prince Chun.

Johnston was a monarchist and fiercely loyal to Pu-Yi personally, so don't expect him to treat any of the popular movements which ultimately brought the monarchy to an end with much sympathy or at least, objectivity. He probably also underestimated the dangers to China (and the Manchu dynasty) growing out of the emperor's re-installment as ruler of "Manchukuo" at the behest of the Japanese. In fact, the very title of this book is designed to reflect its author's hope that, like the "Rising Sun" symbolized by the Japanese emperor, the Chinese monarchy would soon rise and shine again. Equating the 12 years between the establishment of the Chinese republic in 1912 and the emperor's expulsion from the Forbidden City in 1924 to a "twilight" period and the 10 years following it to the night, Johnston dedicates the book to Pu-Yi "in the earnest hope that, after the passing of the twilight and the long night, the dawn of a new and happier day for himself, and also for his people on both sides of the Great Wall, is now breaking." In the book's introduction, he again emphasizes that "there is a twilight of the dawn as well as a twilight of the evening" and that the dark period witnessed by China might "be followed in due time by another twilight which will brighten into a new day of radiant sunshine."

This, of course, is not the only prediction where history has proven Reginald F. Johnston wrong. His analysis of the role of some of the key players of the time, for example that of the empress dowager Tzu-Hsi, is likewise not undisputed; and he himself has not remained without criticism, either (even at the time of its publication, a major purpose of the book was to defend his actions and view of the facts). The book must therefore be read with a grain of salt. But few westerners of his time had a knowledge of China equaling his, let alone his opportunities to observe and gain insights within the imperial palace. That, in itself, makes his account a compelling read.

Mr. Johnson's work romanticizes the truth behind the opulence that existed within the Forbidden City. The vislual feast presented in the book differed much from what was provided in the film, but, both touched upon the essence of what the author suggested; there was granduer, there was, glitter, and, there was truth in what the author saw. The traumatic changes in the social order of the day happened over years, not minutes. The book did little to present what was happening outside of the palace walls, and the film did even less. The film did focus on the attrocities being committed upon the Chinese people by the invading Japanese during the war, but, it did not touch upon those committed by the foreign influences, and, the ruling class itself. Maybe it was a good thing that this truth was not presented in the film, because,the film would then have to be called, "The Saga of the Twilight in the Forbidden City." Sometimes its better if you just read and understand the book in, and, of itself, then attempt to understand the historical truth being presented by any ONE the book. Go figure!

Twilight in the Forbidden City is considered by The University of Pittsburgh to be out of date due to the use by R.F.J. of the Yale pronounciation of the Chinese language. However, despite that fact, the author manages to capture some of the most historicaly decisive events in Chinese history due to his close relationship with the Emperor, Pu-Yi. He also manages to reflect on some of the events prior to becoming tutor to the Emperor, including the Boxer Rebellion and the downfall of the Empress Tzu-Hsi, that contributed to the twilight in the Fobidden City. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a student of East Asian studies.

If you're looking for a good read with some funny situations and interesting holidays - get this book. Each story is unique and a fast read. I disagree with the reviewer who said the stories were cliche. I thought the characters were interesting and quirky with the only cliche being that they each found "true love" in different settings and that really isn't cliche - it's a romance novel. Sit back with your cup of tea or coffee, a snack and enjoy this novel. You won't be sorry.

As in many anthologies, they are often more difficult to write than standard length publications. The writing must be fast in order to keep the flow and continuity from one story to the next. I thoroughly enjoyed "Romancing the Holidays". This isn't your standard, one-holiday anthology. There's everything from Jewish holiday traditions to Halloween. What a surprise and quite refreshing! If you'd like a fun-filled, whimsical, fantasy anthology, this is the one for you. I kept on reading until the last story was over!

As in all anthologies, writers are faced with pacing their stories faster and to the point. Authors must keep those stories flowing. Stories like these are often much more difficult to write than standard, romance-length publications. But I found the stories in "Romancing the Holidays" greatly enjoyable, light-hearted and extremely imaginative. I went from one story to the next without putting the book down. And what a wonderful premise! It's highly unusual to find a series of short romances based upon different holiday themes. Any lover of the romance genre will happily embrace these stories. Whimsical, fantasy-filled, fun and original, if you like stories about holidays, filled with romance and happiness, "Romancing the Holidays" is a great read! This isn't just your typical over-done, one-holiday anthology. There's everything from romances in the Jewish holiday tradition, to Halloween and everything in between. Very original!

On Christmas Eve young Becca discovers tiny people climbing on her tree, trying to carry off her favorite ornament--a glass mermaid. She agrees to shrink to their size and join them in their quest to save the mermaid of Seatown. They all disappear down a hidden door in the tree trunk. Becca, Sander and Jingle race against time to rescue both mermaids from the evil schemes of the Captain--a sorceress who terrorizes Seatown.

Becca has always been jealous of her older, graceful sister, but on this magic night she discovers that she has value and talents in her own right--she needs to be brave and strong to help her miniature friends. When her task is accomplished, she realizes that she truly belongs in her real family after all; she is NOT second best or a failure. A light read which elementary girls will enjoy. (Could introduce a class discussion of sibling rivalry and how we view ourselves.)

I READ THIS BOOK IN ELEM. SCHOOL AND IT CAPTURED MY IMAGINATION. THIS IS A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS PRESENT BECAUSE IT KEEPS THE YOUNG READER INTERESTED IN THE ADVENTURE FROM PAGE ONE. I AM 23 NOW, AND I JUST BOUGHT A USED COPY OF IT TO RE-READ AND HOLD ONTO UNTIL I HAVE CHILDREN ONE DAY!

I ALSO FIRST READ THIS BOOK AS A YOUNG GIRL I THEN RE-READ IT LATER AND I AM PLANNING TO DO IT AGAIN (I'M 21 YEARS OLD) I THINK IT REALLY ALLOWS A PERSON TO USE THEIR IMAGINATIONS WHEN THEY READ IT. IT'S A VERY UNPREDICTABLE STORY THAT ANY GIRL WILL LOVE!