This is an excellent book. My son loves the flaps and the pictures underneath. He also loves the sounds that I make with each picture corresponding to an animal. Highly recommend

From the moment my daughter saw this book she makes us read it over and over. She is a fanatic about animals and loves to point to the animal as we make the sounds. The flaps are easy to pull without breaking the book as is the problem with most other flap books. She is only 14 months old but this book is perfect to get her used to books and reading.

I bought this book for my eight-month old daughter. It is her absolute favorite book. The size is small enough that she can turn it over and over in her hands, open the pages and the flaps. We read it to her several times a day. I would recommend this for any parent with small children!

Cookbooks are my hobby and I read dozens of them all the time. Most fail because they are frequently of foods that require complicated preparation and/or are foods that the average American doesn't enjoy. Another failing of most cookbooks is that the author has tried hard to fill the book up with recipes rather than giving a few that are tried, true and tasty. Mad Coyote Joe has obviously tried all of his recipes because everything in his book is delicious besides being easy to prepare. He has also chosen a popular setting for preparation of his culinary masterpieces. Most people like to do barbecue for assembled friends and parties and Joe has given us lots of food presentations with which to impress our friends and families. This cookbook is so good I am going to buy one for everyone on my Christmas list.

The Sonoran Grill is the printed version of Mad Coyote Joe's great TV show. The author takes you through some great tasting recipes from the desert southwest, and you don't feel like you need to spend years in the kitchen to make each meal a success. You might have to spend a few weekends over the grill, but this book makes doing that even easier. Its a must for the seasoned chef, and those new to the grill. I never used to cook before and now its a big part of my life. You need this one for your backyard.

Honestly, I've never "read" a cookbook before, usually just flip through the pages but the Sonoran Grill is educational as well as a book full of good recipes, easy to understand directions and unique offerings for your guests. The combination of photos and recipes will cause your mouth to water. Once you start reading this cookbook, you'll start making your grocery list, and your guest list for an evening of good food and good friends to enjoy. This is one cookbook that will have tattered and stained pages from constant use. Your family and friends will think you are a genius in the kitchen using Mad Coyote Joe's creative recipes, so take my advice, add Sonoran Grill to your shopping cart!

In this +600 pages volume the author describes the rulers of all sunsigns (called the ruling planets). In other words, this book is about rulerships. In different parts the author explains the different meanings of all sunsign rulers in combination with the sign they are placed in. In another part he goes even further, blending your own ruling planet with the ruling planet of a friend, a lover, your boss, etc... These planetary combinations in relationships are unique. This colourful and neat book is as well suited for beginners as for more experienced astrologers.

More than just a fresh approach to astrology, RULING PLANETS conveys a fresh approach to life that is wise, uplifting, down-to-earth, and often witty. This guy knows his stuff. And he has taste to boot. Not only is Mr. Renstrom masterful in his knowledge of the planets, he's masterful with words. And he's gathered a winning team around him - producing a book with beautiful art, type and design that does justice to his exceptional text.

You can read this book at so many levels. Go to it for advice. Go to it to learn about astrology. Go to it for entertainment....Whatever your reason, you'll come away with practical, sage gems of wisdom and insight -- even if you're not the type to ever touch a a book filed under "spirituality."

Whether your a "believer" or a skeptic, it's more than obvious that this book's written by a man who understands the human experience, both in the context of history and today's world. And Mr. Renstrom definitely tells it like it is, without ever being preachy or formulaic.....RULING PLANETS is really a pleasure to read.

For a book of Astrology, Ruling Planets by Christopher Renstrom is surprisingly grounded. Grounded in history. Grounded in mythology. Grounded in simplicity. The author Renstrom has truly dug through history to find and decipher the threads that hold it together. His knowledge of mythology is vast. As a mythology buff myself, that part of Ruling Planets appealed to me. Most importantly, the book offers a four-step process, clearly marked and easily followed, to learn the role we play in the cosmos. I found Ruling Planets both insightful AND enjoyable. That combination is rare in any genre. In astrology, Ruling Planets stands alone.

Do I really need to say how important Eliot is? Simply put, this is the dividing line. Poetry has never been the same since. Beyond that, the Norton Critical edition does an excellent job assisting us by providing the reader with many of the sources this excellent poem was based on, as well as many responses to this poem in one neat and nifty book! Plus the poem is thrown in just for kicks. Buy the book! Love the book!

Literature scholars universally recognize Eliot's "Waste Land" as one of the most influential poems of the 20th century. The poem draws on a wealth of images, everything from classics of Western literature to Tarot cards, from anthropology to Eastern sacred texts. The title refers to the barren land of the Fisher King in Arthurian legend; both the king and the land eventually find redemption through the Holy Grail. Through a masterful use of language and symbols, Eliot brilliantly portrays the problem of meaning in the modern world --- and the way to deeper meaning!

Unfortunately, many of Eliot's references are arcane, and not easy for the lay reader to pursue. For example, few modern readers happen to have a copy of Webster's play "White Devil" or excerpts from Shackleton's account of the Antarctic expedition readily available on their shelves. Hence, the virtue of this particular edition: in addition to Eliot's original poem and original notes, this book includes the relevant passages from every single work Eliot quotes in the "Wasteland", all translated into English. For the first time I have seen in print, this book allows the reader to understand this magnificent poem in light of the full scope of its allusions. A triumphant achievement!

Simply put, THE WASTE LAND is one of the strangest, most complicated, and interesting poems ever written. Try reading an unannotated version of the poem and you will see why even TS Eliot scholars need a little help with some of the images and literary references Eliot uses. This NORTON CRITICAL EDITION of THE WASTE LAND is an essential book for any Eliot fan, new or old. It provides you with practically every single piece of literature, history, and music that inspired Eliot to write his manifesto of the Lost Generation. If you have any questions concerning THE WASTE LAND, this is the book you need...this is the book you want. Buy it and realize how well-read you are not.

Mr. Christopher Bing has reconceptualized "Casey at the Bat" from being a poem that appeared in the June 3, 1888 edition of the San Francisco Examiner into an imaginary news story with drawings and artifacts in "The Mudville Sunday Monitor" of the same date. In that reframing, the classic poem takes on a greater life and significance for fans of the poem.

Each page in this brief book resembles the yellowed file copies of that old newspaper, with historic artifacts strewn across its pages. You will see tickets to the game, money, confetti, articles of that time, advertisements, a baseball, a baseball card, and the Library of Congress catalog card for "Casey at the Bat." Even the acknowledgments are put into this format.

But this would all be but window-dressing if it were not such a powerful poem that has captured the imaginations of baseball fans for generations.

"The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine . . . ."

"The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play."

Everyone hopes that Casey will get to bat, but that's unlikely. But a miracle happens.

"For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat."

Then comes the most famous and exciting at-bat in fictional baseball history.

Alas, like the Red Sox since Babe Ruth left for New York, the end is disappointment for the fans.

This book will make a wonderful gift for the baseball fan who has everything.

After you finish oohing and aahing over the great illustrations and reliving your pleasure in the poem, I suggest that you reflect over the famous at-bats that have occurred in real baseball games. Which one is your favorite? For me, none can match Kirk Gibson's hobbling home run to help the Dodgers top the Mets in Shea Stadium in the final game of the National League Championship Series and go onto the World Series. I still get chills thinking about that. Reggie Jackson's third home run in the same World Series game comes close as a thrill.

Wait for a good pitch, and hit it out of the park!

Originally submitted to a newspaper in 1883, Ernest Lawrence Thayer's poem "Casey at the Bat" has become an American classic. In essence, it is baseball's equivalent version of "Twas the Night Before Chritsmas."

"Casey at the Bat" has become a part of pop culture, and is still one of the most talked about stories of all time. Christopher Bing takes the wonderful classic, and adds in some amazing illustrations to make for a fantastic children's book. Presenting the poem with a myriad of sepia toned images is exceptional. The book reads like a scrapbook, with amazing-looking old newspaper clippings that reflect the times of the story. There are also pictures of old currency and replica baseball tickets to give it a more complete feel.

This book is put together quite nicely. Again, the illustrations are perfect, and the scrapbook appearance gives it a genuine look of something that you will want to treasure with your children. This is a classic poem that every person should have the benefit of hearing. Christopher Bing's version is the best I've ever seen, and is a must for any family with children. There will be plenty of joy in your home with this book.

Our elementary school library currently has three versions of the classic baseball poem, "Casey at the Bat," by three different illustrators. This one was added because of its well-deserved status as a Caldecott Honor book (for illustrations).

Since I usually make an annual Spring tradition of reading "Casey" to some classes, I can tell you that this edition by Christopher Bing works very nicely for group read-alouds. However in this setting kids miss out on the many interesting--but smaller--details that Bing has added to each page, such as a faded newspaper clipping about "the barbaric practice of using only a single ball throughout the nine innings of play..." Students are also drawn to the 1880s currency--bills and coins--shown on the page that says, "We'd put up even money now with Casey at the bat."

Christopher Bing has created a mini-museum display that many children will devour like an "I Spy" book, particularly if they are baseball fans or history buffs.

If you are not familiar with this wonderful poem, I'd put it in the same "classic" status as "The Night Before Christmas," by Clement C. Moore; "Paul Revere's Ride," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; or "The Cremation of Sam McGee," by Robert Service.

The symposium is Plato's famous dialogue on love. He brings together some of the greatest minds of Athens and together they debate the nature of Eros, the parentage of Love, and the Divine. Aristophanes, the comic, explains the human desire to unite with another using his favorite device: humor. Socrates, for whom Plato obviously has enormous admiration, gives us more pearls of wisdom, this time concerning love, beauty, and the ascent of man. Even the great general and statesman Alcibiades makes a cameo toward the end scene of the dinner-party.

At the very least, we learn about the Greek concept of Love. From this book we may garner a far deeper understanding of Eros than we might have previously hoped. This is the finest of Plato's works, in my opinion.

The Symposium will continue to tower among Western literature as a work of truly insightful genius. Buy this book and be prepared for enlightenment.

This is perhaps the most enjoyable of Plato's dialogues, and one of the most enduring.

Plato imagines his mentor Socrates, the comic playwright Aristophanes, and other Athenian luminaries of the Golden Age met for a dinner party and a night of discussion on the nature of love. The various guests present their positions in manners ranging from thoughtful to hilarious, but all of this is but an appetizer for the main course: Socrates' concept of Eros as the fuel for the soul's ascent to the Divine, as revealed in Socrates' reminiscence of his own mentor, Diotima, the woman of Mantinea. At the end, a drunken Alcibiades breaks in upon the festivities to reveal Socrates as an avatar of the very divine Eros which he praises.

Robin Waterfield's Oxford translation is one of the best. He captures each speaker's individual idiom, a major translational feat in itself. That he is able to do so and also render the text into lucid modern English is a further coup. The Oxford edition also includes an extensive introduction, very helpful notes, and a complete bibliography.

The Symposium is great philosophy, great literature, an intimate peek at the social life of one of western civilization's formative eras, a work of spiritual inspiration and transformation, and, not least, a wonderful read. Most highly recommended!

Plato's "Symposium" will always be read because there will always be people who question the nature of Love. Agathon's dinner party is the scene of a conversation between a small group of men, who go around the table offering their views on Love. What does Love mean to us to-day? Reading over the responses of the dinner-guests and their host, we find the same range of answers in Ancient Greece that we are likely to find now.

Phaedrus and Pausanias are utilitarians and materialists. Phaedrus looks at love between people and a proto-Burkean love for government and state. Pausanias complicates the argument, saying that there are two different kinds of love, one which is common and one which is heavenly - yet still oriented towards the real and the tangible. Eryximachus is a proto-Swedenborg, trying to reconcile or harmonize the two kinds of love.

The jewels of Plato's "Symposium" are Aristophanes and Socrates. Aristophanes gives us the profoundly moving depiction of Love as a fundamental human need, a desire for completion. For a writer of comedy, whose aim as an art form is forgiveness and acceptance, Aristophanes's explanation is no surprise, though its depth is amazing. While women are generally discounted throughout the "Symposium," not only does Socrates, as we might expect, completely astound his audience (both inside the book and out) with his progressively logical and ascendant view of Love, but he also does it through the voice of a woman, Diotima. When we realize that Socrates is a character in this fiction, and that his words originate in a woman, the egalitarianism and wisdom of Plato the author truly shines forth, like the absolute beauty he claims as the ultimate goal of Love.

Was Plato a feminist? I don't know. I do know that the "Symposium" is a tremendous book. I picked it up and did not stop reading it until I was finished. The style of the Penguin translation is smooth, with a lighthearted tone that can make you forget that you are reading philosophy. Plato's comedic masterpiece in the "Symposium" is the character of Alcibiades, who provides the work a fitting end. Get the "Symposium" and read it now. You cannot help but Love it...in a Platonic sort of way.

I have only read a few authors who realized the possibilities of were-humans as well as were-critters. By that, I mean animals that can appear to be human. This is surprising in the light of the number of legends about mythical beasts that can appear human. Chinese dragons, selkies, and the countless creatures of the fey world for starters. So the start of Chris Golden's new series about wolf-like 'monsters' that can pass for human is a break from the usual werewolf novel.

The basic thesis is that these 'Prowlers' are of two attitudes. Many have blended into human life, carefully controlling their needs to hunt and kill. But many others long for a return to the wild, seeking human beings for sport and food. These creatures are not bound by the full moon, and are really not magical other than their shape changing abilities. But they are extremely powerful and almost impossible to elude. Basically wolves on a lot of steroids.

When Jack Dwyer and Mollie Hatcher lose Artie Carroll, their best friend and lover, to a vicious attack, the last thing Jack expects is to find himself talking to Artie's ghost. Not just Artie either, but other residents of the Ghostlands as well. All victims of the Prowlers, they are warning the youthful and ill-prepared part owner of Bridget's Irish Rose Pub that unless he does something countless citizens of Boston will die.

Jack quickly finds the he and Mollie are the next objects of the pack's unending hunt. Equally endangered are Jack's sister Courtney and many of their close friends. For all of them, angered by what happened to Artie, this quickly turns into a war. Aided by the ghosts and fighting to keep Artie's presence a secret from Mollie, Jack finds himself shifting between the Ghostlands and terra firma.

This is almost a completely successful novel. Too much time is spent setting the scene for the series to come and not enough steadily building the tension. When the action finally does kick in it does so with a vengeance. Suddenly it is as if there is barely enough time to finish the novel. I found the characters interesting if a little bit too much of the Boston Irish stereotype. We get good insight to the workings of Jack's psyche, but the other characters are less well constructed.

Sometimes I think that Golden has spend so much time writing for pre-developed characters, such as Buffy, that he is no longer completely comfortable on his own. And yet, Golden always managed to have enough moments of brilliance to keep pulling the rabbit out of the hat. There is enough here to want to follow the series through at least one more volume.

Prowlers is another amazing book by Christopher Golden, author of the Shadow Saga, Straight on Till Morning, and numerous comic books, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Golden's Evil Creature this time are the Prowlers, a race of savage beasts who have been around long before humans. Over time, they evolved, and developed the ability to shift into a human form. They walk among us, moving from city to city to prey on humanity. They kill, eat, and leave the person's soul to wonder the Ghostlands, never being able to rest until their deaths have been avenged.

Jack Dwyer finds his life forever changed after the Prowlers move to his hometown of Boston. Along with his friends and sister, he discovers what the Prowlers are, and a little something about himself: he can see into the Ghostlands, and talk with the dead.

The Prowler Series is a hard set of books to set down -- I've been eating them up (pun intended). I don't know how he does it, but Golden seems to never be at a loss for newer, scary Evil Things. From the Scare Crow in Halloween Rain, the Hunt in Child of the Hunt (which scared me silly), to the twisted tale of lost boys in Straight On Till Morning, Golden is always creating terrifying evil. The Prowlers are some of the deadliest yet. Another bit of Golden's story telling that I enjoy is the way he introduces his characters, gives them all a personality and depth, and then kills them. He works at it slowly, revealing more about his cast as the books proceed.

If you're a fan of Buffy, Steven King, or just scary monsters, you'll want to grab Prowlers and give it a read.

In the past Christopher Golden has wowed us with thrilling Buffy novelizations and the amazing Body of Evidence series, but with Prowlers he breaks new ground, giving us a series that's more adult than YA.

The hero, 19-year-old Jack Dwyer, has not lived an easy life. His mother died when he was only 10, leaving her bar to him and his sister, a bar that he has owned half of since he was in high school. But when a new tragedy strikes Jack he finds it difficult to deal with. His best friend Artie, and a girl he might have gone out with have been murdered in a brutal way. Jack tries to move on but unfortunately Artie won't let him. Jack is shocked when Artie comes back from the ghost worlds to warn him about horrible creatures called Prowlers. They are monsters, wolves with human faces, that move from city to city, killing and murdering until they're almost found out. The pack gets larger and larger with every bound and now only Jack can stop them.

Like the Jenna Blake series, this novel is suspenseful and mysterious and like Chris Golden's Buffy novel's they're filled with their fare share of supernatural monsters. I very much enjoyed this book and look foreword to reading the rest of the series. I recommend this book to fans of the Jenna Blake series and others of the like.

Chris Null's novel about a high school student who must endure constant bullying is intense and tightly written. In the novel's span readers witness the transformation of a young suburban kid from relatively 'normal' to bitter and consummed. Chris Null's depiction of Alex is realistic and anyone who has suffered through high school will relate to his plight. He reveals how the most seemingly normal communities and happy people have anger and violence seething not far from the surface. It's a book that you will have trouble putting down.

Half Mast is a great read. From the moment you start you're drawn into Alex's world, and anyone who was ever ridiculed (and really, who wasn't?) in high school -- or who did the ridiculing him or herself -- will instantly remember the pain and agony of being there. Chris Null's writing is sharp and exact, and he describes his characters so well by showing us who they are by their words, their actions, and their interactions. Though you know what is going to inevitably happen, you can't stop reading to find out how it all goes down.

A truly incredible book. I can't believe it's his first!

Mr. Null captures the essence of anybody who couldn't figure out how to fit in high school. In Half Mast, we meet a normal kid, Alex, who is bullied and taunted to the brink. Alex is written as richly and deeply as any fictional character I've ever read. Along with Alex are a group of his friends who are also social outcasts, kids just waiting to graduate from high school and leave suburban hell behind them. Even Alex recognizes that his college days are nearing and his life will be infinitely better in a few years, but something happens to him that he can't forgive or forget. Alex fulfills the dream of every kid who has been the victim of a bully and the adults who just turn a blind eye. The truth is that almost everyone has Alex in us. This is a compelling story, and one that should be required reading for every high school teacher to understand how their less-than-popular students are feeling.

I enjoyed HOL more than I thought possible. The system is relatively easy to use (it is a little bumpy for my taste), but the entertainment value of the book alone is completely worth it. The companion, "Buttery Wholesomeness" is equally as quirky, and definately adds what is lacking to HOL. Character creation is such fun that my cohorts and I made several, just for giggles. Fun to play, a riot to read, if you are a gamer, I recommend this for a light-hearted spin on the atypical RPG.

With all of the complex, rules heavy games on the market, it was a pure joy to be able to teach my two kids, ages 9 and 11, to play HoL! The rules are insanely simple, make for fast, exciting play, and allow you to totally immerse yourself in playing. I recommend this game for any parent wishing to teach their kids to roleplay, and as an educational tool as well! No better fun to be found anywhere! Both books are fantastic, with great writing.. you will be laughing for hours!
HoL, so good the entire family can play!

Hol is one of the most interesting RPGs I've ever played. Let me give you an example. In my first game of Hol, at one point, we were stuck in a 10 by 10 stone room. We had no way to get out. Or so we thought. My friend summoned about 200 children, which he ordered to repeatedly run into the wall. AND IT WORKED! After playing in games where characters could grow extra limbs, make their voice sound more important than the voice of God, use sarcasm to make a meteor grow a face and cry, eat an obscenely large, unedible object, engage a huge evil enemy in a game of childish insults, buy Tito Puente at your local Caldor, or roll dice to die, it's hard to go back to Mage and Werewolf. Good job, Black Dog/White Wolf!

This book will be good if you want to review the components that might make up your wealth protection strategy. However, the book comes up short on the detail needed to understand those components well or to structure a comprehensive plan for yourself.

To get a feel for the lack of detail take a look at the Table of Contents, note that it seems very comprehensive but when you look a little closer you will see that most of the chapters are LESS THAN 5 PAGES! The subtopics in each chapter usually make up a single paragraph with a large font bold heading that takes up a lot of the page.

In short, if you want to get an overview of the components you might ask your advisor to explain to you, this would be a valuable purchase. If you want to understand these things yourself, you will be disappointed.

I just finished reading Wealth Protection and found it to be extremely valuable in planning for my financial future. I am a business consultant and consider myself to fairly aware of the various financial tools, strategies, and techniques...

However, the book offered me numerous new strategies for more effectively protecting my wealth. The best thing about the book is that it is structured in a way that will allow just about anybody to find specific, tailored advice.

Good work Jarvis and Mandell! I look forward to your next book!

i am privy to working with Chris personally and I can assure you he is one of the most respected, capable and knowledgeable persons in the area of wealth protection. the book's true magic lies in the fact that it is intended for anyone interested in protecting their assets, and it shows you how to do it in a very down to earth, easy to understand manner.

this is not designed for the technically advanced financiers out there, so don't fret. it is literally for anyone who wants to protect their wealth.
a highly recommended book.