This is the book to buy for little kids of all ages. The story is so sweet, the words so engaging, the illustrations and the colors so vivid and soothing at the same time. I'm delivering yet another copy to the smartest three-year-old I know in just a little while, and I can already imagine Nick holding this book and reading it to one of his kids. It's a classic, it's a work of art, it's a very wonderful teaching tool, but, best of all, it's got heart, and what more can you hope to show kids? Take a bow, Kel.

"I Bought a Baby Chicken" is a cute story and a subtle counting book. During a family trip to the general store, the narrator sees a little chick and decides to buy it. Her sister picks up two black chicks, her dad likes three striped ones, and before you know it, the whole family - cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents - has gone cuckoo for chickens. "I guess my family's lucky that I didn't want a cow," concludes the narrator, who'd better hope her family doesn't suddenly develop a hankering for friend chicken or buffalo wings. Karen Stormer Brooks' google-eyed illustrations are as silly as the story. (by Claire Martin).

This little counting book in charming verse by Kelly Milner Halls is exactly the sort of thing to brighten up a child's day or your own. Kelly gives the little story gentle excitement which will stimulate a child and charm an adult. It is the kind of little morsel I would want to grace a coffee table forever. I also thought the illustrations unusual and darling.

Many will ask just what can one do with a counting book, but Kelly has managed to do something new while staying within comfortable and familiar bounds.

With the city still reeling from the aftershock of the Rodney King riots, the mean streets of Los Angeles have gotten a lot meaner and more treacherous as African-American detective Charlotte Justice of the LAPD's elite Robbery-Homicide division returns to active duty after serving out a four-month suspension following a previous investigation which had ended tragically. Three weeks away from a potentially explosive...multi-candidate...mayoral primary, LA is a powder keg of racial/political tensions that's ready to blow at the slightest provocation. When Charlotte and her new partners, black lesbian Billie Truesdale and white 'newbie-Tec' Roger Middleton, catch their first case as a team (the cold-blooded killing of a politically-well-connected Korean-American woman whose dead body has been found bound, gagged and dumped in a Koreatown alley), it could well prove to be the high-profile spark that will destroy LAPD's last remaing shreds of credibility and set the city ablaze. Savvy, stunning Vicki Park had been working as a campaign strategist for charismatic, former news-anchor Mike Santos who is running hard and well-ahead of the pack in his campaign to become LA's first Mexican-American mayor. Apparently dissatisfied with the role which she's being asked to play in his race, has Vicki's discontent caused her murder? Charlotte's investigation becomes further complicated by another death...that of a Korean detective who has been serving as her link with the community: was it an accident or was he set up? and she needs every bit of her hard-won street smarts, detective skills and self-control to work her way through a maze of false clues, misleading information and an old-boys' Department network that would like nothing better than to see her lose her badge permanently. Inevitably, as she starts to zero in on the how's and why's of Vicki's murder, the stakes rise, and the final confrontation between Charlotte and a traitorous killer/cop had me glued to the pages until I could safely breathe again.

That's actually the best criteria that I have to praise Paula L. Woods as a fresh, unique and utterly absorbing new voice on the police procedural scene! This lady can WRITE! I came to Charlotte Justice cold, and was excited to the point where I stopped reading after only a couple of chapters (hard to do!) in order to seek out her two previous adventures first. Yes, this novel will absolutely stand-alone, but I quickly realized that if I really wanted to be able to savor its nuances...especially those having to do with the black community: its family values and focus which are so integral to Ms. Woods' plotting...obtaining additional background material from "Inner City Blues" and "Stormy Weather" could and did make an enormous difference in my enjoyment of "Dirty Laundry". I was especially enthralled and impressed by Ms. Woods' 'take' on Chalotte's experiences in dealing with the barbed-wire, racist/sexist climate in LAPD. This novel rang with the fervor of I'll-tell-it-like-it-is-let-the-chips-fall-where-they-may! authenticity, and I can tell you this: whatever she chooses to write in the future, I plan to be right there with her.

Eleven months after the Rodney King Riots, Los Angeles remains fragmented along racial lines and the LAPD is still reeling from the fact that four of their own are going to be on trial. Some members of the community are trying to heal the troubled city by campaigning for the mayoral candidate that they believe will work to unite the racially divided city. Korean-American Vicki Park believes that Latino candidate Mike Santos is the person for the job and works as a campaign strategist on his election team until someone kills her.

African-American LAPD homicide detective Charlotte Justice, a black woman who can pass for white, knows how racially and sexually prejudiced the department is against blacks and women. She is assigned to find out who killed Vicki Park and dumped her burned body in a back alley in Koreantown. Aware of what a political hot potato she is dealing with and just coming off a suspension because she killed a dirty cop, Charlotte must once again deal with dirty police officers and multiple suspects who had ample reason to want the victim dead.

In March 1993, Los Angeles is a city in pain especially the Korean community who lost some loved ones and much of their local shops due to rioters. The police department is still run by the white good old boys, leaving minorities and women losing the fight against an entrenched system that has been in place for decades. DIRTY LAUNDRY is an excellent police procedural that gives a step by step play of a homicide investigation against one heck of a realistic backdrop.

Harriet Klausner

Paula L. Woods comes back onto the sleuth scene in her third Charlotte Justice tale, DIRTY LAUNDRY. This time, our fearless diva is back on the job after an administrative leave, and ready to roll some heads. After taking on the title of supervisor, Justice is assigned to a case involving a dead Korean girl whose body was found in an alley. The vic, Vicki Park, was a member of the campaign team for the Latino mayorial candidate, Mike Santos. Something stinks in the events leading up to Park's demise, and Charlotte and Billie Truesdale are on it like white on rice.

In DIRTY LAUNDRY, not only is the Park case part of the plot, but Charlotte's own life transgressions and dirty laundry come out in the open. She is forced to confront feelings about her family, her career, her fiancee Aubrey, and the passing of her husband and daughter years earlier. A novel about secrets, lies, and letting go, DIRTY LAUNDRY won't disappoint followers of Justice. Woods' prose is tight and, once again, Charlotte was allowed into my heart. Another page turner from this talented mystery writer, DIRTY LAUNDRY is an especially symbolic read for those who know that "digging up dirt will just get you dirty," but it'll all come out in the wash.

Reviewed by CandaceK
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Ever run out of fun activities utilizing the Internet? Fear no more! This book not only contains various Internet activities throughout the curriculum, but it also provides everything you need to know about the Internet. FAQ's as well as basics of the Internet's capabilities are examples of the topics covered. Along with numerous Internet activities of each academic subject, special activities dealing with holidays are also included. Most definitely recommended for all educators; only caution as mentioned in this book is to check websites before indulging in activities. Websites tend to change and update frequently.

I really enjoyed reading this book and doing the activities with my class. Any teacher would benefit from including this one in their curriculum.

My name is Scott but my dad calls me Scottie. My dad got me this book because I like to play outside. We would read the book and play the games outside. I like the pictures in it too. I can read but not all the words. Thank you for a good book.

I am a high school senior applying to film schools across the country, and I found FILM SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL to be a very helpful book. Not only did it rate the film-schools in various categories , but it also gave an in-depth analysis on each program and an HONEST review of each program. The reviews of each film-school are given from the perspective of a student, rather than a perspective from a teacher. Unfortunetly, the book focuses on Graduate-film studies, rather than undergraduate studies (but the book is still helpful). About 40 of America's top film-schools are reviewed. In conclusion, I would have to say that this book is a MUST-BUY for anyone who is thinking about attending film-school. It gives concise and honest reviews on most of the top film schools in the country.

During my senior year of college, while I was applying to film school, this book proved quite helpful. Very little is written about graduate programs in the arts (at least that I've been able to find) compared to Law, Medical or MBA programs and, beyond the Internet, word of mouth and professors, it is good to have an additional source to consult (especially one written by two MFA film grads from NYU!)

So far, I have found Film School Confidential to present a fair, accurate and honest portrait of what I have expereinced. The authors want to make sure a potential MFA candidate in film knows what he/she is signing up for. I did not find this book to be discouraging: just realistic.

Schools are reviewed in depth. One thing I found to be of particular help was the discussion of how production staff roles were determined. In some schools, a student might never get a chance to direct, even if that student came to study directing; whereas in other programs, students rotate through postions and have the opportunity to learn to edit, write, direct, produce, etc,... I found that the literature a school would make available to its applicants did not cover this information. It was only when I specifically asked the question to the film department itself that I determined how they approached this VERY important aspect of a film student's education.

For me, learning to ask that question alone was worth the price of the book. But, in fact, there really is a lot more - especially with regard to the mission and philosophy of each school (yes, they really are quite different.) If you are seriously considering getting your MFA in film, this book is an excellent resource.

If you consider going to film school, this book can save you a lot of head-aches. It helped me a lot in narrowing down my cirle, and it damn sure gave me new perspectives on how to look, and what to look for, and how to approach my search for the right place. The best thing is that it doesn't only give you sheer facts and dry data -- it will also include personal info that schools will never tell you, because A) they don't want you to know; B) it is not related to education, therefore they don't think it is important (I know now, as a senior in college, how important every detail can be -- trust me, that's all there is to it: details). The book also will try to open your eyes to the fact that film school is not for everyone and you might not even need it (because it's a huge investment). It is a nice resource for film-related "stuff" (competitions, awards) as well, and it will introduce you to what is AFTER you completed school. But most importantly, it will be able to hook you up with the right school, if you ever really gave a thought to what and how you imagine in your film-career (and if you haven't, it might very well open your eyes. Just don't be like: "I don't care", 'cause that will not get you far anyway).
The authors also have a friendly style of writing and addressing matters, so you will feel like talking to film students instead of a machine spitting out preprogrammed info and facts, that the SCHOOLS as institutions would want you to know about.
I wish there was a newer edition, though. But their web-site is updated, so you can look there... and after reading this, you can pretty much go into the extra effort, and make a couple of calls to find out about things for yourself. Trust me! If you have ten dollars only, and want to save yourself more for film school or making movies -- this is the book to put you on the right track. Thanks guys. You helped me out a lot!

PS: Don't listen to the whiners. You can find flaws in anything. NEVERTHELESS, IT IS A BOOK FOR POST-GRADUATE STUDY (and it also explains in the book why, so even if you're an undergraduate -- get it! It will be a great help in planning your whole college carrer).