Beautiful color pictures on the front cover and a chance to read about and color the butterflies on the inside. You should buy a set of colored penciles for this color book. Your child can identify the butterflies by the picture on the cover and learn more about them in the book. A real nature guide, not your run of the mill coloring book. Buy the series and you can sneak in an education on nature while your child is having fun.

This book has had my son absolutely enrapured for weeks. There are probably 50 (+) or so line drawings each of snakes, salamanders, turtles and other lizards each with an interesting explanation. Your child can color in each drawing after finding its picture somewhere in the book. The diagrams are detailed enough for older kids as well as little ones probably starting with age 5 or so. This book also has pages of colored stickers for extra fun and observation. This is absolutely the best book of its kind.

Quiero las publicaciones en español sobre las aves de mèxico y los anfibios y reptiles

I love the Southern Sisters Mystery series by Anne George. Murder Carries a Torch is the seventh serving of this wonderful series. Sister and Mouse encounter a missing cousin, snake-handlers and two murders on this latest romp thru Birmingham and places nearby. Most authors get stale after writing about the same characters, but not Anne George. The seventh book is as fresh as the first. My only regret is that I'll have to wait another year before another Southern Sister Mystery comes out. I don't know if I can stand the suspense. If you are looking for a lighthearted good read with a heart, you need to read Murder Carries A Torch.

Wow. When I Saw all those "5"'s given this book, I could not imagine giving it anything else but. However, this entry in the Southern Sisters series deserves it. I was somewhat disappointed in Ms. George's last mystery, but this one returns to the homespun, acerbic, and silly humor of the previous entries.
Patricia Anne and Mary Alice get involved in the disappearance of their cousin Pukey Luke's wife, Virginia. When it seems that she's run off with a snake-handling minister, the ladies find themselves kneedeep in rattlesnakes, cover-ups, and murder.
What's so nice about this book, however, is not really the whodunit aspect, but the relationships these people have with each other. The sisters are funny, and their respective hubbies or boyfriends are amusing, too. George has a way of knowing how important family and friends are; how important pets (such as Woofer and Muffin) are; and although the murderer's identity is fairly obvious early on, who cares? We have lots of fun getting there.
A real treat. So sorry to hear that Ms. George has passed away, with one more Southern Sisters mystery left. I know she's with the angels, and thank you for bringing us your talents and time!

Have you ever had your two favourite aunts go away for a year on an adventure....then have them return to share with you the trouble they got themselves into. This is what reading an Anne George Southern Sisters mystery is like. These books make me laugh until I can't breath, bring tears to my eyes and keep me on the edge of my chair until the last tale has been told. Murder Carries a Torch is indeed a visit with those whacky relatives. You've got dead snake-charmers, purple boots, angel-sightings, pukey cousins, disappearing wives and the most loveable sisters in mystery today. The fact that one of the the ladies is now 'wired' is a bonus...the part describing Patricia Anne's experience with e-mail 'spam' is hilarious, and I was smart enough this time round not to have a mouthfull of anything when I read it. Like the rest of the books in this series, Torch is pure heaven. The only downside here is the wait for the next one!

I had read all of Anne George's Southern Sister mysteries, so was anxious to read "This One and Magic Life". She didn't disappoint me -- I truly loved this book. How sad it is that we will no longer be able to enjoy any of Anne George's books -- she was a wonderful writer!

Anne was a dear personal friend. She sent this book to me shortly before her death. She told me that she felt that it was her best work and referred to it as her book about forgiveness. It has been a very long time since a book has moved me so deeply. I recommend it highly. Don't expect to find the wonderful, silly Southern Sisters anywhere in these pages. DO expect to find grace in all its guises-- as beauty, as elegance and, yes, Anne, as forgiveness and redemption. It grieves me that we lost this magnificent writer before she could write more books like this one. DO read her poetry, as well.

I have read all of Anne George's "Sister" mysteries and loved them all. When I discovered this book, I could not wait to read it. She did not disappoint me. I was touched by the characters and transported to Harlow, Alabama by Miss George's words. While "This One and Magic Life" is very different from the sister mysteries, you will find it to be a delightful read. Miss George will be sorely missed by this fan as will her lovable characters.

I got hooked on Anne George's books because my sister-in-law introduced them to me while visiting family in Alabama (that's where my husband is from!). After making the yearly trips to visit family for almost 18 years, I felt I was somewhat familiar with the state and have come to love my visits there. I enjoy the way Anne sprinkles alot about her state in these books! While reading I can say "I've been there, I've seen that!" or "I know someone who talks exactly that way!" I found myself laughing out loud while reading, making the rest of my family very curious! I picked up my sister-in-law's book "MURDER GETS A LIFE" and didn't put it down til I was done with it. Then I beat it to the mall to pick up another one!(Murder Runs in the Family) Such a fun author and such surprise endings! These books truly are great summertime reading! I can't wait to get another one! Thanks, Anne! PS: I love your last name! Hmm, I wonder if we're related!

Murder Gets A Life is one of my favourites. I loved this laugh out book! For the first time in many years I am onto a series where I feel I actually know the main characters...so starting a new Anne George book is like coming home.

Mouse and Aunt Sister have got themselves knee deep in 'kin' promblems. I think Ray should have wised up when he met someone on Bora Bora named 'Sunshine' in the first place, however :)

I enjoyed this book so much, I even snuck it into my purse and read it in the bathroom at work.

I can't wait to pick up Murder Shoots The Bull. The only complaint I have about Anne...is that she doesnt write fast enough!

Anne George has done it again: here is another laugh-out-loud entertaining Southern Sisters mystery. The mystery may be somewhat darker in this one; the characters perhaps a bit more red-neckish; the setting slightly more varied. My first reaction to the subject of the book was: trailer trash. But while some characters seem to fit that epithet, the subject is more complex than trailer trash. Mary Alice--the tall and well-endowed sister--answers the door one day to meet an unexpected daughter-in-law. Since Ray, her son, lives in Bora Bora (or is it Pago Pago?), where he owns and operates a dive ship, and Miss Sunshine Dabbs lives in Alabama, the announcement is a real shocker. The fact that Sunshine appears to be without background (so important in the South) and owns not even one deviled-egg plate is even more improbable. Sunshine is drop-dead gorgeous, if one admires Barbie dolls, and can boast of having been in the Miss Alabama Contest (where her talent was fly fishing). Always the mediator, Patricia Anne helps her sister graciously welcome the girl and her family--a varied and eccentric group which includes a porn star, a former NASA engineer who lives to fish and flirt, and his jealous wife who resembles a Cabbage Patch doll! It isn't long before Patricia Anne and Mary Alice literally fall over a deceased Indian Chief (sort of) who has been stabbed with a hog-butchering knife. From here the action picks up. Sunshine disappears, Ray comes home from Bora Bora, smuggling rears its head. While all this is going on, Mary Alice's daughter is suffering morning sickness and Patricia Anne's Haley is planning a wedding. The month is August; the temperature is scorching; Woofer is spending lots of time in his igloo dog house; and lots of iced tea is being drunk. It takes most of the 256 pages in the book to resolve the ins and outs of this mystery. There are few dull moments--at one time Patricia Anne and Mary Alice, locked in the back of a delivery truck, are left alone in a cotton field. Another time -- well, read the book. You will enjoy it. One caveat: George makes the reader like her characters, the villains as well as the good guys, and certain aspects of the ending will leave some readers wanting to know what happens next? As Patricia Anne would say (does say), even a person with a brain half a bubble off plumb can figure out what will happen. But some readers will want all the threads tied up tightly--and will wish for a happy ever after ending.

I had the great pleasure of reading an advanced copy of this book and enjoyed every minute of it! Fans of Anne George will be happy is see that the series is still fresh and funny as Patricia Anne tries to get a next door neighbor out of a murder charge after his ex-wife is poisoned. Sister Mary Alice is along to provide her usual unflappable asides. Besides that, the sisters are involved in a group starting a stock market investment club and marriage trouble pops up in Patricia Annes' family. Throw in a little of Mary Alices' romantic hijinks and you have quite a brew. Y'all give this one a try.

Patricia Anne and Mary Alice are always fun. This book is the sixth in a series of Southern sisters (say THAT fast!) mysteries and like its predecessors, the gals are at it again. One of the most humorous overtones is their 'Southerness', their desire to be prim and proper ladies, and still be the originals that they are. In this case, they join a ladies investment club and solve a tangled tale of murder and greed. Through it all, their world is populated by incompetant officials, lecherous bankers, and a next door neighbor man who is seen about town with a variety of voluptous women.

The plot is skillfully told: Anne George is clearly a writer who is a master at manipulating language for a colorful and delightful reader experience.

This is a delightful book, and I am eagerly awaiting the next in this series.

Anne George is one of my favorite authors. The Southern Sisters are hilarious. Patricia Anne, the skinny retired teacher, once again teams up with her sister Mary Alice, the widowed three times sister to solve a murder.

In this story there is a complicated cast of characters that Anne George manages to gather together in a murder mystery. The long time next door neighbor is under suspicion for murder and their house burns down. Throughout all of this the sisters manage to join an investment club, solve the murder, and deal with a daughter in law who moves in. In the end, everything turns out just fine.

I laughed out loud at Mary Alice's story of what happened of Ruffner Mountain

Enjoy.

A story that makes you feel the struggle of a little girl when she finds a stuffed toy and doesn't want to take it to the lost and found. Jamaica finds a hat and a stuffed dog at the playground. She returns the hat to the lost and found easily, but retains the dog bkz she likes it. After she gets home she starts feeling the tugs of guilt that maybe the dog belonged to another child who is missing it. The point of realization is quite poignant - she doesn't feel well or want to do anything bkz she is really thinking over what she should do with her conscience. It is a good lesson that returning items that don't belong is a good idea bkz in the end she meets the child who lost the dog and is able to reunite her with her beloved toy. While the art work is a bit fuzzy it is a wonderful, multi-cultural story with a great morale for children who are often wondering what to do with special things they find on the playground: to return or not return - that is the question.

I read this book when I was in middle school and really wanted to read a book about Greek mythology because that was my main interest back then. I read this book and enjoyed it, despite its childish narration(a bit more fit for six year olds). However, I was disappointed when I did further research and discovered that many of the myths were wrong in this book. For one thing, in this book, when man disregarded the gods, the gods took fire from mankind and Prometheus took the fire from the gods to return to men, but as punishment he was chained to a rock. Well, anyone who knows mythology well enough knows that Prometheus actually stole fire to introduce to mankind and was honored, but later punished because he made it so that the gods got the worst of the sacrifice. In addition, the book doesn't say that Hercules performed his labors for the king because of Hera's jealousy. Instead, it makes it seem like the gods sentanced Hercules to work for the king for no reason at all. I was also ticked off by the puny, unecessary dialogue and the fact that the Latin equivalents of the Greek gods were used instead of the real Greek names(such as Minerva instead of Athena). Now, for some postivie info, it does at least have some good illustrations and most of the stories actually were right. I must admit it did a fairly good job at telling the stories of Perseus, Orpheus, and Theseus. I would for sure not recommend this book if you're looking for an introduction to Greek mythology. Instead, I recommend checking out Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia(with plenty of articles on Greek myths) and "D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths". If you'd like to read this book, better to go for the library than to buy it.

This was the first book I read as a 6-year-old after the basic learn-to-read primers. It sparked a love for Greek myths and other classics that has lasted to this day. There are some changes in the text, but it puts the plot in terms a child can understand without embarrassing a parent. Came back to buy the book for my own daughter.

A resource/reading teacher at the third grade level for almost three decades, I have used Adventures of the Greek Heroes to great effect at the beginning of the year. The book is on a beginning third grade level. The controlled vocabulary will annoy older readers, but suits young readers. A great introduction to the Greek myths, and surprisinly detailed in its accounts of the six or so heroes on which it is mainly focused: Prometheus, Hercules, Perseus, Theseus, Orpheus, Jason. It's about 170 pages and well-illustrated.

Adventures of the Greek Heroes is by no means comprehensive. For that you need D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, which is on about a fifth grade level. A wonderful book that is indeed encyclopedic. It begins with the origins of the gods and proceeds roughly chronologically to the Trojan war.

Wiseman and McClean's Adventures of the Greek Heroes, nonetheless, is a very valuable introduction for younger readers, eight and nine year olds, particularly for boys, who, as we all know, are less inclined to read. This book motivates third grade boys like few others.

It was good but needed more speed, urgency for what was happening with Acorna. Left you really hanging at the end when It came to her life mate. Seems to me she should have found him which would have ended the book on a happy note. Then with the next book the adventure begins again onto something else.

this series never ceases to amaze me....after the first two novels i couldn't help but continue. although there have been bumps in the road i feel that acorna's search a definite read, especially for those who have read the previous four books. it is a fast read, with alot of twists and turns that keep you wanting to find out what's going on. i thought the ending was alittle cut off, but i guess it just means another acorna book will be gracing the bookshelves in the future. a definitive book concerning the linyaari and their personal history and more informative source to acorna, aari, maati, thaarinye, and company, certainly more detailed and more enlightening. i thoroughly enjoyed reading it. another triumph for anne and elizabeth!!!

The first book I read in the series was actually the second so I had to go buy the first. After reading the third and fourth it is starting to get slow. I was excited at seeing this book was out but disappointed that everything isn't finished up yet. I did read it in a day so its a good read. Now I can't wait for the next installment.

I wanted to like this book being a fan of both authors. Even after the first hundred pages of nothing happening, I had hope. But, in the end it's a cute cat and unicorn girl story without any particularly interesting characters, adventure, or reason to be written.

Plot summary, Acorna, unicorn girl, is hijacked to a strange planet by her cat. Once there, she cures more cats, discovers that the apparently nice guy is really a very bad guy who wants to poison everyone because--uh, well, no good reason, he just does. But Acorna is good to go and has lots of help. In the meantime, she wishes she could find her boyfriend.

Yawn.

Acorna's rebels left me feeling disappointed. I really enjoyed the first couple Acorna books, but the last few haven't been as great.
To be honest, by the time I got this one, I had nearly forgotten all that happened in the last two books before. It took me a few chapters to remember where we had left off.
Okay, my main problem was the storyline became very shallow. All the difficulties and emergencies had easy solutions, no one had any trouble with finding them or carring them out.

Also, where's Aari? And what is happening with the others that we've been following for books now? We spent the entire time with Acorna, with no word whatsoever on anything else that's happening. In the beginning Acorna is working on rebuilding her planet, but that is quickly pushed aside in the story, and not returned to. Surely the work would be at least an interesting sidenote?
In the end, everything just seemed too pat, too easy. I won't spoil the ending, but it left me hanging too much for me to have enjoyed it.
So, to be fair, there's nothing badly wrong with this book, as it stands by itself. As a novel, alone, I think it deserved 3 stars. It's only when you compare this book to earlier ones from the series that you realize that, although it's good, the first few were far, far better.

Acorna's Rebels is the sixth novel in the Acorna series, following Acorna's Search. In the previous volume, Acorna has found a hidden city on Vhiliinyar where she was transported to the past. While she was away, her mate Aari has also traveled back in time searching for her and was still gone when she returned to the present.

In this novel, Acorna is spending her time refining and re-refining the design for restoration of Vhiliinyar while waiting for Aari to return. Jonas and Roadkill, the Makahomian temple cat, convince her to relax a little and accompany them back to the Moon of Opportunity to visit their friends. Once there, Hafiz talks Acorna into visiting Nirii as an emissary of the Linyaari to solicit additional help in restoring Vhiliinyar and, incidentally, to take the Wats (unicorn hunters from ancient times) away from his wife, Karina. They also persuade Nadhari to go along to provide security.

While enroute to Nirii in Condor, Jonas' conglomerate of a ship, RK bumps the warp controls and sends them to an unexpected destination. In the emergency, the warp computer and long range communicator have been rendered inoperative and they are forced to send out a mayday signal. They are rescued by an agricultural implements saleman, Scaradine MacDonald, who tows them to the nearest repair yard with his tractor beam. By some odd chance, this yard is located on Nadhari's home planet, Makahomia, and there they are introduced to Nadhari's cousin, Mulzar Edo Kando sach Pilau dom Mog-Gim, Temporal Ruler of the City of Hassim and the Mog-Dim Plateau. Nadhari is not very pleased to see her cousin and subsequent events show that he is not very popular with his subjects either.

Soon Acorna learns that the Makahomian temple cats in the city are dying of a mysterious plague and quickly visits the temple to save four of them. However, the plague seems to be spreading elsewhere on the planet and infecting other animals and even people. Acorna is determined to use her healing talents wherever they are needed, but soon learns that Mulzar is trying to use these talents to justify a war of conquest to bring the rest of the planet under his rule. Moreover, Acorna is having dreams of Aari in connection with Makahomia itself.

Another complication is the harsh penalties against the possession of temple cats outside the temples. While RK has been thought to be a temple cat, it quickly becomes obviously that he is a prime specimen of the breed and therefore jailbait for Jonas and company if RK is discovered aboard. However, RK has his own agenda and is able to come and go as he pleases, despite every effort to restrict him. Moreover, RK decides that now is the time to initiate telepathic contact with Acorna, so that she can be aware of his desires while away from his presence. For a change, RK's efforts to repopulate the planet with his own progeny is greatly appreciated by a people deprived of so many of their own temple cats.

This story is a pleasure to read. While it doesn't require any heavy cogitation, it will keep the reader enthralled for several hour and leave a pleasant emotional aftereffect.

Recommended for McCaffrey & Scarborough fans and anyone who enjoys light SF entertainment with a positive ending.