This is a terrific "off the beaten path" type tour guide. These tours take you to areas that other tourists just pass through on their way to the Eifel Tower and Louvre. With this book you experience the real Paris, not the tourist's Paris.

At the beginning of each tour (allow one per day), find a bench in one of the many small parks and read the introduction to the tour. While you take in the sights, smells and sounds of the area, you'll learn a bit of history to set the stage for the tour. The walks are slow and intend for you to really look at your surroundings as you read about the history, architecture and people. I wish there were guides like this for every city!

I've taken this book to Paris three times. Our local library discarded the book and I was so upset. It's wonderful to use in Paris or to remember my trips. I was so excited to find in newly published. I have already got one, which I passed on to a friend going to Paris, now I'm ordering another.

The Pariswalks audiotape is an immensely entertaining and educational way to wander through Paris neighborhoods. You can, for a change, SEE what the guidebooks are talking about WITHOUT having your nose in the book the whole time. The narration is humorous as well as informative. Because this Pariswalks audiotape is so good,I have given theLondonwalks audiotape on faith for Christmas to someone about to head for London. I will never travel to Europe again without first checking to learn whether an audiotape is available for my destination city.

Sarah, Plain and Tall, written by Patricia MacLachlan is a wonderfully written story about a family of two siblings and a father. The story opens with Anna and Caleb. Anna and Caleb are brother and sister. Their mom had past away just when Caleb was born. They live with their father and constantly remind themselves of their mom. Caleb is very curious and always asks Anna about their mom. It becomes very obvious that Anna, Caleb and Jacob, who's the dad, miss their mom very much. Jacob misses his wife in a different way whereas the children miss their mom in a different way. Caleb hasn't seen his mom but always asks Anna to tell him about her hoping that he will remember something. Jacob, who's the father, puts an ad in the newspaper for a new wife and a new mother for the children. He informs the kids about this and tells them that he has received a response. The children, at first, are not very thrilled about this idea, but eventually they come to realize that perhaps having a mother figure in their lives will be beneficial. They especially miss their mom's singing and hope that this new mom will be able to sing to them just like their mom did. Jacob shares the letter with the children and says that her name is Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton. In her letter, Sarah describes herself as being tall and plain. As time passes by, the children write letters to Sarah and Sarah always responds back. Then, one day, she writes to Jacob and tells him that she will come just to visit and see how it is in the countryside. Sarah arrives and the children get apprehensive about her arrival. Upon her arrival, everyone gets to love her and wish that she would stay, but at the same time, they are aware that Sarah misses the sea in Maine, where she's from. She also misses William, her brother. Caleb always tells Anna that she probably will leave because he's too pesky and loud and that their house is too small. Anna always reassures him that she will stay and that he shouldn't say things like that. Sarah grows to love the countryside, the children and Jacob. Even though she doesn't express the love she has for all of them, she is determined to stay because she loves them dearly. She knows that if she left, she will miss the children and Jacob much more. Eventually, as the story progresses, we find that Sarah decided to stay and that creates a big relief as well as happiness within the family members. With the happy ending of Sarah staying, we come to the point to realize that all of the characters, events, occasions, weather changes, and points brought into the story are very important for the story's development. Sarah, Plain and Tall is told from a first person point of view and is narrated. It is told from Anna's point of view. The children are very important in this story because both are round characters who show emotional, and physical fear through their conversation. The reader comes to realize that the loss of their mother has had a tremendous amount of impact on the children and when they let Sarah enter into their house, they also let Sarah enter their hearts. They gradually come to accept Sarah as their mother. This is realized as Anna expresses that as she was looking into the mirror, she could see herself as Sarah's daughter. At the end of the story, we find that the children have changed their feelings and are not as fearful. They are happy, they love Sarah and they, once again, are always singing just like they used to. The father, Jacob, is a flat character though he is very essential for the story's development. Jacob is a static character as well. Though he ends up liking Sarah at the end, still he remains a static character all throughout the story. His presence is very important in the story, but his character is not as central or dynamic as the others' are. Other characters who add flavor to the story and are important in the development of the story are Seal, Sarah's cat, the dogs and the horse, Lottie, Nick and Jack. The main, central, dynamic, round character in the story is Sarah. Upon her arrival, she is liked by others. Though from time to time she express her feelings of missing Maine, the sea, her brother, she eventually comes to realize that she perhaps belongs in the countryside with Anna, Caleb and Jacob. She also realizes that change is good. This is also what makes her the round and dynamic character in the story. In the story, we come to face with a few conflicts. One of the conflicts is person vs. person. We see this conflict occur in the story in the Sarah's character. She constantly is in a conflict with her emotions. She is constantly thinking of Maine, her home, her brother, the sea and beautiful weather. She is struggling and fighting with her feelings as to stay or go back home. This conflict within herself also creates the apprehension in the other characters. As she grows to love the children and feels the love from everybody else, this conflict and struggle within her own character eliminates. Another conflict in the story is person vs. nature. This conflict is children's biggest fear as well. As Sarah constantly is thinking of the beautiful sun in Maine, the sea and how she swam in the sea, children's fear grows bigger and bigger that she might leave. The family does everything in their power to make sure that Sarah will not miss her home as much. They create a haystack dune compared to the sand dune Sarah had in Maine. They keep her happy, they sing with her, and make her fell very welcomed so she can love them and decide to stay. This conflict is also resolved because the family really shows Sarah that they are willing to do everything so she won't feel empty or miss everything she left back home. Another conflict that occurred in chapter eight was person vs. person. This may not even be considered a major conflict, but the tiny argument that Sarah and Jacob share sets a different tone in the chapter. Sarah stubbornly demands that she wants to learn how to ride the horse and Jacob assures that a storm is coming and it is not a good idea to for the day. This little incident might not be a central conflict, but it certainly adds and develops the story. The rising point or the climax of the story occurs when the storm happens. It seems that everyone, after this point, change. The following morning, as the weather changes, and when the sun rises and shines, it appears as though the characters change as well. This is when the resolution happens when we eventually learn that Sarah has decided to stay. One theme that Sarah, Plain and tall carries in the story line is survival. It is very difficult for the kids not to remember and miss their mom, but eventually they learn to move on and accept someone else as their mother. Another theme of the book may be parenting and how the father was always near the children, loving them dearly, taking care of them and taking their opinions and thoughts into consideration.