This book contains many tough word problems and manages to make them fun by turning them into discoveries about Asa and David, the two authors. Some will gross you out; others will stummp you.

I was 11 when I first read David & Lisa/Jordi. These stories cannot be recommended highly enough. Dr. Rubin clearly cares about his patients and the characters he has based on them. His compassion shines through like a beacon. These books are not to be missed.

David, a gifted neurotic, compulsive boy meets the psychotic Lisa in a residential treatment center. He masks his obvious attraction to the girl by claiming to be clinically interested in her. She speaks in rhyme to suppress her "alter ego," identified as Muriel. David unlocks the riddle of why Lisa speaks in nonsense rhymes and from that point on, he makes incredible progress. His psychiatrist, Dr. White and Lisa's teacher, John are compassionate characters one can't help but love.

Jordi really touched my heart. I first read "Jordi" when I was 11 and it remains a favorite book to this day. Jordi was a very bright boy who lived in Brooklyn. He knew all the train and bus routes in the tri-state area and at 8, had not learned any academic skills. Jordi is clearly schizophrenic and his mental illness makes him confused about what is real and what is fantasy. He fears garbage pails because he thinks the opening is an ear that can hear him. He fears rain forests because he thinks trees will land from the sky onto him.

Jordi did not fit into any mainstream program and he was lucky his parents had the foresight not to commit him to an institution. That was just too inhuman. Luckily for Jordi, a day school opened in his area and he was admitted. I loved the way he and his teacher, Sally, worked with each other. Lisa makes a guest appearance in this book with her teacher, John. They, too, help Jordi in that he learns that he is not the one being hurt when he sees Lisa kicking John in anger one day. Sally helped Jordi shed many of his misperceptions and I loved the way she and Jordi demolished a garbage can. She encouraged Jordi to identify anger and to vent it onto that can. By doing this, she allowed Jordi to explain his fear and she, in turn could tell him that garbage cans are inanimate and can't hear. She helped Jordi over many hurdles including academic work. It warmed my heart to read about Jordi's rapid progress in reading and in acquiring advanced mathematic skills. I loved the way Sally helped orient Jordi by showing him that he would always be Jordi regardless of which seat he occupied or what coat he wore or what changes occurred in his routines. She clearly accepted this boy and it is through their good work together that Jordi was able to break from the bond of psychotic confusion into health and social/world participation. Please read this book. It's great. You will love it.

This is one of the most beautiful collection of stories I have ever read. I first read "Lisa & David" when I was 11 and I thoroughly enjoyed the poetic description of the residential treatment center these young people were in and the way they reached each other. David, a gifted boy was instrumental in reaching Lisa. He was the one who figured out why she spoke in rhymes -- she did that to suppress her alter ego, Muriel. (She was a schizophrenic girl who believed she had a second personality). David and her teacher John were the ones who were able to recognize glimpses of intelligence in the girl and David's pyschiatrist, Dr. White was an unusually kind man. He and David were good for each other.

"Jordi" was a book that completely bowled me over. I first read it at 11 and was captivated. The only real complaint I could make is that it is too short. I LOVED THIS BOOK! It gave a lyrical voice to the inner torment of Jordi's psychosis. Jordi was a very appealing boy. He was certainly very bright in that he knew all the train and bus routes in the tri-state area and he learned to read and to calculate complex mathematical equations quickly. I was so glad Jordi's parents were too smart to leave him in an institution. That would have been just too inhuman. Jordi was lucky in that he was accepted at a day program wherein he found an unusually gifted teacher, Sally. I like the way they worked together and I really loved the way Sally and Jordi demolished a garbage can together to prove to Jordi that garbage cans "did not really have ears" and that they were simply inanimate objects. I love the way they related to each other. Sally helped Jordi define his own boundaries when she explained to him that when another teacher was being kicked by an angry pupil, he, Jordi was not the one who was being hurt. She further helped Jordi recognize himself when she proved that he was still Jordi, no matter what seat he sat in or whose coat he wore. I really love this book. All I can say, is, please read it. It's great.

This is a Fantastic book for any age. My children loved it too.

A little boy takes a walk through the woods. He becomes thirsty and sees a little wooden house. He stops at the house to ask for a glass of water. The little old lady lets him in, but the woman isn't just any old lady. She's the Wicked Witch of the Woods! The Witch has the little boy help her prepare her famous "little boy soup" and the boy needs to think fast to escape.

The kids at the day care I taught at loved this book. I read it seven times within a two hour setting. I never got tired of reading it, though. It's a great story with a delightful ending. In some ways, it reminded me of the classic Rumplestiltskin fairy tale.

I picked up this book for my almost three year old daughter because I was familiar with David Kirk's wonderful Miss Spider series. I had even bought some of the Spider Books for my daughter even though she is really too young for them yet, just because I loved them so. That is why I was particulary pleased to find Kirk's new Biddle series designed for pre schoolers. In this sweet book a baby bunny gets tired of being squished in the nest with his brothers and sisters so he ventures out to explore the world. Look for cameo appearances by Little Bird Biddle Bird and Miss Spider from Kirk's earlier books. After Bunny has his adventure he decides that home is the best place to be after all. The story really mirrors my own toddlers struggle to find the balance between independence while still needing to have mommy near by. The illustrations are adorable and I really don't mind reading it over and over which is a good thing since I am asked to read it several times a day. I also like the length of the book. It is just the perfect length to keep even an easily distracted toddler engaged. All of the books in the Biddle series are excellent. We also enjoy the new Little Miss Spider books which are also geared to the preschool set. David Kirk is an excellent children's author and you will not be dissapointed with this book.

I checked this book out of the library, and my two-year-old wanted me to read it every night (sometimes several times!) I renewed it, and she still wants to hear it every night. After two months of nightly reads, it's about time for me to buy the book! I'm not (quite) tired of the book yet, and that's pretty high praise considering how many times I've read it.

Little Chicken Chicken doesn't go along with the crowd, and doesn't get intimidated by others who tease her. In the end, she impresses them all with her courage and creativity. I would hope for the same for my own children.

Parents have the help of their family doctor, caring neighbors, and an understanding policeman to take a young child who had been badly abused and literally trashed and through their love, help the boy to fully recover and to know family love. A must read for all ages!!

Very informative little book. It is small (height) but it makes up for it in the mass of information it has within it's pages. The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Aromatherapy is a wonderful little book to have, and so easy to toss in your purse for extended reading while waiting at the Doctors office or at the kids baseball games.. :) We found it to be really well written, very informative, and easy to read. It contains so much on aromatherapy that you almost don't need to buy any other books.

Do you love cats and find kittens to be adorable; then The Little Kitten Book (Little Library of Cats) by Elizabeth Martyn, David Taylor is a must have. This handy little guide presents all facets of owning a cat, e.g., do not hug a kitten to hard since their little bodies are fragile and if you want to spoil the baby then cook them some scrambled eggs. The pictures are ultra cute and the development from kitten to cat is fascinating. I certainly hope this book will come back into print since as I wrote earlier for a person who is crazy about cats then this is a must have!