As a school psychologist I am often asked which books are good in regards to behavioral concerns. I find the Little People book has some good basic techniques to teach and does it in a easy to read manner. I am always sorry that it is not easier to locate in the local bookstore because I want to buy it for friends.

The book focuses on common child-rearing behavioral problems and the easy solutions to fix them. It emphasizes catching the children in acts of good behavior instead of punishing them for bad behavior. I used the ideas put forth in the text with my own children and was delighted at how well the results showed. Anyone who is ready to pull their hair out with a specific behavioral problem concerning a child, should read this book. Not only does it offer solutions of how to turn behavior around, but it also has pullout sections for your particular concern that can be put in a convenient location. You will quickly find how to apply these methods in a broader sense to many aspects of child-rearing and socially accepted behavior. Written in small, easy to digest chapters and the author backs up his methods with proven results from his work in a behavior clinic for children

The first book Little Bird Biddle Bird is the best of the series, but this one is cute. A little hard for my five year old to follow, alot of "why?" was asked, but the pictures are very bright as with the first book as well.

Little Pig Biddle Pig is a very enjoyable book! Similar to the first in the series, "Little Bird, Biddle Bird", it has wonderful vibrant illustrations and tuneful language. Typical of David Kirk's style, this book is an eye catcher for children and particularly enjoyable for the reader! This book on its own is really a fun read, however, it is extremely similar to "Little Bird, Biddle Bird", I'm just not sure how many times you will want to read additional "Little Biddle" stories with other animals experiencing essentially the same story. I hope future books in this series vary a little more with the story line.

This was a terrific fantasy anthology all about dreaming. Most of the stories are 4+ or better with only a dud or two. I bought this one because of the stories by Josepha Sherman & Susan Sizemore but ended up enjoying many of the other authors too.

What can a dream mean and is there ever any truth to it? This book will make you think.

I bought this book thinking it would give my mischievous 5yr old a good way to think about right and wrong. Instead, it encouraged her to do more devious acts (the girl in the story puts pencils up her mother's nose, having her parents clean the chimney with their tongues and makes her father shave all of his hair off. I can only wonder what went wrong in this author's childhood to give him such a bizzare mind.
The illustrations are attrocious.
I did not find any redeeming value in this book. I hope I can sell it at my next yard sale.
My 12 year old daughter read it and thought that "the little girl in this book is a schizophrenic whacko in great need of a certified therapist".

My six-year-old daughter fell madly in love with this book the first time she heard it, so much so that she wanted me to read it to her several times a day. At first I was a lot less enchanted with it than she was. ItÕs about a nice little girl who gets tired of being pushed around and lets the monster inside her come out. Literally. The monster is a green creature with bulging red eyes and black fingernails. The pictures of her are truly ugly. The monster gets more and more demanding and out of control until finally the nice little girl canÕt take it any more and comes back out. ItÕs got a good ending, but for me the monster-girl was a little disturbing. I guess I just usually like gentler childrenÕs books.

But the more IÕve read this book (and IÕve read it a LOT!), the more IÕve realized how psychologically acute it is. My daughter is a lot like the "good little girl" Ð most of the time sheÕs neat and polite, and tries very hard to please adults. Those are wonderful qualities, but they can get in our way, too. Less polite kids shove you aside. Adults may overlook your needs because youÕre not loud or insistent enough. Life can be tough for "good" girls. The need to learn to be assertive without letting "the monster" get out of control. And I think the reason my daughter loves this book is that itÕs helping her to do that. In the end, when the good little girl comes back, sheÕs not a pushover anymore. SheÕs still nice, but she tells her parents very clearly and firmly what she wants.

IÕm still not wild about the illustrations in this book (although I must admit theyÕre growing on me), but I now think that for a nice, quiet little girl, this is a perfect book.

Wildly original, I bought this after reading the author's other children's book -Beetle Boy. The Good Little Girl should not be overlooked. It's a great story about a sweet, nice, well-behaved girl named Miranda. But her busy, busy, busy parents (sound familiar?) just don't keep all their promises. And eventually, Miranda's alter-ego Lucretia takes over. And Lucretia is fantastic! She tortures her parents in hilarious ways that every kid will howl at. Far from being a guilt-trip for busy parents, this is a great, fun book that all working families can relate to and will enjoy. It's great when a book for kids doesn't "talk down" to kids or feature bunnies worrying about the rain. This is a hip, modern book that's really in touch with today.

I found this entire series of books to be disappointing. The writing was average but what really bothered me most is how the stories lacked the sweet innocence of the original series. On doing some research I discovered that parts of the books were based on Rose's diaries. Unfortunately, she was not a happy soul and these books suffer from her same pessimism. The listed author for this book (MacBride) died before the last few books were published. The books were still published under his name and HarperCollins claimed that he wrote the manuscript before dying yet one of the last books in this series contains several chapters (almost verbatim) from a story that Rose wrote herself for an adult audience. The story is totally out of character with the series. Rose and her friend sneak out for several nights to meet a traveling salesman. He eventually makes a pass at her...

This series is okay as light reading for adolescents but if you are looking for a piece of americana, and/or a wholesome book for your child or self this is not the best choice. It grossly fails to live up to the original series of books. The Caroline series is a better choice.

I love THE LAURA INGALLS YEARS and the ROSE YEARS. In the later ROSE books, Rose is a little more fiesty and romantical...it builds up as the series goes along, so this is more for pre-teens and teens later on. Otherwise it is very wholesome and fun; Rose is interesting, and has many ideas about the world! I have all the LAURA YEARS books except THE FIRST FOUR YEARS and all the ROSE books except ON THE BANKS OF THE BAYOU (my fave) and BACHELOR GIRL (haven't read that yet).
...

The girl was quite a firecracker. Again, just as charming as Little House, but the storytelling is a bit more complex and more reflective of who Rose was. This series truly equals the charm and storytelling of Laura's story. Kudos to those who thought to bring this series to print.

This is a solid little daily calendar that promises to give you 365 reasons to get out of bed in the morning. (Other than work, family, etc. I mean!) From the almost esoteric sayings of ancient Zen masters, to the 20th century wisdom of authors, there is a little bit for all tastes here. For those looking for 365 hardcore quotes from forgotten scrolls, you may be disappointed. This calendar is for anyone wishing to look at life from many different frames of reference. One can learn as much from the writings of TS Eliot and Henry Miller as you can from Dogen or Seung Sahn. All of these and more are included to make quite a tidy collection of sayings to think about during the day.

This is a nice little calendar that gives the reader a good idea about the spirit of Zen. It is especially good for those who don't know much about Zen, as it uses quotes from many non-traditional sources as well as Zen masters. I also recommend "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book of Eastern Wisdom" by Taro Gold which is filled with hundreds of inspirational and profound thoughts.

I love this calendat and ask for it every year. In fact, it was the only thing I wanted this year... and didn't get it. Hence I'm here, buying it. I save all the best quotes and frequently e-mail them to my friends. Great gift. Remember, Zen is the unsymbolization of the world.

Almost as good as Bleak House. Two shortcomings, though. One, the poetry of the language never reaches the same heights. Dickens just doesn't seem as inspired here, and there are moments when he even seems tired and to be suffering from the same disappointment his characters complain of. Two, the mystery theme is pushed to the background and is lame in comparison. Otherwise, the structure is excellent, weaving the themes of the Circumlocution Office and self-imprisonment relatively seamlessly through the story.

One reviewer here has commented that "Little Dorrit" is not without Dickens' trademark humor, and, with one qualification, I would agree. Mr F's Aunt, Mrs Plornish, and Edmund Sparkler in particular are all quite funny. Characters like William Dorrit and Flora Finching, however, who would have been funny in earlier books (eg, Wilkins Micawber and Dora Spenlow in "David Copperfield" it can be argued, are younger - and more romantic - versions of Dorrit and Flora) are only pathetic in this one. It is a sign of the change in Dickens that he can no longer see the lighter side of these characters.

BTW, there is another little joke for those versed in Victorian Lit. The comedic couple Edmond Sparkler and Fanny Dorrit are a play on an earlier couple, Edmond Bertram and Fanny Price in Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park". The joke is that Dickens has taken the names and inverted the characters. Fanny Dorrit couldn't be more different than Fanny Price, and likewise Edmond Sparkler and Edmond Bertram. I'm sure this is not an accident. Dickens had a thing for the name Fanny, using it for two of his less appealing "temptresses", Fanny Squeers (in "Nicholas Nickleby") and of course Fanny Dorrit. Funny stuff.

And speaking of Fanny Dorrit, I have one last comment. It is often said of Dickens that he couldn't create good female characters. This puts me in mind of Chesterton who related a similar complaint made by Dickens' male contemporaries that he couldn't describe a gentleman. As Chesterton deftly pointed out, however, what these gentlemen really meant was that Dickens couldn't (or wouldn't) describe gentlemen as they wished themselves to be described. Rather, Dickens described gentlemen as they actually appeared. I might say the same thing about the women who complain about Dickens' female characters. It's not so much that Dickens couldn't (or wouldn't) describe good female characters. Rather, it's that the kinds of characters he did describe aren't the ones the complanaints wish to see. Women praise the Elizabeth Bennetts of the book-world not because the real world is full of Liz Bennetts (it's not), but because that's the way they themselves wish to be seen. Truth is, however, there are far more Fanny Dorrits and Flora Finchings and Dora Spenlows than there are Liz Bennetts. The women who complain of these characters, though, would rather ignore this unflattering little fact. Whatever. The truth will out, and there's far too much truth in Dickens characters to be so lightly dismissed.

4 1/2 stars

Little Dorritt is not light reading. While it is in many ways a very entertaining work, it is not for those seeking pure entertainment. It is a very rich work, full of social commentary [church bells ringing, "They won't come."; the Circumlocution Office], humor [can anyone resist laughing out loud and Flora Finching?], several memorable characters, and a very powerful statement on personal salvation.

Yes, the novel does drag from halfway to the three quarters mark; but what 900 page Dickens novel doesn't? When you read Dickens, you should expect that. It is during that time that he typically starts to resolve many of the issues raised in the first half and also sets up his exciting finale. While the finale of Little Dorritt is not exciting in the Hollywood sense, it is very fulfilling.

The major theme that spans the entire work, something I haven't seen others discuss, is that of Old Testament vs. New Testament thinking. It is the Old Testament thinking of Arthur's mother that keeps her in her wheelchair. It is only when she gets a dose of New Testament thinking from Amy Dorritt that Arthur's mother walks. Dickens was a Unitarian who had a strong belief in the redemptive power of Christ. While he often ridiculed both the Church ("They won't come.") and religious hypocrites (Borriohoola-Gha in Bleak House), it is through Little Dorritt that he presents this redemptive power. Entertainment becomes a treatise on right living.

Dickens' last novels (with the exception of the unfinished EDWIN DROOD) really form a group all to themselves: exceptionally concerned with the excesses of social institutions and the cruelties of high society, they in some ways read more like Trollope and Thackeray than they do Dickens' own earlier works, although they retain Dickens's fine gift for character and bite. LITTLE DORRIT is proabbly my favorite of the later works: its multiple stories are extremely gripping, and his satire at its sharpest and most necessary. Many people say these later novels are not as funny as his earlier works, but DORRIT is to me an exception: there are few funnier (or more dear) characters in Dickens' repertoire than the breathless, kindhearted Flora Finching, and I find myself almost helpless with laughter whenever Flora's senile and hostile charge, Mr F's Aunt, makes her perfectly doled-out appearances in these pages. (Arguably the funniest scene Dickens ever wrote is the scene with this "most excellent woman" and Arthur Clennam and the crust of bread). This is a great Dickens novel even for people who tend not to like Dickens (and yes, there are some of them, as hard as that may be for the rest of us to believe).

The contents are terribly arranged. The entire five stories are not well connected. The illustrations are just sloppy like the little piggies. We do not need this book to teach children about silly rhyming. A Money-Wasting-Choice book.

The five Little Piggies is a cute book on the true story about the ryme:
"This little piggy went to the market.
This little stayed home.
This little piggy had roast beef.
This little piggy had none.
And this little Piggy cried, "Wee wee wee," all the way home!"

This fun detailed book is wonderful for all ages of children. It is very cute and will give you a good laugh at the end. I promise that you will enjoy every little part of it, because I did, and I know you will too. This is a very exciting book that children of all ages should read. I loved it.

This is a roll-on-the-floor-and-giggle book that my kindergarten class adores. I save it to read at special times -- like the end of the day or right before recess -- because the kids literally roll around laughing at these short-and-silly stories based on the familiar "This Little Piggy Went to Market" rhyme. Clever, cartoonish illustrations add to the fun-and-games flavor of this book. Highly recommended.

Just when you thought you had read the entire LITTLE HOUSE series, you discover with delight that there are two more books, although not penned by Laura herself. These two Rocky Ridge sequels continue the saga of a grown up Laura Ingalls Wilder--this time focusing on her only duaghter, Rose. This 8-year-old charms us with gentle, homespun tales of their first year in the wilds of the Missouri Ozarks. We have long loved Laura as a spunky prairie girl, so we naturally continue to love her as a maternal figure, still struggling with the harsh realities of farm life.

Written by Laura's adopted grandson, LITTLE FARM can not quite capture the magic of Laura's style, for a biography can never be as vivid as actual memories. Fortunately the family resemblance remains. True, there is less excitement and action in this book, but then, one can not reinvent someone's real life merely to increase the dramatic content of a book. Perhaps the midwest was more tamed by 1895, when Rose won her special prize. We also wonder whose side MacBride champions, when we recall the bitter, posthumous feud between Rose and Laura (advocated by her literary admirers) over authorship of some of the books.

Still loyal LITTLE HOUSE fans will appreciate this latter-day glimpse into Laura's married life. We understand that this is Laura's last move--she yearns to put down roots somewhere, even far from De Smet, Nebraska. Her home at Rocky Ridge still exists and is open to the public as a museum and literary mecca. The simple story unfolds about a young girl meeting the challenges of life on a new farm and in a new, town school. The book appears thick, but it reads quickly. The family values and pioneer virtues are timeless. Read this book to learn why Rose's parents have two reasons to be proud of her. She herself has two reasons to be proud: our beloved Laura (Bess) and Almanzo (Manly), whose own childhood is preserved in my favorite LH book, FARMER BOY. This story will appeal to preteen girls and all LITTLE HOUSE fans. (Will MacBride continue the saga until Laura's death, thus forever dropping the curtain on the Wilders?)

This was another typical little house style book, but not as well written as the originals. Nothing really happened in the book. Even the things that did, like a fire in the cabin and a storm seemed to have no effect on the book. They spent more time talking about Rose looking out the window. It was alright though and people with obsession for Little house will like it.

This is a great story telling of the early struggles that Rose had to face with her family to build up the farm.Anyone who says this story is poorly written,or things like that are freaks!It's just a childrens book!!These people need a life!

I read this book in three days. It's an easy, informative read. But I do not understand why "A Little too Close" gets review after review. Everywhere I look, some Man is praising him to the skies. It's not THAT good. It is certainly not GREAT. It is a journalistic report from the front with no intention (and no success) in elevating politics into the realm of art. I much preferred "Coming Home to Jerusalem" which I consider to be great, not good. Yet I haven't read one review about that book, which does rises into "art." Mr. Horovitz is powerful; he is editor of a great magazine: "The Jerusalem Report." If you compare the two books, as I recommend anyone interested in Israel do, you too will see that Horovitz takes the "highway" trip while Orange, author of "Coming Home to Jerusalem" takes the slow, beautiful scenic route. This may be the book of the moment, but hers will be the evergreen! Can't for the life of me figure out what all the huge hoopla and fuss is about. Or maybe people like things simple and passionate if less reflective?!

David Horovitz has produced a book which presents - like it or not - the raw realities of life in Israel today. Here is someone who is a believer in the state of Israel and what it means to the Jewish people who put his money where his mouth was and moved to Israel, where he is married and has 3 children (about whom his worry is - will they die defending this land?). What he has done in this book is to show the reader the manifold conflicts (religious, political, cultural) which characterize the state of Israel and which make life in America seem positively tepid by way of comparison. He is open about his political and religious viewpoints (left-wing, Reform) and yet shows an excellent insight into the right-wing, Orthodox elements he also confronts not just in Israel at large but - more directly - within his own family. I recommend this book highly to anyone who would like to gain some insight - from the inside, and well beyond the superficialities of the American media - into what it is like to live in Israel. The author has a breezy, conversational style which makes the book both an easy and a highly informative read.

My two young children are wondering where mom has been for the past three days as I couldn't put down this Horovitz book! As a person who has had the opportunity to visit Israel many times, including a year in Jerusalem at the age of 20, and married an Israeli (he now is entranced by the book), reading this book brought back memories both happy and sad. Horovitz' personal style brings the reader into his home and onto the streets of Israel and surrounding countries. His stories had me at times laughing aloud as well as shedding tears. Through his explanations of the political and social situation of Israel, based on his front row seat as a senior journalist, he was able to bring the debate of left and right and concept of peace to life.Through out the book he also shares the views of close relatives with often differing and personal opinions. This honest account of Israel from the people who are there is a must read.