This is a very emotional story told by an 800-year-old Douglas fir tree in the Pacific rain forest. The Tree tells of his life in the forest and the wonders that he has experienced over his long lifetime. Lyons lives in the Pacific Northwest, and camps and hikes in the rain forests there. He was inspired by the ancient trees there, and may have been told the story by the Tree itself.

The stunning, full color, two page illustrations are a visual feast. Each illustration is richly detailed with new treasures to be seen each time you look at it.

Over 800 years, the Tree has survived the wind, fire and snow, and seen the wonder of a young owl learning how to fly, the yearly return of the salmon, and the great glaciers melting. He hears bulldozers coming and wonders if it is his time to die...but then children come and circle his trunk and save him from destruction.

Information for parents and teachers about the Pacific rain forest and the story of the Tree are included in the back of the book. A portion of the proceeds of the book will be donated to the Jane Goodall Foundation and the Circle of Life Foundation that fosters conservation and social solutions.

This is a marvelous book to enjoy with children, to be treasured and read again and again, and to inspire children to fully appreciate the wonders of nature.

At first glance, this book looks interesting and the first thing that pops into your head s "pretty cover," but as you turn the pages, and read, you are then automatically hooked to the stunning illustrations and the rhyming text.

Told through the eyes of an 800-year-old Douglas fir, THE TREE, depicts a life of wonder. Will the tree be here tomorrow? Will the tree be here in the future? For how long?

The breath-taking illustrations fit perfectly with the influential words. I was amazed! Mr. Danioth's drawings are so life-like, I could almost feel the night air on my face, then I flipped the page, and I swore I heard lightening crackle in the dark sky.

THE TREE is a delightful book that fills you with hope and delivers in the end.
After the story, you will find what inspired the book, and detailed information about the tree's home, the Pacific Rain Forest. If that isn't enough, you'll find forewords by Julia Butterfly Hill, and songwriter Pete Seeger that will make you smile.

This wonderful book keeps you turning the pages-but not too quickly, as you will want to savior the words and take a mental note of the beautiful illustrations. My children and I loved this book, and I am positive you will, too.
The author, Dana Lyons is an accomplished author and musician who lives with his car Oliver in Bellingham, Washington. The illustrator, David Danioth is an award-winning artist who lives in Washington State with his wife and two children.

AStoryWeaver's Book Reviews highly recommends THE TREE by two incredibly talented individuals, Dana Lyons and David Danioth.

***** Wow! Looking at the cover of this new book from Illumination Arts is like standing at the base of a giant tree, tilting your head backward, and looking toward the heavens. The scope is powerful and compelling, and the colors are breath-taking.

This story is told from the perspective of an 800-year-old Douglas fir in the Pacific Rain Forest. The Tree tells of its history and the many things it has seen over its lifetime, as well as the wildlife it has seen and sheltered. Each illustration is so realistic that it feels possible to reach in and touch the rocks or to actually hear the babble of tumbling water, experence the flash of lightning, and tremble at the mighty roar of a bear. Children will also enjoy finding the many tiny surprises hidden within the pictures: A Butterfly, Dragonfly, Spotted Owl, Tree Frog, Mouse, Bald Eagle, Bark Beetle, and many others.

At the end of the story, there is an informative page about the Pacific Rain Forest that impressed me a great deal. After reading that page, I asked several children what country came to mind when they heard the words rain forests. Most of them mentioned Africa and one or two said South America. They envisioned a tropical climate with hot, humid jungles, big broadleaf plants, monkeys, and brightly colored birds. None of them knew that there was such a place as the Pacific Rain Forest right here in the United States. A temperate rain forest that is cool and wet, filled mostly with cone bearing trees, and stretches along the coast from Southern Oregon to the Gulf of Alaska.

I cannot say enough good things about The Tree. I highly recommend it as a book to be treasured and reread for years to come. It entertains the reader while teaching a love for nature's delicate balance and the urgency to act now in order to save our valuable forests from disappearing forever. Read it with a child and enjoy the light in his eyes as he searches its pages for each of the tiny surprises...

Ariel Sharon, although he had help from a professional writer on this, does not seem to carry the wieght of his importance to Israel in this book. It is a fascinating tale nonetheless, but he lacks a certain literary zing that keeps you glued to the book. Sharon was and is a military genius of the first order (as in Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and Patton), but he does not have the glint of hope that Dayan had for lasting peace with the Arab countries. Sharon details his experiences up to his greatest military moment-leading the IDF to surround the Egyptian 3rd Army in the Yom Kippur War, and later he defends himself from the accusations that he was responsible for the SLA massacre at Sabra and Shatilla (he was eventually exonerated, and an American court found in his favor when he sued Time Magazine for slander). A very good book about a fascinating man, but Moshe Dayan's will still be the high watermark.

Ariel Sharon is so demonized by so many in the Arab world and Liberal Jews and Israelis that I sought this book to hear his side of his incredible career and life. Having spent most of his life fighting for Israel's survival and combatting terrorism in every war and conflict, he illuminates the problems Israel faces and the nature of its Arab opposition.

Like a true warrior he is a man of peace. Those who have been in the carnage of battle want to avoid it the most, but he has enough insight to understand that compromises and shortcuts to accomodate other's deadlines and agendas only means sending your grandchildren off to war.

His stories of being in the frontline of Israel's historic battles are gripping military history; and his rise from a neophyte poltician to Israel's Prime Minister provides a rich introduction to Israeli politics. His efforts to develop trade and agricultural ties throughout the world is less known than his military and political career, but very important among his contributions.

But most of all I wanted to hear his account of the Lebanese war and specifically the massacres in Sabra and Shatilla. I have always been bewildered at how the murder of Moslems by Christians would lead to the villanization of a Jew. He explained his view how he was sacrificed by the international pressures and Israel's own political parties.

The fact that he was able to rise from this poltical abyss to become prime minister is a remarkable achievement. There is far more depth to this man than his opponents would want us to believe.

This book was an excellent read a must for those trying to understand the complexities of modern Israel, and a fascinating biography of the leading player on the middle eastern stage.

In this book, Ariel Sharon gives an interesting account of his exciting life. Anyone wanting more information about the author or the inner workings of Israel should pick up a copy. For instance, in 1953 Sharon led Unit 101 during the Qibiya operation, which left some 70 innocent civilians dead. Further, he took the initiative to the Lebanon campaign in the early 1980s, whch lead to the death up to 20,000 people. He has also worked hard to expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank, leading to loss of livelihood, property, homes and liberty of thousands of civilian Palestinians. Sharon is rightly proud of his achievements, which are in line with his ideology. His autobiography gives his opinion about these events. A must for everyone, whether orthodox or reconstructionist.

Morningstar is the first novel I've read by David Gemmell. I must say that after reading this book, I cannot wait to dive into more of his work. The story is told in the first person perspective of Owen Odell, a bard who gets mixed up with one Jarek Mace, the outlaw that becomes the legendary Morningstar. In this book, Gemmell makes an interesting examination of what makes a hero. He borrows heavily from the Robin Hood and King Arthur legends, but transforms them and makes them part of the legacy of the Morningstar. Gemmell shows how a hero can be made, not necessarily through his own actions, but through how these actions are perceived by the people. While Mace's actions were serving his own ends, the people still perceive him as a hero.

The main strength of this book is the tightly plotted adventure that keeps the action coming at a breakneck pace. Gemmell has created a solid cast of characters that you really want to hear more about. The ending is great and kind of took me by surprise. I highly recommend Morningstar to any fantasy fan. If you're looking for a standalone tale that isn't a doorstopper, this is the book for you.

Of course, there's a reference to one of the characters thinking about fleeing to Ventria, so you never know if the island of the Ikenas and Highlands aren't northwest of Drenai...

However, that's not the point. This is an excellent book about the nature of heroism and legend that twists and turns throughout history.

Unlike most of his books, Morningstar is narrated in the first person, in this case by one Owen Odell, a bard/magician who meets and befriends a rakish thief named Jarek Mace, and tells us his story.

As others have said, it's a decidedly different manner of writing for Mr. Gemmell; every other of his books that I've read have been third-person, before and since. It's a very good read, and quite fast, too; it's much thinner than his normal books, and read much faster, which is sometimes a good thing.

All in all, I rather enjoyed this novel, and highly recommend it.

Although 'Morningstar' is a departure from Gemmell's usual third person storytelling style, the book delivers some hard personal & philosophical punches from a first person perspective. What the book fails to deliver in overall characterization due to this 'first person' perspective, it more than makes up through the development of the main character himself. Mr Gemmell has a tremendous grasp of human nature & motivation, & it comes through on every one of his books. He makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story itself, and not a spectator watching a two dimensional fabrication. You care about what is going on & you feel the sense of loss or joy yourself when it does occur. I had a great time reading it for the third time this last week...^_^

I picked up this book after reading the USA Today review, which was essentially an unconditional rave. I decided to give it a try, but figured I'd probably be disappointed, as few books live up to the praise heaped on them. But GABRIEL'S STORY was a pleasant surprise. It begins with vivid homesteading scenes - all the toil and the poverty of it. Makes me glad I wasn't a homesteader, and it made it reasonable that Gabriel would want to run away from it. The journey that he sets off on is truly engrossing, well-plotted, with beautiful language and great descriptions of the Western landscape.

It looks like the novel is being compared to Cormac McCarthy's work. There are some similarities, but GABRIEL'S STORY is a bit more hopeful than McCarthy's work. The world is still harsh and dangerous, but Durham seems to have more faith in humanity, in family and friends. Also, I thought it was interesting that the reviewer in USA Today said that he was a city-dwelling white guy that still got into this book about a black boy in another century out on the plains. I felt the same way. Yes, the main characters are black, but their racial identity is only part of the whole world of the story. They're black like James Joyce's characters are Irish or Faulkner's are Southern - it matters, but it doesn't change the fact that anybody can connect with them. Altogether a really good novel.

The prodigal son always comes home. Iin life, in parable and in literature.

And he has returned once more in "Gabriel's Story," a haunting debut by David Anthony Durham. In this incarnation, the wayward youth is a 15-year-old African-American boy in the empty middle of a continent, caught between youth and manhood, naiveté and wisdom, family and flight.

Fleeing racism in Reconstruction-era Baltimore, Gabriel Lynch travels with his mother and younger brother to his stepfather's hard-scrabble homestead in 1870s Kansas. As with the Biblical story of the prodigal son, Gabriel finds the "outside" world less exciting and more threatening than he dreamed. He returns to Kansas wiser and chastened, prepared to take his place behind the plow and, more importantly, at the family hearth. "Gabriel's Story" is a classical bildungsroman -- a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character -- told in masterful prose reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy.

His is not just a startlingly poetic African-American voice (Durham is the son of Trinidadian immigrants), but a welcome new voice in the rich spectrum of American letters, where authors should -- and must -- be judged in different shades of black and white: The color of words on a page.

When I consider buying a book I look it over asking two questions. One, does the author have a story to tell? Two, does he or she have the skills to tell that story compellingly? As far as "Gabriel's Story" is concerned, the answer is yes on both counts. The story is strong both because it has a tight spine along which the narrative progresses and because the author picks up on an under-acknowledged feature of the American West, namely the role African-Americans played in its history. The novel educates, but it does so effortlessly, so that a reader is transported along on an adventure tale, probably not even noticing how much the novel adds new dimensions to writing about the West. As for the author's skills... He's got it. The narrative reads like some combination of "Lonesome Dove" and "Paradise", somehow spliced together with a cinematographer's eye for horizon-lines, with a soft heart for the family scenes and a keen eye for the violent passages. And it even has a satisfying ending. That's rare these days and seems especially hard for first novelists to pull off. Congrats to the author.

"Winnie the Pooh" and "House on Pooh Corner" were two of my favorite books growing up. When I came across this 75th boxed anniversary edition, I just had the get it. Keep in mind, this is just the same great stories in new packages. "Winnie the Pooh" has gold trimmed pages and "House on Pooh Corner" is trimmed with silver. I recommend this to anyone who hopes to pass on the love of the original Winnie the Pooh characters to any young ones in their lives. I know I definitely will.

I think this book suitable for everyone not only for child but adult also can read it. My friend and I love this book and try to collect the whole of Pooh's series. But I think .. The house at the Pooh corner also lovely while The Tao of Pooh was very difficult to understand for child. However, I love it!!

I recieved this book (and its companion, the color edition of "The House At Pooh Corner") as a gift. I cannot speak more highly of them both. Unlike the editor at Horn, who found that the colorization detracted from the illustrations, I find exactly the opposite -- that the color lends depth and detail to the drawings, which are completely untouched otherwise.

The paper is crisp, semi-glossy, and brilliant white; the cover and page edges are guilded; the typeface is sharp and crystal-clear; and the full-color endpapers are truly magnificent.

In all and every way this is a truly magnificent and sumptuous edition -- with perhaps the single exception of price. And even then, with such a marvelous work, that is to be expected!

I love cooking shows and often read cookbooks for pleasure, picking up tips from each author and pondering what recipes I'd like t try, but I have to admit that I've never been a part of the cooking cult that worships Julia Child. I do remember watching her shows as a child, with my mother, and know she pioneered the genre, but the meals she made rarely appealed to me--too time consuming, too "fussy" and just too "strange" for every day taste. (If I have to visit eight different shops and peruse three mail order catalogs to make a dish, I'm probably not going to try it.)

Recently, I picked up "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom" at the library and was quickly sold. I am now ordering a copy to keep. The book is filled with useful basic recipes and techniques, as well as lots of helpful time-saving tips that Child has picked up over the years. It's not really a recipe book per se, though tried-and-true formulas for things like Hollandaise sauce and pastry dough do appear, it's more of a kitchen guide. It's full of ingredient substitutions, serving suggestions and definitions of terms you may come across. More useful to experienced cooks, it's also a helpful guide for the best technique, according to Child, for things like braising, searing, roasting and folding. Child's years in the kitchen have made here at master and I was pleasantly surprised to find many time-saving techniques and places were Child says the "easy" way is actually better.

This slim volume really packs a wallop of cooking information and I think it would make a nice addition to any cook's bookshelf.

I bought this book to give as a gift and kept it for myself! I am so glad I did. Although I have been cooking for many years, this delightful little book gave me lots of hints and tips, as well as often making me laugh out loud. I regard it more as a book of kitchen essays than as a cookbook, although I think any cook could benefit from the recipes, variations, hints, tips, and reminders it contains. Many of Childs' original recipes have been simplified for this book, but this does not appear to have compromised them.

One of the nicest things about "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom" is the attractive layout and its wonderful index. Someone above mentioned this also. I am very appreciative of a good index in any book - and this one sure made the book easy to use.

I also loved Julia's pithy quotes at the beginning of each chaper--I could just hear her saying them, breathlessly. Her wording in some of the recipes is droll---when describing how to make an omelet, she instructs the reader to "jerk the pan towards you", "bang on the handle with your fist", and "spear a lump of butter with a fork". No formal language here! She really endeared herself to me when she said that she uses an aluminum Wearever pan for her omelets.

The great photos, taken over many years, brought back good memories of Julia Child's weekly shows.

Ever peek into a best friend's medicine cabinet? Reminding you a bit of what you have already known through the years, yet revealing newer curious secrets? Shhh! Well, that's the grand idea behind "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking". Except we are privileged to spy in the kitchen, not the water closet.

An enchanting compendium of once secret chef's notes, personal pictures (including the infamous dancing goose), a fascinating index, which alone makes one salivate, and then, sharing it all with the world. We applaud you Ms. Child.

Please do not miss out on this! More than a cookbook, Julia makes you feel right at home with her spirit, dry as fine wine humor, and brilliant skills. You just may want to buy a copy for that best friend--maybe she'll hide it in her medicine chest for you.!

I thought Blade was very true to the movie, I read it after the movie came out but it was still good. I was a little disappointed that it didn't expand on some of the storyline themes like it could have....but it was a good book nonetheless. I liked the characters in the book for the same reasons I did in the movie...just basically that Blade is a tragic character really..and it would have been nice to know more about his past and his link with Whistler. A good book if you like the action type.

Blade is an awesome book to read. The author is very descriptive. If I had to read one book the rest of my life, it would be Blade. I thought Blade was and is and ever will be the most intriguing book to read. Blade is the only book I've ever read in my whole life on my own, without being forced to by a teacher. If you like to read about bounty hunters and vampires, I strongly suggest Blade.

Another ride on the good ol' roller-coaster of adrenalin! Who says books can't raise your blood pressure? For those who think so: Read Blade! Awesome action, packed with vampire-slaying excitement, and intense fun! I haven't even seen the movie, though I'm about to. If all movie-novels were like Blade, Carmike Cinemas will be seeing me more often.

I read The Crying Heart Tattoo with the highest expectations. I had heard rave reviews and was prepared to read a compelling love story. I was sorely disappointed. The author sets up the female character to appear confident, worldly and strong, yet he has her act weak and pathetic. Her so-called backround was unbelievable when compared to her actions. I never felt an unbreakable bond between the two characters. The writing was obvious in some instances with too many cutsey lines repeated a bit too often. The ending felt tacked on, as if Mr. Martin just ran out of story. The book lacked depth and all in all was just not a compelling read.

When I read this book and reviewed it shortly afterward, I don't think I gave it fair due. As time goes on and I think back to this book I love it more and more.

This is the story of Felicity and Sonny.....life-long lovers with a turbulent and sometimes downright heartbreaking relationship. Felicity, 20 years Sonny's senior, is brazen and even loopy at times. She lends a great deal of humor to the story as well as veiled sadness.

Sonny, on the other hand is a huge jerk throughout most of the story as he becomes more and more bitter and jaded. Felicity seems to be the only spark left in his life...a spark which he almost puts out.

Running parallel to the story of Sonny and Felicity is the tale of Gravelda and Genipur. They are two rather primitive tribal people who are hauntingly similar to their modern-day counterparts. It's a story that Felicity tells to Sonny in chunks over the years as their meetings become fewer and farther between. The story allows Felicity to quietly vent her feelings about her relationship with Sonny.

This is a book that, even if you become a little dazed about in the process of reading, will stick to you long after you've read the last page. Far be it from me to withold credit where credit is due....and I must admit, this book is a jewel.

I read this book many years ago, and make a point of reading it again at least once a year. Long before tattoos were acceptable for women, I got a crying heart tattoo because of how this book touched my heart.

I've recently gotten into making my own lotions and potions because so much of what is on the market to buy is full of ingredients that are harmful for a body. Some recipes and procedures take more time than others but are so well worth it. I found this book quite by accident but now thank the powers that be for it. The ingredients and methods for mixing and fixing are simple enough for a beginner like me, but indepth enough to let me know why and how it all works. Herbs and oils are explained as well and as extensively as anyone could ask without going into too much detail and added information that I can't and probably won't use. I'd suggest this wonderful and informative book to anyone that in interested in making alternative products for body and hair care. They are truely wonderful. Out of the many books I own on this subject, this is by far the most comprehensive and concise one to have.

This is one of the best cosmetics books I ever bought. Theauthor did not hold anything back on how to make wonderful cosmetics.The recipes are easy to follow. You will be working with the bestingredients nature has to offer when making recipes from this book.There is a section at the end of the book giving instructions on basictechniques for making a variety of different formulas. Ingredients inrecipes can be substituted--you can create personalize cosmetics. Imodified recipes and the product turned out wonderful. I especiallylike the face creme recipes. My skin feels healthy and wonderfulusing these cremes. This book focuses on the most important herbs,essential oils, and natural ingredients specifically used for makinghealthy cosmetics. The author shared her knowledge on how to make thebest cosmetics. I'm thankful she wrote this book.

This book is AWESOME! It is one of the better books I've read on the subject of natural skin/hair/body care with homemade products.

It's very informative,very well organized according to sections (Face Care, Body Care, Mouth Care, Hair Care, Healing Salves and Balms)with special attention given to men, women and different life stages. It's very thorogh.

Dina Falconi provides countless recipes for creams, oils, balms and lotions as well as what those products can do for you and for whom they're most useful (i.e. mature/dry skin etc.)

Not only are recipes provided, but basic recipes for salves and creams are also provided so you can incorporate oils, butters and waxes that you particularly like. Say you don't want to make a beeswax and canola oil based lip balm (which is one of the recipes) you can flip to the back of the book and learn the proper oil/wax proportions for balms and you can try something else instead.

Falconi also explains the benefits of certain essential oils, herbs, butters and oils which is also very beneficial to those just beginning to make personal care products.

A great book!

Of the many books writen in the 19th, 20th and early 21st century, this book has to be one of the most completely reasearched and comprehensive accounts of history and theoritical history.

Forget about its research on the theory of Atlantis in which it provides the most comprehensive of historical associations and threads on world legends that allude to the reality of Atlantis. Andrew Collins goes way beyond defining a gateway to Atlantis by showing ancient history through many real historical accounts, including the Bible and other religious documents, and linking both real documented facts with many legends from around the entire world.

If you ever wanted to better understand who so many past races and peoples were, how they thought and lived and how we all appear to be linked together from a unified source, read this book.

Its nice to finally read something about Atlantis which doesn't rely on ancient astronauts or mystical crystals! Andrew Collins believes that Atlantis was located in the West Indies and related islands, basing his theory not on shadowy ideas about ruins under the ocean but on realistic measurements of travel times, directions, and other clues found in Plato and other ancients who mentioned a lost civilization to the west. While this book won't do much for the von Daniken crowd, it will certainly please those who can distinguish fact from mysticism!

The ever elusive Atlantis has never failed to arrest the imagination of many throughout the ages. In this latest and impressively researched work, Andrew Collins traverses the evidence available in order to unravel the 3 prime mysteries - whether Atlantis indeed once existed, its probable location in the modern world, and how it all came to an end.

Starting with Plato's Timaeus and Critias, Collins ploughs through a formidable mass of ancient and not-too-ancient literature to garner evidence about the lost land and its probable topography. He then applies the result with meticulous care (and with much erudite discussion in the process) to all the prime contenders for the location of Atlantis to determine which in fact is the most likely candidate for the legendary realm. He then seeks to corroborate the findings with legends from both sides of the Atlantic (in particular those from central America) as well as other more scientifically verifiable facts, such as information gleaned from ancient relics, the presence of tabacco in Egyptian mummies and some distinctive method for dyeing cotton. Having established the location of the lost Atlantis, the author completes his theory by examining the sort of catastrophe that brought about the end of the advanced civilisation there as well as the possible fate of those who managed to escape from it.

What makes this highly readable book doubly commendable is that the author has at all times followed the available evidence instead of making wild guesses and unsubstantiated propositions in order to advance his theories. Such a scholarly approach has made the discourse much more convincing than many other books written about lost civilisations. And if Collins's conclusions are not absolutely compelling, they nevertheless are very well argued and presented and warrant serious consideration by ancient historians. Besides, all those materials amassed by Collins for the book are already by themselves of great value to those interested in the subject. David Rohl's Introduction is also very illuminating and provides enlightening remarks about the methodology used by many alternative historians. A most enjoyable work on a fascinating subject. Highly recommended!