This is one of my favorite books from my childhood. The original copy is long since gone, but may mother managed to find a copy for me, for my 37th birthday! An inspirational childrens book that leaves a lasting impression. Arty's story reminds us that motivation comes from within!!

we read this book over and over when we were kids. I didn't realize that it was not only out of print but so popular! I'd love to find a copy that's reasonably priced so I can share this great story with my daughter.

THIS BOOK IS FUN FOR ANY KID AND HELPS MOTIVATE THE SMALLEST FRY.THIS OUT OF PRINT TREASURE IS A CLASSIC. I AM TRYING TO FIND ONE FOR MY KID SISTER, IF ANYONE KNOWS WHERE TO FIND ONE PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

I first watched the Burning Bed in 1987 and was so appalled, I wanted to smash the TV set! Farrah was excellent as the abused lady, she made you immediately want to hug and comfort her. Hughes certainly got his comeuppance,(I would have done the same) and there is no way Francine should have even been arrested, never mind ending up in court. It was a well-made film and I winced everytime Farrah was 'hit' and 'punched'. Paul le Mat was good, but was it a good idea for him to accept the role? Not everyone realises that this is a film, and he isn't the real Mickey Hughes. Francine proves that she has guts, how she coped with bringing up four children and a violent drunk for a husband, I'll never know and she thoroughly deserves to be happy now. I didn't realise she married again. I hope her second husband has treated her like a princess. Does anyone know what she looks like. Does anyone have a photograph of her, I need it for my project. All my love Francine, best wishes

I first learned about Francine Hughes's story in People Magazine during the summer of 1984. It was the first real-life story and movie I discovered about spousal abuse. I was proud of Francine for her bravery to escape from the drunken,physical,verbal,and abusive Mickey. (May he burn in hell!) I don't know why certain people, including the very inept police didn't do something about what Mickey had done to Francine, and why they all made it look like it was all her fault. Maybe they should all join Mickey in hell. What Francine did was quick thinking to be rid of him once and for all.
I also praised Farrah Fawcett for her role as Francine in "The Burning Bed". In a way, Paul LeMat did a good/bad role of Mickey.
I always wondered during the time that Francine set the fire to Mickey's bed, then escaped in time, if Mickey woke up suddenly, and tried to escape too, or if he was too deep asleep in a very drunken stuper to know what was going on, and just died instantly? Either way, he deserves to be dead.
I also wonder how Francine is doing now. Is she still married to her second husband Robert Wilson? Are her kids married? (She actually has four of them.) All in all, I hope she's doing okay.
I praise the movie and book with a good review.

I first learned of Francine Hughes's story from reading People
Magazine during the summer of 1984. It was the first actual story
and real-life movie about spousal abuse I ever discovered. I was proud of Francine and observed how brave she was to get away from
the drunken,physical,verbal,abusive tyrant Mickey. (May he burn in hell!) I was also glad her kids came through all right. (Francine had four children-not three, though the movie did.) I always wondered what happened when after Francine set the fire and escaped in time if Mickey had woken up, and tried to escape too, or if he was in too deep asleep in a drunken stuper to know what was going on, and just died instantly. Either way, he derserves to be dead.
I also want to know how Francine is doing, and if she's still married to Robert Wilson, and how her kids are doing. She's a very brave woman for what she did, and I hope she continues to do okay.

These are stunningly well told versions of the plays.

They give not only the story, but a wonderful sense of the theatrical - you read and enjoy a visual sensation as well as the speech of Shakespeare (all the words 'spoken' are taken directly from Shakespeare's scripts).

Romeo and Juliet, for example, sweats in the heat of Verona. There is a fantastic image of wasps fighting! You go directly into the story - and moral considerations are there.

The pictures support the text well- giving yet another dimension to the book.

Forget Lamb!

I've used these stories in the classroom for many years now - partly because young people (11 through to much older!) relate to them -but also because I really enjoy re-reading them.

(There is a whole set of Abridged Shakspeare by Garfield too - and wonderful Animations done with Russian animators!)

When I took my long service leave, I bought Garfield's books of Shakespeare's Stories (both volumes) and I hired videos of Shakespeare's plays. Working with these and the texts of the plays, I gave myself a course in Shakespeare's plays. It was one of the highlights of my life.

I had supposed the Laurence Olivier was some pompous old fart with a plum in his mouth. He is ELECTRIC. His Hamlet is a study in depression. His voice in "To be or not to be" is scarcely audible but carries so much emotion.

In all, I watched 22 different plays - my favourites, Richard 11 and Hamlet, in several different versions. I followed the BBC series which uses the same actors from one play to the next so that the Duke of Gloucester in one play is played by the same actor who later becomes Richard 11 in the next play.

Leon Garfield's story-telling with its light touch of irony and its perfect choice of words opened a door that I had assumed was marked "Other people only". Garfield wrote marvellous children's book and I've read them all but these books are the best of his achievements and they've made a big difference to my life.

Excellent choice for English teachers who want to review Shakespeare's classics with students. I have also used this with my middle school students to introduce them to Shakespeare. The stories are written in clear language so that students will be able to understand the wonderful stories of the bard without being intimidated by Shakespearean language A must for all English teachers!

I had an eight-year old girl that I tutor in reading comprehension read this book, and she loved it. This book is an interesting guide on how a child would go about digging a hole to the other side of the world.

I remember as a child tryng to dig a hole to the other side of the world. It made me wish that I had read this book as a child. It would have sent my imagination reeling.

This book is highly educational, as well. The child learns about geysers and other things she would encounter while taking on such an endeavor. I was worried that the girl who read this would have a difficult time remembering the elements of the story because it had so many scientific facts in it, but she didn't have a problem at all.

It's a very good book indeed.

The day this book arrived, my daughter read it on her own cover to cover. It opened up a great dialogue regarding the composition of the Earth. I sometimes have trouble getting her to read regular science books, but this one made it fun to learn about geology and geography.

One fish who dares to be free.

This book has a special place in the heart. Share it with your kids, and their kids after.

This is a simple book which feels more like a storybook than a science book. This suits it very well to the age group it is aiming at. It is a gentle look at evolution, but because it is focused on only one animal, it can give more detail than a general book on evolution of this size. I really wish they had a series of these, each focusing on a different animal. I also liked the artwork and felt it fit well with the tone of the writing. Overall this was a hit in our family, and I often recommend it to others who are looking for evolution books for the preschool set. There are so few books for youngsters about evolution; it is a real shame. Most of us who want to expose our children to this from early on are pretty much stuck using everything that is available, whether it is particularly well done or not. This is a book I would use even if there were an abundance of books to choose from.

Told from a spider's perspective, this story details the life and near demise of a small creature. At the last moment the lady of the story demonstrates compassion and returns the spider to the garden where he can live a long and happy life. This story is filled with rich illustrations and captivating text. Good for children 3-5 but riveting for those 5-8. The message is one we all should hear.

There aren't many books that tell a good story and can teach science at the same time. This book has managed to do both. This is a story about a girl and her brother who move to an old farmhouse that have bats living in the attic. The parents teach them all about bats during this story but it doesn't come off like a science book. This would be an excellent book for children in 3rd grade. I'd even pick it for my daughter who doesn't like science.

The 1984 NBC telepic with Farrah Fawcett probably got more attention than Faith McNulty's book on which it was inspired. In the realm of "Men, Women and Rape," still regarded as the definitive study of rape as an act of violence, "The Burning Bed" does likewise on the subject of domestic violence. Based on the 1970's trial of a battered wife and mother who doused her passed out, drunken husband with gasoline before sending him off in flames, McNulty calls attention to the shame and silence with which the subject of spousal abuse was given, even in that era. The author does a masterful job in detailing the victim's years of physical and mental abuse, so much and so many that triggered what we now call post-traumatic stress or battered wife syndromes. But without those clinical identifications and before it become vogue not to have to be beaten, the wife and mother here is charged with premediated murder, and her only legal defense then was a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. That that was the only plea victims of violence had, in modern history, is shameful unto itself, and McNulty's book doesn't pooh-pooh the subject and confronts it openly and critically. In many respects, the success of the TV adaptation overshadowed the actual book, and that's a shame. Even more than in the dramatization, the book delves into the deepest and darkest pits of domestic violence, brings it to light and commands the judicial system and private citizenry to demand that the matter become a public policy issue. Obviously, McNulty's position paid off. Now, unlike then, the victims of domestic crimes really do have a choice, and that choice no longer is solely physical retaliation against the perpetrator.