I was telling my sister-in-law about a friend's child who just started a new school and is having a hard time. My sister-in-law knew about this book and suggested I get it for my friend. She loved it! After she read it to her son, it opened up a whole discussion on what would be the same and different at his new school, and how the differences don't have to be bad. He really responded well. I read it, too, and I have to say, after just starting a new job, I found myself laughing at how appropriate this children's book is to my life. You may miss friends and things from the past, but you can learn a lot from new experiences. Ms. Miller's students are lucky to have her as a teacher.

An excellent book teaching students and children differences and similarities of culture. My students love it! Fun and well written. The ending is touching.

Just Like Home is unlike any other book I've ever encountered for ESL and Bilingual curriculum. It's patterned, alternating format is perfectly designed for English and Spanish language learners alike.

It is moving, engaging, and an honest account of the challenges and joys faced by every child who is faced with two cultures or two languages.

It is a must read!

This book is delightful reading for anyone who has either read Dracula or has simply heard reports on the doings of the infamous count. Professor Miller has some wonderfully witty and insightful commentary about this classic vampire story. She also shows a sense of humor about herself as she describes the trials and tribulations of being a "Dracula expert".

Professor Miller's work fills in the gaps of previous Dracula scholarship. Her book is both enlightening and entertaining, and no reader will yawn over these insightful, lively essays. Very highly recommended.

Scholarly, yet written in a clear and fresh style, the first chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Dr. Miller's book, while always personal, is fully reliable as she discusses the history of Vlad II and Stoker's vampire count, as well as her own experiences and research as a "vampire expert." Humorous, fresh, interesting, accurate, filled with sharp observations about society and _Dracula_, beginning vampire readers will want this book...and "old-timers" MUST have it. Very highly recommended.

There are many interesting facts in this book that people of any age will enjoy. Kids will take great delight in reading the book and then telling you facts while you drive.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! have produced classic facts for many years and this one is no exception.

This book isn't the best choice for a fiction lover. All the facts are true. I liked it because I like all Ripley stuff. If you've been to a Ripley museum and enjoyed it, you'll probably like this book. These facts are written, drawn, and proved by the Ripley people. I do suggest this book; it can teach you what you didn't learn in school.

People who like nonfiction might like this book if they don't mind facts jumping from moose to shark to turtle.There are 124 pages of true entertainment written, drawn, and proved by the people at Ripley's.It doesn't really that many facts on reptiles though. If you're interested in reptiles, you may want to check out another Ripley book, Reptiles, Lizards, and Prehistoric Beasts. Wild Animals is a good book to spread the word about, whether you tell 1 fact, the whole book, or just tell someone to get the book. If you love fiction though, you may not like this.

i loved this book! this is one of the best books on the town of natchez, anyone looking for info on anyone of the many fantastic houses in natchez should bye this book! i looooooooved that one house, longwood, interesting architecture.

This is a fabulous book, filled brillant color photo's of manywonderful ante-bellum homes. I am proud that someone finally wrotesuch a great,detailed, and informitive book. If you like classicsouthern architecture than this is the book for you.I give this book 5stars!

This book takes the pre-schooler easily through the history and constructions of all types of bridges. As every book should, it encourages the child to look more closely at elements of his/her everyday life and environment. It's great to see non-fiction for children. Great graphic images.

The author truly captivated my child for hours on end with a simple to understand primer on bridge design. The illustrations were magnificent and my daughter can now appreciate the many different types of bridges in her world.

Elizabeth Miller's latest book is a welcome relief for people like myself who are continually annoyed by the unsubstantiated theories and just plain incorrect facts that have (and continue to be) passed off and have become generally accepted as "facts" over the years. In Dracula: Sense And Nonsense, Miller (to use her own words) "...challenges dozens of errors and misconceptions about Bram Stoker and his famous novel..."

The book is divided into five main chapters which cover: the sources for the novel, Stoker's writing of his classic, the novel itself, the geography covered in the book and Vlad the Impaler. A sixth chapter covers the strengths and weaknesses of other (non-fiction) books that deal with the novel Dracula in some form (bios of Stoker, studies of the novel, etc.) Each chapter is also extensively annotated.

In each of the first five chapters, Miller quotes an error or misconception surrounding the chapter subject, gives the source for the quote and then presents her evidence as to why the quote is "poppycock" (one of my favorite expressions used in the book).

Ms. Miller sprinkles some welcome humor into the book with her initial reaction(s) against given quotes. Also, you can tell that every explanation was carefully and thoroughly researched. One comes away with an immense respect for the time, effort and thought that she put into presenting her case. Her writing is succinct and scholarly, although never written above the heads of her readers.

To truly appreciate the importance of this book, a little explanation is in order. Bram Stoker kept an incredibly comprehensive record concerning the origins and sources for the writing of Dracula, many times known as his "working notes and papers". These notes were discovered in the Seventies. Thus, to establish any true facts concerning the novel, one need only look at the novel itself and Stoker's notes. Any information or "facts" that do/did not make use of these notes (since their discovery), can truly only be considered theories or assumptions.

In debunking the myths and errors related in her book, Miller uses Stoker's notes as her evidence. If the proof for one of the quoted "facts" cannot be found within said notes, Miller (correctly) identifies it hearsay, improbable, misinformed, or just plain incorrect.

Of the many inaccuracies Miller corrects, perhaps no other will cause more controversy than her severing the ties between the fictional Count and the real-life Vlad Tepes. According to the author, Stoker merely borrowed the name Dracula and any statement of fact that Stoker based his vampire Count (or even had much knowledge) on the bloodthirsty Vlad is irresponsible. Many more deep-seated, but less shocking assumptions and beliefs will likely be shattered by this book.

This won't be an easy book for many devoted fans of the novel. Old established beliefs can be hard to shake and many may simply dig in their feet and refuse to accept Miller's rebuttals. But serious fans of the novel owe it to themselves to give this book a reading. Miller only presents the best possible evidence: what Stoker himself wrote concerning the origins of his book. If it isn't in the notes, where's the proof?

With all the fiction masquerading as fact in the world of Dracula studies and the unsubstantiated rumors about what Bram Stoker knew and didn't know, Miller's book should be required reading for any "serious Dracula scholar." There is much unreliable information about the novel "Dracula" and its author and Miller's book is about questioning the assumptions of many of the most relied-upon "Dracula" works. Miller argues that there is an "anything goes" attitude toward "Dracula," as though the novel is not worth serious consideration. She contradicts this argument and manages (with much humor) to weed through many popular misconceptions and trace them to their sources, refuting them most convincingly. From the idea that Dracula cannot walk around in daylight to the notion that Stoker's novel was inspired by a nightmare to the belief that Stoker based many elements in his novel on actual people and places to the linking of Count Dracula and Vlad Dracula, Miller explores a wide variety of mistakes, rumors and misleading statements. Miller points out that a statement of fact regarding the novel, or its author, requires proof to support it. Her's is the scientific approach to Dracula studies: if it isn't in Stoker's Notes, you have to prove it some other way. If you cannot do this, you should not state an argument as a fact. Bravo! Through more than two hundred pages, Miller takes us on a journey of discovery and we find that anyone researching information about Dracula must be aware that the source they rely on may be riddled with inaccuracies. With a copy of Miller's book at your side, however, you can approach these sources with a critical eye and avoid perpetuating the nonsense. This is a wonderful book, extremely well researched and a great resource for anyone interested in "Dracula."

We had four Elizabeth Miller CAT AND DOG books when my daughter Caitlin was growing up (she's now 21). But *this* one was my favorite, and I can still quote whole passages from memory. A true gem!

In this day and age where what seems to make it in this worldis that and those people who conform to the do's and don'ts ofcorporate America, or perhaps I ought say america with a small"a", FM is a most refreshing change that renews my belief that there are still original thinkers out there making personal and important statements that are not only artistic, but personal, cultural, politically relevant, psychologically astute and desperately needed. It is hard to hold onto the hope that individuals can grow up in this world, develop and hold onto and feel good about an authentic sense of self - so kudo's to Lisa Adams for creating this book, and for those whos work appears. I am always impressed by the work of Lauren Hartman who seems to really have found a path to her authentic self - may she never lose that, and may this book inspire others to find theirs.

"Time does not pass in a clock's ticking; oh no! It goes like gusts of wind past the north corner of a house. Stay in the sun on the south side and you never know a wind is blowing, but breast around the north corner, and it will jerk your breath from out of your ribs. It is blowing, but you don't notice it; always time is passing, but you don't notice it . . ."

The passage of time is what makes this book a pleasant read, and utterly depressing. There are few resolutions to the catastophies that occur throughout the story, leaving you with a sunken feeling of the depressing events and little to get you out of it. With much birthing and deathing, there are few rejoiceful passages in the book. However, the rewards of this read include watching time give Cean a new lease on life (though permamently hardened by the toils of her life in the rural Georgia (Georgy)) and Margot temporary happiness in her mid-life (though eventually hardend by the events that unfold before her).

The book suffers from a lack of depth in certain aspects of the story. Just as you are feeling pulled in by the characters, the author jumps ahead a year in time and instead of developing the story lists the children that were born to a character in the interim. In addition, you can only see glimpses of Miller's ability to write poignant passages (as the one above)- most of the words are much more straight forward and anxious.

However, if you read past some of the low points, you will get to the ending that is more clever than the rest of the novel.

Lamb in His Bosom is superb, but nonetheless if Gayle K Garrison had done her research she would undoubted have found that Miss Miller did write another novel called 'Lebanon'.

Caroline Miller's Lamb In His Bosom is a truly beautiful read. The unforgettable characters, the story line, the beautiful prose and dialect, all these make it the perfect book about the South and Southerners.
The book is set in Georgia about twenty years before the War Between the States, and eventually leads up to the War. The story revolves around the life and thoughts of Cean Smith (nee Carver), and how she manages as a young wife and mother in the Georgia backwoods. Her life is marked by hard work, love for her husband, and birthing, raising, and burying her babies.
I was first struck by the dialect. The more I read, the more I recognized my own mother's speech patterns and idioms. I should have expected as much, seeing as she was born and raised in a Kentucky holler, in a situation not far removed from that of Lamb's Cean and Lonzo. From the book's excellent afterward (which describes Miller's research technique), as well as from numerous contemporaneous reviews, the dialect in Lamb is probably the best record available of pre-War Between the States Southern speech, and the book therefore has historical value. Attempts by authors to portray "Southern-speak" usually come off as irritating, even insulting, poor imitations of a "Hee-Haw" script. But Miller makes the dialect not only effective, she makes it beautiful and even honorable.
The story line has several elements to commend the book. First is the utter believablity of the situations. There is nothing outrageous about the vicissitudes encountered by these characters. The power of the story is contained in large measure in the very plainess of life in the setting. Life for these folks is a few years of hard toil to scratch out an existence that is punctuated by brief moments of happiness and made joyful by enduring family ties and precious generational memories. Most prevalent in the story is the ubiquitous presence of death, which spares neither the elderly, the middle-aged, and especially the children and babies. The story made me remember the grave yards at my Alma Mater in southern Virginia, where the grave markers tell a story of a time when families had more deceased children than most people today have living relatives. And in this is the Southern heart most eloquently displayed in Lamb, for every passing is, of course, cause for mourning, but is also occasion to remember the blessing that death has become, as it is the Door that leads to the long hoped for encounter with the Great Maker, Redeemer, and Disposer of All. In Lamb, dread death is not feared as it gives way to Blessed Transfiguration.
Lamb In His Bosom has a rightful place in the Southern Canon. The story is unique; it has no real plot sublety or intricacy; it has none of disturbing Gothicity of O'Connor, none of the flagellation of Faulkner, none of the contrived humor of Welty. This in NO WAY is a diminution of those great Southern writers. Rather, it is a confirmation of the Southern Character and Ethos of seeing God and nature as good and living in close connection to both even in the face of hardship and death, loving our living, and honoring our dead. Lamb In His Bosom deserves to read, carefully and quietly. It is a book that is beautifully simple and simply beautiful, just like the South and Southerners.