I have had this book for twenty-five years now and still laugh at the adventures of cat Bimbo and dog Topsy and their friends, the older dog Bobs and tabby cat Cosy. The adventures they have around the house are often hysterical and worth a good laugh even all these years later.

You will fall in love with the tales of a naughty house-cat and his most earnest follower, the dog in the house. Together Bimbo and Topsy create a havoc in the house, often turning the house upside down. A must read for kids...but like a lot of books by Enid Blyton, even adults can have a good laugh.

Amelia is absolutely the proof that being pretty outside doesn't mean being pretty inside. Blyton tells this story like she tells all her others: lovingly, with great pride in *all* her characters, and with an instinctive knowledge of what kids love and want to read.

This book is for kids ages 3-8.
I thought this was a very wonderful story about what happens at night when the toy store closes and what the toys do.
It is adventureous and funny and teaches children how friendships are formed and how to get along with one and another.
Even though the toys had disagreements and misunderstandings they were able to work their problems out and live happily together.
The story has a lot of imagination and color and is very appealing to the little ones and adults too.
This book is great to have a parent read the the young ones because it is long and enjoying.
I would recommend this to anyone to read over and over again.

This is one of many Famous Five and Secret Seven Enid Blyton books that I read as I grew up. I am 24 now and a teacher but I read these when I lived in Scotland. Every week we would go to the library and get books - I would ALWAYS get an Enid Blyton book. They are fun and adventurous and they teach children about friendship. The plots are enjoyable (with fairly predictable endings) but as a child I loved reading these books and have kept all of my copies for my children to read. If you want an enjoyable book to read aloud to your children this is a book you should buy!

Five Go Adventuring Again: A Famous Five Adventure by Enid Blyton narrates the initiative taken by Georgina, Julian, Dick, Anne and their dog Timothy to combat racketeering. Anne and her brothers cannot spend the Christmas vacation with their parents since their mother is down with scarlet fever. They have to stay in Kirrin Cottage - Georgina's home. Since the kids, except Anne, have academic problems Georgina's father Uncle Quentin employs Mr Roland as tutor to help out.He quickly integrates with the family, although he detests Georgina because of Timothy. In the same token, Georgina dislikes the tutor for his unkind remarks about her dog. Mr Roland, nonetheless, tries to compromise but Georgina and Timothy reject his kind gestures. In retaliation, the tutor bans Tim from the classroom. This is hard for Georgina to swallow, so she secretly lets in Tim and hides him under the table. Unaware of the trick, Mr Roland stretches his legs under the table during class, only to have his ankle bitten by the dog.Overcome with consternation and indignation, he bans Tim from the classroom for ever. One morning during a visit to Kirrin Farmhouse - a house full of secrets - the kids bump into a mysterious opening containing, inter alia, a piece of linen. This material becomes the center of attraction because it has an inscription in latin, 'via occulta'. This arouses their curiosity and having tried unsuccessfully to decode it they reluctantly approach their tutor. He translates it to mean some kind of secret way. Immediately, they become interested in exploring it. In the process they discover, much to their dismay and chagrin, a sort of connection between the tutor and two men posing as artists. Since the secret way leads to the artists' room, the kids begin to spy out their rendezvous. They watch the tutor meet secretly with the two agents and hand over papers stolen from Uncle Quentin's study. The kids search the place carefully and recover the stolen papers. Uncle Quentin is briefed about the ugly incident and the bad guys are handed over to the police. If you enjoy adventures, you'll find this story both challenging and entertaining. The intrigues grab your attention throughout the whole episode. Once more it shows the courage, intelligence, and determination of these young explorers and, of course, the indefatigable and undaunted Tim.Probably, it taught Uncle Quentin another lesson - to have a little more structure in his life and also show more respect for the kids. This text refers to the paperback edition of this title.

Although I grew up reading the Noddy books, I had never read the first in the series, Noddy Goes to Toyland. Eventually, I purchased it for my daughter and took great pleasure in finding out the answers to a number of burning questions that I had been harboring for over 30 years. Just what *is* Noddy? How did he meet Big Ears? Where did he get his little house? his outfit? All is revealed in this volume- well worth the investment for the Noddy fan.

Little Noddy goes to Toyland is a wonderful book for childen of all ages. My daughter is only 7 months old and she already knows who Noddy is!! We have Noddy story books, annuals and a tape of the Theme to his television show that is shown on BBC in the UK. We need characters like Noddy to fill our childrens lives and show them how fun life can be.

The Random House Webster's College Thesaurus, although somewhat thin, is an excellent resource, ranking among the highest. Most words in the English language have multiple meanings, converse forms, similar sounds and spellings in relation to other words, and outlandish synonyms ranging from before the Twelfth century through the Ninties. This thesaurus is not limited to only older words, terms, and phrases: but also contains slang and many new words and terms. It supplies a brief but adequate sentence for each listed word, phrase, and term, as well as for their different forms (i.e. adverbs, nouns, verbs, etc.) to sufficiently define their uses. I also enjoy the fact that this thesaurus lists antonyms, for sometimes I can think of a word, but I can't think of the word that I need, which is the exact opposite. In todays fast-paced world, everyone wants things simple and fast. Another exceptional advantage to owning this thesaurus is that it allows the reader to find what they need without searching for hours, using countless dictionaries and thesaurus's, laid out on their table. Although this thesaurus doesn't meet the criteria to qualify as the best thesaurus, it certainly exceeds the standards set by persons such as myself. I highly recommend adding this book to your personal library.

If you wonder synonyms or antonyms of any word, you should have this book. It is really helpful. It has also example sentences to explain the usage of the words.

This is a great, non-threatening cookbook for people who are reluctant to try new recipes. Exceptional recipes are identified by the cookbook committee and clearly marked and are, therefore, pretty safe bets for success. Berry-Best Muffins, Chicken Alberghetti, and Chicken Tetrazinni are some of our favorites. Also worth noting: a Low-Cal section, Kid's Specialties, and Easy-to-dos. There are also several full menu selections at the back of the cookbook. I recommend this cookbook to friends looking for a good resource when they start cooking.

I was probably 14 when my mom bought this at a thrift store. I've kept the book now until a puppy htought it was his toy! Time to get another. They aren;t kidding when they say these recipes are full of flavor. The two carrot cake recipes are my favorite in the world. Plenty of ribbon awarded recipes you won't regret serving at your table like: Two great almost fondue like appetizer dips perfect for artisan bread, baguettes or sourdough rounds. Mushrooms Supreme, a mushroom dip with made by cooking mushrooms with bacon, then making a sort of roux then adding the sour cream and Worcestire. Hot Broccoli Dip which uses garlic and cheese and mushrooms - delicious! A Banana Dressing that you taste and think how gourmet these Great Plains are. And of course, what would a midwest cookbook be without great quickbread recipes like we remember our aunts, mom's or grandma's to make, like Pumpkin Bread, Lemon Nut Bread, Mexicali Cornbread, and Muffins by the Pail Full? There's great yeast recipes, as well, like No-fail French bread, pita bread and coffee cake. A Marinated Brisket that has soy sauce as your secret ingredient. And, of course, stuffed pork chops. There are plenty of recipes that are mouth watering without a ribbon, as well. Dutch Baby, a comfort dessert. A hummus recipe to go with the pita bread, and Chicken Breasts in Lemon Cream.

Start at the cover of this book that features five necklaces. You'll say, "Wow! How can I make these gorgeous little necklace purses?" Author Enid Taylor shows you how. Bead stitching is pretty much the same from book to book, offering the same techniques shown here: brick, square, peyote, and netting stitches. This book is special because Enid shows you how those stitches combine to make a fabulous purse. Enid, a home economics teacher for 24 years, started a craft studio in 1982, so there's lots of teaching experience behind her book. Although her craft studio's focus was on lacemaking, spinning, and needlework, her expertise in beading shines through. Not only are there many techniques shown for the body of the purses, but there are multiple ways shown to make the neckchains and fanciful decorative finishes. If your aim is to concentrate your efforts on amulet necklaces, this is the book for you!

I wanted to make amulet bags, and as a beginning beader, decided to jump right in and try. The directions are very easy to follow and include little purses using a variety of stitches: peyote, square, brick, and netting. They suggest colors but the user can really use whichever colors they like with the patterns. I do wish more of the patterns had the little flap closings for the purses, since most are designed to be open on top, but I think the author's reason may have been to keep it simple for beginners. I'd also like to ad that the book is in full color with nice glossy paper and photos. I appreciate this since some of the other books I have seen are very low quality with a steep price. If you're new to beaded amulet purses or other small purses I think you will find this book useful....I have!

I disagree with the review that these projects are not for beginners. I bought this book wanting to make a larger evening bag for my wedding, and was so pleased with the results! I had never beaded in this way before, and found the diagrams and accompanying text easy to follow. I have since tried all the stitches in the book and made amulet purses for my attendants. Her instructions make it quite easy to adapt the projects for individual taste, which was good as I did not care for the sample colors and patterns. Great beginner's book!

This book presented some good ideas and information, but I did not really like some of the exercises provided. The explanations tended to be ambiguous. This book would be better for someone who is willing to devote a lot of time to it. The biggest problem I had with this was the directions that Hoffman presented. Something else about it just didn't click with me, too... maybe it was the writing style. In any case, unless you're really serious I reccomend you look for a book that takes a more lighthearted approach.

I bought this book when I started getting interested in psychic development in 1997, in the USA. I found it quite easy to follow and for the first time I understood what psychic development meant. i still own my copy and I will continue to refer to it. Recommended for beginners.

I purchased this book to develop my already strong intuition. I wanted to better understand why I could see peoples colors and what the colors meant. This book really has helped to develop my skills. Her focusing, relaxation, breathing, and affirmation exercizes would be great for anyone, even those not wanting to develop phychic skills. This book is very serious stuff and you must be able to devote yourself to it. The exercizes, although easy, will really take a lot of time and practice. This book is definatly a must have for anyone wishing to expand themselves.

Perhaps this novel might have nostalgic appeal to adults who read these books as kids in the 50's when they first came out, but kids today are far too sophisticated to take Blyton's books too seriously. The characterizations and storyline are largely outdated to modern kids. Also, they will not identify with a lot of the British idiom the characters speak. Even the mindset and worldview of these characters (who even by 50's standards must have been living under a rock in some fairy land), are laughably quaint. The writing itself is passable at best. Blyton's pacing is painfully slow and she knows little about building suspense. If adults want a trip down memory lane while reading "safe" suspense to their kids, try "The Hardy Boys" instead. The concept is the same, but the writing is better and American kids will identify with the material much more easily -- even if they still find the characters too scrubbed up.

I'm 14 years old and i grew up with Enid Blyton.I was never really fond of Famous Five, but i loved her other books like "Come to the Circus" i dont think the books are available anymore though.i think her fairytales like about Pip the pixie are the best. i think all her books should be published again and if u order Enid Blyton through the web the best place to look would be amazon.co.uk they have a lot of her books.

I have loved every single Famous Five book...have read all of them when I was little. I think all of Enid Blyton's books are great to grow up with, I hope kids still continue to read her books and continue to love them.

This novel is an amazing novel about Velvet, a 14 year old girl, and a young, green, piebald (a spotted/two colored horse) that she wins. This story is not that exciting at the beginning as it introduces you to Velvet's and her family's personalities and daily life. The book becomes more alive when Velvet hears that a horse is being given away by raffle. Velvet quickly gathers all the money that she has and buys a ticket for the raffle. Amazingly the wining raffle ticket is Velvets' and she wins the piebald. After showing him is a typical/normal show, Velvet realizes he is not meant for those types of shows and decides to go bigger. After seeing how high the piebald can jump, Velvet chooses to train the piebald for the Grand National, the biggest steeplechase in the world. Throughout the whole book there are disappointing parts and parts where you smile all over. This book is like a sister to the classic novel Black Beauty. Overall National Velvet is a book for horse lovers of all ages to read; in fact it is a book everyone should read.

I thought this book was great, but it confused me on which was which character. I love the Pie. I saw the movie first, so I was surprised when the Pie was a piebald (In the movie he is chestnut). This was a great book. All horse/classic lovers should read it.

"National Velvet" is the story of the literaly ugly duckling of the Brown family. Velvet has three older sisters (Edwina, Meredith, and Malvolia) and a younger brother named Donald. her mother, Arminity, swam the English Channel as a young girl, and has the opinion that none of her daughters should be weak characters.Mi Taylor, her father's hired hand becomes Velvet's coach (as his father was to Arminity)when Velvet inherits five horses and then wins a Piebald carthorse in a village raffle.
When Mi and Velvet see how well the Piebald can jump, Velvet decides to enter him in the Grand Nationals. Velvet dresses as a boy(no girls were allowed to compete)and rides in the Nationals.
This book was really good- it showed how a person can do almost anything if they set their mind to it!