My sensei is telling us all to buy this book because it helps us keep track of our tournaments and belt tests. Really cool! Great art, too!

The book was exquisitly written and magnificently edited. It is imperative that every student who wants to excel at the martial arts should own this book.

This book really is a MUST HAVE for any student of Martial Arts! It is exceptionally valuable in helping the student keep track of their growth and progress! It is well organized, well written, and contains everything a student of the Martial Arts could possibly want! Clearly the author has exceptional expertise in the Martial Arts and has provided this wonderful book as a tool to encourage others towards excellence! I've also read his Ultimate Jujutsu: Practices and Principals, and I look forward to additional titles.

A well written realistic adventure of two children visiting a wildlife refuge made to protect the American Bald Eagle. Their naturalist guide introduces them to facts about the life cycle of the eagle, folklore, and environmental issues. Beautiful watercolor illustrations enhance the story.

Reading level: 4th grade

I love the book! As an avid book lover, I enjoy reading poems about books.I also enjoyed the other poems. I like the way the book is set up-like a menu. Can't wait to share with my students. jrodenberger@juno.com

Bottoms Up! isn't another book about bodily functions per say, but a survey of animal bottoms and their varied uses. From setting traps to zapping enemies, spiders, skunks, and other animals are the focus with Patrick O'Brien adding realistic drawings throughout.

I bought this book for my 4 year old - who is really enthralled with sea life - especially Orcas. Its a great bed time reading book - 1 chapter at a time. Lots of facts that are interesting for adults too.

Found this book very useful for my first year Modern History course in the University of New England (Australia).

Following up her successful first book of poetry, author Baird has written more poetry about the weather--in particular, the northern plains weather she knows so well. The language is expressive and precise, but mostly the poems are great fun to read aloud. If you're a teacher, your classroom is sure to find great inspiration from this book. If you're a parent or grandparent, what fun you and your child will have talking about the weather after reading Baird's poems. Illustrator Patrick O'Brien's done another great job of illustrating the weather--a tough job, but he does it very well.

This was a wonderful book. I highly recommend it for preschoolthrough early elementary ages. The illustrations of dinosaurs next toeveryday objects show children (and adults) how big these creatures really were. The book also translates the name of each dinosaur, and gives a fact to accompany each page. A wonderful read, well worth owning!

I bought this book because my son (James) is very interested in the Middle Ages, King Arthur, etc. Since he is 7 years old and the book begins when Sir James is 7 years old, he really enjoyed it. The details on weapons, armor, etc. added a great touch and were not only interesting, but educational. The book contains some vocabulary which required explanation, but in general he was fascinated. The illustrations are excellent and we read a few pages at a time each night so we could discuss them in detail. I hope Mr. O'Brien writes more about the adventures of Sir James.

It has been awhile since I've read a book in this series, but returning to it I felt like I had never taken a break. Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin have become my good friends, and O'Brian swept me away with their exploits instantly. Even thought the style is decidedly un-modern, O'Brian's narrative thrust is irresistible. In this, the third volume of the series, Jack is still in debt due to the Admiralty refusing to honor a war prize based on a technicality, thus putting his engagement to Sophie in danger. Maturin is in real danger as the new Lord governing the navy broadcasts his name in a public meeting, thus raising possible questions about his role as a spy. Stephen's heart is troubled as well; he still moons over Diana Villiers, from the events of the second book.

How can you possibly dislike a book that contains a line such as this: "Jack, you have debauched my sloth." Yes, O'Brian has a certain amount of levity, although it is often hidden underneath the layers of the manners of the time. His style is somewhat like that of Jane Austen, where the most cutting of phrases are being said in the nicest of ways. You either like this sort of thing or don't. I like it, when I catch it, but I yearn for annotations, just knowing that there are some subtleties that are escaping me.

This is the third novel in the Jack Aubrey-Stephen Maturin series, and the story just keeps rolling right along. It's difficult to maintain the pace and the reader's interest for more than the first couple of volumes in any sort of fiction series, but O'brian certainly has the knack. This time, the newly-posted but still heavily indebted Captain Aubrey is detailed to ferry a diplomat to the court of an Indian prince . . . having been the unknowing beneficary of Maturin's leverage at the Admiralty. He's impatient at being out of the principal theater of the war with France, but happy to have any ship at all -- especially the frigate SURPRISE, in which he had served as a midshipman. Besides helping his friend, Dr. Maturin has his own reasons for visiting India -- Diana Villiers has gone there in the company of a wealthy merchant from the City and the East India Company. For O'Brian spends as much time on the details and development of his characters' personal interrelationships as he does on naval maneuvering and battles. And the descriptions of rounding the Cape of Good Hope are mesmerizing!

I read HMS Surprise several years ago, and I've read several others in this wonderful series, but I backtracked and read this novel again at the same time I listened to most of it in the audio version with Patrick Tull as the reader. It was a great experience. HMS Surprise comes close to being a perfect novel. From the rescue of Stephen in Port Mahon, to the scene on St. Paul's rocks, to the gale as they went round the cape of Good Hope, to Stephen's tragic adventures in Bombay, to the incredible battle with the French squadron, to Stephen's tragic relationship with Diana Villiers, to Maturin's duel in Calcutta, to whether Sophie would be waiting for Jack, every scene is near perfection.

Patrick Tull is a perfect narrator for O'Brian's work. He has the various voice down to perfection and you can tell he loves what he's reading.

Each book in this series has much to recommend, but his one stands slightly above the others.