My son Joseph loves all the books in this series. Any boy that loves Thomas the Tank will! They are easy to handle for small boys. The pages are durable.

As every parent of a Thomas Fan knows, these books would better be durable and easy to carry. This book is an excellent combination of both. The four original stories are accompanied by the original illustrations, and put together in a durable hardcover, easy to carry format.

When my 3-yr old takes an interest in something, it usually becomes an all-out obsession: dinosaurs, construction vehicles, space and so it continues with Thomas the Tank Engine. We've read other books and rented videos, but these books (there are four in this series) are his beloved. The stories are simple and plentiful with a bit of a moral to them, without being pretentious or zealous. The writing style is delightful: adult enough not to bore the reader and yet perfectly understandable for the listener (assuming it's a child!). The pictures are clear but not movie or television tie-ins - it makes them more lovable! The books are small and my son loves to stack them and carry them around with him.

If your child loves Thomas and you're tired of media tie-ins, these books are for you!

The book is highly recomended for all persons from ages young till adult. The book gives a description of all the 6 major religions and other religions as well and it compares and contrasts all the similarities and differences. Really comes into my mind why Christians, Muslims and Jews are 3 separate religions eventough the basic origin is very much similar, i.e.the notion of Heaven and Hell, the belief in One superior being, Places of worships (Church, Mosque and Synagogue), Holy books (Bible, Quran and Torah)..etc.

I absolutely LOVE this book! The loving way that these two wonderful men compare and contrast the major religions of the world is beautiful. I think it should be required reading for children AND adults! I ordered several copies to give as gifts to many young people in my life. I can't wait to share this informative and thought provoking book with them. What an incredible step towards tolerance and embracing the different ways we all worship God. Thank you Mssrs. Gellman and Hartman, you have truly blessed us with this book.

This book goes into details about the different religions of the world. It describes how they are different but what makes them the same. This book does a good job informing the readers with out including bias remarks or views from one religion of another.

In sixth grade, I read a third draft of "Loser's Ledge," which was incredibly good. Mr. Thomas always told fantastic stories, and this is another one of them. From a biased point of view, this is a wonderful book, and from an unbiased point of view, it is still a wonderful book. Buy it; take it out at the library; whatever you do, read it.

Mr. Thomas was a great teacher when I had him in 6th grade. I remember reading a rough draft of Loser's Ledge, and loved it. I'm soo glad he got it published, and it is an amazing book! If you are looking for a great adventure/comedy, then Loser's Ledge is just the right thing! You won't want to put down Loser's Ledge.

I was another one of Mr. Thomas's students in the sixth grade. He would talk about his book and getting it published and now he has. He was a great teacer and now he has written a great book. It was an exciting and interesting book with an excellent plot. I loved the book and highly recommend it.

All of the books in this series are fantastic. They are poignant sweet and fascinating. I love the characters and the interactions between the characters. I read these first 26 years ago and have made sure they are easy to find every time I move. I still read them often.

Moominpappa's Memoirs is the the most imaginative book of the series, although all of them are marvellous. This volume gives you a perspective on the history of Moominland. Snip: (...)

This is without doubt one of the most enjoyable childrens books ever written. I started reading the 'moomin' books when I was about ten,and they still have me reading them again and again every night (literaly!) .They're equal(or better) to the famed 'Oz',Harry Potter, and Roald Dahl books. This particular one gives the background history to Moominpappas capers as a 'young moomin' and the finding of the moomin family treasurs, such as the meerschaum tram. The dialouge every othr chapter between Moominpappa and his family and friends bring the story back to'present day' and gives it an loving quality. This is a wonderful,timless book, not to be passed up by older kids just because it is classified as a '9-12 age range' book. Tove Jansson's simple, flowing writing will set these books as classics.

Written for children who are independent readers, Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt was, nevertheless, a fascinating introduction to Ancient Egypt for all my children. My younger daughter was in first grade at the time and needed some help with the reading, but the stories themselves were of great interest to her. It was fun for me to see all three of them learn about the Rosetta Stone and other archaeological discoveries, most of which I hadn't learned about until I was well past childhood. It's amazing what the children will find interesting when it comes wrapped in a story. Although some may regard the story-telling as somewhat fanciful (obviously we don't really know what most of these people really thought or felt), the author has succeeded in her quest to bring the attention of the reader into the context of the history she describes.
We bought this book along with the Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Eqypt, which listed it as one of its primary text for children's history. I recommend that book, along Tony Allan's Time Traveller Book of Pharaohs and Pyramids, if you are going to teach your children the history of ancient Egypt. The Greenleaf book helps you organize your children's study with questions and projects (along with recommended resources), while the well-illustrated Time Traveller book helps the children visualize what they're reading about.

In this book, the author examines the important discoveries and the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. She gives a description of the infamous Rosetta Stone, then continues with a brief history of the Ancient Egyptian civilization and religious beliefs. She also reports on the pharaohs and their accomplishments, including those of Akhenaton, Ramesses II, Cheops, Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. An interesting book for children ages 9 to 12.

This is a wonderful general introduction tot he study of ancient Egypt. Caution: This is really meant for grades 7 and up. The langauge is difficult for younger ones,even as a read-aloud. Also, the first chapter is mostly conjecture about the beginning of civilization in the Nile River Valley. You can skip it. Overall, it is fascinating reading.

This beautifully written book puts into words the feelings that I have trouble expressing. I am the mother of a precious 7 year old boy who is autistic. My tears flowed freely as I sat and read each thought in this book. How could someone I don't even know capture the feelings that I have? I would recommend this book for parents of autistic children as well as their friends and relatives. It expresses our emotions, dreams and realities.

This book had me weeping, smiling and remembering our first days, months and years with the beast known as Autism.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to understand Autism and it's effects on the children that are affected, and the parents that live with this 24/7.

The book captures the emotional essence of autistic children and their families. Not a how-to manual or a clinical perspective, but a revelation of both the true humanity of these very different kids, and the sorrow and blessings they bring to their parents and siblings. The "collective heart" speaks for me, and I'm sure many other parents, in concisely describing the journey our autistic children take us on. A wonderful book that will help parents of autistic kids to share the challenges and sucesses of our special families with people outside the "special needs" community.

This is the second in the series "Castaways of the Flying Dutchman." Like the first book, Castaways, this book is really two books, two completely separate stories involving the same characters (although there is a return to the first story at the end of the book). As with Castaways, Angel's Command begins with a naval adventure. But instead of traveling with the demonic Captain Vanderdecken, Ben and Ned find themselves onboard a pirate ship with a kindly French captain who has tricked a ruthless Spaniard out of his treasure. The French buccaneers must also outrun an English privateer, hot on their tail. What follows is an exciting chase from the Caribbean across the Atlantic to France. In typical fashion for Jacques, the wicked come to justice, sowing the seeds of their own destruction. But Jacques is also able to show how even wickedness can be turned for good. In the second story, Ben and Ned meet up with some new friends to try to help a aging Comte find his dead brother's lost son. Ben and Ned rescue Karey, a young con artist with a beautiful voice, and join up with Dominic a "face maker," who can draw portraits so lifelike that they reveal a person's true character. They must search for him among the ruthless and evil Razan, a band of marauders hidden in the Pyrenees. Ben and Ned find help from a tough goatherd, a woman who lives by herself in the mountains. Ultimately, the power of the angel comes to their rescue in a surprising fashion. In the Castaways series Jacques deals with a more explicitly religious world than he does in Redwall, where there is morality and a force for good, but not angels from God. Jacques is a master of storytelling, but in the Castaway series, he also shows his ability to explore different characters. This book will both "teach and delight."

I had bought Castaways of a Flying Dutchman to see if it would satisfy my cravings for more redwall, and boy did it ever. After reading the first book I was hooked to buy the second when I heard it was coming out. As I read through the book my heart saddened with each time they had to leave their newfound friends, but also gladdened with each thrilling adventure, this book left me only wanting more. Ben and Ned really get into some adventures with this book and there is only room for another as they leave off. I really enjoyed it and I cant wait for the next book to come out.

This book basically fills some of the gaps between what happened in South America to so on and it leaves off with more "filling" I guess u can call it that. They end to book sailing away on a boat and headed for more adventures, where those may start we can only wonder...

As a long time Redwall fan I remember, a few years ago, when I went to a Brain Jacques book signing when he announced that he was going to write Castaways of the Flying Dutchmen, the book to which An Angel's Command is a sequel to. The reaction from the crowd was not one he expected. It was one of horror. Millions of children thought that it meant he was going to stop writing Redwall, or at least postpone it for a little while, and it terrified us all. Luckily, we were wrong. With Castaways of the Flying Dutchmen and now, with The Angel's Command, Brain Jacques proves he can create not just one but TWO series.

The book, like Castaways, is divided into two stories that take place back to back in the early 17th century. The first story tells of Ben and Ned, the Castaways, first trip back to the sea. Almost by accident, Ben and Ned find themselves traveling from the Caribbean to France on the Buccaneer ship, Le Petit Marine. They are trailed by two ships, a vengeful Spanish pirate ship and a corrupted English privateer boat. Both of them are interested in one thing, Le Petit Marie's gold. Ben and Ned know they must help their new friend, the captain Thuron, in any way possible. But the crew of the ship is not as noble as the captain. They don't want to go back to France, and they'll do anything to stop the captain from getting them their. At the same time Ben and Ned are haunted by images of the Flying Dutchman. Has Captain Vanderdecken come back to haunt them?

The second story happens almost directly after the first one. Ben and Ned run into a gypsy girl named Lalay and a facemaker named Dominic that can see into the hearts of his models for his drawings. They travel to a city called Vernon as friends and find themselves caught up in a strange adventure. A boy named Adamo, was kidnapped by the Razan, strange witch-like people, years ago and has not been seen by his family since. Ben and Ned immediately volunteer to help find Adamo but this journey may prove to be the most treacherous one yet. As they travel through the Pyrenees they face many challenges, but no challenge is more daunting then what they find when they reach the Razan.

I loved these two stories. They are filled with high adventure, suspense, and a little bit of mystery here and there. I like how Brain Jacques gives us not one, but two stories. It makes the book twice as enjoyable. He somehow manages to do this without making the story seem choppy and divided, which I find admirable. Once again the characters of Ben and Ned are great. The clever and goodhearted Ben and his witty and intelligent dog Ned are extremely enjoyable to watch. I also really liked the new characters Mr. Jacques's created for the story. Whether it's the plucky Lalay, the brave Thuron or the brave Dominic, they always are interesting. Magdula Razan is one of the creepiest villain's I've seen in one of Mr. Jacques's books to date! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have!

The author put a lot of beautiful art in the book. He also had the writing in the middle of the page so you can read it easily. This a book for kids who love horses. It tells how the horse is frightened at first but then later she has a foal and gets closer to the people who own her.

I'm a college student now, and I first read this book years ago in elementary school. I think it's always going to stick out in my mind as one of those classics that I'll never really outgrow. I recommend it to anyone wanting a good story.

I'm in high school now, and among the thousands of books I consider my favorites, this ranks highly. A children's book it may be called, but if you open up your heart and memories, its story and illustrations (beautiful!!) will stay with you forever.

Fantastic Book! I read this book in 2 days! Pictures are great! It's not like those yucky fiction books, but instead it's non-fiction, it's how it really happened! I read this and thought it was great, and I gave it to my friend to read and he thought it was great to! I highly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys history or Titanic!

This book offers highly detailed suspense!!!!! From intruduction to the picture of TITANIC, TITANIC SINKS is the doctors recommendation!!!

Very detailed & good pictured, this book gives a great account of the night the Titanic sank!

Jehu Burton's book Trusting God Through Tears is an open and honest portrayal of grief from a man's point of view. I have observed that those who have a strong faith may often struggle severely because the death of a child seems contrary to placing our trust in a "loving" God. Jehu addresses our doubts very openly and provides answers he has obtained after great struggles. I believe most bereaved parents will find empathy and understanding in this book. I did, and I am a three-times bereaved parent. Marilyn Heavilin, author of Roses in December.

This is a book that reaches out and holds your hand while you are suffering through the loss of a child. My wife and I have experienced this pain, when our seven-year-old daughter died in May 2000. No other book related so closely to what we were experiencing as grieving parents. Jehu Burton's book was truly revelant to us during our grieving process. Jehu showed us that we were not alone and the feelings that we had through grieving were normal. In his book, he forces you to answer some very difficult questions that only another grieving parent could ask. Answering these difficult questions forced us to grow and accept what we couldn't comprehend. We highly recommend this book for parents facing the ultimate tragedy, the loss of a child.

I read this book shortly after losing my son -- my only child -- at the age of thirteen. The book was IMMEDIATELY helpful, and I reread it several times. In fact, had I been limited to just one book besides the Bible, this book would have been my choice. It deals honestly and realistically with the pain of grief without being overindulgent. Solidly biblical, it points to Christ as the only source of true and lasting comfort. For there is an end to grief: an object, a direction. And grief will have had its greatest end when it ends in Christ. Therefore, I gratefully acknowledge the author for having helped me to survive the most difficult challenge of my life by pointing me to the only source of true and lasting comfort, Jesus Christ.