...and one to which it would do us very well to listen. Sepulveda's novel -- succinct yet full of beautiful writing -- is entertaining and compelling, but it also has a great lesson to teach about the way we interact with the natural world.

His main character -- the 'old man' of the title -- is very much a loner in his village, on a river on the verge of the dense Amazon jungle. He has experienced much joy and sorrow in his life -- and he has been sensitive enough to learn from what he has seen and felt over the years. He is just literate enough to read the love stories he adores so much -- he has to sound out unfamiliar words repeatedly, savoring them, until he feels comfortable with them. His life has given him the wisdom and patience to give them the attention and respect they deserve -- and he views the world in which he lives, with all of its plants and animals and indigenous people, with the same healthy and reverent respect. It's too bad the same can't be said for the other settlers in the village -- or in most people in the world, for that matter.

The old man is very friendly with and knowledgeable in the ways of the Shuar Indians, who inhabit the forest -- he has even lived with them at one point in his life. His knowledge of the natural world makes him very valuable to his neighbors when a female ocelot goes on a killing spree -- he is pressed into service to hunt her down and kill her.

His thoughts on his world -- and the people around him -- are gently but convincingly communicated by Sepulveda's beautiful writing. This is a novel to savor, word by word -- much as some of the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Carlos Fuentes. It contains so much more than this slim volume would indicate at first glance. It's a wonderful read.

i picked up this book, without any expectations for it, because it looked like a thin and easy to read book; but i was thoroughly surprised by its beauty and its fluent translation. i learned much from this incredible novel, about ecuador, about ocelots; but most importantly i learned what we are doing to the depleting rain forests in the world, and how this is affecting both those who inhabit it and ourselves. this book is poignant and picaresque, and it seems to evoke a sense of passing of a world and a self that find it increasingly difficult to continue to exist in the current environmental conditions. i think everyone who loves animals, who is disturbed by the way technology is destroying the natural world, and who is fascinated with cultures and peoples should not give this book a miss.

I was introduced to this book through seeing the premiere of this movie at the Melbourne International Film Festival. I must stay that the screen adaptation of this book is moving and a delight to see, the photography and direction impressive and Richard Dreyfus as Bolivar is in my opinion his greatest acting achievement that I have seen to date.

Hugo Weaving plays the Dentist and puts in a superb performance.

Filmed on location in French Guyana, the director has succeeded in creating a film that, thanks to an excellent cast, is full of originality and humor, which leaves you with plenty to think about long after you leave the theatre.

At this stage it is unclear what sort of broad release this movie will see, so ask around and lobby for it.

I chose The Threee Billy Goats Gruff by Stephen Carpenter because it was my Mom's favorite story book growing up. The day I brought it home she sat down and read it to me and my sister. My favorite characters are the three billy goats because there funny and can play tricks on the troll. The troll was foolish to let the small and middle size billy goats go across the bridge, and then have to fight with the big billy goat. He ended up falling off the bridge and all three billy goats enjoyed the grass on the other side of the bridge. Now they will be able to come and go whenever they want. There is a lesson to be learned in this book. Don't let someone influence you by saying that something is bigger and better if you wait for awhile. Overall the book is alot of fun to read. I would definitely share this story with my children.

Many of the reviews listed here are for other versions of this story. I have checked out all seven versions of Three Billy Goats Grufff available from our library just to see which was best for a three year old. This one by Stephen Carpenter has large, clever, uncluttered pictures and tells the story in simple language. The troll is not too scary and, all in all, this one seems just right for little ones. Another version, the elaborately illustrated one by Janet Stevens, uses a colorful, imaginative vocabulary and would have more appeal to adults and older children (5 or 6 and up?).

This book has brought great joy to my daughters life. She is 2 1/2 years old and she just loves this story. I highly recomend this book to any parent who enjoys seeing their children envolved with a book.

This book is the perfet gift for your horse crazy kids! The watercolor pictures of horses are really pretty and make this book a favorite for you kids. Even if your kids are not horse crazy, every kid has a dream of having their own little pony!

I bought this book for my niece in grade 1. The two sides of the story (the adult read side and the kid read side) means that the kid reads with you but the story still moves along pretty quickly. What a great idea. I'm looking for more in this range.

I recently read this book with my 4 year old daughter, who is just beginning to read books. The "taking turns" format is wonderful. The story is more interesting that most beginning reader books, yet the child's part is written with simple words that she can read herself. We will definitely read other books in this series.

I am the original editor who commissioned Titanic in its first, Irish, edition. I thought it would be interesting to share its origins with you.

As a children's book editor I had always wanted to publish a book on the Titanic as it was a story which fascinated me as a child. When the author, Arthur McKeown, ran some ideas past me for his next project, Titanic was amongst them and I lept at it! Arthur wrote a very good text, telling the story of Titanic, which was built in Belfast, in simple language.

The well-known Irish artist, Peter Hogan, was chosen because he is an avid sailor, one of the first Irishmen to sail around the world, single-handedly, in a Tahiti Ketch he built himself. He was, in fact, about to set sail on another world voyage when he completed the last illustrations for Titanic which are based on original photographs and drawings of the great ship.

Peter Hogan subsequently ship-wrecked in the Mediterranean. He was saved but his beloved boat, the Molly B, was lost. His much publicised shipwreck was surely one of the most dramatic PR stunts ever to sell a book!

Titanic sold very well in Ireland and in the Uk. It was on the bestseller list for months both before and after the film opened.

As an editor, I was proud to have worked on this book and wish it continued success in the US.

I am currently developing other "disaster" titles for a series for this age-range.

You will laugh, cry and be confused when you read this book. This book can teach you that what you think is good is not always good.

There is a boy named Peter Pan. He sprinkles fairy dust in Wendy and her two brothers. Then he shows them how to fly. He takes them to Neverland and shows them to the Lost Boys who live there. Wendy becomes their mother. She makes up rules, like any other mother would do. The boys have to follow these rules. Everything was fine until Captain Hook came with his crew to where the boys and Wendy were. While Wendy and the boys were at the lagoon, where they go every day after dinner, they see a girl named Tiger Lily, princess of her tribe. She was captured by Smee, one of Captain Hook's men. Then Peter saved her. A few days later Wendy and the boys were on their way to Wendy's house when they too were all captured by Captain Hook. Then Peter saves them. Then the lost boys, Wendy and her brothers go home. All except for Peter.

It is mostly about what the people in the book think is right with childhood. The kids in the book think that if you grow up it is bad, but in our case it is actually good.

Peter Pan is a violent book not really made for children under the age of 10 but people 10 and up can read it. It is violent because of the language that is spoken and the idea that killing could be fun. Also, the vocabulary is very difficult for children under 10 to understand. Even if you're older it is difficult to understand.

Overall, it is a good book but watch out for the violent ideas if you are reading it to little children.

This is an utterly charming work. It has been retold myriad times, but nobody else has done it as well as the original teller, J. M. Barrie.

It's difficult to know what to say about a book like this... everybody knows the story. But I guess that unless you've read this book (not just seen a movie or read a retelling), you don't really know the character Peter Pan, and without knowing the character, you don't really know the story. So read it.

By the way, if you enjoy this, you probably would also like "Sentimental Tommy" and its sequel "Tommy and Grizel", both by Barrie. There are differences (for one thing they're not fantasy), but there are also compelling similarities. Anybody who found Peter Pan a deep and slightly bittersweet book would be sure to enjoy them.

-Stephen

When talking of literature, people tend to look solely at books they read today but forget what they used to read, namely the ones we read as children. It is a common misunderstanding that children's literature is to be read by children and children only, but when we come to think of it, which one of us are not children, at least in our hearts?

One of the best books any child, young or old, can read is Barrie's Peter Pan. Although written in the past century, it has something for any generation at any time. Its humorous views at the world from a child's mind left me rolling over the floor, laughing; the exciting storyline kept me busy with reading until the end; and the serious undertone made me think of whether the world wouldn't be a better place if we realised that deep down, however deep, we are in fact all children. So if YOU are a child, which you most certainly are, get yourself a copy and enjoy your ongoing childhood.

The second of five Vicky Bliss mysteries, Street of Five Moons is one of Elizabeth Peter's best. Well, in my opinion the whole Vicky Bliss series is excellent. But in this novel, not only do we revisit the beautiful and brainy Vicky, but we meet the handsome and suave Sir John Smythe. The quick wit and banter of Vicky and Sir John is extremely entertaining. I literally laugh out loud when reading these novels. As for the plot, after discovering a forgery of a piece antique jewelery on a corpse, along with a scrap of paper with five cresent moons drawn on it, Vicky decides to go to Italy to investigate. An amateur sleuth, Vicky searches numerous areas until at last she gets caught. Will Vicky survive? What will transpire between Vicky and Sir John? You have to read this excellent book to find out.

Our protagonist, gorgeous and brainy, Vicky Bliss is again on the move when she and her boss from the National Museum of Munich discover that someone is making excellent copies of the most famous jewels in the world. In this case it's a replica of the Charlemagne talisman. Vicky's who has a PhD in Art History and Medieval European History is also an amateur sleuth. With the only clue that she has, she goes to Rome to locate the street of the Five Moons where she hopes to find a connection to the thieves. Well, of course she gets into trouble and is rescued by a "dangerously exciting young Englishman." Sir John Smythe is truly charming and the chemistry between he and Vicky is terrific. This is a lovely romantic mystery and the second book in the Vicky Bliss mystery series.

Another great story by Elizabeth Peters who is also Barbara Michaels!

I was looking for another mystery series that would actually get BETTER with each book and this does! The first book in the series lets you get to know Vicki and go on an adventure with her. This next one is also VERY exciting and incredibly funny. I found myself saying "been there, done that" in some instances where she feels the most foolish. All the characters are well described and fleshed out. They are fully rounded, especially Pietro. They have the the different sides as we all do.

The tension is terrific and the chases keep you on the edge of your seat.
I was always either laughing or biting my nails!

The book is an entertaining collection of anecdotes by the people who wrote and published the old Philadelphia Bulletin. Clearly every writer misses the old Bulletin, but it is never made obvious if a newspaper like the Bulletin could survive nowadays, when newspaper readers like their news "McNuggetized" a la USA Today. Still, for fans of regional histories, Nearly Everyhbody Read It: Snapshots of the Philadelphia Bulletin is a nice read.

This little book (163 pages)about the life and demise of Philadelphia's "Bulletin" is wonderfully entertaining. It also helps one to understand better how the old style of fact finding journalism changed and finally disappeared to permit room for more "modern" packaging of news. In their best days, Ben Hecht and Charley MacArthur couldn't have dreamed up the newsroom denizens immortalized here. It is a tasty slice of American and Philadelphia history filled with world class characters, madcap activity, and devotion to a great journalistic institution. The book was written for those who miss the "Bulletin", but its appeal reaches to all who miss an era now passed into American history. -Robert. C. Brecht

"Nearly Everybody Read It," edited by Peter Binzen, portrays very well the atmosphere of the pre-computer big city newsroom, as compared to today's antiseptic and better-educated counterpart.

Colorful characters abound, and are brought to life.

Unlike today, it was a time when readers felt close to their newspaper.

I checked out this book in an attempt to learn more about the meanings of all those acronyms and abbreviations you find in the listings and tables for stocks, funds, etc. both in the paper and on the Web. It does just that plus a tad more. It dedicates a section to indexes (DJIA, NASDAQ, etc.) and where they come from, what do they "say," etc. Finally it wraps up with a section dedicated to covering some basic economy concepts that affect investing: inflation, recession, fed rates, etc. It's pretty comprehensive for such a small book. Check it out if you want to get a primer. Don't go to it for answers on what or where to invest, because it's not meant for that.

supposing that this book is accurate in what it explains (as a novice to investing I can't say whether it is) it was an awesome book to read because of its conciseness (something lacking in most books) and its clarity as to what means what. I don't plan to invest in individual stocks, bonds, futures, options anytime in the near future but at least I know what the hell those things are.