The Gettysburg Address is one of the two most famous speeches in American history, the other being Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech." But Lincoln's speech is the most important oration in our nation's history because before these 271 words were uttered at Gettysburg the United States did not really pay attention to the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and the idea that "all men are created equal." At the dedication of the National Cemetary at Gettysburg Lincoln declared that those who died did so in defense of that proposition. From that point on, all of the advances in civil rights in this country can be tied to the Gettysburg Address. When the nation was founded "men" meant free, adult, white, male, property owners. Consider today what is meant by "men" when we talk about equality in this country and you have an idea of what Lincoln set in motion. Without Lincoln's speech and the Union winning the Civil War, King would never have given his speech.

The only real shortcoming of "Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln: The Story of the Gettysbug Address" by Jean Fritz is that it fails to address the significance of the oration beyond the idea that it was a speech to remember. Fritz focuses on the story, both in general terms of the Civil War and the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg, and the specifics of the occasion for the speech, including the sickness of Lincoln's son Tad and the lengthy oration by Edward Everett. The complete text of the speech is provided at the back of the book, which is a Level 3 All Aboard Reading book aimed at grades 2-3. The illustrations are mostly watercolors by Charles Robinson although there are also some historic photographs of Lincoln and his son. The important thing is that here is a book that tells the story of a great American speech and at least introduces to young students the idea that words can make a difference in the history of a nation.

Little Soup's Hayride is a quick, easy read for an established reader or a fun, friendly read for a struggling reader. The illlustrations numerous and are strongly related to the content of the page. The text has short sentences yet good vocabulary. Much of the language is decodable. The ending is surprisingly funny.

This book shows how a child can be frightened of older people but also how they can learn to understand them. Jason and his mom are visiting Jason's grandmother in the home, with each visit we see Jason be come more confortable wit the residents in the home and how he befriends them, brightening their days as well as grandma's. The illustrations are charming and capture the apprehensiveness of young Jason in his first visits to the home. They later depict the happiness of him and the residents at his visits.

Uchida is a very nice author. It was awesome that she wrote a book at age five!

Pretty good. It's near Valentine's Day and everybody's in love. Even Janice Riker. Like the other ones though Rob always gets in trouble by listening to Soup. (By the way, did you know that Rob has the exact name as the author?)

I thought that Soup on Ice was a good book but there were some parts that got really boring. But overall I liked the book. I thought the beggining was good, middle was boring, and the end was fun. I liked the beggining when Soup made Rob shovel and was acting like he was a shoveling coach. The middle was kind of boring but I liked when they sang songs together. I liked the end when Soup, Rob, and Mr.Dubinski were on the sleigh. I liked it when they ran in to the Christmas tree, I thought that was funny. This book is good and it's one of those you don't want to put it down. I liked this book and would recomand it.

Reading Aucassin and Nicolette was amusing and enjoyable. The love story of Aucassin and Nicolette is entwined with battles, journeys, and rebellion. It is a light-hearted parody that inlcudes mocking the church, fighting wars with fruit and cheese, and a king in childbed. The issues of medieval times are demonstrated when Aucassin and Nicolette's love is challenged by social order, land, and isolation. Overall, every reader should find this story delightful in its simplicity.

That's right, what would you do if you had all the money in the world? Well Quentin Stowe has that exact problem. If a leprechaun said you could have three wishes and suddenly you only had one, would you pick that? It may sound like a very good wish, but soon Quentin learns that all that gold, green and silver in his backyard costs him the loss of friendship, angry townspeople, and so much more. I was excited to read this book by the description on the back. It seemed very interesting, but I was very disappointed with the plot. Quentin couldn't give any of his money away, or spend it. It stayed in his yard. I would recommend this book to people who like very unrealistic stories, and enjoy books you can breeze through. However, I still think those people would get bored in some of the chapters.

Life is rough, and then you meet leprechauns.

Quentin longs to be well-off, like his two best friends, and when he meets a leprechaun named Flan who offers him a wish, it seems that luck has swivelled in his direction. He wishes for "all the money in the world. But there's a small problem--not only is every nation on the planet now bankrupt, HE CAN'T SPEND OR GIVE THE MONEY BACK! It's stuck on his family's property. Quentin and his friends must discover a way to thwart Flan and return the world to its normal state before it is thrown into turmoil.

This is a nice, light little book that teaches you not to want all the money in the world. I mean, does it make Quentin happy?

As a teacher, this book is a great connection to the way money really works!! What kid hasn't wished to have all the money in the world? This book is a great description of what would happen, and what money is really all about. My kids love to listen to it as a read aloud, and I love to be Flan!!!

The Terrible Wave, in my opinion, was too fast-paced and didn't
include characters' feelings enough. While the subject was interesting, it did not include the characters' deeper thoughts
that would have made this subject even more interesting -- to
capture the fear that happened during such a traumatic time.

THIS BOOK IS GREAT! I REALLY COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN! IT WAS CAPTIVATING! IT WASN'T THE BEST BOOK IN THE WORLD BUT I STILL REALLY RECOMEND IT! I REALLY LIKED IT! I THINK YOU WILL TOO!

I was inspired by the compilation of bird dog stories found within this book. If you enjoy the excitement, fear, despair, and elation associated with the training, ownership and running of all breeds of bird dogs, you will enjoy this book. The authors help you relive the moments you have endured with your own dogs in addition to helping you imagine the hunts you have yet to experience. This is a definite must read for bird dog enthusiasts.

I borrowed this book from a friend and had a tough time putting it down. Great stories from writers who truly love their dogs. A few of the essays are sad, but all of them allow us to share a part of a fellow dog lovers life with his best friend. Definitely a must read.