In these tales, most of them being sad and even very sad, Oscar Wilde looks for a way to save one's soul in front of the misery of the world. Anyone in society who lives in the upper classes does not necessarily see the ugliness and suffering of the world when one looks at the lower classes. But in these tales the Happy Prince, or the Selfish Giant, or any other character will manage to get salvation out of their upper class blindness, by opening their eyes to misery and suffering and by doing what they can to repair these pains and evils because they will realise they have to feel responsible for the world, because they are more powerful and could easily impose their selfish rule. But the giant will discover nature, if not God, punishes him for his selfishness. The nightingale will try to redeem a young student by giving him a red rose in a season when read roses do not bloom. And yet the student will not get the love he wants because he is nothing but a non-entity for the girl he would like to be loved by. There is also a very sad note in A Devoted Friend and how friendship can become a mask for selfishness, a nice appearance for an ugly and egoistic attitude. Those tales are sad and at the same time they convey a moral full of hope. All is not lost if the Happy Prince can give away his happiness for those who suffer, even if later the powerful of his society will reject him when he does not look happy and beautiful any more

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan

As a child I didn't have the books of Oscar Wilde but rather the records. My imagination soared with his descriptions of life, and my eyes overflowed with tears at each story. The record of the Happy Prince was read by Bing Crosby and Orson Wells and each year at Christmas we still play that old scratched thing, just to hear it's wonderous love story and that of The Selfish Giant. Now I have to get the book so my nieces and nephews will share in my treasures of love!!!! What is this world if it isn't all about Love?

I remember this book from my childhood. I had my parents read each story to me over and over. When I learned how to read I read this book until the pages fell out. In short it is a great book that encourages youthful imaginations. And, it makes for great bedtime stories. A real classic. I bought it for my children.

I saw SUE in Chicago last week. In this book I learned that SUE was named after Susan who found the fossils. Susan had a dog named Gypsy. They kept on digging up duck-billed dinosaurs. Sue's boned weighed 4 tons!! The Field Museum bought it for over eight million dollars! SUE is a T.rex. I think that SUE did fight with other dinosaurs. SUE is 67 million years old! I was happy to see SUE in Chicago and to read this book!

Dinosaurs are a hot topic right now...and A Dinosaur Named Sue: The Find of the Century really teaches young kids about the job of a paleontologist--in a positive light. SUE, the most complete T. rex fossil ever found, is an amazing discovery, both educationally AND on basis of interest, and children should definitely read all they can about this dinosaur. This book approaches SUE on the level of a 3rd grader, yet the language and subject matter are intelligient enough for a parent to find interesting--maybe even to learn from! I definitely did!

I would like to congratulate Dr. Keith Robinson for his first published book, for the valuable information, and for the great effort being done to correlate dentistry with psychology, sociology and people communication. I advise not only the lay reader to read this valuable book, but also the newly graduated dentist for the best approach to communicating with the patient.

Growing Older With Your Teeth, Or Something Like Them! is the first book in a new series of books which will number fifteen when finished. The series is called An Anthology On Aging. In the first book, Dr. Keith Robinson uses a light-hearted and humorous writing style to deliver valuable health information about the mouth as it ages. However, the book is about far more than just your teeth, it's about the art of growing old as your body parts begin to show signs of wear. The book is filled with touching stories that give meaning to the concepts. Robinson uses humor and warmth to touch people on health. The book is an "easy read" with a big payload of information. It's not like reading most health information...it's fun. I'm looking forward to Dr. Robinson's next book called Growing Older With Your Brain, Batteries Not Included. All in all, Growing Older With Your Teeth Or Something Like Them! is a must for people who are old or hope to be some day. It is important because as we manage our dental health and its aging process, we keep our overall health in better condition. Robinson's book is an excellent source for this worthy pursuit.

This is one of the best book I've ever read!

From the editors of the international social theory journal, the collection provides stimulating and tough-minded analyses of the dilemmas of socialism and liberalism, the collapse of communism, and the vagaries of contemporary democracy alongside strong contributions from prominent contemporary social theorists reflecting on the past and future of modernity. Intelligent and energetic writing.

I didn't want to believe that the theme of this book was "Monster Begets Monster" but that's exactly what it is, to me. The book is most certainly about a serial killer, but with none of the usual intrusion of police investigative themes. No real forensics. The absence of this, surprisingly, did not take away from the strength of the book. It is most certainly a hunt for the killer, but the hunter is not the usual hunter featured in such stories. For certain, this is a study in trauma; a unique look at victimology.

Add to this vivid scenery of English countrysides and fishing villages, careful character planning, and almost effortless plot development, and this book is most definately a stunner.

If you don't read this one, you're mad.

Filled with stories, legends, songs, and recipes, The Everything Christmas Book is a fun read, as well as an authoritative reference. The editors observe that the true spirit of Christmas is a sense of wonder and "this book is intended as a celebration of that wonder."

They begin with the history of Christmas and how it "evolved over many centuries, enduring occasional tribulation, scrutiny, and abolishment along the way." Folklore, such as why red and green are Christmas colors, complements the historical facts. They also explain how decorated trees and Santa Claus became a part of contemporary Christmas celebrations.

The chapters on stories and poems include such well-known tales as Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and Moore's "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," in addition to other favorites. Music and complete lyrics are provided for forty Christmas carols. The list of Christmas videos contains more than fifty titles.

Do you know in what year "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was first broadcast or when "Miracle on 34th Street" was first released in movie theaters? These are two of the 106 questions included in "The Ultimate Mass-Media Christmas Trivia Quiz." (Answers are at the end of the chapter!)

If you're up to a little traveling, check out the section on local festivities. Tree-lighting ceremonies, parades, Yule log celebrations, feasts, and lighting festivals are available all across the States. The editors provide times and contact information for each event listed.

No Christmas is complete without lots of good food, and the editors have selected a tantalizing sample of holiday recipes, including wassail and "Special Green and Red Vegetable Salad." Recipes are divided into sections for breakfasts and brunches, appetizers, side dishes, main courses and accompaniments, sweets and desserts, and drinks.

The next chapter offers recipes for gift-giving. And yes, it does include fruitcakes!

The editors conclude with a section on how Christmas is celebrated in other parts of the world and a discussion of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

The Everything Christmas Book is an ideal gift for people of all ages and interests. Be sure to get a copy for yourself also--it will soon become a treasured favorite.

This book should accompany any science text book because it is a reality check for teachers. The research is clear and comprehensive - no holds barred! After reading it from cover to cover I immediately modified my teaching practice. I reassessed my assumptions about what students know and can do then and changed course. I have a greater appreciation for my students' views and misconceptions and now my job is to steer them straight - or better still, to coach them to construct their own science knowledge and skills.

Teammates

Teammates is about 2 men named
Pees wee Reese and Jackie Robinson. Both of them were baseball players on the same
Team called the dogers. Pee wee
Reese was white and Jackie rob-
Inson was black. They were both
Friends and helped each other out. The players on their team
Came mostly from the south, men
Had been taught to avoid black
People since childhood. They moved to another table
Whenever Jackie sat down next
To them. Many opposing players
Were cruel to Jackie, calling him mean names from their
Dugouts. A few tried to hurt
Him with their spiked shoes.
It was bad for Jackie. Pitchers
Aimed for his head, and he
Received threats on his life,
Both from individuals and from
Oramizations like the Ku Klux
Klan. Jackie avoided all of it,
And made the team. Jackie and
Pee wee became really great
Friends and baseball legends.

This book teaches you alot about how blacks were treated back in the day. When Jackie Robinsion was signed to the Dodgers the fans and players treated him really badly. People threw stuff at him. Then a young teammate stood up for him and saved him from being ban from the team. So you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

A simple telling of how Jackie Robinson came to play in the major leagues, this book portrays the prejudice he faced in a basic way that children can understand. And it shines a bright light on a quiet moment: PeeWee Reese's brave public declaration of solidarity with his teammate. This book has been my son's favorite for the past two years, since he was five.

Second books are often a bit like second musical albums after big debuts. Good, but somehow lacking the magic of the first effort. That's how I feel about "A Dedicated Man". I really debated between giving it three or four stars.

It easily earns three stars as an least average British police procedural. The writing is competent. The clues (or lack thereof) all make sense in in the end. It gets another half star for its many thoughtful observations of the Yorkshire environment - both the landscape and the mentality of the people. I'm pretty much rounding up the score after that. I like Banks and plan to keep reading the series which has received considerable praise in recent years. Still, I haven't found anything so fascinating that I'm going to recommending the book or series to friends---yet.

When the body of local historian Harry Steadman is found buried beneath a dry-stone wall near the village of Helmthorpe, Chief Inspector Alan Banks finds himself presented with a extremely puzzling case. And why is it puzzling? Because, aside from a minor disagreement with his friend and local farmer over his selling of some lad, Harry was invariably liked y everybody, ad even that minor inconsequential argument was no reason to kill somebody. Harry was a kind, thoughtful, and respected man, whom everyone liked and about whom no one can find a bad word to say. There seems to be absolutely no motive for his murder. And yet, buried somewhere, there must be one'

Then, Sally Lumb, a local teenager whom Banks suspects of knowing more than she is telling, alarmingly disappears'

Very much an English 'cosy' in the tradition of writers like Ann Granger, this is another success for Peter Robinson. There seems to be nothing exceptionally challenging in these early novels, but they're very enjoyable reads. Robinson writes good prose, and structures his mysteries excellently. He develops his characters well, even if they themselves are nothing out of the ordinary. Banks is an excellent lead, very real and with a dry humour there is definitely something of Morse in him. But, it would be nice if we got to meet his family a bit more pretty soon'

Anyone who likes a nice, traditional, well-crafted and satisfying British mystery is guaranteed to like the books of Peter Robinson.

When Harry Steadman is murdered, Inspector Alan Banks and his officers are called in to find the killer. Because the murdered man was a genial professor, Banks has a great deal of difficulty finding anyone who might be a suspect. Everyone seemed to genuinely like Harry Steadman. When a young girl is murdered because of what she knows, the search intensifies and when the murderer is unmasked, everyone is stunned. The second mystery in Peter Robinson's series features an interesting mystery and an appealing main character.