When I first heard that the Worm Queen in Kalamazoo (Mary Appelhof) had published a kids' book on vermicomposting, my reaction was cautious. Last year someone sent me one that was just too cute--and inaccurately showed red wigglers with eyes!
Hurrah for Compost, By Gosh!--it's just right! It combines charm with accuracy and clear, brief instructions for a parent who wants to say, "Yes!" to the child who begs, "Mom, can we have worms composting in our house?"
Can't wait to read it at Earth Day 2003 celebration to children who live in my six-building apartment complex in New York City. -Naomi Dagen Bloom, Composting in Manhattan

Written and illustrated by Michelle Eva Portman, Compost By Gosh! is a simple, rhyming children's book about the joy of making compost - the process of letting worms eat leftover food and turn into that material into something which is perfect for fertilizing plants. Easy to follow, step-by-step instructions for young people who want to make their own compost (under adult supervision) round out this excellent and very highly recommended instructional book for budding young gardeners.

Great book! Fun, Funny, Educational, with a message yet!
Describes a wonderful project to start with your kids.

The Hui-ming Ching (Treatise on Cultivating Life) is a classic Taoist manual on the circulation of internal energy by means of meditation. It is the inspiration behind many Qigong techniques, and contains one of the most complete descriptions of the Microcosmic and Macrocosmic Orbits. This translation includes the text's illustrations and main commentaries, and sets the book in its philosophical and historical context.

Eva Wong has done a great service to any people who are seriously pursuing the Way by translating many of the classic Taoist texts. Her translations are not the dry, scholarly versions but are based on the fact that she is a practicing Taoist.

In this slim volume she translates one of the original Taoist Qigong texts which covers many aspects of cultivation. Included are some basic theory and excellent discussions of methods - including original illustrations from the text. These illustrations are a boon since there is a lot of information to be gleaned from them even without an understanding of the commentary.

This book is probably best for someone who is cultivating intensively since, even though its language is not nearly as 'arcane' as many other texts, the so-called 'signposts' are not theoretical constructs but must be experienced. That said, for the intensive practitioner there is a wealth of information here.

Excellent.

A classic Chinese text on Taoist meditation, this work has inspired many Ch'i-kung (Qigong) techniques for attaining health, happiness, and long life. The book describes the use of meditation in circulating energy, the role of breath, and the conservation of procreative energy. It is one of the few Taoist treatises to describe the landmarks of spiritual development and document the process of spiritual development from start to finish.

A practical information book on the basics needed to start home schooling your children. With Christian references & historical information this personal & personable text covers every aspect from preparing your home to starting a business.

What are your qualifications to be a home school teacher? Very simple: you need to love your children; have time for them each & every day; have strong beliefs that are not being taught in public schools; have doubts about the quality of public education; you must be able to read & write & you must be committed to completing the study courses.

I enjoyed the stories of her movable classrooms; how combining subjects opened up a whole new world & how heirlooms & elders can teach more about history than any pages in a book.

Easy Homeschooling Techniques is a thorough resource for parents wishing to teach their own children with a complete Course of Study; chapter by chapter Endnotes & a solid Resources section.

Do give it a go, I think you will find it eminently useful in your home schooling efforts. Do check out my eInterview with this forthright author, business woman & teacher!

Lorraine Curry's Easy Homeschooling Techniques: Your Guide To The Low Cost, Time Saving, High Quality Method is the ideal "how to" introduction and manual for parents who aspire to teach their children at home. Curry shows how to make sense of education methods, lay a good informational foundation, start up the easy way, plan for success, make order in the home, set achievable goals, provide a high school level quality curriculum, provide homeschooling even when employed. All pertinent issues for homeschooling are carefully addressed including phonics, drawing, organizing and cleaning, choosing literature, school planning, state studies, teaching the Bible, keeping high school credits, teaching homemaking, even career planning. Easy Homeschooling Techniques is highly recommended for its accessibility and is designed specifically for the non-specialist general reader wanting to educate their child at home and is enhanced with a course of study, excerpts from vintage books, a resource section, and invaluable "Authors and Poets" booklists.

I have had the priveledge of being in communication with the author of this book off and on for over a year. I have determined that she lives what she has written in her book. She has written this book in such an "easy" to follow, "easy" to understand fashion. It is literally a step by step "how-to" manual. She has even included symbols throughout the book which makes finding topics easier to find when you want to refer back to them. For example, anything she suggests you put in your personal notebook has a fountain pen symbol by it throughout the book. This was great for me because it takes me too long to find things again when I refer back to them. It is a time saver. So if you don't need another time consuming book to read, this one "reads fast" and has helps to make referring back to it easy and time saving. The book it aptly titled...Easy Homeschooling. I wish I had read it years ago before I began schooling. I'm excited about the results I'm seeing in my own homeschool as a result of following Lorraine Curry's methods recommended in her book.

I have read, highlighted, pondered and researched her ideas scripturally. It is the most balanced, and inexpensive approach to schooling I've read about yet. If you're frustrated, burned out, broke and generally feeling out of control and loaded down with too much stuff, this book will teach you how to clean out what you don't need, keep what you do, and streamline your homeschool so you have time to "have a life" beyond school.

There have by now been many excellent accounts by adult concentration camp survivors, but Eva Mozes Kor, in a simple, matter of fact style, shows us a different view of Auschwitz as it was for a child and human guinea pig in the terrible medical experiments of the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele. Eva and her twin sister Miriam were 10 years old when they were forcibly separated from their family upon arrival at Auschwitz, kept alive to be experimented upon while their parents and siblings were sent to the gas chamber. Eva's witness of what happened to them as Mengele's guinea pigs provides an important historical account and a really inspiring story of the incredible strength and resourcefulness of these children in the face of a man and a system that intended their death. Through ingenuity, mutual sacrifice and sheer strenght of will, Eva and Miriam survive Auschwitz. This autobiographic story continues through the post-WW2 years as the girls cope with the loss of their family and live under another totalitarian system in communist-ruled Romania, and finally emigrate to Israel. 'A tribute to the ingenuity and indomitable spirit of children everywhere.'

I this book a few summers ago after visiting Eva's Holocaust museum in Terre Haute, Indiana. The book was excellent, but it is an EXTREMELY worthwhile experience to travel to Indiana and see the CANDLES Museum and hear Eva's story from her own mouth. It is very moving and she is a wonderful and strong person- a true thrill to meet in person. I reccommed this book on account of its historical and emotional content, and reccomend the museum for people to realize just how lucky they really are.

yeah, so, sue me. i just wanted to say that eva kor spoke to my class about her experiences in the holocaust. it was very touching. i live in illinois, and so does she! her story is very interesting, and i want to read this book, but i cant find it anywhere!!!! shoot.

One True Vow: Love Stories of Faith and Commitment restores my faith in the institution of marriage. The individual stories in this book are not only entertaining, but heart wrenching as well. Many of these real-life couples have gone through trials and tribulations that most people couldn't even imagine. I found One True Vow a great read--a page turner--as I read each couple's true story of love and faith, along with discouragements, rejections, unfaithful spouses, deaths, empty nesters, rebellious teenagers in blended families, and how they overcame their difficulties and still remained married. I highly recommend One True Love for anyone married or thinking of getting married, and especially for those thinking of separation or divorce.

I met and spoke to Eva Marie Everson during a women's retreat and found her to be a loving, warm person who truly cares about people. She has a strong, Biblically-based faith in God and is a fabulous speaker. Her southern charm and humor will not only engage you and draw you into her stories, but she will make you feel totally comfortable and at home. I highly recommend Eva Marie for speaking engagements such as retreats, writers' seminars, church groups, men's and women's groups.

Are you wondering if you're ready for marriage?
Are you wondering what happens when the honeymoon's over?
Are you wondering if there's any hope?

Then you should check out this book. It is filled with such incredible stories (real-life accounts) of commitment and hope, and faith and love, when couples face adversity in their relationships.

What a blessing it was to read. Yes, there is hope -- the stories in this book clearly illustrate this fact.

It would be a great gift for young couples, newlyweds and those who have been married for years!

Enjoy!

One True Vow is the second act. Marriage: Part 2. As the newlywed high wears off and couples kick it in for the long haul, they discover a wedding may be a destination, but a marriage is a journey. The challenging path can be safely navigated regardless of bumps, obstacles and downright crevasses, only with the help of your Guide, Jesus Christ. After 29 years of marriage, 8 kids and 2 grandkids, we know we'd have never made it without Him. Read this book and rejoice in the miracle of a marriage replete with the presence and grace of God. Don't settle for I Do when you can have Happily Ever After.

This book teaches a great lesson about confidence, something that all of us, adults and kids alike need. Told in a rich style that appeals to all ages, this book truly deserves a five star rating.

I love this story! The author did a beautiful job delivering a message of confidence. I would definitely recommend reading this book, especially to children.

CON-FI-DENCE, a word and idea that is somewhat ignored now-a-days. This great little book conveys the message that being "unique" is not such a bad thing after all. By looking at the world or one's situation from a different angle, a perceived negative can indeed become a positive, shame can turn into pride, ignorance into acceptance. Parents would be wise to spend some time sharing this story with their young children and hopefully it will rekindle a small fire in their souls as well. Having the pleasure of meeting the author I can see where the energy of her message comes from; I'm sure that her influences will be felt by many now and for years to come.

This is one of the best books I have read on psychology and spirituality. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to go deep into themselves, to anybody who really loves truth.

This book will kick your lower-self-... ...But you better be
serious about 'knowing thyself' or you'll never make it thru it.
The first half of the book is kind of depressing, as you see how
much work there is to do, but then you realize, you've been doing
the work all along...just using different words. An entire book could be written on every paragraph - there is so much pertinent information. I felt like the 'entity' who gave this was sitting in my brain, watching every neuron firing (or not) and seeing how and why it expresses itself in the physical world. Highly reccomended.

This book changes the usual way we all have of thinking about our problems. The teachings in this book leads us to discover the roots of our emotional problems. You'll probably be amazed at how much you will discover about yourself, your mind and your needs. You may actually "feel" the release of life energy with every spiritual discovery you make about youserlf. Truly incredible.

Hans Christian Andersen is one of the most famous writers of fairy tales. The Snow Queen is one of the longest tales and one of his best known. He would listen to folk and fairy tales as a child and when he grew up, he wrote some of these stories in his own words.

Anderson began writing The Snow Queen on December 5, 1844 and it was published sixteen days later in book form! His fairy tales made him famous and the stories have been translated into more than 100 languages and some have been made into films, like the Little Mermaid.

Nilesh Mistry is one of my favorite illustrators. He was born in Bombay and moved to London, England in 1975. His books include The Illustrated Book of Fairy Tales and Aladdin. I simply want to own every book he illustrates!

In the story of The Snow Queen, you will find illustrations and photography that shows the settings of the original book. This classic is again brought to life, yet never so beautifully as with Nilesh Mistry's art. Kai is whirled away by the icily beautiful Snow Queen. His playmate Gerda sets out to find him and encounters many adventures in his quest. This is a story I remember very well, yet I had to imagine the pictures in my own mind as a child.

In this book, she looks hauntingly similar to how I pictured her as a child. "The driver stood up, in a coat and hat of purest snow. She was a woman, tall and glittering. She was the Snow Queen."

The story begins with a story about the Devil who laughed at his own cleverness. He creates a mirror that sets people against one another by making people see the ugly side of things. If a splinter of glass from the mirror ever entered a person's eye, their heart would become a lump of solid ice. (quite a lesson there to be sure!)

When the "imps" decide to take the mirror up to the angels and try to make fun of them, it falls and shatteres into a hundred pieces. When "Kai" finds a grain of glass in his heart his entire attitude to life is changed. "Keep away from me!" he screeches at his friend Gerda.

Then one day he falls off his sled and sees the Snow Queen. She kisses him with her cold lips on his forehead and she takes him away through a cloud of darkness up into the sky. When Kai doesn't come home, Gerda goes looking for him. She sings to the river and drifts in a boat down a river to find Kai.

Gerda is a contrast to Kai and is loving and kind. Only when a spell is broken is evil defeated. After the story a page of where the event takes place helps make the story more interesting. Finally, we can explore the real and imaginary world of The Snow Queen.

Even as an adult, I am fascinated by fairy tales. They appeal to the child in us all and to something deep inside of us that knows, good will triumph over evil, in the end.

Family Classic Audio Books is a series of outstanding "theater of the mind" audiobook productions featuring a full cast performance. One of their latest offerings for young listeners (and their families) are Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairytale The Snow Queen adapted and with lyrics by Adrian Mitchell set to music by Richard Peaslee and wonderfully narrated by Jonathan Pryce. The Snow Queen follows young Gerda's quest (with help from some magical characters she meets en route) to rescue her friend Kai from the icy clutches of the Snow Queen.

The messages relating to lifes journey are wonderful. If you have never read this book as a child or as an adult, it is a must!

I'm a senior in a subraban high school in Maine. I read this book when I was a freshman, and it turned my knowledge about the Holocaust upside down. Mrs. Fogelman's book showed how the human spirit can rise to the occasion even in the most horrendous and frightening situations. By writing about rescuers and why they chose action instead of passivity Fogelman sheds light on a whole different area of the Holocaust. This books helps illustrate that the Holocaust isn't a lesson about death, its a lesson about life and the goodness of the human spirit.

The book is at once harrowing and uplifting, recounting stories of decent everyday people who risked their lives to shelter their Jewish neighbors. Eva Fogelman delves into the psychology of rescuers while showing us the human beings, warts and all, who struggled bravely through an inhuman time. This is a memorable book indeed.

A brilliant account of those from the non-Jewish community who risked their lives & the lives of their families to save the Jews during the holocaust. Eva Fogelman has combined individual accounts with scientific research to ascertain why some people chose to help whilst others turned a blind eye. Of those who did not help, some commented (when asked many years later) that they 'didn't know'.

The stories she recounts are both inspiring & disturbing, describing the fears & hardships that the rescuers faced on a daily basis whilst trying to conceal their precious secret. Propelled to help those in need, many did so, not for material gain or praise & recognition, but from their own sense of morality. Hannah Senesh sums this book up extremely well in the passage:

'There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the World though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for mankind.'

You cannot help but read & wonder whether placed in the same situation, you would have been a light for mankind.