I'm not that much of a poetry fan and I'm not even sure what prose poetry is, but whatever, this book is beautiful and made me cry and laugh and I absolutely could not put it down till I had finished... then believe it or not I started reading it over again from the beginning. This is one novel you'll keep under your pillow for those sleepless nights.

17*** is rich, funny, sad and compelling. I can't help but read as a piece of mutt fiction-(isn't that what John Gardner called it?). The sexual bits ( hubba hubba) are elegantly and sensually drawn. I was surprised constantly by the story. Liz Rosenberg is a treasure!

This is a hilarious book about a girl who is very sad. She also has a wonderful and totally mixed-up homelife. Sound confusing? Actually, it isn't, it's the best book I've read this fall. I felt like I was falling inside the pages. I love books like this. I loaned it to my friend and now I can't get it back!

I love this novel, and like the other reviewer I'm not even sure I know why, I just do. Malachi is the best character I've come across in literature in a really long time. And as a musician, I can relate to the heroine of the book. Obviously this author knows a lot about music and what it feels like to be completely involved in it.

I don't really understand why I enjoy this book so much, afterall it's not really that exciting and I'm not one to sit through boring books but this book wasn't boring it was really interesting. I really felt like I knew Steinberg and the way she felt about things. All the characters were really intense and I enjoyed the story a lot.

The Invisable Ladder was first shown to me by my 6th grade teacher and is a wonderful book, with excelent poems that you really have to look into. Perfect for relaxing, reading, and enjoying! Probably the best poetry anthology I have ever read in my life. Everyone should have a chance to enjoy it!

This is my favorite colection of poems for kids, if you don't count Shel Silverstein. (Otherwise I'd give it a 10.) When I want to laugh, I read Uncle Shelby. When I want to get serious I read this book. Though, one of the best poems in it, "The Nose" is pretty funny. So are some of the photos of the poets as cute little fat babies and kids! So on second thought I give it a 9 and a half.

I picked up this book at the bookstore where I work, and having enjoyed Rosenberg's other collection, Earth Shattering Poems, I was very excited to see this one. I was not disappointed. The selections from Dickinson, Frost, Rumi, Hughes, and other well-known (and some lesser-known) poets are so inspiring and touch upon so many subjects: love, family, hope, nature. It made my day.

It was very inspiring, everytime I am down,I just sit down and read this wonderful collection of beautiful gathering of poems.

The illustrations of this book are outstanding. It resembles those of Harry Potter. I was most impressed with the story's poetic rhythm. The author makes use of strong analogies that allow young readers to truly put themselves in the young girls places as they manipulate the carousel on a magical adventure. The story leaves readers wondering and interpreting the author's intention for the characters mother. Students in K-5 will enjoy writing other adventures that the carousel horses may encounter or other adventures that the girls may have with their mother's tools. Great book!

This is a wonderful book of poems that I love reading aloud. The images are real yet one can read their own experience in the stories and reflections that Ms. Rosenberg presents. Though at times some pieces may seem dark, there is an uplifting undercurrent that runs throughout them, a sense of humanity that touches me with its hopefulness amid the challenges of modern life. I particularly enjoy the gentle twists that she employs; they are powerful in driving home her vision but also make me sit back with wonder. I highly recommend this collection.

I love this book, and think of it as my "secular bible," by which I mean I can always find something I need when I need it. Some of my old favorite poems are in here, like "Sometimes with One I Love" by Walt Whitman, and the very first poem in the book, by Sappho. But I've also discovered new (to me) favorites: the Persian poet Rumi, a poet named J.E. Wei, Pascale Giroux, and poems I didn't know by Sharon Olds and Galway Kimmel. I loved this editor's first anthology, "The Invisible Ladder" because of the choice of poems, but especially because of the photos of poets as children (Robert Bly was a cute kid) and the poets' commentaries. That was a book I gave to my 10 yr. old son AND to my 95 year old friend. Earth-Shattering Poems is less of an intro to poems, and more--just what the title says. I carry it around with me wherever I go. I just wiah this one had also had more graphic elements, (photos, portraits)and maybe some comments by the poets? Also I would have liked to see the poems in the original language as well as in translation--maybe in an appendix. The only thing that makes me mad is that I don't find this book in the bookstores more often! But then, I never find The Norton Anthology, either, and those are my two favorites....

I read this book with an open, but skeptical heart. I am a recent convert to Judaism, single, and searching for where I am comfotrable in the plethora of traditions and decisions, and the question of niddah and mikvah observances arose. I have always been interested in the tradition, but it wasn't until I stepped into a mikvah myself that I felt the embracing arms of Judaism so completely. Ms. Slonim et al., have put together a wonderful collection of facts and personal stories. I cried when I realized there were other women out there who felt the same way I did, though it is never discussed. While reading this I felt a sisterhood, in a way, that I've never felt. I no longer have to feel ashamed, scared of being the only one. Thank you Ms. Slonim, thank you. Todah. Shalom

As a school media specialist and the mom of two kids adopted from Korea, I am always looking for new books with an adoption theme. This one immediately caught my attention and actually made me cry as I read it! The sequence, starting with the son as a graduate and working backwards to his joyous arrival, is refreshing and thought provoking without being maudlin. The soothing text combines comfortably with the soft illustrations which depict a child with dark skin and black hair who could be Asian or Latino (at the end, a banner reading "welcome home Enrique" infers that he is of Latino heritage). The message that adopted children are so wanted is reinforced throughout this beautiful celebration of a family.

This book Monster Mamma is about a boy named Edward Patrick who has a monster for a mom. Dispite her being a monster she loves her son very much. Whenever he's in trouble his momma always comes to help him.This book is great because it shows kids that no matter who your mamma is she will always love you.

Not sure I understand the parents who are worried about their kids reading about bullies or maybe eating too much cake. What would they say about Maurice Sendak's Wild Things? Maybe he should rename it Tame Things? I think kids know the world is a wild and wooly place-- but if you have a loving mama -- even if she is a monster, as she points out to her son-- it's got to help. Great lines of dialogue, wild illustrations, what's not to love? Probably all this controversy proves it's a great book.

A beautiful story about the all too familiar bully theme. My son and I could really relate to the bond of trust and protection between Patrick and his Mama. It's easy to pick on someone small in size, but the boys were cowards when confronted by Monster Mama. Mama's response gave Patrick the braveness and confidence he needed to stand up to the bullies, and stick up for her in turn. My son's reply at the end of the story was, "yeah,...nobody messes with Mama!" It made me laugh!