The Red Heels is a magical love story that captures the attention of the reader as wells as the imagination of the listeners. My daughters and I checked this book out from the library and were so captivated by the story and the beautiful illustrations that we decided we wanted to add it to our library. It's beginning details the life and work of a colonial cobbler and continues as you journey with Jonathon into a mysterious forest and are wisked away into a magical night with Rebecca and her magic shoes. Ideas of loneliness and lost love play upon the readers sympathies until it is revealed that the power of love is living among common people and satisfies you with the revelation of the magic that can last even there; if love abides. To us this was a great colonial fairytale! All girls want to dance with the one they love - once upon a starry night sky . . . in red heels.

I THINK THAT THIS BOOK WAS NOT SCARY AT ALL. ALL IT DID WAS INTERTAINED ME BUT NOT IN THE HORROR TYPE OF WAY. IT WAS LAGING IT IN THE SCARE DEPARTMENT SICKLIKE. THIS BOOK DIDN'T EVEN SCARE MY LITTLE BROTHER. HE ACTUALY FOUND SOME OF THE STORIES KIND OF FUNNY. THIS BOOK WAS MORE OF A COLLECTION OF STUPID STORIES THAN SCARY STORIES. THAT IS WHY I THINK THAT THIS BOOK SHOULD BE NAMED "EVEN MORE SHORT AND STUPID" THAT IS WHY I GIVE THIS BOOK ONE STARS.

Even More Short and Shivery
By: Robert D. San Souci

Have you ever read a book that you were afraid to read because it was so frightening? For me this book was just like that. In my book there are forty- five scary stories, but I think the scariest one was "Knock, Knock, Knock." It's about this girl and her boyfriend that were going out to eat, but their car dies. It was a stormy night and a notice on the radio said that a crazy guy was on the loose, but the had to find a repair shop for their car. So her boy friend said he would go find one and when he came back he would knock on the car door three times. (spoiler)
Another spooky story was called "A Night Of Terrors." The story is mostly about a young girl and her dog. There is another scary maniac on the loose again and the girl is at home with her dog. She was feeling really depressed and her dog was under the bed. She put her hand down over the bed and he licked it as always. Then suddenly a police man burst in the door and told her she had to get out of the house.(spoiler) .
For me this was a really great book but my favorite short story was probably "Knock, Knock, Knock," because it seemed the scariest. The story I didn't really like was, "A Night Of Terrors," because it was really creepy and kind of sad. (spoiler) The characters in the story were either dead, scared to death, or completely crazy. I'm not sure if I want to read this story again, I probably have nightmares or just be freaked out.

You may think ghosts are real. Some think they never exested. But maybe they do. Read this book before you judge. This book doesn't really tell you if they are real or not. This book tells stories about ghosts, and did a great job. If you don't like scary stories that much that is ok. This book isn't that scary, but to some people it may. I only have read a couple of stories but those were great stories. They didn't frighteen me a bit. Only some parts did. But believe me it is a terrific book.

This book is about a man who runs away from his father because the father does nothing but yell at him. This book is one of my favorites, even though I gave it a four, because it had a lot of action and it made me want to keep reading. Although I still think that the orignal was one of the better ones that have been written.

The book "Rip Van Winkle" is about a guy named Rip and his father, Dame, who thinks that Rip can never do anything right. Dame is always yelling at Rip. Dame really got mad when Rip sold part of the family property, so he went away for awhile and met some strangers and started to drink quite a lot of beer. You have to read the book to find out what happens next.

Several of these other reviews are for a different version of this story. The one I am reviewing is an "All Aboard Reading" version. It is definitely written for beginning readers (1st-3rd grade)

This version is a good introduction to the classic Washington Irving story. I do not like the way Rip's wife yells at him to get to work or how Rip is only "maybe...a little" sad when we finds out that his wife has died after his long sleep. Neither Rip nor his wife were the most exemplary characters! :-)

Still, that is the way the story was written and can be a good launch into a talk about character.

Sorry, but there are no cinderella's in the native world. Not in the way this story is portrayed.

This is just one of several theme repeats the author is doing to make money. It is not representative of natives, and especially the Ojibwa.

Although the retelling of story is not be perfectly authentic, the story flows well and and the illustrations are of good quality. It does contain some culturally accurate information and would be an excellent addition to a tasteful collecter's children's library.

I loved this bok!
I thought it was a very good story and very cleaver. I liked the deepth of it and meaning. I would buy this book! It has great illlustrations and it is my favorite fairy tale/ picture book! I'm going to buy it! Even though I am almost 12 I still enjoy this book very much!

This book was recommended to me as a tale similar to the Velveteen Rabit tale. I purchased it with that in mind to read to my first graders. Now, I understand the need for reading elements and plots to carry the reader to imaginary worlds. I am not an advocate of strict censorship because a book has one or two "bad words" in it. Nor am I a "goody-two-shoes". Having said that, I would highly discourage teachers reading this book in their classroom. I did not preview the book before I read it, which taught me a valuable lesson. I ended up previewing every line before I read it orally to my students. My children were very bored! This book is anything but appropriate for 4-8 year olds. The wording is very elaborate. It celebrates witchcraft when it implies that although the witch had evil intentions, she had fun doing it. Toward the end of the book, the girl who is the object of the scarecrow's affection goes to the witch. The witch tells her that, "All people in love are wizards and witches." Why did the author have to put that in the book? It has nothing to do with the story! The theme of the story is that all things can become real if you love them. This story has a very odd way of getting to that point. The book is too long and very much over a 4-8 year old's vocabulary. If the book was intended for young children, it story should have been met with sensitivity and discretion. I am very disappointed that such a good moral was ruined by the story's characters, events, and thoughts implied in it.

This is a delightful book, not the least because of its beautiful pictures. The wording is imaginative and evocative, and the story is based on a piece by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Its magical theme lets children indulge their natural penchant for imagination and the world of "what if...!" A thoroughly charming tale about a "charmed" gentleman who started life in a most unusual way.

The Birds of Killingworth is a narrative story based on the poem of the same name by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This story set in the 18th century, tells the story of a young woman, Almira Case, and her quest to save birds from extinction. Almira's father, Squire Case, decides that he is fed up with birds because they eat the town's crops. The Squire hatches a plan to get rid of the birds. Hunters will be paid for every bird that they kill. Almira is shocked by this plan so in secret she and the schoolmaster (whom she eventually marries) with the assistance of school children hide birds in the schoolhouse. Birds in the area become extinct. When insect overrun the town, Almira and the School Master save the day by restoring the birds they hid to the sky. The highlight of the book was the illustrations, which were beautifully drawn by Kimberly Bulcken Root. Root uses natural colors in her illustrations. The illustrations enhance the story and highlight the theme of nature by using mostly blues, browns, and greens. The story is a good adaptation of the poem by Longfellow. Longfellow's poem was based on actual events that happened in a town in the Connecticut colony. The narration was well done and used terms that were used at the time, but wrote the story in Modern English in order to allow it to be easily read. There is a stark contrast between good and evil. Unfortunately the message of the tale is somewhat alarming. San Souci's message (and Longfellow's as well for that matter) is that nature must be put before humanity. Almira's father is vilified throughout the tale and considered to be some out of touch fool who is unable to see any kind of beauty until his life is in peril. Farmers, field hands, millers, merchants, bakers, barrel makers, and goodwives are also inherently evil because they want to protect their livelihood and their families. There is no question that blue birds and robins probably did no damage to the fields, but there is no reason why crows could not be killed. The entire justification given by Almira for the birds to remain alive was that they sounded pretty. Anyone who would listen to that justification more than likely would not have listened. People have to eat after all. San Souci (and Longfellow) also refused to address the possibility that the infestation of insects and the desecration of fields could have been caused by other reasons. Plagues and dustbowls may have been the cause, but this option is not even considered. There was intense judgment made against business people and those that only want to feed their families. San Souci's use of a flighty determined heroine was an ill-made choice. It would have made more sense if the heroine did not want the birds to be killed because it was wrong, but the justification was that they "sound pretty". In terms of an adaptation for today, the book is well done. In terms of the message, the reader is ill served.

Based on the subtitle of the book, one might expect this to be a history of the Rajneeshees and their eventual establishment of a large community in Oregon. Instead, this book is basically an autobiography of a former Rajneeshee, who does touch on some of the more infamous actions by the Rajneeshees. There is precious little detail on the salmonella poisonings in The Dalles, the political posturing in Antelope and other parts of the state, or even the anti-Rajneeshee actions such as the bombing of the Zorba the Buddha restaurant. Good for those who want to read an autobiography of someone who was in the movement, but hardly a tome about "the rise and fall of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh."

For those who want to know what went on in Rajneesh's ashram"s at Poona,and Antelope, Oregan, this book can be useful. Kate Strelley has given a lucid autobiographical account of her experience at the ashrams of Rajneesh. I also got the impression that most of the devotees of Bhagwan Rajneesh were quite green behind their ears, not to have noticed what was really going on, and that the Master they so much admired was not following what he so brilliantly preached.

The books of Rajneesh are insightful and superb. If you want to know the essence of Tantra. Taoism, or Zen, you need only to go through the books of Rajneesj(Osho). But for the life of me I cannot understand why the so-called sanyasins gleefully put up with the pompous ceremonies of their Master when his Zen teachings clearly spelled out that the ordinary is extraordinary and that everyone is a celebrity.

I wish that Rajneesh had followed his Zen insights. He reminds me of a friend of mine who is a brilliant expert on nutrition but is very obese.

Love and best wishes.

This book is so scary I put it down the first time I read it!Robert D. San Souci should be ashamed.So should Jacqueline Rogers!This book was so scary I had to give it to my friend Bj for an eary Christmas present!So all you people out there I say it would'nt be that smart to read this book.At least thats my opinion.

This book is boring because it doesn't have a lot of entertainment.Also this is realy dumd who will ever read this. I can not read this book cause I will go to sleep like nothing. This book is so dumd my friend hugo wont even read this boring book.

The book was horrible it had a very poor plot and a very poor ending when I finished reading this book it was one of those books that you say jees this was a waste of time and money if I would have had something better to do I wouldn't have finished it.I reccomend that if you like weird books this would definitly be a keeper and if you don't , save your money!