As a student at West Virginia State College I was required to view a Calecott honor award winning book. I chose this book because of the beautiful illustrations. A little girl asks the assistance of Mr. Rabbit in deciding what to get her mother for her birthday. Mr. Rabbit suggests some rather foolish gift for each of the colors the little girl says her mother likes. He suggests such things as a red roof and a blue lake. Each time he also suggest a fruit of that color. The little girls says her mother likes that fruit but she needs something else. After they go though a few colors the little girl relizes she could make a fruit basket. Mr. Rabbit says he has a basket.

This was my favorite book when I was little. The dialogue, which follows a clearly-defined pattern without being repetitive, and the gorgeous illustrations are calming without being boring. Now that I am expecting my first child, I am thrilled to see that this classic is still in print.

This book has been a favourite in my family for about 30 years! The central idea of the book is simple and heart-warming, and is demonstrated in an almost hypnotic formula throughout the text. This means that, after just a few pages, the child being read to can join in and have the satisfaction of guessing correctly part of what is coming next. The theme is one which can be applied in the child's own life, and from my own experience, I can promise that it stays with you for a very long time. The illustrations are beautiful; as far as I know, they are quite unique in Mr Sendak's output. They add meaning to the text, and help to make this a classic. I would recommend reading this to anybody from 3 to 7 (and any adults who happen to be around!).

I grew up reading the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series. I loved every single story and I still remember them vividly. They may be a little dated but the lessons are still current and they are still very amusing.

I remember sitting in the library when I was little reading Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books over and over again. I loved everyone one of her "cures" and now that I have a daughter of my own I want her to have her own copies of these classics from my childhood.

.
...that turned over a new leaf in my thinking. From my then very unclear sense of the meaning of religion, reading "The New Man" was a truly galvanizing experience. It speaks not of faith in the usual out-of-reach sense nor the hoped reward of Heaven beyond one's death. It speaks of knowing, during one's life.

Dr. Nicoll illuminates the beautifully subtle teaching of Christ as a way to complete one's inner evolution - to become literally a "new" man or woman, pretty much discarding the old false self. To as he says "overcome one's own inner violence" and change inwardly seems a deceptively major task, but a hopeful one.

This is a book that will open ideas for certain readers.

The new man describes clearly the process of personal integration as Jesus taught in the gospels. It is an excellent guide on the difficult path to completion. It gives the student an understanding of some of the inner experience that take place as one evolves spriitually. It describes the tempation, the bewilderment, and confusion that is experienced as part of the process. Those hungering for light will find this book and invaluable guide in understanding they are not crazy, but just experiencing what is necessary as one evolve to wholeness, to peace of mind, to completion within self

Maurice Sendak's lusciously illustrated edition of E.T.A. Hoffmann's _Nutcracker_ is the most thorough and engaging edition of the book I have seen. The story was interesting to me on one level as a child and it still captures my attention as an adult. It is not a black&white, good&evil translation--the grey areas are emphasized. I *will* agree with the review preceding this in that Amazon does need to clean up its reviews of this book! Please.

This book was a gift to my family when I was a child - I loved it then, and enjoy it more every time I re-read. The story is more than just the plot for a ballet. There is a lot of background, description, and insight included, and they do a lot to make the book fantastic. What elevates this work to magnificent is the artwork done by Sendak. It is lush, detailed, and beautiful. I can't say enough about the quality of this book, and urge everyone to find their own copy. This is not just a Christmas story, but a wonderful parable for every season

When I was six years old, my mother took me to see the amazing PNB production of Nutcracker with beautiful sets and costumes by Maurice Sendak. Afterward, she bought me this book. The illustrations are wonderful, the story (which goes far beyond the plot of the ballet) is fantastic, and it has become a family heirloom which we read every year at Christmastime. It has never failed to excite my imaginiation and I cannot wait to read it to my children.

Maurice Sendak's fabulous sets and costumes for the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker are as much a beloved childhood memory for many of us in the Northwest as his well-known illustrations for Where the Wild Things Are. So when I saw this version of the Nutcracker with his illustrations, I simply had to have it. It does not disappoint! I read through it again and again, enchanted by the beautifully detailed full-page scenes and the charming characters dancing all around the text. And if you're only familiar with the ballet and have never read the original story, you'll be as amazed as I was at just how much more there is to the tale. Whether you're a fan of Sendak, the ballet, or just good children's fairy tales, this book is well worth the price.

We purchased Maurice Pledger board books (Oscar Otter, Olive Owl and Billy Bunny) for our child at 6 months and at 2 years old they are still favorites. Here are just some of what we love about them. The illustrations are spectacular. They accurately represent the wildlife being depicted. There is a great variety of textures to appeal to a child's desire to touch and feel. Our child's favorite page is the "sticky" plant in Olivia Owl. They encourage interaction with questions like "How many shiny beetles has he found on the rose bush?" (from Billy Bunny) and requests like "Tickle her orange tummy." (from Oscar Otter). They are oversized for board books (approx. 9x11 inches), which our child loves. They give children nice big pictures to look at.

I purchased this book for my daughter when she was 7 months old and she has read it everyday since. The illustrations are very detailed and so beautiful. Every page has a texture for her to feel and now that she is 14 months old she likes to put my finger to the textures and see my reaction. She has learned to identify animals and insects, colors and textures. She still loves to explore the pages and we read this book at least ten times a day! I would recommend this book to any parent with a child ready to learn!

In this sweet children's story, Reynolds Price tackles one of life's most difficult subjects, a youngster's loss of a parent. Ben, who is eleven, after the death of his mother is left alone with only his father and a very old dog Hilda for company. And a couple of friends. "He was the only boy in school who had a girl for his best friend, and he could usually smile at Robin's [his cousin] joking. After his mother died, though, Ben's outlook changed; and he went on feeling sad for a long time." Rather than attempt to answer the unaswerable, Mr. Price lets Ben tell his story. And a fine and moving story it is. In this marvelous little tale, Ben prays for an elephant, the animal his mother has taught him to draw. "See, there's really no question at all that elephants are better than people. They always take care of their young, they never kill anything unless they have to, and they talk to each other over miles of distance in voices so deep we can't even hear them." This lad may be onto something here in my favorite passage from the story.

The characters are all well drawn and completely believable-- from Ben's friend Dunk to his father who sometimes handles his own grief by getting drunk. Ater all, malt may do more than Milton cab to justify God's ways. . . Ben's grief for his mother and loneliness are palpable. The story, however, never becomes maudlin. Ben copes and survives; and there is not a "grief counselor" within a thousand miles.

No one writing today is better with words than Mr. Price. His evocative, concise language is both beautiful and moving. I bet children love this story. This adult certainly did.

It's been a year since Ben's mother died, but he misses her daily. His only consolation is his love for elephants, which his mother loved too - his involvement in the life of a special elephant who has been a survivor brings a bond to both which can heal in this unusual story.

From Booknews: -- looks at the political thought of the two contemporary 20th-centuries philosophers<-->Husserl the founder of phenomenology and Collingwood one of its most read writers. Considers them together because they were addressing the same historical epoch and similar audiences, because the political philosophy of both has been neglected by scholars, and in order to place them in the mainstream liberal political tradition rather than in its more radical fringes. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

From Booknews: --looks at the political thought of the two contemporary 20th-centuries philosophers<-->Husserl the founder of phenomenology and Collingwood one of its most read writers. Considers them together because they were addressing the same historical epoch and similar audiences, because the political philosophy of both has been neglected by scholars, and in order to place them in the mainstream liberal political tradition rather than in its more radical fringes. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Amazingly comprehensive text, with objective, intelligent reviews of most of the works listed, written by the author and/or those who heard the music first-hand. I didn't find a listing for the composer Kjerwulf, but I found listings for many others, including many I never heard of. Every piano piece of importance, and many others, are listed here, along with publication histories for most all works, and suggested bibliographies. You don't know how much piano music has been written until this book informs you of it. Very interesting biographical sketches are included of the most important composers.

Maurice Hinson's _Guide to Pianist's Repertoire_ is now a standard fixture on the bookshelves of performers and teachers everywhere. The current volume is another staggeringly comprehensive repertoire guide, listing published chamber music written with the piano as an equal partner, in combinations of up to eight instruments, composed since 1700 (although a few works prior to that date are included). Hinson follows the format he has used before, grouping works by instrumentation, with the emphasis being on locating publishers. Other information is given as available, for example, movement titles, timings, no. of pages, level of difficulty, etc. (It may be noted that no discography is attempted.) Selected works are given descriptive annotations and evaluations. While a volume of this type will invariably require multiple editions to stay current, the information contained herein will be of value for many years to come.

I read this book and found a new source for historical inquiry in Catholic history. Too often people wish to ignore actual events which discredit their church. Pinay (a pseudonym) has accomplished an important work which demonstrates non-Christian efforts to cause problems and dissention with the Church. Most of the documentation addresses the development in post-Reconquista Spain but it is equally important for Italian and German topics. Pinay names "names" and describes the hideous drama which attempts to confuse the Catholic world. This book is a MUST for those who want to know why the Church is in such an upheavel...and what the future portends.

I thought this was a terrific book and I recommend it to all my friends - what an eye opener! If you want to find out what has happened to the Catholic Church and why, read "The Plot Against the Church." Using original sources, Maurice Pinay documents who has been trying to destroy the Catholic Church and why. Pinay wrote the book shortly before Vatican II and predicted what would happen there. This book also explains the history of the Church in a manner that you may not have ever heard before. If you want to understand what is going on in the Church and the rest of society today, buy this book!