The Shirley Temple Scapebook is not only a great picture book but it gives a good deal of interesting detail about Shirley's life. I love the way Loraine Burdick takes information from several other resources and books about Shirley and combines them to create a broader picture. Thus, leaving you to your own opinion. It is wonderful to look through the scrapebook and relive old memories. I think the book would be appealing to both adoring fans and those with only mild interest. However, how many people can resist Shirley Temple. Enjoy. I highly recommend the book.

If you're looking for that "everything you need and want to know about Shirley Temple" book, then this is the one for you!

Carefully divided between Shirley's personal life and her film career, the book's clever design displays the abundance of fabulous photos and text as if it were truly a scrapbook.

Loraine Burdick helps us get to know Shirley Temple the child star, the teenager, the young adult, the mother, the wife, and the ambassador.

Whether you are looking for a fun book to leaf through or a solid front-to-back read about Shirley Temple, this book is a must!

This book, though rather juvenile in appearance, is pure magic. Shirley Rousseau Murphy is adept at creating sympathetic characters with a few, well-placed descriptions. Thursey is a spirited and intelligent Cinderella who enjoys defying her greedy stepmother and hideous stepsisters who use her as a slave for their inn. Loving stories and fairy tales of all sorts, her own begins when she meets a kind goat boy named Gilly returning with the queen and prince after the war. But is he really who he seems? And though he partly plays the role of the beneficial fairy, it's ultimately up to Thursey to make her own magic come true.

Simply and beautifully told, Silver Woven in My Hair was one of my first fairy tale retellings (along with Beauty by Robin McKinley) and remains one of my favorites. A pleasant companion to the equally excellent Ella Enchanted, this book is definitely worth the effort it will take to find.

This is definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone who likes the classic story of Cinderella. Though it may not be the exact story you may know, it is a very finely crafted version of the timeless fairytale. Shirley Rousseau Murphy captures the true spirit of the classic tale of a poor girl who dreams of a life other than her own where she is forced by her wicked step-mother and step-sister to clean, cook, and serve them after her father dissappears. Even if you aren't a fan of Cinderella, if you do like magic, adventure, surprises, and descriptions so real you feel like you're in the story, then this could be the book you've been looking for.

Ms. Hannum's book "Sometimes You Have to Kill a Spider" was a fantastic reading experience. From start to finish, she kept the reader on the edge of their chairs! The story and characters were fasinating - and I found myself unable to put it down. I thouroughly recommend this and frankly cannot wait to read Ms. Hannum's next novel.

"Sometimes, You Have to Kill a Spider", by new author Shirley Hannum, is a dazzling trip through a surreal world populated by fascinating characters ranging from evil incarnate to arrow straight. The dialogue is bright and flashy, the action electric, and the women--especially the heroine, Arianne--are fascinating. It is a breezy, scary, and very entertaining read.

In the fifties, when I was growing up in North Carolina, Miss Lawrence was known in garden circles all over the state as she had been an active gardener and writer for a number of years. I am pleased to see "A Southern Garden" which she wrote in 1942 back in print. RE-reading her words is like listening to an old friend.

She lived and gardened first in Raleigh, then in Charlotte (both Zone 8). The winters in Zone 7 were a bit colder, but many of the plants she recommended for Zone 8, survived in Zone 7 where my family lived and gardened. Given global warming, I think much of Zone 7, which extends right up the East Coast--almost to New England (?)--is now verging on becoming Zone 8 -- at least the part that lies east of the "fall line" on the coastal plain.

I have lived in Arlington, Virginia for a number of years, and have seen a decided shift in the climate in my area. Crepe Myrtles that used to live no futher north than Fredericksburg and die back to the ground in Arlington don't. And Catbirds, a real southerner are nesting in my yard. Both of these are Zone 8 transplants.

Even though I am technicaly in the lower edge of Zone 7, I can grow almost anything Miss Lawrence discusses in her book "A Southern Garden" in my garden. My house is on the "fall line" however, and just west of me the winters are a tad too cold for some things. But if you live in Zone 7, and like a plant try it. If it lives great, if not you've gained some wonderful experience.

Most importantly, pay attention to Miss Lawrence when she describes the 'old timey gardens' -- some say there is nothing new under the sun, and though that might not be entirely correct, many of the old plant forms she discusses are still extant.

This book is a window into the way our Grandmother's gardened. Miss Lawrence describes in her own wonderful and modest style where she purchased plants and how plants she admired performed either in her garden or in the garden's of her friend's. Her descriptions are informative and often humorous. Anyone serious about gardening in the South should own this book as a reference guide. Even a non-gardener would enjoy this lovely book.

This wonderful book is about changing people's lives through the educational process. It is a book in the tradition of Friere. Professor Zuss has clearly read and thought deeply about the nature of autobiography (life-writing, as he calls it). He makes frequent reference to his experiences as an active teacher in the New York City area; he teaches both graduate students studying to teach literacy and undergraduate students. "Subject Present" is a bridge between the too often rarified atmosphere of theoretical speculation and the classroom as a place where people's lives can be changed. In Chapter 9, Prof. Zuss gives before and after examples showing how student's life-writings were changed by exposure to the life-writings of Cixous, Andaluza, Lorde, and the post-modern theorists.

Throughout the book, Professor Zuss brings the insights of Derrida, Foucault, Lejune, & Co. (and John Dewey) to bear on how life-writing can be used by educators to empower marginalized students in a diverse, urban environment. Zuss persuasively argues that, by studying the theory and practice of life-writing, teachers and students can become aware of how their own life-writings reflect the way that they see themselves. While recognizing that changing people's written self-representations will not in and of itself change their material conditions, Zuss explores how experimenting with alternative modes can give people the tools to change the nature of their self-conception and their relationship to the prevailing order, perhaps ultimately leading them to take actions that impact their material conditions as well.

If we had more educators like Professor Zuss, the world would be a better place. It was heart-warming to find one. It gave me hope for the future.

And there are a couple of extra added bonuses to "Subject Present":

Bonus 1: Professor Zuss must have been a poet in a past life. An example: "From heron tracks in the Chinese sand, to the grain in bark and in hands, the reading of the night sky or the glare of pixel images on a hypertext screen, we have always been pattern makers."

Bonus 2: For those interested in the study of autobiography and memoir a la James Olney (Memory and Narrative) and Herbert Leibowitz (Fabricating Lives), Zuss offers a valuable extension and alternative viewpoint based on more contemporary life-writings.

This book gives insights into the components which impact society's standards and illusions about literacy. The author, socially aware and concerned about the "politics" of education and the devasting impact it can have on shaping our definition of literacy, gives a clear understanding of how powerful these forces really are. Great reading for all who are concerned about the issues which concern the present and future state of literacy in this country. Bravo!

We discovered Hughes while living "down under" where she is better known thanks to Australia's strong ties to Britain. Also highly recommend her poems such as found in _The Nursery Collection_. Wonderful, rich illustrations; warm, loving families.

Shirley Hughes's books are generally terrific. This is a great way to buy, since a collection is cheaper than the individual books, though the price is quite high in US $, being a British edition.

"Toxics A to Z" gives a complete, and thoroughly readable introduction to all of the various potential environmental hazards we face today. Although scientifically based, it gives a very good layman's explanation of the kinds of hazards to watch out for, and what we can do to avoid or reduce our exposure. Without being alarmist, it points out not just what we should be worried about, but the actions we can take to aviod these hazards and to help eliminate them from our environment. The book also gives a literally "A to Z" coverage of many of the everyday toxics we might be exposed to, either at home or at the workplace, without ever realizing it. An extremely informative and empowering book!

If you are concerned about the fumes you breathe at the gas pump, the No Pest Strip at home, or the pesticides on your fruit, then this is the book for you. Thousand of chemicals are listed and the level of toxicity is given. These are chemicals you encounter everyday.

Several years ago I reviewed the first book of manhole cover quilts, finding it the most unique collection of quilt designs I'd seen in a long time. The premise of that book, and its successor collection, Treasures Underfoot, is the translation of the many municipal manhole covers of Japan into fiber art. The Japanese make something of a fine art of designing coverings for the holes in their streets and sidewalks, and each community takes great pride in its contribution to the genre. MacGregor's extension of the idea was to get these designs off the street and into quilts, and she enlisted the talents of quilters world-wide to assist her. In this beautifully-produced and self-published volume, MacGregor features dozens of new manhole cover designs, along with thumbnails of the communities that created them. Each one is then enriched by interpretation by a quilter and a rendering in fabric. Some of the interpretations try to be true to the original design, while others use elements of the design as inspiration for something new. Either way, the result is beautiful and fascinating. The book does not include projects with detailed instructions, but there is enough information and illustration to make it possible for any quilter who chooses to try her hand at one of these round treasures. And this is one of the best introductions to Japanese culture that I know! Kudos to Shirley MacGregor for making this volume even richer than the last.

I also own MacGregor's first book. The quality of the paper in the second book dramatically enhances the presentation of the manhole covers and quilts. Though I am not a quilter, this book can still be appreciated for its artistic and cultural richness. In fact, I have a custom made stain glass piece hanging in my living room, with the design from one of the manhole cover patterns in the first book. I like the geographic descriptions of the cities and towns around Japan, having visited a few in the past. The colors in her book are spectacular, and I love the way she has shown different interpretations of each pattern. All in all, this book makes me want to visit every manhole cover in it!

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book for all ages. Young and old, male and female. My husband bought me this book for my birthday, knowing my love for princess lore. I'm now reading it to my granddaughter and grandson.

Ms. Climo presents seven stories from seven very different cultures. She includes introductions to each story that explain a little of the magic you're about to discover. Each story has a wise and meaningful message.

Down to earth Princesses; a wise Princess; an enchanting Princess and a determined Princess along with the untypical stories of a curious Princess; a stubborn Princess and a spoiled Princess all manage to captivate your heart and sigh as they all "live happily ever after".

This is a beautiful book -- both in its illustrations and in the stories and in its portrayals of strong women from around the world whom you can feel good recommending to your little girl as role models. I get tired of the same old Eurocentric fairy tales and nursery rhymes that are forced upon children today. It's important to have a global worldview and this book can be one of the first steps toward such an understanding. The fairy tales are not too long -- perhaps 8-20 pages each -- and come from many different countries. I gave it as a gift to a five-year-old girl who loves it, and I read it to my 6-yr-old son and 3-yr-old daughter, who both appreciate it.