I bought this book for my son and he absolutely loves it. I bought the paperback version, which he is a little young for. But he carries it with him and loves it when we read it to him. It is a big hit.

The best series I have found for very early readers. The pictures match the text, the sentences are very short, and the words are words children use everyday. I highly recommend this book and others in this series for any early readers out there.

As with every Margaret Wise Brown book I have ever seen; (I own 13 titles now); VERY Kid-friendly. My daughter likes bugs too and is just learning to read. Most pages in this story have 2 - 3 words. Perfect for the early reader!

We picked this book up after reading about it in Publisher's Weekly and what a gem! This book is a perfect blend of the practical and the spiritual for getting a marriage back on track. Even solid marriages can benefit. Lots of real-life examples and inspiring passages. A must-read for anyone interested in solidifing their matrimonial bonds.

In The New Marriage: Transcending The Happily-Ever-After Myth, professional therapists and marriage counselors Linda and Robert Miles competently collaborate to provide couples in both traditional and non-traditional relations a kind of road map and a set of practical relationship tools to effectively make their relationship work by identifying and overcoming emotional problems and deal with the stresses of contemporary life afflicting all marital unions today. Innovative, practical, "user friendly", insightful, informative, and occasionally inspiring, The New Marriage is very highly recommended reading for anyone needing assistance in helping to rebuild or strengthen his or her relationship.

My husband and I loved this book! It gave us a whole new way of looking at our marriage and some really constructive advice for further strengthening our relationship. A lot of the personal anecdotes and examples really struck a resonant chord. Also, after reading this, we find we've done a lot more self-exploration to see how we can leave behind the blame and bring the very best in ourselves to our relationship. We recommend this book to ANY couple (including happily married ones!) who are interested in building a stronger relationship.

Ellen and William Craft were a young (mid-20's) slave couple who made a daring escape to freedom. Light-skinned Ellen cut her hair short and dressed in the suit and tophat of a white planter. Since she was illiterate, her husband William made a sling for her arm, so she had an excuse not to sign hotel registers. And since she had a womanly voice, the couple devised a poultice tied around her jaw indicating she had a bad toothache and could not speak. William played the role of his white massa's slave. And the couple traveled by train, steamship, and wagon to their destination in the north. They soon became popular lecturers in the United States and Europe. This is a remarkable story of daring and bravery and should be read by everyone. Anyone who wants to introduce their children to good historical fiction should get them The Journal of Darien Duff, an Emancipated Slave, The Diary of a Slave Girl, Ruby Jo, and The Journal of Leroy Jones, a Fugitive Slave.

I read this for a college history survey course before it was mistakenly announced that the book was out of print. The book was dropped from the syllabus, but I am glad I read it anyway.

The first and shortest part of the book is William Craft's powerful account of how he and his wife Ellen executed a daring escape from servitude in Georgia. Their plan was remarkable in its ingenuity: The almost white Ellen, outfitted with a master's clothes and a poultice on her face to prevent incriminating speech with strangers, and her husband William, disguised as a servant, escaped to freedom in the north. Travelling by rail, the pair exultantly crossed over into Canada and from thence headed for England.

The second part of the book is a third person summary of the couple's travels after their ambitious escape. It follows them from Georgia through the slave and free states, in which they were well received and protected (especially in Boston), up to Halifax and across the water to England. I found the final two thirds of the book the most enjoyable, as it treated of foreign travel, in which I have a keen interest. Both portions of the book are beautifully written and often gripping. I hope a few of my classmates read this before that announcement. This book is both pleasurable to read and historically vital.

This book is a captivating account of the injustices of slavery and a amazing story of two fugitives running for there freedom. This book is a great story that should be taught in schools and should not be ignored in American History classes. It opened my mind to the horrors slavery actually caused. It represents a part of our history that should never be repeated. 5 plus stars.

"The Thousand Mile War" is an old and cherished friend, and tells the story of the Aleutian Island Campaign against the Japanese in 1942-43. I settled in comfortably with the first edition in 1969 on my way to another war, and became thoroughly captivated by it. I'm delighted to see it reprinted in softcover.

There are so many strong points to the book, and too many exciting tales to capture easily in a short review. It seems to me, though, that one of Brian Garfield's greatest strengths is his ability to unravel and relate accurately the joint and combined nature of allied operations in the Aleutians. The air, sea and ground operations, which the book richly details, sometimes occured in isolation, but more often were part of a concerted effort to oust the Japanese from the islands of Attu and Kiska. Although the fighting was borne primarily by U.S. forces, there were significant contributions by Canadian allies.

Then there is the weather. The Aleutians, a chain of rugged islands stretching from Dutch Harbor to Attu in the west, cover about 1,000 miles, and are subject to some of the worst, most inhospitable weather conditions on the planet. As much of Garfield's story is about fighting the elements as it is about fighting the enemy. Having grown up in Alaska, I can easily identify with the harshness of wind and storm, of cold and snow and freezing ocean spray.

To sum up, in Garfield's words: "The campaign in the grey and windy Aleutians was the United States' first offensive campaign of World War II -- the first to begin, the first to be won. Its major events had included the first extensive aerial bombing campaign in American history; the first mass military airlift ever executed; the longest and last classic daylight surface battle in naval history; the first land-based American bomber attacks on the Japanese homeland; and, in the Battle of Attu, the U.S. Infantry's first amphibious island assault landings and the second most costly infantry battle of the Pacific war (in ratio to the size of the forces engaged)."

Garfield is as quantitative as he is qualitative, something that helps give perspective to his gut-level reporting of events. His footnotes are well organized by chapter and are in themselves worth reading.

The only criticism I've ever heard was from a fellow who served in the Aleutians as an engineer sergeant. He was on Engineer Hill on Attu when Col. Yasuyo Yamasaki led his surviving soldiers in a banzai charge against the American position. Yamasaki attacked up the fog-covered Chichagof Valley with 600 men, all that was left of his force of 2,600. The surprise attack almost succeeded, but "Within minutes the Engineers and service troops had sprung to arms. Cooks, litter bearers, roadbuilders, and staff officers took shoulder-to-shoulder positions at the crest. General Arnold borrowed an M-1 rifle and crawled to a high point from which he could see the Japanese charging up the hill toward him. With calm, precise hand signals he directed the hand-grenade throws of his hidden troops as if he were calling artillery targets. The grenades blew gaps in the Japanese line but the charge did not falter." The attacking Japanese were within rock throwing distance when they were finally thrown back by a "withering point-blank concentration of bullets and grenades from the hasty, improvised American line."

In this battle the former engineer sergeant does not recall General Arnold's actions the same way that Garfield relates them. Whichever is the case, it would not be the first time an American GI disparaged in retrospect the behavior of a senior officer.

"The Thousand Mile War" is excellent history and a terrific read. I've enjoyed it more than once and have used it as a source for lecture notes and other research. You won't be disappointed.

Though little remembered in the public consciousness today, the Aleutian islands campaign was an epic struggle that featured some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific theater of World War II. Garfield's account shows how the American efforts there were hampered because military strategests were slow to recognize the strategic importance of Alaska. The Japanese invasion was belatedly countered by an intense American effort to save Alaska from becoming a Japanese base for operations against the mainland. The ensuing struggle was fought in perhaps the worst weather conditions of any campaign in the entire war. Garfield is an excellent writer and this book has the page turning quality of a suspense novel. This is yet another moving tribute to the "Greatest Generation" in action.

I read this book several years ago when I began discovering some of the interesting and little known facts about Alaska's involvement in the WW II Pacific theater. It was written in a style that captured my attention fully.

So few people realize to this day that some Aleutian Islands were actually occupied by the Japanese. The author clearly described the events, both large and small, which lead up to the final battles.

He left me realizing that the Americans recaptured the island in spite of their ignorance and inter-service rivalries. The book leaves you amazed at the blundering ways of both the American and Japanese militaries.

Everything I've since seen in the book rings out to be true and factual. From the bombing of Dutch Harbor to the final charge by the remaining Japanese on Attu, this book keeps you fascinated.

The book portrays many brave men on both sides that were ill-prepared for the harsh climate of the Aleutians but still pulled off some magnificent feats. The critical part that the heavy fog and weather played was described very well.

I strongly recommend this book as a primer on the war in the Aleutians.

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Twin Cities by outdoor enthusiast, hiker, photographer, bird-watcher, and canoeist Tom Watson is a detailed and thoroughly "user friendly" guide to sixty different scenic hikes in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota, including wildlife hikes, historic hikes, urban hikes and even hikes for kids. Packed from cover to cover with maps, information about local resources, trail guides and more, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles is an excellent and enthusiastically recommended planning resource for Twin Cities area hikers and outdoor enthusiasts looking for exercise, variety, and fun.

Fantastic book. I never realized what this area had to offer in hiking opportunities. This book really covers the area very well. The maps and description are a great read and enhance the experience. I've walked a long way in my time and this book just adds to the adventure.

This book is great for visitors to the Twin Cities or long-time residents. Excellent directions and maps and useful and accurate information about the difficulty of the trail, trail length and access, plus special elements of interest. The book reads as though Tom is right there with you. One item that I find especially unique is that this book also presents trails that are accessible to people in wheelchairs or who have physical limitations that would preclude them from enjoying most areas of hiking and yet they can still get the feeling of being in the woods and a chance to enjoy the great outdoors and there are also hikes for the more experienced hiker. Excellent variety of hiking trails for all, plus a few areas that I did not know about and I live in the Twin Cities! Would make an excellent gift!

This is a wonderful book for reading aloud. Each character has its own "voice." Our children were fascinated by the dialectic speech of the characters. As previously commented, they will insist that you "do the voices." My wife read the book in class to her 4th graders and they loved it as well. Each story shows how the "easy way" often leads to trouble. This is a book of fables. It is supposed to be moralistic and didactic. This is Aesop's fables with giggles.

Though written for younger children, my 12 year old daughter still asks her Daddy to read these wonderful stories, reminding him to "do the voices". I enjoy listening to him read them. My husband, a middle school teacher, uses the stories in his Drama class. He likes the book because the characters are so fully developed that the beautiful illustrations are almost unnecessary. Children can relate to the characters, and the situations in which they find themselves. The tales spring to life, and young people learn important lessons about life, choices, and relationships.

I picked up this book about 5 years ago and read it to my oldest son who was 7 years-old at the time. He loved it. It went back on the shelf and I just finished reading it to my middle son who recently turned 7. He also loved it and begged me to read him a chapter each night.

I couldn't disagree more strongly with the Horn Book review of this work. Maybe it is a little politically incorrect by today's oppressive, fun-removing standards, but the kids love it and it just happens to subtly teach them some important lessons in life. The so-called violence is far less than what one would see on the average children's cartoon -- and it isn't even visual! Speaking of the visuals, the illustrations are beautiful, and both of my sons loved looking at them and trying to identify which character was which.

The dialogue -- which is the key to any good story -- is engaging and fun, with each animal speaking in the vernacular of the South, colloquialisms, and all. Each chapter ends with a "moral" to the story, if you will -- a proverb by Solomon.

If you can find this book, I suggest that you buy it or borrow it, and try it out on your kids. Don't let the thought/content police deter you from sharing the joy of reading some interesting and funny stories to your children. I have a fifteen month-old, and when he turns about 7, I'm sure I'll read it to him as well.

This is really a (the) great book for the base of a Dylan book
collection. Each of the 112 pages comprising this paperback
has at least one photograph, and many pages have two or three!
In my mind the pictures alone are worth a binding of their own. They
include many of his co-workers, and famous peers. After looking
at all of them for the first time, you really get a "feel" for
the environment in which he has been working (living) for the
last 30 - 40 years.

The entire collection of quotes (quotes and pictures are all you get, folks)
are catagorized by a plethora of topics, which enables quick referencing,
so you really should learn ALOT about his PERSONALITY.
I say "personality" because the quotes are in
conversational mode, candid, ranginging from silly quips and
understatements to very sincere and thoughtful comments; the way
I imagine he shares with intimates. This is not a stilted,
unemotional, professional collection of aphorisms, and I feel better informed
as a result.

Bob Dylan fans will enjoy this book that features over 100 pages of Dylan quotes on subjects ranging from music, the 60's, drugs, love, his idols, songwriting, and more. Everybody knows that Dylan was a wily and occasionally malicious interviewee, and this book reflects that. I laughed out loud several times at his witticisms directed back at the hollow questiosn that were put to him. However, there are some very pointed answers that he serves up here as well, that seemingly give a real insight into his persona, his life, and his views. There are also a lot of high-quality pictures. My only complaint is that the book is a little short-you can easily read it all in one setting, though it's probably a book that you'll go back to time and again to see what Dylan offered up on a particular subject-it would have been nice, for instance, if it had a section where Dylan commented upon particular songs of his, such as was done in the Leonard Cohen book in the "In His Own Words" series. Still, Dylan interviews are always hard to come by, and this is the best copendium you'll find featuring them.

This book contains a compilation of Dylan's own words, transcribed from interviews, press conferences, radio, and TV shows. Complete with scores of pictures, In His Own Words is a must for any Dylan fan. Dylan dons persona after persona, and the results are quite entertaining.

I first noticed this little book in a bookstore when I happened to read the blurb on the back cover by Doris Day: "a book reminding us of the wonderful bond between humans and animals" When I opened it, I knew why.

Julia Miles has the eye of a photographer and the heart of a poet. She has composed prose poems in light and shadow and shade to my favorite creatures, the cats.

My favorite photo in the collection, apart from the stunning dual-cat cover, is of two cats, each drooped over each other, headlined by Virginia Woolf: "incessant company is as bad as solitary confinement." Cats and poets can teach us things.

The book is a treasure trove of quotations and philosophical quips for everyday care of the soul, as well as for appreciation of felines. "I can resist everything but temptation" was surely meant for catdom: the photo in question is of a tiger cat-as-stealth-machine-stealing-up-on-a-piece-of-rug, besieging a piece of oriental carpet, mottled after mottled.

Cats are friends, foes (in play), funny, and enigmatic. Most of all, cats are curious (when they're not bored). In fact, cats are most cats when they're absolutely contradictory from one moment to the next. But then, inconsistencies are the "hobgoblins of little minds," as the poets remind us.

Take your mind and imagination out for a stroll by buying this book. It's also a great gift book - for yourself, family, friends, coworkers, for anyone you know, even if they don't like cats (tell them it's a "humor" book).

I should add that I didn't read the very moving introduction until after I'd completely looked through the photos and smiles and words in the text. The fact that Ms. Miles' kittens were rescued from a sure death makes the book even richer and deeper. "Cat Muses" speaks straight to the heart as well as the eye.

What a wonderful book for all ages. My daughter loves looking at the beautiful photographs over and over again. The quotes magicallly match the expressive cat faces. This book is a great gift for anyone (including themselves) who admire cats and great quotes.

All cat lovers will love this book. The beautiful black and white photos of the cats along with the meaningful quotes are so appropriate. It really touches the heart. I've given the book as a gift to my cat loving friends, and they all enjoyed it. It's also great that the proceeds go to help the Wash DC Humane Society.

I found "The Sergeant's Lady" to be a fast and lively read. It really transported me to a different time and place. Not being familiar with this genre, I was impressed with the detail and accuracy of the descriptions of everything from the most mundane activites of the common soldier to the exciting and horrific battle scenes. I cared about the characters in the novel and felt, by the end of the story, that I had come away with a better understanding of both the cavalry and the Indian warriors and the hardships they had to endure. I wholeheartedly recommend "The Sergeant's Lady".

Miles Hood Swarthout comes by his western sensibilities honestly: His father, Glendon Swarthout -- author of "The Shootist" and "Bless the Beasts and the Children" -- was in the vanguard of the "new" western literary novelists who blended history, landscape and character in a fresh way.

Miles' new novel, "The Sergeant's Lady," is literally in that tradition, based upon one of his father's stories. It has all the hallmarks of a good, traditional western adventure, and the literary flourish of contemporary western writers. His beautiful writing and fast-paced action-adventure take us back to those golden days of yore, when good stories had both.

For fans of the Old West, the Indian Wars, or just good fiction, this is a marvelous addition to your bookshelf.

Apache Indian warriors were among the greatest mounted fighters of the 19th -- and perhaps any other -- century. In attacking they shot under the horse's neck, holding themselves on the horse with their left foot. It was impossible to catch an Apache, unless you were another Apache. They were also at or near the top of the list when it came to stealing and marauding.
For a vivid picture of this dramatic and murderous tribe, read Mile Hood Swarthout's book, The Sergeant's Lady, a skillful elaboration of a short story written by Miles' father, Glendon Swarthout, famous for his stories of the American West.Published by Forge, the book is a fast and fascinating read, giving a vivid picture of America's Southwest in the era after the Civil War.
T. R. Kennedy, Prof. Emeritus, Mich. State University

Don't get me wronng I think this book ois great in fact I'm using it now for a report on the robotic engineering involved in Battlebots. But unless you're looking to find out all of the little insides and outs of the bots I wouldn't recomend this one. This book is written in a textbook style meaning that its great if you're actually building or doing research but it's not great for a fun read.

This is one of the best how-to books I've seen. The authors are true experts in the subject, and it shows in their selection of material. I wish the engineers at Toshiba who designed my notebook computer had read the chapter on batteries. You get theory, practice, materials engineering, mechanics and robotics all presented in one neat package. This is one of those rare books that's perfect for the beginner as well as the expert. It's jammed full of information that would take hundreds of hours to gather from other sources, and most importantly, it's a painless way to shorten the learning curve to become a robot expert yourself.

This book takes out much of the guess work in building a combat robot. For example, do you know what happens to a robot battery when you try to drain it in 6 minutes? Other areas are construction, weapons, etc. The brief coverage of the autonmous features can be a great help for building a robot that has automatic features. This is not a detailed plan set, but a collection of information needed to build the robots, many good suggestions.