This story follows Captain Mary. She is already Captain of her ship, Fury, when the story began. I watched her have affairs, not all of them men, and witnessed her try to keep those she cared for safe from harm. She was hard when she needed to be and though tired of death, did not hesitate at killing when she had to. She killed not only when her life was in danger, but also to show her strength, such as keelhauling a crewmate when he stole booty from the others.

I was very pleased with the ending as well, which I will keep mute about. All-in-all, I will highly recommend this book to everyone. This is not a mushy romance book. Neither male nor female audience was targeted. It is one that I believe both sexes will enjoy thoroughly!

year: 1721
setting: Caribbean

Simonds leads readers on a realistic journey through the Caribbean with a female buccaneer commanding the brigantine "Fury." Inspired by the lives of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who were tried for piracy in the early 1700s, Mary's fictional tale presents an uncensored perspective of the lives of pirates.

We are introduced to Mary's dilemma, which navigated her into this dangerous existence. The situation was one of choice. Rather than allow her intended, Darius Manchester, to rape her before their wedding, she'd see him dead. To escape the law, she fled her father's South Carolina rice plantation. Time marched on. Now, rather than the hunting knife she used to kill Darius, a sword is her preferred weapon. Her education is not from a governess and selected text, but from "Silver Tooth," a pirate Captain she married.

The life she lives centers on commanding the pirates dedicated to serving her, for the right price. They sail the Guadeloupe passage in search of ships crossing their path. There is a tax to be paid and Mary will risk her and her men's lives to haul in the rewards.

There are those who penetrate Mary's protected heart and for a time they will love her. A prisoner aboard his Majesty's ship Le Chat d' Soleil, Doctor Alphonse Coulances is accused of being a traitor. This man she is drawn to. There is also her first mate and partner, Petronius. He should be Captain, but because of the times an African would not be respected. Then there's Elaine, a female prisoner who introduces Mary to a different type of love.

Athough Mary is not governed by her natural society's rules and regulations, there are laws among the pirates that must be followed by sailor and Captain. Failure to abide by them can lead to keel hauling and other painful deaths. Mary is also dependent on a Mr. Trimmer to manage her business affairs in a British Colony in St. John's Antigua.

Her life is filled with the rage of battle, the act of taking by force and just beyond the horizon lies someone determined to gain revenge. And in the middle of it all, she deals with a certain responsibility she has neglected.

CAPTAIN MARY, BUCCANEER is as real as they come in terms of historical perspective. Simonds presents detailed description of her characters from their hair to their belt buckles. You feel as if you are aboard her brigantine and watching your every step. You sway with the waves rocking the ship, see the blood and guts staining the time-worn planks. This isn't Hollywood's action hero keeping you entertained for 1 ½ hours. This is as close to a pirate's life that you will dare to explore.

4 sabers out of 4
--Denise Fleischer- GWN Book Reviewer

This is a zinger of a book! I read it in a couple of days plus one midnight to 3 a.m. stint, because I became so interested that I didn't want to pause. Captain Mary is a complex, believable character; true to her own personal code of honor, yet torn as well as triumphant over the difficulties of the bloody times in which she lived.

The power of the sea and its mystery are well portrayed as is the uncertainty of charts and actions of men and their governments.

The writer has brought history to life with all the sound, fury, blood and guts of the age she is representing. The action sings with the slash of the sword and the shouts of the boarding pirates; yet Mary, the buccaneer, is a woman shown in tender moments, foolish decisions, terrible consequences and bitter victory. No trite formulas spoil the reader' s suspense or anticipate the poinancy of Mary's joys and sorrows.

This book is as unpredictable and astonishing as history itself.

I read this book when I was 13 and tried to find it again for years. This is still the best biography of JBK ever written. It's tasteful, warm, witty and touching. It was written at the happiest time of Jacqueline Kennedy's life and it really shows. Also, it's the only biography that was written in part with JBK's cooperation. If you collect Kennedy books, you must have this one.

This book is great. I give it two thumbs up. The book actually takes you into the life of Americas first lady. The book expresses jackies thaughts and feelings toward the Kennedy family. The book also gives Jackie credit for her intelligence and talks about her education and where she received her education from. This is a part of Jackie you have never seen before. The style that the author uses to write this book is also quite impressive. So many books that have been written in regrds of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy do not give facts about her individual self as this book has done. Most books over Jacqueline tell us only about her life with Mr. Kennedy and her life after his death, but this book gives us information about her life and who she was apart from the Kennedys.

"This catalogue investigates the Museum's remarkable collection of American pastels, from charming 18th-century portraits to abstract works by 20th-century Modernists. 260 pages, 240 illustrations (35 in color), 9 in. x 11 in."

A friend of mine bought me this book, knowing I'm interested inthe field, also knowing that I know nothing about Dental Assisting.It was easy enough for a beginner to learn the basics through the advanced. EXCELLENT.

soy industrial y requiero de actualizacion en mis formulaciones.

I would like to recommend A TRADITION THAT HAS NO NAME to Amazon readers. The first author, Mary Belenky, is probably best-known for her co-authorship of WOMEN'S WAYS OF KNOWING, which described a model of women's development of "self, voice, and mind." TRADITION explores how presumably powerless, "voiceless" women have learned to speak out in ways that have changed their own lives and their children's lives, and have had lasting impact on their communities.

This is really three books in one. The first explores the Listening Partners project. It demonstrated that poor, isolated, and marginalized women could nevertheless support each other in significant growth and change, when brought together in community. The second examines several women-created community-based organizations that have not only improved the lives of participants, but by drawing on the ideas, talents, and persistence of their members have also contributed to social change.

The third explores how women who were either frankly excluded or subtly ignored by their local power structures supported one another to become leaders in the struggle for change. Though some of these groups had one or a few visionary women acting as the original catalysts, they are noteworthy for *not* creating hierarchical power relations. Governance, to the extent that it exists, is shared; all are welcome, all are valued, all contribute in whatever ways they can. This collaborative, affirming process enables women to think in new ways about the challenges they face.

Quoting liberally and effectively from the experiences of scores of diverse women, this book documents how individuals and communities can develop and change when women gather and share their ideas and talents--talents which many do not realize they have, until they are valued by the collective.

Anyone interested in women's issues, alternative leadership styles, or human development, or who wants to empower others, or who holds a vision of a society in which ! all have voice will want to read this elegant, stirring book.

This book has a very cute storyline that appeals to my toddler and is a great way to learn some words for food and eating. The illustrations are beautiful and the hardcover is great quality. I highly recommend this book as well as the others in this series.

This book follows the format of the rest of the Barron's seriesby showing 1-2 sentences per page in both English and Spanish. Fornon-Spanish speakers there is a nice pronunciation guide for each word at the back of the book. Children as young as two will enjoy the universal appeal of a birthday party with balloons, cake and presents.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to teach French to a young child. The storyline could easily hold up as a regular storybook and the illustrations are great.

I do find that the pronunciation guide would be a bit difficult for a non-French speaker to use and recommend this only if you have a bit of French yourself or access to someone who can help with pronunciation.

My toddler loves this book and so do I. The illustrations are beautiful and the general quality of this hardbound book is very high. The story is appealing to my daughter and the ability to read it both in French and in English has really helped her pick up some words in a non-formal way. This book makes a great bedtime story.

Grief . . . comforting friends . . . food . . . threatening enemy . . . victory . . . happiness. What more could you want in a book? Well actually, there is more. You can read it, look at Alex de Wolf's clever pictures, listen to it on tape, and learn French -- all at the same time. Mary Risk, as usual, has not been satisfied just to "feed" the reader French - she has created an engaging story that my 4-year-old listens to and "reads" over and over.

I teach French to elementary school children and they loved this book. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful. And the story is entertaining enough for them to catch up on new vocabulary. The book itself is excellent quality as well.

What a great way to learn another language! My son loves the pictures, and we tirelessly read it over and over again in both French and English. The pronunciation guide is very helpful. I wish they offered this book in several more languages.

This children's book, illustrated by Mary Azarian, won the 1999 Caldecott Medal for best illustrations in a book for children. It is the story of Wilson A. Bentley (1865-1931) of Jericho, Vermont, who had a passion for studying snowflakes. Having developed a technique for photographing snowflakes, he spent years collecting and giving lectures in the midst of running his farm: a true farmer-scientist. He even wrote a text called Snow Crystals. He noted the six sidedness of most crystals and a few three-sided. One wonders what he would have said upon hearing that some researchers in the late 1990s had found two identical snowflakes since he had never been able to find two that were alike. This book is a celebration not only of the man but of our love and interest in the natural world. Children will enjoy this book with its magnificent woodcuts immensely.

Snowflake Bentley is one of the best biographies I have seen for children because it combines so many elements of a worthwhile children's book so successfully. First, the book deserves its Caldecott Medal for outstanding illustrations from the gorgeous hand-colored woodcuts that provide a wonderful old-fashioned feel. Second, the book also describes the beauty of snowflakes and shows both abstract designs of them as well as some of Mr. Bentley's own photographs. Third, many of the fundamental science facts about snowflakes are described (I learned more about why snowflakes are unique than I had ever known before). Fourth, Mr. Bentley's life is inspirational in several ways. He followed and lived his passion. His parents also supported him in the passion, in a wonderfully loving way. He succeeded in bringing beauty to the world that has changed the way everyone sees it. In doing so, he has lightened the burdens of winter a little for us all.

Mr. Bentley was "a boy who loved snow more than anything else in the world." Where others saw cold and discomfort in his home of Jericho, Vermont, he saw beauty. That was good becaues the snowfall averages around 120 inches a year there. "He said snow was as beautiful as butterflies, or apple blossoms." In the good weather, he could net butterflies or carry apple blossoms to show to others, but snowflakes were more difficult to share. His mother (who was his teacher until he was 14) gave him an old microscope, and he began to look at snowflakes in the cold. He noticed that no two were alike, and began to draw them.

At 17, he learned that you could photograph what you could see in a microscope. His parents made an enormous investment and got him one. The cost was equal to the value of his father's whole herd of ten cows. The camera was as large as a calf. In those days (1882), you had to use large glass plates to make images.

From then one, he was committed to his photography. Some winters, he could only make a few photographs successfully. The best time was during a snow storm in 1928, when he made over 100 in two days overlapping Valentine's day.

He learned to make his images better and better, and shared them with others. During the good weather, he also photographed spiders' webs, the dew on natural objects, and other small scenes of nature. He earned a little money from all this, but his costs exceeded his revenues by almost 4 to 1 over a lifetime. All of his money went for photography. When he was 66, some scientists gave him the money to publish a book of his photographs. Shortly thereafter, he died of pneumonia contracted after photographing during a blizzard. The town honored him with a plaque.

The book contains the story of Mr. Bentley's life, has sidebars that provide more detail on the science and certain aspects of his life, shows photographs, and is illustrated with the hand-colored woodcuts I mentioned earlier. The result is something that can appeal to a child in different ways at different ages. You can read this mostly as being a biography, or as mostly about snowflakes, or as mostly about photography of nature.

Most parents would encourage their children to do what they love. Here is a life that shows the wisdom of that inclination. In the course of reading this book, I encourage you to tell your child that she or he should find a similar passion and explore it. In the process, you should describe your own passions, and how you explore them to provide a further example.

Explore all of the uniqueness of yourself and your children! No two are exactly alike -- like snowflakes!

When I first glanced at this book, I knew it would be good for several different reasons. The main one being that I love snowflakes. Snowflakes come in many different shapes and sizes and appear many different colors (especially when the sun hits them just right). This book shows just how beautiful a snowflake can be and tells us the importance of who William "Snowflake" Bentley was.

Snowflake Bentley is a biography for young children about the life and times of William Bentley. William was born in Vermont in 1865. As we all know, Vermont gets a lot of snow (sometimes up to 120 inches) and William loved it!! He loved his mother dearly and even picked apple blossoms for her, because he couldn't save the snowflakes to give her. His mother taught him at home until he was fourteen. After being in school for a while, his mother gave him an old microscope, and that is when Williams' passion for snowflakes turned into a scientific invention. He learned how to photograph snowflakes!!

This biographical picture book has several elements that make it a good picture book for young children. These are: the illustrations, the many scientific facts to integrate into a classroom, and the character (William Bentley) was very realistic and inspiring. The illustrations were created with hand colored woodcuts that made beautiful pictures on each page. The pictures are extremely colorful and they make you "feel" winter. This is an excellent book to help explain what a snowflake is and the process of how a snowflake is made. For example, the molecules of water, the quanities of air, moisture, wind,...etc...

My love for snowflakes and their beauty is what led me to read this book. I found out quite a bit about snowflakes and even learned about a man that I had never heard of before.

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