This book is an excellent view into the highlights of M. Parkes work. One could sit for hours gazing at the paintings that are in this book. Also a very inexpensive way to preview prints I might buy in the future.

A beautiful book, one that you can keep as a reference on on the coffee table. Beautful, beautful book

This is a magnificent book. The large illustrations and text that accompany them are beautiful to look at and insightful. We all interpret his work in our own way, it's nice to see how the artist himself interprets his work. I have several of his books and like them all, but this is my favorite.

This book made me see beyond prayers and meditations. It helped me understand God in the deepest level. Through my most inner thoughts and actions. I doubted my christian faith, now I've been explained so much, that my doubts have been answered. It showed me how the holy spirit and the church adapts to these fast times we live today, so we can become people of strength and Love through our work, charity and humility.

Josemaria Escriva challenges every Christian to unite his daily trails and ordinary duties with Christ's passion. Every short point in this book is a seed that can grow through prayer and meditation into an abundance of spiritual good fruits.

Escriva believes that every individual can become a saint. Every life has opportunities for heroic action in the smallest details of daily living. Sanctity is not just for priests and religious. Offering one's work to God is a simple, yet startlingly radical notion.

Note: This book IS still in print.

If you really want to grow in God's Way you should read this book. Can make you change your way of living life. The best spiritual author of the Century.

Steven Jonas, M.D. is a nationally recognized health-care expert. He teaches preventive medicine, and has written several books on staying healthy. He's teamed up with another health writer, Maria Kassberg Regan, to produce Help Your Man Get Healthy: An Essential Guide For Every Caring Woman. Dr. Jonas and Regan say that "studies have shown conclusively that both heart disease and cancer--the top two killers in the nation--can be prevented by avoiding negative health habits and engaging in certain positive ones." They then describe the common negative habits, such as smoking, and helpful positive habits, such as reducing stress. They've included a chart which shows the number of years life can be shortened by each negative habit compared with the number of years gained by following a few positive habits. Obviously people are responsible for their own health habits, so why did Regan and Dr. Jonas write a guide for women to help improve their husband's health? Women already have enough responsibilities! They offer several reasons, including the fact that men simply don't know as much about good health practices as women do. For example, most women's magazines print lots of health-related articles; few men's magazines are health-oriented. Regan and Dr. Jonas do not advocate making women responsible for their man's health--their goal is to give women the tools they need to encourage good habits in all those they care about. They provide several quick and simple quizzes to help readers zero in on various kinds of difficulties. They then provide extensive information on motivation-- yes, men are motivated in much different ways than women are. They also provide tips on communicating effectively with men. For example, men prefer hard information to empathy. Dr. Jonas and Regan maintain that "for many, healthy habits mark the difference between a life that's long and vigorous and one that's curtailed by chronic disease or shortened by death." Readers will find that Help Your Man Get Healthy will provide the guidelines and assistance they need to help those they love develop healthy habits and improve the quality of their lives.

Sandra Smith, Reviewer

The topic, I'm sure, is on the minds of many married couples. Kassberg and Jonas define a collaborative approach to toughening up the oafish husband - softened by marriage and the attendant collapse of physical self-discipline - that's as effective as it is commonsensical. Real-life examples are particularly instructive, and the benefits of the approach become evident within days, not weeks, as the reader "gets on the same team" as the target partner in the battle against sloth, weakness and ill-health. Easy-to-read, well-researched, and original, this book is the right answer to the age-old question, "What the hell happened to the guy I married - and what can I do about it?" Buy this one today.

As a man, I read "Help Your Man" with not just a little bit of skepticism (we don't need any help!) but was I ever surprised! "Help Your Man" provides clear and understandable synopses of relevant and common health related matters which can be prevented or improved by simple changes of behavior. It is all coupled with simple, common sense (but not obvious) suggestions on how to help your man (or yourself!) change those unhealthy behaviors. Besides all that, it reads quite nicely!

It's like a one-stop-shop for such information. I will be sure to keep it handy!

I got this for my two daughters, but ended up reading it as soon as it arrived. Unlike most collections of fairy tales, which get pretty boring after the third or fourth story, this one drew you in. Commentary is very down-to-earth here, telling you about historical context, other versions, and interesting tidbits. Wish the illustrations were larger because sometimes you can't see detail.

This is a great book! Wonderful pictures! Great for all adges!!

I loved this volume. It's great to know about all the different versions of fairy tales, and I especially liked the user-friendly format which lets you read the stories and savor the illustrations, along with the commentary, which is just right. I learned a lot from the introductions to each story, and I am reading some of these to my nephew, who adored "The Emperor's New Clothes," and even though he is six, he wanted to read the commentary!

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY A BOOK ON LA HABANA THIS IS IT !!!!!!! IT IS MOST INFORMATIVE AND THE PHOTOS ARE THE BEST. BEING CUBAN I HAVE BOUGHT ALMOST EVERY BOOK WRITTEN ABOUT CUBA AND THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE - THE BEST.

Unlike other reviewers, I have no link with Cuba and I have never been to Havana, but this book made me want to go there. It was given to me as a present. Since then, I have bought two copies for friends. The photographs are as beautiful as the writing. A really special book.

Truly a unique and memorable book. I own many books on Cuba, but this book is exceptional. As Maria Luisa's book provides us with in-depth historical and architectural background accompanied by impressive photography, she also delights us with her memories of sound, sight, smell and far away world of her childhood which comes alive for all readers, but specially those who lived in the beautiful island of Cuba. It is a treasure for our Cuban heritage and a beautiful addition to anyone's library. A friend, relative and admirer from Miami, Florida

"At this moment, there are a hundred thousand madmen of our species wearing hats killing or being killed by a hundred thousand other animals wearing turbans and that over almost all the face of the earth this has been the custom from time immemorial?" Voltaire speaking, possibly on the Iraq crisis?--In fact, Voltaire has something to teach us all on practically every subject I could think of in my free-wheeling literary comedy, 3A Visit From Voltaire,2 (amazon.co.uk) and this book was one of the most basic texts I could find in English before moving on to the French originals. It1s helpful to have read a biography of Voltaire--and Ben Ray Redman's introduction is one of the best quickie bios available with real insight into the man's personality--in order to put all these riches of Voltaire1s thoughts and writings into some kind of political context. I shamefully abused and excused the Wigged One's sayings and witticisms in my novel, but especially students need this delightfully condensed resource with a reliable feel for translation.
Dinah Lee Küng

With a shelf-full of books about the man to work from, this was my most dogged-eared English-language source for his many quips used and abused in my literary comedy, A Visit from Voltaire" (amazon.co.uk) because I needed to know how he actually sounded, to complement in-depth research into his struggle to Ecrasez-infame! It's well-organized, and checking the translations, I found they captured the spirit of Voltaire very well.
Voltaire afficionado
Dinah Lee Küng

This volume provides a wonderful introduction to the writings and thought of one of the great cynics of the ages. Voltaire exemplifies the age of reason in his questioning of both authority and the prevailing beliefs of his day. His writing as presented here is very accessable and this book can be picked up and opened to any selection and read with enjoyment. An excellent intro for the general reader.

There seems to be a plethora of both novels and non-fiction books now about the ravages of war and its aftermath, describing both the physical and emotional scars, now that the world has gone through World War II, Vietnam, and scores of other wars. However, when Remarque was writing, there was very little literature of this sort. He nailed it early on, when the Allies were still celebrating their triumphs after the War to End All Wars, and no one outside Germany really cared what happened there. In the West, even today, we have been conditioned to think of Germany during the World Wars as an army of emotionless automatons who blindly followed orders and suffered no moral apprehension. This novel, and others by Remarque, show this to be untrue. The Germans died, cried, loved, lost, and suffered, both physically and emotionally, as much as any soldier of any army. This is the fitting sequel to "All Quiet on the Western Front" (Paul Baumer even gets a passing mention as the protagonists remember lost comrades), and while it lacks the grit and guts of Remarque's wartime novel, it shows the sense of loss, grief, and hopelessness felt by many on both sides after the Great War, and other wars as well.

This is an even better book than Remarque's better-known "All Quiet on the Western Front." The character development is excellent, and many of the scenes are extraordinarily powerful.

A wonderful mix of poetic and politics, idealism and romanticism, beautiful scenery and horrible flashbacks. You are never completely sure what is going to happen and you are not allowed to be led by any single event in the novel except life itself. Remarque hits on our own senses and emotions and gives us a rare opportunity to follow the affairs and thoughts of another being. Amazing

My daughters and I love this book, but I subtracted a star because it is not quite the same story I expected. We checked it out of the library a couple times, then had to have our own edition. The story and illustrations are slightly changed. My daughters, ages 2 and 4, noticed the changes, and I think the story misses out a little.

For example, the library book starts with a bit booming sound in the jungle and all the animals are startled, but then we find out it's just the herd of the happy elephants who are laughing. The book I just bought begins saying "There was once a herd of elephants," but then it goes on to say that they were happy. Also, this edition does not have the bird who helps Elmer in covering himself with elephant-colored berries. Same story, but some very sweet details are missing.

I don't know why they've shortened the story; maybe they think children cannot stay focused for the longer version. In any case, I will be looking for an older edition, or maybe there's a current book with the same story.

Overall great book, but it has been better.

I love this story because it exemplifies the importance of individuality! This is a wonderful lesson for children to see how everyone is unique. The illustrator did a great job of producing pictures that enhance the text.

My five year old daughter and I have our favorite time of the day every evening when I am taking her to bed. Then we read, read, read and read. Both picture books and chapter books.
It is important to keep on reading picture books to the kids also when they outgrow the age of a toddler. There are so many great pictures and art in picture books that can help the children widening their horizont.
With four kids in the house we have a huge collection of children's books, and among them some absolute favorites. And Elmer belongs to this group.
Elmer the elephant is different from the other elephants in the jungle. While the others are ordinary grey he has patchwork colors, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue, green, black, white - what a wonderful way to repeat colors over and over for a little human being.
But Elmer doesn't like to be different. He wants to be grey like the rest of the herd. Elmer finds a way to paint himself black, but to his, and to the young reader's surprise nobody recognizes him now when he is just as anybody else. Elmer is used to being seen, and has to do a trick to the others to be seen again. And the ending is in great honor to Elmer, the different one. And he has taught us a wonderful story about the importance of being the one you are meant to be, not to pretend being someone else.
The story has given us great opportunities to talk about the importance of being the one we are. We are created unique and our strength is in keeping this uniqueness.
The story has wonderful, simple paintings, bright colored. My five year old and I have alot of fun making an applique quilt of Elmer and his life. This book is a jewel either you have chidren or not.

This book was a easy reading and totally enjoyable. All young readers having a bad time going to bed should read this book. This book is also really great for babysitters to read to thier children, whom they put kids to bed and which this is a really great bed time story book. I personally like this book because of it's beautiful pictures and kids get a kick out of this book.

I don't want to go to bed is a great example of a perfect children's story. It has all the elements that are required for a children's story. These are, funny characters, good illistrations, the ability to relate to kids, and teaches them a lesson. It also has some much needed humor. It has all the elements and it isnt long and drug out and boring like many other children's storys. In conclusion, it is a great book and I would recomend it to any kids.

I have two young sons who are 3 & 4 years old. Everynight before bedtime, they get to pick out six books for us to read before they get tucked in, and everynight, this book is one they want to hear!

We've gotten into the habit of me pointing at them when it's time and they get to say, "I don't want to go to bed!"

Wonderful book! I highly recommend it to all children! Not only is it a great message, but it allows the youngsters to become involved in the story.

Raising Raul was such a refreshing book to read because of Hinojosa's ability to keep me glued. I read it in two days. How did she manage to do that?? Her struggle to achieve motherhood is narrated in such a frank manner,with such flavorful intimate details;you just can't help but be drawn into her world. While the book in itself is wonderful I did have an objection. The name, Raising Raul, is a bit of a misnomer. I thought the book spent too much time on Hinojosa trying to conceive Raul rather than focusing on when she did have him which is what the title suggests.

My mother gave this book to me right after my son was born. She liked the general mothering idea it proposed - sort of a "whatever you do, so long as you do your best, all will be OK." It was wonderful to read Maria's thoughts on motherhood (and all of it's ups and downs) while I was still adjusting myself. I read most of it while breastfeeding (the early months can be marathon feedings)!

Men have no reason to feel uncomfortable about reading and appreciating this book. I love Maria Hinojosa's memoir because it is easy to empathize with her efforts to become pregnant after past near misses. She writes about so much more than just pregnancy and motherhood, though. The book's richness resides in how honest and open she is about her struggle; and its impact on her relationships with her parents, husband, and friends. Even when she discussed painful topics and incidents, I detected no bitterness or sense of blame. Most of all, I appreciate Hinojosa's acknowledgement of spirituality as a constant pillar of her development. This is a rich, down to earth, and moving invitation into one woman's experience of parenthood, marriage, friendship, culture and love. Do not miss it!