This book touched me deeply because I can relate so closely to how Susan was feeling while raising a daughter with Rett syndrome. Her book takes you not only through her daughter's struggles and challenges but it alsotouches your heart as you begin to see how Susan grows with her own realization of how wonderful life can be with a child with special needs.

"I have spent most of the day reading Grief Dancers, and am awed by its honesty and beauty. It's a wonderful book, and I wish it could be required reading." Madeleine L'Engle, Newbery Award winning author. "Susan Zimmermann portrays, with honesty, passion and wisdom, a chapter of her life that is both deeply terrifying and wholly inspiring. It is a story of loss and gain, pain and joy, and -- above all -- profound truth. It is a story with the power to change your life." T.A. Barron, author of Heartlight, The Ancient One, and The Merlin Effect. "Susan Zimmermann has written a book about her daughter, but also a book about each of us -- the fragile, damaged, but insistently precious part deep inside, that refuses to be cast off. To read these pages is to be reminded of the value of life itself. I have rarely been so moved." Swanee Hunt, former U.S. Ambassador to Austria.

Susan Zimmermann's story about Katharine is NOT for readers with special needs kids only! It is for all people who have an interest in raising children who will appreciate the different gifts that "different"people have to offer. It is about cultivating in our children an appreciation for, rather than disdain or despair for, people who are "disabled". This is a quick read,very compelling true story that deserves widespread attention! I look forward to Susan's next work!!!!!

As a teenager, I can relate to almost all of the fiction in this book. Every story provides at least one bit of comedy. I recommend this book to anyone purchasing a gift for a teenager.

Do you know a teen who would like to be a writer? Or do you have ambitions to write? I highly recommend this book for both groups, as well as for young adults who just love short story collections. The first story about a high school fencer, by Jerry Lubar, was my favorite. It appeals to that part in all of us that loves to root for the underdog, and see him come out on top. It's also delightfully funny! It reminded me very much of Chris Crutcher's writing. Not all of the stories are as strong as Lubar's, but I love the collection anyway. Each story is prefaced by a note from the author, telling what inspired the author to write THIS particular story. It helps budding authors to see where writers get their ideas and, perhaps more interesting, WHY they get their ideas. It also shows the aspiring writer that there are many different ways to tell a story - whether in a straight forward format (most of the stories), a prose poem interview (Mel Glenn's Kids in the Mall), or an unconventional nursery rhyme (John Scieszka's Thirteen Diddles). The prefaces also allow the reader to see the authors as real live once-upon-a-teen people, who just happened to grow up and make their living by writing. A word of warning, however - THIS IS NOT, as a previous reviewer said, a book for the Harry Potter lover. I love the Rowling books, but this is not designed to serve the reader in the same way. Don't buy it thinking that it is similar in any way to the Potter books. Do buy it if you are intrigued by the process of writing, if you like short stories, or if you enjoy learning about how authors work their magic on readers.

Thirteen authors of books aimed at adolescents contributed a story based on a true event in their lives when they were in school or, as in one case, observing students as an adult. The tales center on showing how the writers get an idea for a story based on an experience even if that incident(s) is turned into something supernatural or science fiction in nature.

The well-written stories are clearly designed for the younger reader. This collection would make a wonderful follow-up to fans of Harry Potter (the most influential books in many years by virtue of bringing literature to youngsters). This anthology provides a writer's focus within interesting stories to that same Potter age group. Along with the Weiss' previous book (see the award winning FROM ONE EXPERIENCE TO ANOTHER), young readers will gain another perspective on the non-programming written word.

Talk about a twist and turn of events! My first graders loved this book. It teaches children that being first is not always best. I use it now whenever my first graders fight to be first in line. We all yell out, "Don't be a Pinkerton!" and in a gentle humorous way the "pusher of the line" concedes. It is also a great book for a follow up discussion on homophones. When you read this book, you'll know what I'm talking about. You see, Pinkerton wants to be first when he hears someone offering a "sandwich" but it turns out to be a Sand Witch who makes him realize his selfishness. It is an adorable book and voted one of the top five in my classroom!

Pinkerton the Pig always wants to be first. He is "pink, plump, and pushy". Every day he is always first in line in the school trough-a-teria. One day he goes for a hike with his pig scout troop and hears a distant voice asking, "Who would care for a sandwitch"? Of course Pinkerton wants to be first and he meets a real "Sand Witch" who teaches him the value of taking turns and waiting patiently for your turn. This book is written in a humorous but it can be used to teach children a valuable lesson. Concepts that can be taught are, waiting, taking turns, respect for others, and functioning as part of a team. The use of language is unique and creative which helps to capture and hold young readers as does the humorous illustrations. This is a great book to help teach children appropriate behavior. Also, can be read for fun and enjoyment.

Like all of Lester's books, Me First imparts an important lesson for primary aged children without being preachy or condescending. Her clever use of the English language and humor make it just as enjoyable for the reader as the read-ee!

Finally a self-help guide I can easily understand and use.
A well-written book I refer to often.
Thanks Dr. Margaret Peet and Dr. Zimmerman!

I am impressed! The book is a solid work of meticulously organized information, bringing to our modern day medical scene a breath of fresh air. The book states ancient Eastern concepts without the "mystique" which so often conceals. It offers tools that the reader can easily use to understand and improve health. I am reading and re-reading, and am grateful that "irritations" need not be endured. They can be addressed. I know My Doctor Says I'm Fine will be widely accepted and wildly acclaimed.

Finally, a practical. applicable book about Ayurveda/Chinese medicine that I can actually use! The first half explains and diagrams (with wonderful, clear drawings and examples of actual people) the amazing diagnostic tools that these systems offer so you can catch your body going out of balance before it degenerates into a serious illness. My son and I spent 2 hours examining our tongues, ears, eyes, faces, and hands, and were able to SEE the indicators for heart disease and diabetes that comes down through my family - and to see what comes through his father's. Then we did life-enhancing foot massages - teenagers will benefit enormously from this information!

The rest of the book is stuffed with info delivered in the most accessible manner. It clarifies the process of re-orienting yourself according to YOUR body-type to live optimally, with lists of food, herbs, yoga postures and more to help every area of life. There's also a great chapter on how to protect yourself while traveling.

I've read many books on this subject, including Deepak Chopra's and David Frawley's but have found nothing that helped me to see MY OWN imbalances by checking my own body so clearly and easily. This will be the book that I recommend to all my clients and use as my baseline.

This book was given to me as a gift from a friend of mine who knows how fanatically in love with my home state I am. I was skeptical, expecting another quaintifying take on how picturesque Vermont supposedly is. Instead, I found a thoughtful, well-researched book, full of discoveries and anecdotes surprising even to a Vermonter whose family has lived in the state for generations. Husher captures what's truly amazing about the state, and any small place really - the accessibility and exhilarating simplicity of its beauty and its history.

This book describes a number of fascinating ordinary places that are tucked around the state of Vermont. What makes the places fascinating is Husher's historical details- -for each place, she tells the story of how the site came to be and what made it famous. Some of the sites, like the Donohue Sea Caves are eons old, while others like the Bread and Puppet Museum were developed only recently. Some are famous, like Champ, the monster of the deep, while others are virtually unknown, like the Fenian Raids of 1866 and 1870.

Although Husher probably didn't intend to make a statement about art, I found the juxtaposition of the state highway rest area art and the Bread and Circus Musuem quite telling. She describes how a group of artists, including some famous ones, in the 1970s created a series of sculptures to be displayed to ordinary people at rest stops. Since this was to be people's art, it was made in ordinary media such as concrete. Funny enough, even though people drive by these creations every day and walk right past them at the rest stops, nobody seems to notice them, and the concrete is rotting away in the elements. Is this a tragedy? For whom? It seems to me that if the art is so unengaging that people don't notice it even when it's placed right in front of their faces, it's not art at all but a sad Emperor's new clothes kind of waste of space. In contrast, other art described in this book, such as the puppets at the Bread and Puppet Circus are so compelling and interesting, that they draw people in to see them in such a far-off corner of the state as Glover. Likewise, the sculpted granite headstones in the Hope Cemetery in Barre were created by artists who work in a medium that would last for generations. That's because they were doing their art on commission, responding to the wishes of their patrons and communicating through their art to their entire community. The abandoned highway art seems more like taunt the audience- -give them something incomprehensible and ugly, but since the audience won't appreciate it anyway, don't bother to make it last.

This is a well-written, relaxing read that takes pleasure in common things. Far from being a guidebook in the usual sense, it guides the reader into a state of mind that helps him view his own world with more interest, even if he never visits Husher's Vermont.

Even though the title has "planning" in it, the focus of the book deals with maintenance issues. Ms. Nash not only discusses water quality, algae issues, plant propogation, and plant and fish disease, but also how to prevent problems, and how to repair the problem once detected. There are also great photos that illustrate some of the more common pond problems.

I have read better books on pond planning (her other book,"The Complete Pond Planner" and the Ortho series books are great), but I have found none that address the above issues as well as this one. A must read for all pond owners!

I bought the book for my sister, but after previewing it had to keep it for myself. It is a wonderful reference book, tells me more than I thought it would in a "basic" book, but is also simple to understand as well as comprehensive in its delivery. Starting a pond or having one, this is a definite staple!

This books offers both basic information for beginning water gardeners and nuggets of knowledge for those more experienced or professional installers. The presentation is very straightforward and concise. I find the book very enjoyable to browse and it has a good index for use as a reference. If you are starting a water garden library - start here.

It's about the toothfairy,and a little girl who sees the toothfairy and thinks it's her mom.But she has a fight with her friend about the toothfairy.The fight was about the girl's friend lost a tooth and thought it was his dad. Her mom tells her about the fairy.So the girl tells her friends about the fairy.Then she tricks the toothfairy.I liked it because when I was little my mom would read it to me when I had a lose tooth.I loved reading it.It's the best book I've ever read,because it's kind of easy for staters.I recmmend this book to all the libaries in the world.

This book provides a clever answer to the tooth fairy question. I am a kindergarten teacher and this book is a superb read aloud! It invites the reader to use expressive voices, making the book a fun experience for the listeners. I bought the book because my daughter's name is Elise, but was delighted with its content! This is an absolute must-have!

This book is a great book for children who have doubts about the existence of the "tooth fairy" or believe their parents are the "tooth fairy".

Helen Gurley Brown tells it like it was, and her life has been more interesting than any fictional character's. She really spills the beans about the way she was; she clearly is a nice woman who had her own code of morality. That niceness keeps shining through the details, regardless of how, yes... wild those details sound. I'M WILD AGAIN is written in the same breezy style she made famous while putting the ailing COSMOPOLITAN magazine back on to the top of the heap, re-defining the magazine publishing industry in the process. She's had a hell of a ride as she moved from struggling secretary, counting every penny, to a living legend--still counting every penny! In WILD AGAIN, HGB lets her fans tag along for part of that ride.

I have always admired HGB, so I had to get this book, and I was not disappointed. This book will make you laugh out loud. Not only is the book funny, but its full of wit and wisdom. HGB has truly had an amazing life. I hope that she continues to share her life with us through her books.

People react in strong ways to Helen Gurley Brown and her "Cosmo Girl" outlook: with rage at her success despite her often politically incorrect views OR with a sigh of relief at her wonderfully whimsical, life's-a-party attitude.Obviously, I find myself in the latter camp.

In her latest candid memoir, HGB gets perhaps more personal that ever with revelations about tough times she's gone through (breast cancer, leaving Cosmo, assorted indignities of aging) with her usual unsinkable style, but perhaps revealing more depth and vulnerability than in her prior books, which tended to concentrate heavily on "land that job, land that man."

I think this is Helen at her best- the wisdom that comes from living a remarkable life (that should give hope to any late bloomer), the confidence of a woman who's succeeded too well to worry about appearing flawless, and of course, the ever-present insecurities that made her every Cosmo reader's friend on lonely nights because she'd been there, survived and eventually thrived.

This book was not only touching because of Helen Keller's fascinating story, but also an uplifting reassurance that life is worth living. Her ideas, those from and about Emanuel Swedenborg, strike me as poingantly true. Helen Keller's unique perspective on the world adds an amazing depth and reality to this work. I absolutly reccomend it for anyone and everyone.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It made me look again at what I believe and see it more clearly. This is a great introduction to the ideas of Emanual Swedenborg and the New Church.

The newly revised and updated second edition of Helen Keller's autobiography originally published in 1927 includes a substantial foreword by Keller biographer Dorothy Herrmann. The deaf, dumb and blind Helen Keller (1880-1968) became an internationally known spokesperson for the blind. Her amazing story of being taught to communicate by Annie Sullivan is very well know. But what is not so well known Keller's faith in the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg whose spiritual vision gave her "the light in my darkness, the voice in my silence". Light In My Darkness is wonderfully informative and inspiring reading and this splendid edition will re-introduce a most remarkable woman to a whole new generation of readers.

This is a must have book for anyone who wants to make paper from plants. It is packed with information not found elsewhere. The full-color illustrations & step-by-step instructions guide you seamlessly through the papermaking process.

The author starts out by explaining the many kinds of plant fibers and how to find, harvest and store them. All equipment needed is detailed next. Processing the fiber including cooking, beating, and retting is then covered.

Using dyes & additives as well as making your own is also discussed. Both Japanese and western sheet formation are then covered. Instructions are included for making your own paper press, mold & deckle and high-tech drying box.

Many recipes including mulberry, rose-of-sharon, & seaweed follow. Several projects including vegetable papyrus & shaped envelopes are next. A chart with many fibers listed by type can be used to make additional paper types.

This book guids you through the magical world of plants and paper...Using it is an excellent way to learn papermaking,loving it and understanding plants and their formation. It is an excellent guide for those who love paper and its art.CONGRADULATIONS !

I always wanted to make paper. However, the idea of making paper out of paper, seems idiotic to me. Then I found this book. It's everything I ever wanted. I recommend it for anyone. I would also make a great gift.