I rember reading this book when I was little. I read over and over again. Now that I have a little cousin I am going to read it to her, and I hope that the wonderful story will stay with her like it did with me.

I absolutely loved this book, I read it as a child, I think i must have been about 10 or 11 when I read it. I must have read it about 5 times. I have been trying to get hold of it ever since I lost it over 15 years ago. I'm 30 now. To summarise, its about a couple of kids who find their way into the hollow of a tree. When they dig their way out again, they are in another land. Its fantastic stuff for kids.

I am an elementary teacher and have read this book aloud to my students for the last ten years. They all have loved it. I still receive letters from former students who remember The Wishing Tree. This book has sparked a sense of adventure in students who had never picked up a chapter book previously. I recommend it to young and old alike!

I have 3 boys who dislike writing. It's frustrating to get them to think of ideas to write about even in their daily school journals. This book makes thinking of ideas fun and helps to know how to write them. I borrowed Writers Express from a friend after being told it was great. I then purchased Write Source 2000, as I was unsure of the age appropriateness. Write Source 2000 is great for 6th grade and above because it is less cartoon-like and has higher level information. Writers Express is perfect for 2nd grade and above. Much of the information is overlapping, but written age-appropriately.

This book has had a strong impact on the way I write.My dream of being a professianel writer seems so close when I read about the process of writing in this book. I really think this is a wonderful book to have, all through your life!

I am a fourth grade teacher in California. I first saw this book about 5 years ago and bought a few copies for my class to use. I was amazed at how it fascinated the students even though it was a writer's handbook. It was in constant demand during our daily sustained silent reading time. The book is colorful and inviting and contains a wealth of information besides just general writing how to's. It has maps, presidential timelines, helpful math tables, and much more. It is colorfully organized and coded for easy reference and written to appeal to kids and motivate them to write. I showed this book to my principal and other teachers and they were all so impressed that the decision was made to order the books for all of our upper grade classes 4 through 6. The Write Source books have become one of the key components of our language program. I would highly recommend this book to all parents and students. It is a resource that is as valuable as the dictionary or encyclopedia that you offer your child at home to support his/her education.

I have added more recipes to my arsenal from this book than any other. Most recipes are tasty, not too difficult and don't require hard to find ingreds.

The recipes in this book are wonderful. They may be a little time consuming in some cases, but well worth it. You would never know the dishes were reduced fat if someone didn't tell you. I particularly like the soup recipes, and many of the chicken recipes are regulars at our house now. Portion sizes are actually realistic, not the tiny bits that most 'diet' cookbooks use as a 'normal' portion. This cookbook has been one of the things I used to lower my cholesterol and to lose 24 pounds in the last several months. I have learned from the techniques used in this cookbook how to lighten some family favorites, and my husband has lost weight, too. I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone trying to lower their fat intake without feeling deprived.

I bought this book because I didn't know where to start with low fat cooking, and the other reviews were very favorable. What a find! The six or seven dishes we've already tried have been very tasty, and not too difficult to prepare. I was surprised to find that low fat dishes can actually taste good too. Great photos and a wide variety of dishes to select from. My only regret is that I should have purchased the hardback. We're using it so much that I know we're going to wear the paperback before too long. This one is a keeper!

Ruth Culham's text is easy to use, clear and concise, and certainly a companion volume to Vicki Spandel's book. I have used it to teach graduate courses in writing and teachers like it very much.

Without question, this is the most complete, dependable book on teaching writing according to the traits. It's made a real difference in the way I assess, teach, and talk about writing to my students, as well as the way they talk about writing to one another. Most important, my students enjoy writing. They see value in it. And it shows in their finished products. Thank you Ruth Culham for creating such a useful, well-researched, well-written tool.

A few years ago I took a workshop on the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing that changed my life as a language arts teacher forever. The traits are a simple yet effective way to improve your students' writing. I was thrilled when I heard Ruth Culham was writing a new guide to the traits. Her book is the perfect combination of background information about the traits and practical lessons for the classroom. The examples of student writing are invaluable. My students and I have already enjoyed many of the creative ideas.
As an added bonus, Ruth practices what she preaches. The book is beautifully written, strong in all the traits. I truly enjoyed reading it from cover to cover. Writing teachers of all levels will treasure this valuable resource!

What a wonderful book full of wonderful recipes. Get the book, try it out and smell the beautiful results. The best breads on the planet!

My poor dogeared, stained copy of this book came to me by way of my dad and brother after their trip to Alaska in 1989. Dad acquired some starter in about 1959 that its guardian said had been going since the days of the 49ers. I know it's been bubbling since then. All Dad made, though, were bread and rubbery pancakes. He, unfortunately, didn't buy a copy for himself, although I'd give anything to have him make another meal of them! You see, that's the magic of sourdough, the romance, the stories, the memories! I've not yet been to Alaska, but Ruth Allman has taken me from Cheechako to Sourdough by generously sharing her recipes and her stories with me. I read this book just for the enjoyment of it sometimes. We had her waffles this morning. I made her Flower Rolls recipe into Danish rolls for my famously fussy father-in-law. What better tribute could I make to this cook and her book than to say that he loved them! My two year old son and I will make a little fire in the woods and bake a sourdough version of bannock in Dad's old Dutch oven this week and make some memories of our own.

Ruth Allman has written an excellent book about Alaskan sourdough history and provided very tasty receipes. As a resident of Kodiak,Alaska I have been lucky enough to get some of Ruth Allmans sourdough starter. I have tried her receipes and all I can say is , wow! San Francisco look out. You get a real sense of the struggle of the pioneers with this book, and the way she describs the receipes, you can just imagine spreading the butter and jam on the bread. My favorite receipe is the hot griddle cakes with fresh strawberries. As Ruth says, the art of mixing the batter with air, and the timing of slopping it on the grill is a skill learned over time. The Baked Alaska with sourdough waffles (which by the way is how it was actually first made) is a dessert from heaven. This is a book that every sourdough making Alaskan owns.

I have given this book to many new mothers, some having second and third babies. It is universally well received. Even for the family that has no intention of hiring an au pair or access to an au pair service, this is an excellent resource. The how-tos and list of questions to ask any child care provider are worth more than the price of this book. The CD works great for today's families. It's quite easy to read and well organized.
Au Pair companies and other provider agencies could use it as a registration incentive/gift. Early Childhood Education at the high school, community college, and university level needs this resource included in the curriculum.
It is wonderful!

Au Pairing Up is a terrific resource for anyone even considering the Au Pair option. You will get candid insight into both the pluses and minuses of the Au Pair option; a lot of great information on how to select an Au Pair; and many ideas on how to get the most from your Au Pair. Perhaps most of all you benefit from the author's, Ruth Liebermann's, extensive (20+ year) experience with Au Pairs and her very insightful comments. While the book is extremely extensive and comprehensive I also found it easily accessible--the oversize format, the concise wording and the interesting layout all help. I'd highly recommend this book to people considering getting an Au Pair, approaching the interview stage, or even people who already have an Au Pair and want to maximize the experience.

Ms. Liebermann tells it like it is. Her do's and don't come from the school of hard knocks and can be a benefit to anyone considering this form of childcare.

Quoting from the introduction, "I won't lie to you and tell you they were all "Mary Poppins," because they were not. But I can share with you the wisdom of those years of experience and the perspective it's given me about how to handle the au pair experience with élan."

The kernel of the book is the "Standard Operating Procedure", the "employee's manual" that helps inform the au pair about the management of your family, your children, your daily lives. The CD-ROM offers the opportunity to customize your own manual, driving instructions, as well as schedules, charts, forms, family application and other templates.

this is my favorite book. if anyone has similar taste to me then i highly recommend them to read it. i was getting so into reading it that i never wanted it to end. to last forever. so i tried to do so by reading a limit of pages each day. i live in NYC and by reading the book i had grown a stronger love for the city and thats another reason i loved the book. the down fall of the book? well, it was and made me sad. it was kinda a depressing book. you now. like a heart-acher.

it was indeed a pleasure to read and in the future, if you do read it, i hope you injoy.

thats my review! i hope i helped!

Streets: Memoir Of The Lower East Side was written in 1922 and published for the first time in 1955. This remarkable memoir of a young Jewish girl's coming of age in the tenement slums of New York's Lower East Side is gritty, candid, vivid, engaging, sensitive, and streetsmart. Bella Spewack overcame obstacles of gender, background, and religious discriminations to succeed as a celebrated journalist, playwright, and screenwriter. Streets is highly recommended, articulate reading and will prove of special interest to students of American Jewish history, Women's Studies, and biographies reflecting the triumph of the human spirit over social and cultural barriers.

This is a coming of age story depicting the harrowing early life of an extraordinary talent. Told with an amazing eye for detail and a highly developed sense of humor, this is one of the most moving autobiographies I have read. Bella Spewack writes of her thirst for knowledge and determination. In later life Bella invented the Girl Scout cookie, became a noted journalist and wrote successful plays and movies. Streets tells of the difficult circumstances of her childhood.

From June of 1945 until 1972 the Japanese island of Okinawa was under the direct control and direction of the U.S. Unlike, the main islands of Japan whose American occupation ended in 1952 Japan's southern most island, Okinawa continued to see lots and lots of American military bases. In fact the same number are still there today. Well, one would think that after 1972 the number of American military bases and military men would have ended or been severly curtailed. Nope. Due to the cold war the U.S. has kept a huge military presence on Okinawa. Inasmuch as it is a fairly small island, the American military presence has had an enormous impact opon the lives of the ordinary Okinawan Japanese living there. From the time of the Second World War when the largest battle of the Pacific theater was fought in May and June of 1945 until today. Ruth Ann Keyso, details the lives of 9 Okinawan women whose lives have been impacted in one way or another from the American presence. The interviews included the old who experienced the extreme hardship and brutality of war to the young bride married to American servicemen. In reading this, one really gets the impression America is really an empire. Even though the cold war with the Soviet Union is over, America's military presence is not. Why is America still in Okinawa, what military purpose does it serve? Could the Okinawans survive without the dollar contribution to the Okinawan economy? Ms. Keyso's well written book informs the ignorant reader like myself, through the lives of these women, what the American military presence means and has meant to Okinawans. It is informative and keeps the uninformed current on the state of affairs as it applys to our (America's) unintended impact on foreign cultures and peoples due to the economic fallout of many American military bases (bars, strip places, prostitution, crime, etc.). The book is an easy read, informative, and enjoyable. Joe Seckelman

Okinawa does not seem at all like Japan, but more like America with the amount of US Marines there. "If you arent with the military, what are you doing on Okinawa?" would be the constant question that would be asked to the White people who visit the island. When the conflict ended on June 22, 1945, more than 12,000 American troops, 90,000 Japanese troups, and 125,000 Okinawan civilians were dead. Memories from this three-month battle continue to haunt war survivors today, more than half a century after. The reason why Ruth Ann Keyso concentrated on the memories of women is simple; 1. Women had had the most direct contact with Americans over the proceeding half-century. 2. Women were the ones who worked for the Americans in the postwar years Ein clubs as waitresses, in stores as cashiers, and in private homes as maids. 3. Women were the ones who married some Americans Esome for love, others for money Eand bore their children. 4. Women were the ones who were the primary victims of sexual and other forms of physical violence committed by military personnel on the island. 5. As many of the island's men died in battle, women were responsible for rebuilding Okinawa in the postwar years and restoring a sense of normalcy to people's lives.

This book focused on three different types of women, and I would like to summarize them for you with a few examples...

1. Those born before the war began
This group focused on the horrifying days of WW2, and maelstrom of the immediate postwar years, a time during which they struggled to rebuild their lives in an environment characterized by physical destruction and psychological malaise. They were faced not only with the humiliation of living alongside their former enemy, but also with the knowledge that they needed the AmericansEeconomic assistance to survive. Their feelings are complicated Ebecause they remember the peace of their home before the war, and they also remember the horrifying days at war.

Two Examples -

Junko Isa, 67, nearly lost her entire family during the Battle of Okinawa. She was only 14 years old and lost 5 out of the 8 in her family Ein her family. She has been working as a maid of an American military family ever since the war ended.

Fumiko Nakamura, 84, remembers Okinawa as a peaceful place, an island of beauty. But the war has changed that. Now her homeland is crowded with US military bases, and the roar of planes, now breaks the former silence.

2. Those born during wartime
Unlike their elder sisters, they have little or no recollection of their past. Instead, their stories center on life in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. These decades defined by rapid social and political changes. These people express their dissatisfaction with conditions on the island, namely, the continued existence of the US military bases. As this has been ignored over years by the mainland Japanese, these women are eager to make a difference.

Two Examples -

Tatsuko Yamada, 57, remembers the discrimination she experienced as a university student in Tokyo during the 1960s when, as in the past, mainland Japanese looked down on Okinawans as racial and cultural inferiors.

Masayo Hirata, 58, recalls another consequence of the large US military presence on the island in those years: an increase in pregnancies. As a social worker, Hirata-san provided support for unwed Okinawan mothers with biracial children. The most complicated time, involved women who got pregnant by the US people they barely knew, then tried to get assistance in tracking the men down.

3. Those born well after the war ended
Revoked memories that were primarily pleasant, cheerful recollections of high school romances. Even though they are completely ignorant to their own history, they still complain somewhat about the American culture like of Okinawa, and also the military. However, they accept the bases with a sense of inevitably.

Two Examples -

Miako Sunabe, 21, said she cant imagine life without the Americans. She cant understand why the older generation want the military to leave the place. These people did nothing wrong, it wasnt their choice.

Mayumi Tengan, 30, said that she loved being an Okinawan because of all the American men who looked like movie stars on the streets. "I'm much more lucky to live in Okinawa than any other place. It is very romantic and exciting. They are just ordinary people."

Therefore we can clearly conclude that there are three clear types of women in Okinawa. These three types of women all have different views on the war and their position in society today.

I am studying in Japan at Ritsumeikan APU, International Management, and I will be heading off to Okinawa at the end of February 2003, so I look forward to learning more about it all.

Cheers,
Vaughan Allison

A great read from cover to cover. Ruth Ann Keyso accurately and poetically told the stories of nine Okinawan women, weaving in the island's history, culture, insight and perspective through carefully chosen words, ancedotes and descriptions. Being Japanese American, I am always searching for ways to develop my perspective on my culture, and this book has opened my eyes to the lives, dreams, tragedies and hopes of the Okinawan people. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an enthusiam to learn about the world and an eagerness to grow as a person.

Our family has loved this songbook very much. There are ninety songs in the book. Written by Pete Seeger's sister, American Folk Songs for children has songs each of them suggests an activity. There are songs for going places, songs for knocking on doors and windows, songs for eating, songs for dancing, and many others. I would like to buy a copy as a gift, and I hope there is a reprint date soon.

I have used Seeger's American Folk Songs for Children since my first child was born in 1966. Later it was an invaluable resource in my classrooms of autistic children. The adaptability of the songs to making up your own verses, allowing children to interject their creative ideas, makes them work in many settings. My copy is tattered and torn, and I'm ordering a new one for a just-born great-nephew!

I have used this book not only in the pre-schools and elementary schools, but in middle school and high school as well. Many of the songs worked beautifully when I taught harmonica to 17 and 18-year-olds, and recorder to younger students. I very much like the way the author encourages improvisation and acknowledges that music changes over time. It is important to remind people that everyone can make their own music, and Ms. Seeger encourages creativity and imagination. I consider the introductory portion of this book to be one of the better parenting texts I have ever seen.

This is a little book for children that is based on the Russian Christmas tale about the old woman Baboushka who is visited one winter's night by three kings who are searching for a new born child. They ask her to come with them but she can't, saying that she has to finish her chores. Later, bearing gifts, she desides to search for the kings and the babe herself. She visits houses asking about the babe and leaves gifts behind. This becomes the basis for a Russian Christmas tradition. The illustrator of the book was Nicholas Sidjokov and the book won the 1961 Caldecott Medal for best illustration in a book for children. His illustrations enhance the telling of this old Russian Christmas story.

Baboushka and the Three Kings won the Caldecott medal as the best illustrated American children's book in 1961. Stylistically, these images will remind you of stained glass windows and the abstraction of Egyptian murals with Byzantine faces. The pages are done in five colors only (black plus blue, yellow, an orange-red, and green). The result gives the book a religious tone that makes you imagine you are reading from an illuminated manuscript done during the middle ages. All that is missing are the gold highlights.

The story picks up on the Biblical tale of the three kings coming from the East following the star to the birth of Christ. The three kings have lost their way in the snow in Russia, and ask the old peasant lady, Baboushka, to help them. After hearing of their pilgrimage, she wants to finish her chores first, and spend the night resting in her warm cottage before starting out. She invites the three kings and their retainers to join her for the night. They politely decline, not wanting to miss His birth.

The next morning, Baboushka repents and decides to bring gifts to the Christ child as well. But so much snow has fallen that she cannot find their trail. She goes from village to village hoping for word of the three kings, but finds nothing. Eventually, she gives her gifts to the children along the way.

"And it is said that every year, at the season when the birth of the Child was first heralded, Baboushka renews her search across that land with new hope." "And it is said that every year little children await the coming of Baboushka." "They find joy in the poor but precious gifts she leaves behind her in the silent night."

The book points out rather well that when opportunity knocks, one had better take immediate action or possibly rue the consequences for a lifetime. But the repentence can still yield important benefits for the proscrastinator and those who know her or him.

After you and your child know this story well, you should share with your child examples you have seen where waiting was a mistake. To balance that message, also share some stories where waiting was a good idea. In this way, you can help your child prepare to perceive and act on good opportunities that require quick action.

This book obviously will raise the question of what this has to do with Santa Claus from your child, so be ready with your answer for that, as well.

Be generous as you can possibly be in your support of others and always active in seeking God's truth.

Baboushka and the Three Kings is a book of hope and wonder. It has a simple moral: reach for the stars and follow your heart. This is an inspirational story to read.