What a fabulous book!! Everyone in the family enjoys reading and hearing this book again and again. It is so full of fun and imagination. Read it and see...you won't be disappointed.

Our daughter has taken this book out of her pre-school library 5 weeks in a row. We all love the wonderful, lively illustrations. Most of all, we love the message -- different can be absolutely beautiful! With Mrs. Pennywort's encouragement, the especially talented Pauline can produce any egg she wants. A great story on all levels.

It has become a tradition in my home to read this book before painting our Easter eggs. The story and illustrations are so comical, colorful and exciting that we can't wait to turn the page and see what happens next. Then we pick our favorite egg. What fun! You won't be disappointed.

I love this book, it is a great inspiration! Each time I pick it up, I see something new and artistic in the techniques. The illustrations, photos, examples, and steps are wonderfully laid out. It is well worth the cost, as one can tell there was much passion put into completing the book. It is a favorite!

If you have one book on Shibori, this should be the one (reviewers opinion)! Yoshiko Wada covers the scope of Shibori, its history, artists and techniques with expertise and beautiful photos. There are only a handful of books on traditional shibori in English. Here you will find an easy to read, well laid out format. Techniques are covered with clear, detailed instructions and diagrams. This is most helpful for beginners yet allows the advanced to become more proficient and precise. Complimenting the above are excellent color photos; close-ups of patterns (a vast selection), garments, ancient, traditional and contemporary artists and their works. Yoshiko's book takes the reader from the historical through creating a completed piece of art. Fact: This reviewer was introduced to this book in an art class. Five years later, now a shibori artist, I still use Yoshiko's book on an almost daily basis. The wealth of information she provides is invaluable as both guide and reference. Thank you Yoshiko and Amazon for offering this book.

This book must be The Definitive volume on Shibori. It contains a wealth of information on the creation and development of the art, background information on the culture which nourished it, and biographical information on some of the principle artists responsible for its evolution. The illustrations are at least as impressive as the text. The book contains hundreds of photographs, both of completed garments and of swatches created through the use of the various techniques detailed in the book. The instructions for re-creating those patterns are clearly explained and easy to follow. Most remarkably, this book would serve equally well as a reference work or even a "coffee-table" book for those with an interest in textile art or art history, or as a manual for the textile artist. Although it is costly, the book represents an excellent value since it would take a lifetime (literally) to begin to exhaust the creative possiblities presented in it. It is a most worthwhile investment.

Luigi, the barnyard bantam rooster, is bored with plain old "Cock-a-doodle-do." He has aspirations of arias. His favorite is "La donna è mobile" from *Rigoletto.* He loves singing it: "Cock-a-la- DOOdle-lay! Cock-a-la-DOOdle-low!" and he may have his shot at becoming a contender, if the Opera's jealous tenor doesn't carry through with his threat to carve him into cacciatore!

This is fun book for all, richly enhanced by the author's vibrant illustrations.

Colorful, funny something for everyone; but if you're an adult who enjoys opera, you'll get extra delight in reading this book to a little one. If you not an opera buff you'll still enjoy the story and art work!

As a school librarian and storyteller, I have had a ball with this story. For storytelling I changed it to first person and added a little accent and had the kids laughing. Even my teachers enjoyed this one. This one is as much fun to tell a Auch's Peeping Beauty.

Fate by Mary Jane is a deftly written novel showcasing the eternal dilemma of destiny versus free will. A successful attorney turned incompetent bank robber and a mysterious woman become entangled in an amazing quest along the length and breadth of America, with unforseen consequences awaiting their zigzag journey, in which each will have to make a final, life-changing decision once and for all. Fate is an original, exciting, enthralling, carnival ride of a read.

I found this a very enjoyable read. The characters were quirky, complex, and humorous. It was imaginatively written in much the same way Douglas Adams wrote the Hitch Hiker series and the Dirk Gently series. It has the same intimacy and off hand style as a book by Vonnegut. Most of all I found it fun.

This is by far the greatest novel I've ever written; the fact it's also currently my only novel should not take away from the sincerity of my review. The story is fast paced and exciting, following two inept bank robbers as they try to evade capture and not kill each other at the same time. One of the robbers, Christian Whitney, has the added difficulty of falling in love-at-first-sight with a bank teller while robbing the bank - surely something bank robbers are not supposed to do. This is the woman he's been seeking for years - for more reason than one. Oh heck, just buy the book and see for yourself. Another thing that makes this such a page-turner is that it includes references to many classic rock songs, tying the narrative in to the collective consciousness of a generation or two of music lovers. Throw in interesting minor characters like an ambitious TV new reporter (and her loyal cameraman), a philosopher living at high altitude, and literature's first truly omniscient narrator, and you have a book you'll want to read again and again - and recommend to friends! As the story twists and turns, you'll have to decide for yourself if it's fate that is driving these poor souls along or if it's their free will which is making a mess of things. After you figure it out, please e-mail me and tell me all about it. Sincerely, Mary Jane
Also recommended: Everything by Kurt Vonnegut; 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller; and 'A Widow for One Year,' 'A Prayer for Owen Meany,' and 'A Son of the Circus' by John Irving.

This book is loaded with information, pictures, recipes, tips and more. It is so helpful to know how to buy ripe fruit, to know which fruits don't ripen after purchase, to know how to select and prepare various vegetables, and so on. It is a great book for getting educated about produce so you can stop wasting money on less than delicious fruits and veggies and so you can start adding great nutrition to your diet. Buy it today!

If there's ever a vegetable, you see in the market but don't have a clue about how to prepare, this is the book to have with you or at home. It tells the history, several ways to cook, how to serve, and how to best appreciate usual and unusual varieties of well known and not so well known vegetables. I've been able to happily sample many new delicacies because of this book alone. I wish it was not out of print. I've given it to many, many friends and relatives as gifts.

This book is quite often found in the vegetable section of the Safeway grocery stores in California. It is an excellent reference on what the vegetable is and how to work with it in the kitchen.

I first read this book back in 1962. Every couple of years I will fetch it from the bookcase and cosy up on the couch. I still find it refreshingly suspenseful as have my children and now a grandchild. This most enjoyable mystery has brought pleasure to this household for over 40 years and will continue to do so. A wonderful book for anybodys collection.

Have you ever seen a ghost? If you have, then I highly recommend The Ghost Rock Mysteries by Mary C. Jane, especially if you like mysteries. A boy named Tommy and a girl named Janice visit their Aunt Annabel and their cousin Hubert. When they get there their neighbor tells them a story about a hungry man and his horse coming up to Aunt Annabel's house wanting food and warmth, but the people that owned the house before Aunt Annabel was mean and said no money, no food! So they shut the door.
The next day they found the man and his horse in a ditch about 20 feet away from the house, DEAD! Their neighbor said it's thought that there's a rock in the field. If you walk by, it you can hear hoof beats. He also said that a year later, a wealthy man who had spent the night, drove his car about 20 feet, when suddenly he crashed in the ditch. The rich man was killed instantly. The next day the driver said he swerved to avoid a horse. The people searched for days on end but never found the horse. If I were you I would go to the local library and get this book right away. It's awesome!

A very entertaining story for young readers. A perfect mix of suspence and intrigue. Somewhat dated as this story was written in the 1950's but still has a contemporary tone. Can't wait to get a copy for my daughter.

The "Mary Celeste" was a trading vessel found adrift in the 19th century. The crew was missing and there was no apparent reason found or note made in the log to explain what had occurred. To this day there is still no answer to this mystery.

This book by Jane Yolen is a terrific introduction to the mystery that is a fun read for children and adults. It is designed to be thought provoking and to encourage kids to use critical thinking. All of the different theories about the ship are presented and the reader can draw his or her own conclusions.

It is highly recommended.

What a fascinating and thought provoking story! The Mary Celeste was found abandoned over 100 years ago leaving a multitude of still unanswered questions. The story engages students and leads them to propose theories of their own. Hopefully Jane Yolen and her daughter will write many more "unsolved mysteries from history"!

As a decendant of Captian Briggs' family, I am very familiar with the details surrounding this mysterious event! Jane Yolen does a wonderful job of organizing and distilling all the information that is available and making it accessable to children (my own children thank the author, this story makes more sense to them now!). In addition, I am going to buy it for several adult members of our family. A wonderful job, terrific format, very readable... Thank you!

This book is an absolute hoot to read aloud to students or to your own child. My students range from average to gifted, third through fifth grade, and EVERYONE of them loves this book. The characters are very easy to "voice". Students also love to read this book to themselves. The illustrations just add all that much more fun. I'm buying two copies, since the library wants it back!

Poor Princess Paulina. Her father, the king, gave up his throne to become a wood-carver, and she's really missing all the perks of princessing. So when she hears that Queen Zelda, of Blom, is searching for a wife for her son, Prince Drubert, she dusts off her tiara and heads for the castle. Paulina has no trouble passing the pea and mattress test..."That's so once-upon-a-time", or the essay on "Why I Want to Have the Gracious and Exquisitely Beautiful Queen Zelda for My Mother-in-Law, or even the glass slipper test..."For Pete's sake, you never heard of sneakers?" But the final task, cooking a feast worthy of a prince, is a bit more daunting. Especially when the other two finalists, a young lady with an impossibly long braid that drags across the floor and a girl followed around by seven funny looking little men, grab all the ingredients. Paulina is left with only flour, yeast, water, tomatoes and a block of stale cheese..... Mary Jane and Herm Auch have authored a wry and hilarious fractured fairy tale, starring a sassy and confident heroine, that's full of familiar characters and clever scenes kids will recognize from stories of the past. Her witty text is entertaining and engaging, and begs to be read aloud. Mr Auch's bold, bright and expressive artwork complements the story beautifully, and is full of wonderfully eye-catching detail. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, The Princess And The Pizza is a modern fairy tale, complete with a surprise ending with a twist, that's sure to leave readers satisfied, and with a big smile on their faces.

A hilarious take on traditional fairy tales, "The Princess and the Pizza" is a very contemporary version of the eternal triangle - prince/princess/mean stepmother.

Princess Paulina was down on her luck. Her Dad had relinquished his throne to become a wood-carver, a task he had yet to master, and she missed princessing. Why, hardly anyone watched her do the royal wave.

So, when she found out that Prince Drupert needed a bride she was among the first in line. Regrettably she was in competition with twelve other wanna-be brides, and the Queen was extremely demanding. Nonetheless, Paulina didn't tumble for the old princess and the pea trick; she passed the essay and glass slipper tests with flying royal colors. But then, the greatest challenge of all, the remaining princesses-to-be must prepare a feast and the [others] would be beheaded!

Here's where ingenuity and a little luck come in handy. Paulina's pizza takes the prize, but is Prince Drupert such a prize after all?

The Auchs have created an original, laugh provoking tale with lots of twists before a satisfying ending.

- Gail Cooke

A Messy Job I Never Did See A Girl Do, by Mary Jane Ryals, is a kaleidoscope of tumbling words that ultimately fit together into a highly perceptive, rough-edged picture of southern U.S. culture. The result is stories that make you laugh out loud, cuss and spit, and cry revival empathies for the banged-on unheard. Mary Jane captures the native intelligence of young people who, in their own awkward ways, expose the weaknesses, the bigotry and emotional insensitivity of the adults in their lives. At the same time, we feel all of the characters' fears behind the numbness or the anger, the anxiety and the outrage, or the wiry strength and simple stubbornness. Her characters make us believe that the scars on the new generation will not run so deep and not be as debilitating as on the old. We are left with the hope that the new generation will be better in some ways, kinder or more accepting, willing to look over walls, kick them, and knock them down.

IF YOU EVER GET THE CHANCE, GO HEAR RYALS READ FROM HER BOOK. LISTENEING TO HER BEAUTIFUL SOUTHERN VOICE BRINGS THE CHARACTERS ALIVE. THE BOOK IS GREAT, AND THE AUTHOR IS TOO!

This book of short stories is so descriptive you can close your eyes and feel the muggy heat and sandy dirt of the South, as well as smell the the acrid sweat of people around you. These beautifully written stories cover a myriad of subjects from young girls struggling with the knowledge that their voice doesn't have real meaning, to the pain of living in poverty in the rural South. The wonderful thing about these stories is the sense of hope that some of the characters continue to have, even against seemingly tough odds. "I don't know where I'd go from here, but somehow, my words would get me there." "When I leave someday, I'll fly in a car with red lights, whiz-roaring through the highway"

Mary Jane Ryals' words have certainly gotten her there, she has done a wonderful job capturing the essence of both pain and promise in the souls of these young girls.

Highly recommended reading!!