"Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins" is one of those rare books that immediately captures the attention of students from the minute I begin reading it aloud, and they can't wait to hear (and see) what develops at each page turn. This is one where the illustrations get, and deserve, equal standing with the animated and atmospheric storyline.

In our predominantly Gentile elementary school, it helps to explain dreidels, latkes, and the lighting of the menorah candles for eight nights before commencing. But then the fun begins. This Hershel falls into the tradition of great trickster tales where he uses his quick wit and careful planning to outsmart the goblins (as well as THE KING OF THE GOBLINS) so that he can light the Hanukkah candles each night.

This book is a complete delight, and a humorous way to introduce the festival of Hanukkah to our many Gentile students. Like another reviewer here, I have a great deal of fun using various voices to bring this tale to life.

We check this out every year, and now that it's in paperback, we're buying it! The text and vocabulary are suitable for preschool/kindergarten, yet interesting to parents as well. The wonderful drawings cover the pages. The goblins are horrible, yet not frightening. The main character, Hershel, defeats the goblins with brains, not brawn. Just great

I admit that I find it somewhat of a relief to read a children's book about Hanukkah that isn't yet another retelling of the original Hanukkah story of the ancient Jewish military and spiritual victory over Greek and Syrian opressors. Eric Kimmell's 'Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins' is unusual in that regard, but absolutely true to the spirit of the holiday. Hanukkah is about many things, but perhaps most importantly, about keeping the light of goodness and truth burning despite the darknesses and terrors of life. Few books, especially those written for children, reflect that view as well as this book does.

Tired and hungry, the wandering beggar Hershel of Ostropol arrives in a small village on the first night of Hanukkah and is eager to join the celebrations. But the villagers are terrified of Hanukkah - their synagogue is haunted by goblins who will not let the villagers celebrate the holiday and who make their lives miserable. Hershel, of course, is certain he can help, and volunteers to spend all eight nights of Hanukkah in the haunted synagogue. The task that Hershel must take on is truly daunting. He not only has to light the Hanukkah candles every night despite the goblins' efforts to stop him, but on the last night the King of the Goblins himself must light the candles! ...

There is also a brief postscript that talks about the origins of Hanukkah, and the PROPER way to play dreidel!

Trina Schart Hyman has been one of my favorite illustrators since I was a child.... Her cartoon-like style is instantly recognizable, and her illustrations perfectly capture both Hershel's personality and the whimsy and the terror of the situations he gets into. The goblins, although ugly, are more comic than scary, but the King of the Goblins is truly horrifying (probably because we never actually see him up close). Still, I wouldn't worry about the book giving children any nightmares, especially if their parents talk to them about it.

If you are Jewish, this is an essential addition to your child's library -or even your own! Frankly, the messages of conquering evil through brains, humor, courage and faith (as opposed to brute strength) are valuable for children and adults of any faith or ethnic background. ...[I agree when it is said] that this is just as good a story for Halloween as it is for Hanukkah, as well as a good way to introduce Hanukkah to non-Jewish children. Not to mention, as several teachers and librarians have pointed out here, it must be a delight to read this to a young child, with all the different funny voices one can put on for the goblins. This would have been perfect material for an animated TV special - what a pity one wasn't made.

By the way, Hershel of Ostropol (1747-1811) was actually a real person - he was sort of a 'court jester' to the Hasidic rebbe Borukh of Mezhbizh. While 'Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins' is fiction (I assume!), there are many true stories about Herschel which have been told over and over again, and can be found in Jewish folktale collections. Actually, Kimmel himself wrote a marvelous book called 'The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol', also illustrated by Hyman. It's an excellent further step to take if you want to know more about one of the greatest Jewish tricksters of all time, or even just to read some really delightful stories. Wait till you see how the wily Hershel gets the better of a really stupid robber...

Dylan Thomas made hours of recordings of his poems, stories and plays, but none of them is as endearingly personal as this distillation of his childhood Christmases in Swansea. And his performance is unforgettable. Put a log on the fire, and let Thomas's rich, deep voice take you straight to the heart of a child's Christmas.

Growing up, my father had a copy of the original vinyl recording of this from the 1950's. Every Christmas it came out and was played, and now I can't think of Christmas without it. After being unavailable for decades, I'm delighted to see this record once again available. Few people know that Dylan Thomas gained fame in his lifetime as a radio personality, and the dry, droll voice of his takes his fantastic prose and breathes a life into it that the simple words themselves cannot demonstrate. A classic, recommended to all.

Every Christmas Eve, I set aside a few minutes to listen to my CD of Dylan reading "A Child's Christmas" in Wales, placing the special emphasis only he can on the frustrated Mr. Prothero trying to put out a fire in his house, the neighborhood St. Bernards who bellow "Excelsior!" over the town, and the churchgoers who, with taproom noses, go scooping over the ice. The older I get, the more I need this little piece. As friends and family are, for one reason or another, lost with the passing years, it gets harder and harder to laugh, even at Christmas, but Dylan Thomas gives me a good giggle every time.

"The Education of Hyman Kaplan" is a delightful, funny, enchanting book. Always excited to work and participate in class, Mr. Kaplan embarks on his mission to impress his teacher, Mr. Parkhill--and be graduated from the begginer's grade. Unfortunately, he is not quite successful. This book is one of the funniest that exists, so I suggest: READ IT!

Hyman Kaplan will win the heart of the most cold hearted reader. The honest enthusiasm of the title character fills the book. You will find yourself writing your name in bright crayons for months after reading.

The Education of Hyman Kaplan is an almost lost creation of Leo Rosten, a book I discovered a few years ago. On the face this book is a comedy of language set among the immigrant students of an adult language school in New York. There is no doubt the Rosten has a flair for bringing out the hilarious subtleties of the English language, and the book moves so quickly it seems unfairly short. Mr. Parkhill's beginners grade classroom is the scene of countless battle and wars, where the students struggle against syntax, diction, and each other. Some of the botched quotes from Shakespeare are masterpieces in themselves. I had no idea a book of this kind could be such a riot, and never knew our language was so close to lunacy.

The hapless hero, Kaplan, provides a wonderful vehicle for Rosten to maneuver through the pitfalls and traps of the many idiomed English Language. However, behind the books' mangled metaphors, garbled grammar, and reinvented history, lies the world of the immigrant in New York City. The light-hearted episodes are interspersed with an occasional look into the difficult life of a brand new American. These chapters show the optimism and the will to succeed that Kaplan's fellow students brought with them to America. Kaplan himself is an emblem of endurance; forever doomed to stay in the beginners grade, yet never despairing of the always elusive verb tenses.

This book has only one "weakness": it does not cater to cynicism. It looks ahead, from the eyes of each of the characters, to a better time, a better place, with better pronunciation. This is a glimpse of the Dream of America that I had not seen, a different view that fascinated me. I think the strangest thing is that the book is never preachy. It is likely this is because Rosten wrote this book as a mature writer, with many other works under his belt. His tendency to constant revision has left this book a polished gem. Read, laugh, and enjoy.

As I am a person who has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and also a facilitator of a support group for the illness for seven years, I am so pleased to have a wonderful, new resource. THE OCD WORKBOOK:Your Guide to Breaking Free from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Dr. Bruce M. Hyman PhD. and Cherry Pedrick R.N. is the first book written about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that I have ever read that provides information in five key areas consolidated into one text. The five areas include:

1. AN INVALUABLE, DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE ILLNESS. This information includes an extensive definition of the illness and its symptoms. As is found throughout all of the book, the language is in laymen's terms so that all can learn from the information. 2. PERSONAL TESTIMONIALS. These are placed in various parts of the book to help sufferers and their loved ones better relate to the illness. 3. EXPLANATION OF TREATMENT OPTIONS. There is a very exptensive discussion of various treatment options and how they work. Once again, this is written in a language everyone can understand. 4. EXERCISES TO ASSIST IN TREATMENT. This is probably the most important and unique aspect of the book. As the name of the book suggests, this is a WORKBOOK that offers the reader the opportunity to stop and examine his or her personal situation. By actually writing answers to these exercises, a unique insight into how a person can tackle OCD or how a loved one can be helped is offered. Journalizing is often important in treatment and this book helps a person to do this in an orderly and non-intimidating manner. 5.IDEAS ON HOW TO HANDLE RELAPSES. Unfortunatley, those who are successful with treatment may very well have relapses. It is important to know that this is not a "weakness" or a situation in which a person is not "trying hard enough to get better". It is invaluable for those who have OCD to know that they are not alone even in the face of relapses. I do not remember a book that has handled the topic of relapses in such a positive way; not as a failure, but as a fact of life. The book offers many ways to help a sufferer and his or her family through these times.

In addition to these five areas, the book is very well laid out in an easy-to-read fashion. It is, as I said previously, thorough in its discussion of all facets of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and also related disorders.

We are using THE OCD WORKBOOK:Your Guide to Breaking Free From Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as a tool in our support group meetings. By exploring the book as a group, together, the members are beginning to be more open, more informed about the illness, better able to have new coping skills and are more "bonded" as a group.

I highly recommend THE OCD WORKBOOK:Your Guide to Breaking Free From Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to anyone who has OCD, cares about someone who does, or just wants to learn more about the illness. I thank Dr. Hyman and Ms. Pedrick for bring this workbook to us.

Janis D. McClure, Founder and President The Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation of Jacksonville, Inc.

I am one of the people who wrote a review that is quoted on the back of the book. You can't see that till you buy it so I thought I would write something here as well. What Hyman and Pedrick have done is write a very valuable self help resource book. It can be used working with a therapist or by yourself. I frequently recomend it to people I work with and on the Internet who ask me about OCD.

Thanks heavens for Dr. Bruce Hyman and Cherry Pedrick! This is by far the best and most comprehensive book on OCD currently available. This book is clearly written in easy-to-understand language. Not only does it provide an excellently organized self-help program, it also gives vital information for the family members of the person struggling with OCD, something that other books only touch on, at best.

For anyone dealing with OCD, whether you have it yourself, or are trying to be understanding and supportive of someone you know, this is a must read!

A Hidden Magic is a great book. In A Hidden Magic a not-so-ordinary princess (Jennifer) and a handsome but self-centered prince (Alexander) wander into a magical forest, but a magic mirror casts a spell on Alexander making him fall into an endless sleep. Jennifer ends up teaming up with a not-so-powerful warlock named Norman thus, beginning their adventure to save Alexander. I think that A Hidden magic has an awesome plot line and the characters are very colorful. There is almost every magical creature you can think of in this book, from dragons to giants to genies to witches and warlocks. If you enjoy fantasy books you will love A Hidden Magic.

Once upon a time-before kings and queens were replaced by an act of congress and when kissing a frog still sometimes resulted in more than a case of warts-there lived a young princess named Jennifer.

So begins Vivian Vande Velde's fairy tale, A Hidden Magic. As you might expect, Jennifer meets Prince Charming who is immediately bowled over by her grace and beauty. The two marry and live happily ever after, having perfect children who someday grow up to have perfect children of their own. Well, okay, so Prince Charming isn't really bowled over by her beauty. And he isn't really that charming. In fact, I've rarely met a more egotistical (self-centered) stuck up prig in my life. But he is pretty to look at, and to a young somewhat homely girl like Jennifer that seems important.

This story is an obvious parody (misrepresentation) of the standard fairy tale. A Hidden Magic feels somewhat predictable at times. This book is almost exactly the opposite of the standard "handsome prince rescues princess" story, which we are all used to reading and in its attempt to parody it loses much in the way of originality.

The characters are:
Jennifer, a princess who's a bit homely and works at her father's old, run-down castle. Later, when she is faced with adversity (difficulty), she reacts well, keeping her goal in mind and doing her best to achieve it. She has a chubby, good-natured kind of face that parents would tend to call nice and sweet disposition (character) and really is quite a likable girl, but certainly isn't your typical princess.

Prince Alexander is a bold, arrogant (self-centered), proud, exquisite to look at and totally aware of it, and generally a royal pain. Women fall all over him and her knows it. He feels superior to everyone because he is the son of the king who reigns in a very wealthy place. He has curly golden hair, deep blue eyes, and very broad shoulders. In many ways, he is a very stereotypical (trite) royal.

Norman had the ability to change shape with the help of the ring that the old sorcerer gave him. But, underneath his outward appearance, he is always the same rather young and lonely sorcerer. Norman is steadfast (dedicated), loyal, clever, and has a good sense of humor. He is willing to make sacrifices for those he cares for.

The Magical Mirror serves the evil witch, living in one of her many residences in the enchanted forest. He has little patience for stupidity and dishonesty and reacts badly when Prince Alexander tries to steal him. He leaves Jennifer with a riddle to help her save the prince.

Malveenya, the evil witch, is known as the most evil creature in the enchanted forest. The townspeople erected a magical wall to keep her in the enchanted forest and away from civilized folks because of her propensity (tendency) for damage. The owner of the magical mirror, Norman and Jennifer must eventually face Malveenya in their quest to rescue the not-so-charming prince.

I wasn't sure it I'd like this book, but I found it great to pick up and read in an evening. It's make you smile, makes you laugh and is just plain entertaining.

The characters are all very colourful. The upstart of Alexander, the quiet and shy Jennifer, and then there's Norman about whom you can't write much about, but he completes the story.

The thing you will love most about the book is the ending, someone gets their just desserts...

The cover image stopped me in my tracks at the bookstore, and I bought multiple copies. The young woman at the checkout counter was mesmerized by the image as well. The illustrations inside equal or surpass the one on the cover.

The images are detailed but not fussy. They are highly evocative of German Romanticism -- very moody, dreamy, somewhat melancholy, with an emphasis on the grandeur of Nature. If you enjoy the illustrations of Maurice Sendak, Edward Gorey, Arthur Rackham, et al., you will like this book.

Like Barrett's artwork, Poole's text tells the classic tale soberly, including the queen's botched attempts to strangle Snow White with silken laces and prick her with a poison comb. There is also more mention of Snow White's mother and father than in many retellings. This version is certainly more in line with magical/mystical/matriarchal imagery than Disney's.

Some of the images -- e.g., drops of blood -- and the story itself may be too intense for very young readers. For me, this book is a contemporary gem and is worth seeking out.

Wonderful illustrations, of course, but also the story includes the incident with the poisoned comb (left out in many editions). A great book for parents looking to replace the Disney-fied version for their children.

If you like this, also check out the same author/illustrator team's collaboration on "Joan of Arc."

The illustrations are beautiful without being frou-frou, serious without being creepy. Highly recommended for ages 4-8.

This is the well-known story of a princess whose evil stepmother tries to have her killed. The huntsmen could not go through with it and tells Snow White to run away. When she does she finds herself in the company of seven small men. They live in a house very happily until the queen finds that Snow White is not dead. She finds Snow White and tricks her into eating a poisoned apple. Snow White dies. She is awoken from her death by the kiss of a prince and they live happily ever after.
The reason I enjoyed this version of Snow White more than others that I have read was that is was not as much of a fairy tail like story and more of a darker approach to it. The seven dwarfs, for example, are not shown as happy little creatures that sing and dance all day long. They are merely shown as small, kind men. The illustrations in this book are so beautiful even though they are not the bright colors that would usually go along with this story.

Extremely useful as well. I read it cover to cover the day it arrived (just last week) -- and I can't say that about ANY other cookbook! It is written (and translated) in a graceful and witty style, and is as enjoyable for the historical and cultural perspective it offers as it is for its culinary instruction and gastronomic joie de vivre. I have prepared two of Docteur de Pomiane's suggested menus and have greatly enjoyed both of them. I can see that with a bit of practice, I will indeed be able to turn out a 5-course lunch for two in about 15 minutes (not counting the time it takes to boil the water, of course).

With this book and a little (fun) practice, you can impress your friends, astound your dates, and enhance your own quality of life. So what are you waiting for?

I have owned this book since 1974 - in fact I taught myself to cook from it. It's so much more encouraging than most cookbooks - no fancy equipment needed, no expensive ingredients, but lots of encouragement and enthusiasm. Should be on everyone's shelf.

This was the most charming and most helpful cookbooks I have ever used. As a grad student, I have little time and little money and the quality of life I experience has increased 1000-fold thanks to the instructions in de Pomiane's book. I especially recommend the Alsatian dumplings and the varied sauces for meat. There is something here for everyone, and his injunction to enjoy life by cooking well in a limited time has been welcome in my life. By promising very limited cooking time for his recipies, I have been able to experiment more in the kitchen and to pay more attention to the quality of my cooking instead of making the usual tried and true. If you are not a "foodie" by nature but you recognize the value of good cooking in your own life, I cannot recommend this little book more strongly.

From the very first page and the very first (of many) readings this beautifully illustrated story had my granddaughter and I laughing, pointing, and noticing all sorts of details in both the story and illustrations. We admired the beautiful clothing worn by the women and children. We imagined how wonderful it would be to visit such a place, and we found a fortune telling ball at a local novelty store to play with. This humorously told, universally appealing story shows us how we tend to look outside ourselves for the good fortunes we really have to create from within, with our own imagination and hard work.

We've travelled 40 miles to the city library several times over the last few years to check this book out. The last time, we had to wait for it to get back from the binders for repairs, and I realized I'd better find my own copy, because it could disappear, and it has become one of my personal "classics" for sharing with children. So I am ordering two; one for ourselves, and one for our little library here in town. (My granddaughter is seven years old now, and delights in reading the Fortune Teller herself, and will no doubt be reading it to her baby sister when she is old enough!) We highly recommend it!

I sell many of the used books I buy at library sales but I won't sell this one. A fun story with beautiful, bright illustrations.

This whimsical tale set in Cameroon is beautifully illustrated and told in such a fashion that children, as well as adults, will smile with delight as the events unfold. As an introduction to the different cultures of Africa, I read this one to my seventh graders and they were enthralled by the "predictions" of the old seer. A book that is perfect for the small set, it also has insight for more mature readers as to how we are so taken in by the allure of the psychic and his/her "revelations."

As a child in Hamburg, Germany, Celia Landau led a cultured and privileged life. Her father Benjamin had a study full of books and frequently entertained renowned visitors, including philosopher Martin Buber and Rabbi Paul Holzer. This began to unravel when the Nazis came to power. In the summer of 1934, the family traveled to a German spa in Bad Schwartau. As their visit ended, the spa's owner gleefully announced that Hitler would deal with the Jews. The next fall, nine-year-old Celia's grades began to falter as former school friends labeled her "Drechtjude." In 1937, the family were forced out of their condominium at Hohe Weide 25. In October, 1938, her father was carted to prison, then deported to Dachau. In February 1941, a Gestapo agent deliver his "ashes" in a cigar box.

Eight months later, Celia, now 16, was deported with her mother Sala and sister Karin to Lodz. Here they shared an unheated room on Zgierska Street with Julie and Julius Eichengreen and five others. As the vast majority of Jews were shipped like cattle from Lodz, the couple made Celia promise, if ever she went to New York, to find their son, who had left Europe years earlier. On July 13, 1942, Celia's starving and sick mother Sala died.

Before being herself deported to Auschwitz in August 1944, Celia starved and scraped to survive, and lost her sister Karin as well. Her one friend from that period, Elli Sabin, traveled with her in the final transport from Lodz to new horrors. Here she came face to face with the dreaded Dr. Mengele, slaved for some months in an outdoor construction site at the Neuengamme subcamp and in the Blom and Foss Shipyards. In October, she was transferred to Arbeitslager Sasel. Here, to gain access to important files, she promised to transfer her family's house in Altona-Luna Park outside Hamburg to an SS guard. The ploy worked, and she memorized the names and addressed of 42 Nazi guards.

In March 1945, Celia Landau was again transferred, this time to Bergen-Belsen, the disease-ridden camp where Anne Frank and her sister died of Typhus. Fortunately for Laudau, a month later, the camp was liberated, on April 15, 1945. Here she told a British major of her exploit, and was swiftly introduced to Lieutenant-Colonel J.H. Tilling, of Britain's War Crimes Investigations unit. When friends Elli, Hela Dimand and Sabina Zarecki corroborated her story, the British swiftly transferred Celia Landau to Hanover Germany, where she helped bring 17 Nazis to justice.

Her assistance to the British War Crimes unit gave Celia new opportunities. What she did with them is but one of the things that makes this book fascinating. This is the story of an extraordinary woman who sought revenge only through her own good deeds.

The one thing missing from this book is what gave her the courage to go on. Alyssa A. Lappen

I was extremely impressed with this book. The author decribes in detail her life before anti-semitism and how it started to change. Her story is emotional and touching.

She was born Celia Landau and changed her name to Lucille. She and her sister Karin were the products of a very close knit family completely torn apart by the Third Reich. Her father gets sent off to a labor camp and a year later they are delivered a box of what supposedly contains his ashes. Eventually Celia, Karin and mother are sent to the Lodz ghetto where surviving is difficult and their mother eventually dies of starvation. Celia's account of this is very sad and moving. She then tells a story of a tender love affair with Szaja in the ghetto, and befriends an elderly couple named Jules and Julius who ironically after liberation, she winds up marrying their son when she moves to New York.

She and her sister Karin are then sent to Auschwitz. Poor Karin is so devastated and having trouble surviving day to day after losing both her parents. Celia's heart is again broken when Karin is not chosen in the selection and is loaded up into a truck and never seen again.

Celia is only weeks away from death when Auschwitz gets liberated. She goes into detail her life after the camps including her testimony during war crimes trials that helped put many of the SS in prison.

She also tells her experiences of going back to Europe in 1991 for the first time since she left. The hostility and indifference against Jews was still alive.

This book is highly recommended. Well written.

How Cecelia (aka Lucille) survived is beyond imagination. What determination.

Peter Pan is a good adventure/fantasy that kids and adults can enjoy alike. With much exaggeration, it is something kids can enjoy and read into. It's a page-turning book that once you started you can't stop.

This isn't like the Disney movie! I loved this book but at the same time I was shocked by the violence of the fighting between Hook and the Lost Boys and the Indians. I don't think I'll be reading this one to my nephews and neices, not until I have edited out the violent bits. It wasn't that In-Your-Face violence of the Hollywood movies, it was more insinuated and there was definetly a menacing atmosphere surrounding Wendy's, Peter's and Michael's adventures in Never Never Land. I do recommend it though, just not for easily frightened youngsters. This is definetly in need of a PG rating on the cover. PARENTS: This is no Disney Peter Pan!

My 10 year old daughter found this book in the school library. She read it one weekend and has checked it out several times. The classic story along with the beautiful illustrations by Eric Kincaid have made this one of her favorite books. When I surprised her with her own copy that I had found on Amazon she was thrilled and commented on it's excellent condition.