I realy liced this boke my mommy reeds it too mee alot. espeshily at bed time

The best book out of all the fiction books I ever read. Wished that the book did not have to end.It is a realy good book to read. Read it and you will find out for your self that you wished that the book would not end like I did.

How many languages do you think there are in the world? Well the answer is that there are countless languages worldwide! Every time every day people are inventing new ways to speak and lots of different sounds. This new book,The cats elbow and other secret languages has about one fiftieth of all the languages there are in the whole world. although the most common ones are split by their accent. In english is not split up by their accent, but in spanish, in spain the states are split up by their accents like in Galicia they speak a spanish version Gallego. Well the book only say one of the secret languages spoken between armies and cops. In world war two many countries spoke coded languages and sent messages that only that army knew so the enemies wouldn't understand. It has man interesting languages. I can bet that one of those languages in the book was used during battles or even one of the world wars. I recommend this book to people who read about the following authors or characters: Marvin Miller, Nancy Drew, Scooby doo, Encyclpedia Brown, Sherlock Holmes, and the author of The cats elbow and other secret languages. ........................................ so I read this book and I loved it because its one of those rare books that draws the reader in with the first paragraph into turning the pages until the end. I compare this book to like Codemaster one and two because codemaster shows you codes to code and decode messages written, but this book shows to SAY messages in another language sort of like a code.

This delightful picture book appeals to people of all ages and is a great read-aloud to both children and adults. No one in this Korean family has ever seen a mirror, so no one has ever seen what he/she looks like! When the father brings home a mirror from a business trip and hides it in his trunk, not really knowing what it is, each member of the family sneaks a peek in the mirror, but they all see something entirely different for hilarious results. I cannot believe this book has not won major awards...it is an enchanting and laugh out loud tale!

Read this wonderful book. It'll make you laugh about the halarious roles that each of the characters play. Both child and adult will want to read it over and over again!

A lively tale reminiscent of the story of Job.

One fine day, Mazel (the spirit of Good Luck) and Schlimazel (the spirit of Bad Luck), are strolling through a small village. Mazel boasts to his companion about his popularity; he is welcomed by all, called upon often, and loved by everyone. "No one ever calls for you," he tells Schlimazel. Scoffing, Schlimazel claims "The world is ruled by the powerful, and what takes you a year to create I can destroy in a second." So they strike a wager: Mazel will brighten the life of the poorest man in the village for a year. At the end of the year Schlimazel will have one second, just one second, to ruin the man. The man is not to be killed, impoverished, or made ill. A cask of magical wine if Schlimazel wins, if Mazel wins Schlimazel must go away for fifty years. They find the poorest man, Tam, and Mazel goes to work.

Through extraordinary good luck (of course), Tam rises from sleeping among toadstools to sleeping in a king's palace. The man the entire village once laughed at becomes the king's trusted advisor and Master of Horses. The fair Princess Nesika, the king's only child and sole heir to the throne, falls in love with him. Tam becomes renown for his wisdom, talent, and skill. Minstrels travel the world recounting tales of Tam's great deeds. How can Schlimazel possibly undo all this in one second?

The king falls ill, and only one thing can cure him: the milk of a lioness. Bravely, Tam sets out, Mazel still secretly at his side. The successful Tam returns to the king, and suddenly, the year is up! Schlimazel pops in, and true to his word, in one mere second Schlimazel manages to utterly ruin Tam's life.

Mazel wallows in guilt and Schlimazel drinks himself into a stupor with the magical wine. Once unconscious, Mazel returns to Tam's side. After all, with the bet completed, Mazel is free to do as he wishes. With Mazel's deft assistance Tam's life and reputation are restored. Mazel sticks around for a while, but now we are told that Tam no longer needs Mazel: for those who are diligent, honest, sincere, and helpful are indeed lucky forever.

A charming story with enchanting watercolor pictures of exotic characters and locales.

Highly recommended.

This book is an exceptional find for teachers. It especially lends itself to use in math and science lessons. I use it in lessons with my middle school students and it always opens lively discussion on the values which are presented in the text. I have also presented it to graduate and undergraduate students in education classes, where it receives high praise for its versitility. I purchased the text for my children over twenty years ago and it has been a favorite for the grandchildren also. Thank you Harve & Margot Zemach!!

The people in Kosnov called it a town, which was like calling a puddle a pond, a leaf a bush, a branch a tree, since the whole place had not more than 12 old wooden buildings clumped together and leaning upon one another to remain upright. The town was so small that when Roshana the wigmaker sneezed, Mishkin the tailor said "God bless you," though he lived a dozen doors away.

One day Mendel put a sign in his window that his butcher shop was for rent. The townsfolk worried that Mendel and Molly were moving, or worse, sick. On learning that their neighbors were staying, and would rent only half their shop, they hugged one another in relief.

Oddly enough someone actually came to rent it. Tinker's name should have warned Mendel that something was amiss with his new tenant, and his business--thinking--should have set off alarm bells. But since Tinker paid a week's rent in advance, Mendel thought nothing of it. Molly was off visiting cousins in Glitnik. Mendel burst in on Simka to share the joyous news.

The shop was divided in two by old bed sheets down the middle. Mendel did his week's counting in a whisper. But Tinker, treating Mendel like an old friend, convinced him to sing out his counting. Tinker very shortly knew how many zlotys were in Mendel's box--and through a hole in the sheets--could see the shelf where Mendel kept it.

Tinker borrowed Mendel's horse that weekend and promised to return on Monday. He returned--but with three horses and two policemen--and accused Mendel of stealing his money, by naming the exact sum in Mendel's box.

Simka quickly came to the rescue, and whispered something to the policemen, who discovered that the whole town knew both the sum in Mendel's box and where he kept it.

Then Molly presented Tinker the thinker with a riddle and a pot full of boiling water. How did that help? Hmmmm. Only the people in Kosnov know that secret, and they live in this charming book. Alyssa A. Lappen

As Margot Zemach tells us in her creative autobiography spread at the end of this marvelous collection, full of photos and drawings from her too short life, "Children deserve detail, color, and excellence...the best an author and illustrator can do. The pictures have to be made "real." The food should be food you'd really want to eat and the bed should look so cozy that you'd want to climb in right away." This collection of 26 simple, engaging poems, some familiar...Bingo, This Little Pig Went To Market, Sleep Baby Sleep, Star Light, Star Bright... and some new, are brought to life on the page by Ms Zemach's charming and inviting illustrations. Her signature pen and watercolor artwork sparkles, is rich in expressive detail, and complements each verse with color, humor, emotion, and fun. These are unique and intriguing paintings to savor and explore each time the book is opened. Perfect for cuddling preschoolers on laps on a quiet afternoon, or lulling little ones to sleep at bedtime, Some From The Moon Some From The Sun introduces Margot Zemach to a whole new audience, and is a gentle, cozy little treasure to be shared with friends and family now, and with future generations in the years to come.

the three sillies was the best book i ever read .Esepecially the strange family the woman lives wqith amd the prince meets

"Stories of the mythical land so beautifully conceived by Alexander are written with grace and humor....Each tale stands alone, a small gem." -Bulletin of the Center for Children Books

This book is really all adventure, magic and very imaginative! The short stories makes the other Prydain Chronicles clearer, more interesting, and makes it have more depth.

There are eight tales in this book:

"The Foundling" is a story of the old enchanter Dallben and how he is found as a baby floating in a wicker basket by the three old hags of the Marshes of Morva. This tale is interesting and also surprising in a way.

"The Stone" tells about a farmer named Maibon and how he helps one of the Fair Folk, Doli(!), and recieves or more like requests one of the precious Stones which can make the person and everything else stay young forever.

"The True Enchanter" is a romantic story of Princess Angharad, the mother of Eilonwyn, and how she has to choose her husband, an enchanter, at the Castle of Llyr.

"The Rascal Crow" is a kind of like a fable about a crow who scorns the help of others and ends up nearly getting killed if it was not for those very animals he had looked down on.

"The Sword" is a sad and grim tale about the real history of the enchanted sword Dyrnwyn and of King Arhitta.

"The Smith, The Weaver, and the Harper" is an interesting tale about how the Lord of Death attempts to get the greatest hammer, shuttle, and harp of all Prydain.

"The Truthful Harp" is about who else than Fflewddur Fflam and about his special, if a bit troublesome, truthful harp.

"Coll and his White Pig" is the story of Coll and how King Arawn tries to get Henwig. Animals of all kinds aids Coll in his journey to retrieve Henwig.

This book was very interesting and I honestly can say that it's one of the best books I've ever read. The moment I read the first page, I didn't want to stop until I finished. Even though it looks very boring because it is a fairly small book, don't 'judge a book by it's cover!' I definenly and higly recommend this book!

To say the least this book was great. It succeded in taking me back to the unforgetable land of Prydain, all the while deepening the story of the Prydain chronicles by telling where some of the characters came from and making the intire series make a lot more sense. Kind of like how The Phantom Menace made the original story of Star Wars make more sense. Each story in this wonderful book is crafted with such care and presision that it makes even the shortest ones seem like complete novels for all I got out of them. The stories are: The Foundling, An interesting story that tells of Dallben as a child, and the witches of the Marshes of Morva.

The Stone, A funny, lighthearted story of a greedy yet harmless farmer's unfortunate encounter with Doli of the Fair Folk.

The True Enchanter, My personal favorite. The story of Eilonwy's mother Angharad, and how she met Eilonwy's father.

The Rascal Crow, A funny tale of Medwyn and Kadwyr the Crow.

The Sword, A dark story of how Dyrnwyn came to be.

The Smith, The Weaver, and the Harper, A compelling tale of greed and good overcoming evil

The Truthful Harp, a Hillarious story of Fflewddur Fflam as a king and how he aquired his infamous harp.

Coll and his White Pig, An interesting story of Coll on his own adventure to rescue his pig Henwen.

So, I would recommend this book not only to fans of the original series, but also to people who havn't had the pleasure of reading them yet; anyone could enjoy them.

I've always loved reading the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. Filled with great adventures, the Prydain Chronicles tells the story of Taran, a lowly assistant pig-keeper, who grows up fighting evil with the comradship of numerous friends. His most beloved friends include the high-spirited and talkative Princess Eilowny, the faithful to the end Gurgi, and Fflewddur Fflam, a king who wants to be a bard. In the five books of the Prydain Chronicles, Alexander opened up the reader's eyes to a wonderful world of imagination.

In "The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain", the reader is given a chance to explore more of Prydain, the world of adventure and magic. Altogether, there are eight enchanting tales in this book:
"The Foundling": Learn about Dallben when he was young and find out how he came to be in possession of The Book of Three.
"The Stone": Read about the lovable yet still bad-tempered Doli of the Fair Folk and his magic stone.
"The True Enchanter": The story of how Princess Eilowny's mother, Princess Angharad of the Castle of Llyr, finds true love with a true enchanter.
"The Rascal Crow": As Medwyn, the ancient guardian and protector of animals, the rascal crow Kadwyir learns a valuable lesson in an Aesop's Fable type of story.
"The Sword": Learn the terrible and tragic story of Rhitta, the sword Durnwyn, and the Spiral Castle.
"The Smith, the Weaver, and the Harper": Of the three, who was the wisest and became a hero as he faced evil?
"The Truthful Harp": King Flewddur Fflam maybe getting a lot more than he expects when he receives a beautiful harp...
"Coll and His White Pig": Finally, the story of brave Coll when he sets out to rescue Hen Wen, his white pig.

A truly must-have book for the Prydain Chronicles fans, this book won't disappoint. Though this book is aimed mroe for Young Adults, teens and adults might probably enjoy this book, too. I love how the stories blend into the history of Prydain and how us readers can learn more about our favorite characters. Though it wouldn't matter whether you read this before or after the Prydain Series, I suggest that afterwards is better, I think this book will be better enjoyed that way. Don't forget to read the author's note! All-in-all, a short read full of terrific stories!