Elephants Books

My kids and I love this book. I love the charming story and lovely photographs, and I'm betting that my kids will look forward to finding out more about each location. This will hopefully inspire a fascination with geography and build some research skills. We can read the story, find them on the globe, and Google and visit the library for the kiddie version of deep background. We had a staycation this year, but in our minds we can take the grand tour, United States style.

Babar the Elephant books by Laurent de Brunhoff have captured a wide imagination, and this new reprint of a classic gives librarians the ability to replace or acquire aging classics with nice new hardcovers. Zephir's photos compliment BABAR'S USA, telling of Babar and Celeste invited by friends in New York to tour the city - and an expanded tour of the country too. The sightseeing journey which emerges traverses the country in this fun survey.

I grew up with Babar and I bought this book for my two-year old to introduce him to Babar. It's a neat book because pictures of Babar and his family are overlaid on actual photographs of various tourist destinations around the country. The only not so great thing about this book is the odd philosophical monologues from Cornelius about the American people. Way over my son's head and I imagine any child under the age of 12.

If you like to cook Thai food this book is superb. Lovley recipies with delicious sauces. I thought I was quite good at cooking Thai food, but this book is the best I have seen. We have cooked many of the dishes and are really pleased we bought it.

A Magnificent Book from a Refined Establishment The Brussels based Blue Elephant which now includes 7 international branches and is still growing did a magnificent job with this cookbook as always under the guiding eye of its original founder Mr. Karl Steppe.

Exotic recipes include Green, Red and Yellow curry dishes for beef, chicken, lamb, and vegetarian courses. This in addition to delightful and sophisticated trademarks such as the Chicken Souffle, the Tom Yum khung prawn soup, Seafood Cassoulet, the Tod Man Pla fish cakes, crab claws, pad thai noodles, several varieities of stir fry rice, the restaurants star Jasmine Cake dessert, coconut sorbet, and bananna cake.

If you are ever in Beirut, Brussels, Dubai, Copenhagen, Paris, London, Lyon or New Delhi don't pass up the chance to visit the incredible experience of dining at this top notch sophisticated establishment. From the moment you enter a Blue Elephant you will be dazzled by the exotic decor.

This is an extremely beautiful book which I purchased at the London restaurant. However, the recipes I've used have not worked very well, especially in comparison to the fanstastic fare turned out by the restaurant chefs. I feel that Kasma Loha_unchit's books are much better at explaining exactly how to achieve the sophisticated and complex flavors of Thai cuisine.

This is Art, beautiful and meaningful. The stories are told with all the dynamics of movies. So, every illustration is multilayered, only for those readers who want to use their intelligence at maximum level. Holiday in Budapest and F-16 follow the golden rules for those stories from the 1950s, and succeed, or even more, create new standards. 'Budapest' includes a message about politics and civil war, while 'F-16' is a thriller in the sky, but not the typical one! My recommendation: get this book, and enjoy it!

The artwork and stories of Chaland is in itself of high value, and I do recommend his works, even this edition if none else is available. This edition is really not treated right by the publisher: There is confusion in the number of stories or where they start (I have read The Elephant Graveyard in different languages, and they are shorter). To me this collection has got four stories, and if not, a preface or some kind of explanation would have been helpful. The paper quality and the cuttings (format) leave some to desire. All in all, you end feeling that the publisher has taken too many shortcuts. There exists also a second volume of Chaland Anthology from DC, and a third is announced to be published later 2005.

This anthology and its companion (vol. 2) are a real treat for any comics fan, but especially for those who revel in the greater intellectual and artistic maturity of the European tradition over the almost terminally adolescent American tradition, dominated as it still is by musclebound stuporheroes.

Chaland was a product of his tradition. "Was," because his life was cut short by a fatal car accident in the early '90s. The influence of Herge (the creator of Tintin) pervades Chaland's work, whether it be his main character's obvious resemblence to Tintin or the format of the storytelling--self-contained adventures featuring mysteries to be solved, exotic locations, and a good dose of humor. This is no accident; like Herge, Chaland was Belgian. But Chaland is anything but a pale imitator. His debt to his tradition is something he is well aware of and acknowledges, but joyfully and by choice; he is by no means weighed down or limited by this.

Chaland's stories are not for children. They are not particularly violent or sexual, but they tend to be more abstract with distinctly adult themes, and the 3 somewhat gritty main characters are apparently destitute and unemployed.

That said, the highly stylized artwork is beautiful to look at and masterful in its composition, point of view, and pacing. The storytelling is also very satisfying and surprisingly free-ranging in subject matter and approach. This first volume contains three stories, the second volume two more and some rare sketches and first drafts. As far as I know, this is all the work Chaland produced in this series, the "Freddy Lombard" series. Having read the two anthologies, I can only lament his untimely passing and state with unequivocal longing that I wish he had written more.

If you are in an established church that continues to decline in attendance, this book will help you see you do not have to start over. Your church has the foundation, but needs to find the evangelism that once fueled the joy and celebration of a growing church. If you have been in a pastorate for 5-7 years and the trend is not good, hold steady, there is great hope! The book is full of real examples of small dieing churches that have turned it around, and practical advice on how you can lead your church toward spiritual/numerical growth.

The familiar adage asks, "How do you eat an elephant?" Answer: "One bite at a time." How does a pastor encourage a plateaued or declining established church to grow? Through small, incremental changes.

Such is the advice from Rainer and Lawless who chide church leaders for rushing from one quick-fix method to another searching for the right formula to bring growth. The key to facilitating growth in an established church is the willingness of the senior pastor to commit to staying for the long term. A pastor's greatest effectiveness begins around year seven. Unfortunately, most pastorates last less than four years. The book's greatest value comes from the encouraging examples of churches and pastors that stayed the course and made the necessary changes gradually over time. Don't expect any magic formula from this book; just encouragement to do the hard work most church leaders already know how to do-like pray, love, train, serve, and fight the good fight.

After having read the first edition of this title by Thom Rainer, I was curious to see what kind of changes would be present from the input of Chuck Lawless. What I found was that the wise counsel of Rainer has become even wiser when accompanied by the spiritual warfare/prayer expertise of Lawless. The theme of this volume is that church growth principles must be implemented in a congregation slowly, over a period of time. While American churches are dying for lack of godly change, too much change too quickly can make a bad situation even worse.

This revised edition offers a much stronger emphasis on prayer, which is the bedrock of any positive congregational change. He also describes doing a prayer walk through the church's community, which hints of a spiritual warfare mindset. Again, this addition is a welcome one.

The first edition of this book was good, the revised is even better. For any pastor wanting to employ principles of church growth/health into a traditional congregation, this title is a must-read!

I'm on an external transition team for a church in crisis. This book helped us distinguish helpful and unhelpful actions based on the culture of the congregation. It has also given the team a common language and reference point to move conversations productively down the road.

Chapter after chapter I found relevant insights that I could apply to our Pastor transition. I recommend the book to all --- especially those not yet thinking of a transition. It will help you plan for a healthy transition.

This book was very helpful in guiding our church leadership to begin thinking about pastoral transitions. I think it is written broadly enough to apply to many denominations and situations.

As a child, I unfortunately encountered problems with addiction in my family. I was given this book by a ffriend of my mother's. Together, my mom and I would read it, and it ultimately helped me cope with understanding "daddy's problem." I believe this is an excellent choice for children who are seeing the effects of addiction in their families. It is also a very informative books for those fortunate children who do not have to deal with addiction. It was definitely a huge help for me!

I facilitate a children effected by d.v/substance abuse group and this book is very beneficial!

This title is a valuable tool in dealing with addiction issues within a family. It assists a family member or other mentor in opening the lines of communication about virtually any tough topic. The children's book gives the child an item to take ownership in. Meanwhile, obtaining the leaders guide that accompanies the children's book will assist adults in understanding the developmental stages and reactions that the child is experiencing. This is a valuable tool for families!

This is a great read which would give the uninitiated or novice political observer a way to see what happens in the day to day happening behind the scenes of political campaigns. As a campaign professional myself, I found it very interesting reading. It's a must buy for the person who wants to observe politics they way a novice watch repairman would study the insides of a watch.

I own a lot of political books... by Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, Joe Scarborough... etc. etc. But THIS book out-does them all, simply because it talks about the West Virginia Republican Party.

Mr. Abernathy told all from his perspective... from his drive to Charleston from Columbus to the day fmr. Chairman Kris Warner fired him.

As a College Republican, I was somewhat shocked at some of the stuff that went on in South Charleston as well as Capitol St. I couldn't believe that this was happening, yet I knew about it because I am a WVGOP activist.

Now, we WV Repubs need to turn our attention to Sen. Robert C. Byrd in 2006.

Gary, great book! I really enjoyed it!

This has to go down as one of the best books for the 2004 election. Great "inside baseball" on what happens at the statewide and national level in politics. Gary Abernathy does not hold anything back in a story of Republican fortunes and misfortunes throughout the year.

Trish Marx has chosen to tell the story of China's Forbidden City through its inhabitants. She takes us back in time to wake up in the palace with the Empress Dowager Gixi in the late 19th century. We see her bed and bedcovers. We watch her select her embroidered gown, and don her saphire dragonfly pin. We experience the exotic elegance of the enormous palace city from the 14th century to the present, always with an eye to the personal: the squadrons of servants laboring to maintain the emperor and his family, the thousands of candles and lanterns lighting the enormous rooms, the celebrations and rituals that dazzled visitors. Marx brings history to life...the next best thing to a visit to the Forbidden City itself!

Elephants and Golden Thrones has some of the loveliest photographs of China's Forbidden City that one could hope to see. The Forbidden City, called that because no one was allowed to enter without permission, is a fortress-walled palace-city within the city of Beijing (Peking). For over 500 hundred years the emperors of China ruled from within its confines and amassed a fortune in gold and jewels which were used to decorate both private and ceremonial areas.

Trish Marx tells the story of the beginning of the Forbidden City in the 1400s in the first of the nine chapter-stories in this book. The book is a combination picture book and historical non-fiction - much like the books found in museums that describe the artifacts there. Ellen B. Senisi has contributed photographs that illustrate the narration. Some are pictures of ancient art and others are relatively modern photos of people visiting the Forbidden City.

The stories are fascinating and while they are written with a young reader in mind, the information and vocabulary in the text make it equally suited for adult readers. It would make an excellent contribution to any school library as a valuable source of research material on China's history.

Note: This is book is only 48 pages, including the credits and glossary. At times I felt the author had trouble deciding who her real audience would be. Some detailed discussion of eunuchs and concubines could be problematic for elementary-aged readers.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

For over five hundred years the emperors of China ruled from an enormous palace city of over eight thousand decorated rooms hidden behind thirty-foot walls - a structure which came to be called The Forbidden City. ELEPHANTS AND GOLDEN THRONES: INSIDE CHINA'S FORBIDDEN CITY blends lovely color photos by Ellen B. Senisi with a discussion of life behind this wall, providing kids in grades 4-6 with a fine, lovely blend of color photos and Chinese cultural and political history.

This story brings tears to my eyes. The message is a timeless message of encouragement and selfworth. I love it!

Sure, since I illustrated it some would say my opinion is biased but those people aren't here! So I digress..

Do you love a twisted tale of heart-stopping action and tear-jerking comedy with a surprise ending that makes you defecate your pants? If you do...well don't get this book.

But if you do like a simple tale of moral value and self-worth, enhanced by mind blowing illustrations and eye-searing artwork, then BUY THIS BOOK!

You will not be disappointed.


Unless you ordered a different book, expecting that book - opened the box and found this one - then you may in fact be disappointed.

Until you saw the art then you'd be happy again.

Cute story about Ella Elephant. The illustrations truly make the story. Children are typically more fascinated with the pictures in books. This will not disapoint.

A friend of mine suggested I get this book for my son when I was teaching him about colors. We also got the doll, which is very cute. Still, my son was not interested. He learned colors by sorting his cars with Daddy.

My son adores this book. We started reading it when he was four months old and he has never tired of it (he is now 16 months). I kept checking it out of the library until finally I decided it would be worth buying him one! He loves the adventures of the colorful patchwork elephant and can now point out all the items on the pages (the yellow lemon, the green grass, etc). This is one of the books he has consistently enjoyed and is happy to have me read it 5 times in a row every day!

Our infant son loves this book! He seems to really respond to Elmer and the bright colors he experiences in this nice little book.