Elephants Books

I think the book is fine for the French but when you are raising children, this book just talks about what these animals do not like about themselves. I do not want my child starting to talk like that. So, I'm just not in love with the book.

As a Spanish teacher in an elementary school, I use this book to help teach describing words. The children love how the elephant and giraffe make silly changes to their appearance; it holds their interest in the story and helps them learn the material. At the end of the story they clearly recognize the lesson: you don't need to change who you are because friends like you just the way you are!

Generally a good way to teach very young children French, although I'm not really crazy about the storyline. In the story, each animal is unhappy with its various attributes and wants other ones, i.e. my nose is too long, I want a shorter one, etc - not exactly the kind of message I'd want my toddler to absorb.

Having said that, the illustrations are wonderful and the quality of the hardback book ............. is just great.

Although there is a glossary and pronunciation guide, I would not recommend this book to a parent who does not have a rudimentary knowledge of French.

I read this to my seven-year-old moments ago. The illustration was beautiful, but the writing I found pompously and overly flowery for a children's book. My daughter summed it up perfectly when we had finally trudged through it, "That was SO boring. Please, never read it again!"

I really enjoyed this book. Even though it is a children's book I still greatly enjoyed the book, and it's illustrations. The story is great for all children, in fact it is one of my three-year-old sons favorites. The story of a little girl who is sent a magic flute that enables her to fly is one that captivates the hearts and imaginations of all children young, and old.

This is a wonderful story with wonderful illustrations. However, don't be fooled by the author's name, it isn't for small children. It is for people who's thought-processes have progressed into the upper elementary level. I didn't catalog it in the primary section of my library, I cataloged it in the fiction area.

I disagree with many statements made by the previous reveiwer. I believe that many of us were discouraged from seeking medical care--branch church membership, for instance, required that the applicant not be using medicine. Further, Mary Baker Eddy, in her textbook, Science and Health with key to the scriptures, makes many statements about the incompatibility of medicine and use of Christian Science. Finally, if a CS chooses medical care, they will then not be able to use or continue using the services of a CS practitioner (ie, CS who are paid to pray for others). The loss of even one child through reliance on this theology is too many, but I have never have heard censure for any CS who allowed their children to die from easily treatable diseases (ie, juvenile diabetes). I also thought that the use of CS prayer as a way to avoid confronting and dealing with dysfunctionality in families was spot on. This book is definitely worth reading.

There is not much Theology of Christian Science, however the author gives a good sense of the lack of care, support, and affection received from a Christian Science parent. In the book the author has her appendix rupture and her mother would rather watch her "die" (which is unreal in Christian Science), read Science and Health by Eddy, than to have her receive medical care. A pastor from another denomination takes her to the hospital where she is operated on and lives. This reminds me of the Twitchell trial in Boston years ago. The parents and practitioner watch as the 2 1/2 boy vomits excrement and dies due to a bowel obstruction. They were demonstrating that he is a perfect child of God. They pretended not to see the elephant. This is an interesting read.

For more information see Caroline Fraser's excellent work, "God's Perfect Child."

Readers should note that this writer's experience is unique to her and not illustrative of life in the Christian Science faith. Readers should also know that Christian Scientists have the freedom to choose the type of healthcare they will rely on. Christian Science parents, like all parents, want the best care for the health and well-being of their children. While they typically choose Bible-based healing through prayer (Christian Science treatment) because they have found it to be safe and effective, the Church does not dictate a member's healthcare choices or excommunicate members for choosing medical care. Wisdom and love should govern a Christian Scientist's actions. As a life-long Christian Scientist, I have never known one to tell another their illnesses are their fault; this is not a practice of Christian Science. Nor is denial of problems common to Christian Science. Actively addressing and healing problems, through love and tender care, is. Christian Scientists, like myself, daily strive to express the Christ and to follow Jesus' words and works. They tend to be among the most happy, well-adjusted, thoughtful people I know. While this writer's experience was surely tragic, readers should know it is not representative of Christian Science practice.

I like this series because of the unique look at animals that each book provides. This one focuses on elephants and tigers from a travelling circus. Dierdre is asked to be the consultant vet for a travelling circus, and she is thrilled to get the chance to work with her beloved elephants, but things turn nasty when a supposedly gentle elephant kills a circus performer. Dierdre suspects its murder though, and she tries to prove it. This series is unique with its animal perspective, but I find the characters are not really gelling as yet. I understand this is only the second book, so maybe it will happen yet. I find the writing is a bit careless and the book could have used some editing.

I read the first book about Didi Nightingale, and I loved it, so I decided to get the second book in the series. And it was almost as good as the first one. I got through it in roughly a day and I couldn't put it down. Now Lydia Adamson is no Agatha Cristie, but she is still a wonderful mystery writer. I adored it.

This book was read to me by my seventh grade teacher. When he died and they were selling his books, that was the first one I wanted. This book was good enough to keep a whole class of seventh graders awake. Every book he read was a good one. This book about dilinquent kids who get lost in the desert is definitly great.

Short novel (94 pages) about group of troubled youth who get lost in the desert and unwittingly attract their rescuers by hanging their wet clothing on an elephant tree to dry. Lots of angst. Writing is kid level and just average. The tree and title are the only reference to elephants ... no actual elephants in the story.

The stories in this book are interesting but the style in which they are presented is dissapointing. Too much editorialising which tends to become boring. They deserve a more dynamic presentation.

This excellent little volume passes the biggest test of a great children's book, namely, it also holds the interest of the adult reader. This is because these are the timeless, classic myths and folk tales of India. In fact, if you wanted to start to understand Indian culture, you could do far worse than to start with this book. Here you will finally understand why Ganesh has the head of an elephant. You will learn just who Rama and Krishna are, and how they relate to Vishnu. For that matter you will understand the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The heroic monkey king, Hanuman is also introduced and explained. If you would like to go on to understanding and appreciating the Mahabharata, then this is also an excellent starting point, for the Pandava princes are introduced.

The first story in this collection is "The Monkey Bridge to Lanka." I am still suprised at the power and wisdom contained in this brief tale. That is the wonderful thing about all these stories- you can interpret them at many different levels of meaning.

I have truly come to love this little gem of a book.

I have to disagree with the other reviewer; this book is just a bit too twee and light on the history to be useful. The story of Hannibal is a great one full of excitement, adventure and cunning--this book renders it as an inept copy of a Warner Bros. cartoon.

This is a wonderful account of history's most improbable wartime march! Hannibal takes the army of Carthage and marches on Rome. Not so amazing you say! Well, his fighting hords include 37 elephants. He takes them across the Mediterranean, through Spain and even over the Alps! While the text was at times too simplified, the history it contains is accurrate and full. This is a great read to capture young minds for future study of history.

Marthe: The Story of a Whore by J.K. Huysmans, translated by Brendan King.
There have been a series of new Huysmans translations by Mr. King released under the Dedalus imprint in recent years; the only one that mentions absinthe specifically is this, Huysman's first published novel. He didn't become a "decadent" writer until a little later in his career, however: at this time he was still a loyal Zola disciple and the text falls very neatly into the category of Naturalism. As to be expected, it is the tale of a courtesan's rise and fall due to alcohol. Absinthe makes two brief appearances, both in exchanges between the titular prostitute and her bohemian boyfriend Leo, first as celebration and then to alleviate suffering. The novel ends with a grisly autopsy that serves as moral against the evils of addiction.

A proto-kafkaesque novella that masterfully paints the picture of a miserable life as a Parisian prostitute around the turn of the century. Marthe can be likened to the complement of the Underground Man in Dostoevsky's Notes From Underground.

There is not much of a plot to describe. Marthe is introduced as a teenage "worker in fake pearls", rolling ground oyster shells and foul chemicals together into beads. Her health failing, she finds refuge in the red light district.

A beautifully miserable story.

This book has a most eye-catching cover, but the writing does not live up to the promises made on the book flaps. Robert Sullivan has driven across the country dozens of times and writes of his experiences

The best part of the book is the crude drawings and accompanying notations. This serves to make up for the uninspired writing that relates much about Lewis and Clark and service station coffee while not telling us the kind of interesting stories that the book flaps promised us. The writing is just so much hot air and endless details of his travels.

Bottom line: Wait and see if this book makes your public library and if it does, give it a look.

I very rarely quit a book without finishing, but this one I did. Not only is it edited very poorly, with many irritating misspellings and words out of place, but the author mixes up names of towns and cities. This leads me to believe he didn't ever really know where he was or what he was doing. For instance, he seems to have difficulty determining which Dakota he is in at any given time. He also drives alot from Indiana into Missouri, mysteriously tele-transporting himself over Illinois somehow. I'm sure there were many other mistakes I could have caught if I had actually finished the book. But the worst is the author seems to be the type of person you would never want to go on a road trip with, too boring, not a fun family, not a good book.

More thn I cared to know about the author's thoughts about himself. Needs to be cut by half.

When I began the book, I didn't like it. I didn't care about Lewis and Clark and their expedition. Then I thought, give it a chance. I believe everyone and everything deserves a second chance. Boy, am I glad that I did! I absolutely loved it! I hated that it ended. I did learn a thing or two about our interstate system, and this spectacular country of ours. I wish it never ended. I may read it again some day.

This book isn't about one man's love of the open road, it's a paean to his love for his own voice as we are interminably subjected to his rambling, circular, paisley stylings. Somewhere near the beginning of the book, he mentioned that we, unlike his family, had the advantage of being able to put the book aside as a break, which not only made me put the book down many, many times but made me want to stage an intervention for his obviously long-suffering family.

I'm sure glad I didn't buy this book only checked it out from our Library. In the first few pages Ms. Hart introduces 17 characters. I was cheerfully going along with it however, until our author had the characters quoting lines from other authors books. Suddenly we had to read more characters names and the titles of the books, and author names. All of the authors quoted were unknown to me. I couldn't keep track of the story line, and I didn't bond with the characters. So even though this author has written alot of books ( a dream come true for us readers) after trying two other books by this author I give up, I just can't read her books.

Annie and Max Darling are two of the most appealing modern-day sleuths out there, and the setting in Broward's Rock can't be beat. I read these mysteries for the characters, both old and new. I do really enjoy reading another book in the series because I want to keep up with the people on Broward's Rock. This book is set around the annual White Elephant's Sale held by the Women's club. It always sounds like such fun on Broward's Rock! Annie and Max are again on the heels of a cool, caclutating murderer, but the book introduces some other unsavoury topics such as blackmail, mercy killing, extra-marital affairs and robbery. So much in one book! But that's what these books are like. They are wonderful light reading, and I love the many allusions to other mystery novels salted throughout the book. A wonderful book for cozy lovers.

Collecting secrets was Kathyrn Girard's livelihood. Her dingy antique store, with its small cashbox, would not support the glamorous double life she led, a hacienda in Mexico and a sleek black Porsche. When she is found murdered while collecting white elephants for a charity sale, the suspect list includes prominent island residents like the wife of the parish priest, the editor of the Island Gazette, and Annie's best customer, mystery buff Henny Brawley. Annie and friends must now dig into the secrets of their friends and other blackmail victims to ferret out the one desparate and bold enough to put an end to Kathryn's demands. Through dogged detective work, following every clue and thread, the murderer is not unveiled until the very end.

I find this author very simplistic. It seems it would be good for a young reader: simple language and not too challenging. For adults? I'd think adults would get impatient with the overly simple writing. I'm a big mystery fan, and tried a couple of her DoD series, but they're SO immature. Geeze, Encyclopedia Brown is more complex!

This is my first Carolyn Hart mystery so I don't know how White Elephant Dead compares to others in the series, but I found this to be an interesting and enjoyable read. Unlike the other reviewers I didn't mind the references to other mystery writers; for me they served as a constant reminder that this was a work of genre fiction, even as the strong characters drew me further into the story.

A fascinating mix of detachment and engagement on an idyllic island...