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KEN FOLLETT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE BEST AUTHORS AROUND. BOOKS LIKE "THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH, EYE OR THE NEEDLE, ETC..." ARE CLASSIC, BUT HIS RECENT STUFF, THE LAST 3 BOOKS ARE CERTAINLY MORE HOLLYWOODISH. THE PLOTS ARE LIGHTER, BUT THE BOOKS ARE FUN AND ENJOYABLE. IT ALMOST SEEMS THAT FOLLETT HAS TOTALLY CHANGED HIS WRITING STYLE IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. ALL IN ALL, I ALWAYS ENJOY HIS BOOKS, MAINLY BECAUSE I LOVE THE WAY HE WRITES. THE THIRD TWIN, WAS SOMEWHAT PREDICTABLE, FAST MOVING, AND A GOOD READ

In my opinion, this was one of Ken Follet's best books. Unfortunately, the title of the book gives away the whole story. Why, oh why, would you put a spoiler in the title. Strange things are happening. The lead character can't figure out why this guy is friendly and interested in her romantically one minute and then the next time he comes over he acts psycho. Oh wait, the third twin...

I thought the idea of genetic experimentation on humans by corporations and/or government made a great central idea for a thriller. I also liked the idea of a strong female protagonist who stumbles upon the experimentaion and deals with the greedy, arrogant businessmen who want to cover it all up at all cost. I also liked having an evil clone as a secondary antagonist. But the characters weren't particularly well rounded, and instead on focusing on the central idea - genetic experimentation on humans by unethical and immoral people or even the monster clone and his miserable evil ways, the story veered off into an unlikely and very weak romance between one of the good clones and the protagonist. The scenes where the bad clone(s) act bad are the best and most exciting parts.

this is a great book. i read it twice. it keeps you guessing at every turn.

I was sad to see the negative reviews aimed at this book because of the right-wing politics of the bad guys. The actual aims and accomplishments of the trio go far beyond currently accepted politics. For instance, the bad guys protect and encourage a person given to multiple rapes and assaults, and the presidential candidate supports forced sterilization of welfare recipients.

If you can deal with that then you can enjoy a good Follett thriller. The bad guys are hoping that a takeover of the gene manipulation company that they own will make them $60 million each. For one, that will finance his run for president and for the others, riches far beyond anything they're used to. Unfortunately, the company has a well-hidden secret in its past that could torpedo the deal.

Against the partners there is only Jeannie, who is unaware of the secret and is a junior lecturer studying identical twins raised apart. The announcement of the takeover is due in a week, and one of the bad guys at the beginning of the book wonders if the secret will ever be discovered in time to stop the takeover. Like him, I felt that there simply wasn't time for this to happen - the odds seemed too great.

Add to this that one of the bad guys runs the department that Jeannie works in, and that another important person is wrongly arrested, and things look hopeless.

However, this is where Follett's skill in plotting comes in. I find that his best thrillers (like Jackdaws) work with a short time period, like a week or a day. This book is no different and plot twists affect the book every few pages, it seems.

It's pretty much impossible to go on without revealing some of the plot, so I'll stop here and recommend that you read this book. As someone who holds views similar to Ken Follett's (supporting the British Labour Party when I lived there) I had to look up his personal details on his web site to discover what his political views were. They're certainly not obvious from this book, which has a cast of many highly-believable characters, both good and bad.

Sandra Brown weaves many strands together to create a tapestry of romance and suspense. Psychopath murderer, Carl Herbold, escaped from prison with a plan for revenge. His stepfather, Delray Corbett, hires Jack Sawyer to protect his daughter-in-law and grandson. Emery Lomax is working with Eastpark Development to gain possession of the ranch to build a subdivision. The retired sheriff is haunted by an unsolved case. Sandra Brown brings it all together in Unspeakable.
Unspeakable is another classic example of why Sandra Brown's fans keep coming back for more. Just when you think you have figured it all out, another twist comes along. I could not put it down. Attention to detail allows the reader to get into the character. Ms. Brown gives an insight into the adversities the deaf must endure and the strength of character needed to overcome them. Once again, Brown offer's reader's a riveting suspense filled romance.
Reviewed by Kay Ramsey for ReviewYourBook.com

In this book SB tried to teach us about the living of a deaf person. How she feels, how she communicates or work with other people among other things. But she missed the point by far. If this is your first book about this theme maybe you'll be amazed at how deaf people make her living but even so I don't think so.
The plot is good enough to read it but is not really thrilling. Jack's story is pathetic, I mean why he had to come back to his past?

If you want to read a real deaf's thriller read "A Maiden's Grave" by Jeffery Deaver. This is a breathtaking deaf's story.

This is anexcellent book. It gives the reader insight into the world of a deaf individual. The plot moves along swiftly and is a real page turner.

This is her second I have read and I really enjoy Mrs. Brown's writing. She has an amazing talent for including crime, passion, betrayal, and so much more. Her attention to detail is wonderful, I felt like I could actually see the whole book as a movie.

When Delray Corbett discovers that his stepson Carol Herbold has escaped from prison, he's concerned that he might venture back to Texas. He reluctantly hires drifter Jack Sawyer, who has his own agenda, as further protection for his deaf daughter-in-law Anna and grandson David. Newly retired sheriff Ezzy is trying to solve the decades old murder of town harlot Patsy. Everyone in town assumes it was the Herbold brothers - he was just never able to prove it. His obsession with the case wreaks havoc on his marriage. As Jack spends more time with the Corbett family, he feels a sense of family that he has never had as well as a deep attraction to Anna. When tragedy strikes the family, Jack is there to help Anna cope, learning her language and providing a strong shoulder. As the Herbold brothers venture south to Mexico, a side trip to the East Texas town for retribution with Delray on the agenda. Will Jack be able to protect his new "family?"

Brown manages to give a voice to Anna, and provides plenty of chemistry between her leads, but the story is told in excruciating detail; she could easily peel away 100pages and it still would be far too long. Carl is one of her more menacing and unredeemable characters. He is evil incarnate, and not above proving it from chapter to chapter. "Unspeakable" is a pretty average novel (and a little disappointing for fans of Browns later novels); recommended only for true Brown fans that want to read her full library of offerings.

I have to agree with Flo Nightengale: This might be the very worst romance that I have ever read. I finally gave up on it about halfway through, thinking, "This must be a satire/farce on Harlequin Romances!" It had all the cliche bits from those novels: rich guy, poor girl with no talents, overblown wealth, bratty kid. Ugh. I have enjoyed other romances by Jude Deveraux, and this one is certainly not up to her standard. Read something else!

THE WORST BOOK I"Ve EVER READ!!!This was the first (AND LAST!!!) Jude Deveraux book I've ever read. I can only believe that the reveiwers who gave this book 4 or (GAG) 5 stars have never read anything more compelling than a Harlequin romance. That is the ONLY way someone could refer to this as a "good book". It was so ridiculous, so amateur, so lacking in depth/character development that it felt as though I were reading an essay written by a lovesick highschool girl. I would have had more respect if it had been written by a teenager, at least that would have been an sufficient reason for the story line (NO PLOT)to have been so unbelievable. There were so many loose ends and unexplained, unnecessary "filler". The whole plotting/deceptive craziness with the mother-in-law in the final chapters. WHAT?? I could detail dozens of other unforgivable flaws of this "piece of work", but I am such a big hurry to throw it in the trash bin (and SAVE another innocent victim from reading it) I can't stand to revisit it another minute!!!!!! DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME!! The only good thing to do with this book is to donate it to your local prison, because it is certainly PUNISHMENT to have to read it!!!

The characters in this book were so likeable, especially the baby Max. Amy is confused as to what she wants and is not willing to accept handouts from her rich man Jason. This is frustrating for Jason, so he devises schemes to give her what he thinks she needs.
This is a feel good book all the way through. I just love Jude deveraux.

It's a quick, easy read. Good for when you don't want anything too intense. A bit "out there" at times.
Who can possibly believe that a secession of the world's top private investigators can spend 2 years unsuccessfully searching for a woman who did not more than go back to her maiden name? Did they miss the 1st day of PI training? DUH!
Also, who can believe that a 2 1/2 yr old can, singled handedly paint a full room mural (good enough to impress The President)in the same amount of time it took 4 adults to paint a mural on one wall? PLEASE!
And what successful business would hire an incompetent moron as an assistant just to please his brother? Oh well. Read it anyway.

I loved this story. It all started with a brother helping his little brother out. David Wilding thinks he is in love with a widow with a baby. He can't get along with the baby so he asks his brother to help him. If Jason would watch Amy's child, he could "court" her. When Jason Wilding meets Amy and her son Max, the baby, he falls head over heels in love with Max and Amy as well. There is a slight problem. David has told Amy that Jason is gay.

This was a cute story. I love the worlds Jude Deveraux creates. She makes the impossible not only possible but believable.

This is a departure from Kellerman's usual mystery focus. And for those Kellerman fans who love Milo, be prepared for disappointment since Milo doesn't appear. I love Kellerman, but the story here was ridiculous. The ending was so far fetched that it made me yank off my iPod (I listened to the audio version). Character development was poor, but that could be because there were too many characters. Only Elizabeth George can get away with that. The book did not keep my interest and this is unusual for a Kellerman book. It was entertaining in parts, but overall a poor effort. I finished the book only because I'm a devoted Kellerman fan. If your goal is to read all the Alex Delaware books, then by all means read it. Otherwise, tick it off your list and move on.

For me, the biggest mystery in a Kellerman book is how does this man get an audiance for this shlock? I only finished it to see if he could write anything more preposterous in his 19th book than he did in his 1st, When The Bough Breaks. In this quest, Dr. Kellerman has succeeded. It's laughable.

Dr. Alex Delaware's new house still isn't finished yet and the lease is up for the little beach house in Malibu, so Alex, his girlfriend Robin and their pooch Spike are about to be out on the street. That's why Dr. Moreland's invitation for Alex to come stay a few months in a tropical paradise to help the old man organize his notes is a very tempting proposition. And since Robin is under doctor's orders to give her wrist a rest so her tendonitis can heal, why not take a little vacation to the tiny island of Aruk?

Thus begins a very tangled web indeed. Alex is really sucked into this one, though. He doesn't even have a choice when it comes to snooping because nothing is as it seems in paradise and Dr. Moreland is fond of games. When murder and mayhem invade the island, Alex's LAPD Detective pal Milo can help only so much from thousands of miles away (but he does try), and it soon becomes clear that Dr. Moreland had ulterior motives for inviting Alex - motives that do not include organizing his notes. The danger becomes very real, though, and Alex does something ... Agh, I don't want to give anything away, but he is forced to do something he is definitely not proud of and he does it in front of Robin, which only makes it worse. MAJOR Angst!

Great, creepy story.

"The Web" is Jonathon Kellerman's eleventh Alex Delaware novel wnd was first published in 1996. Delaware is a psychologist based in LA who earns his living as a consultant - largely working with the courts and the police. However, the action in this book largely takes place on a small island called Aruk.

Alex and his girlfriend, Robin, have been invited to Aruk by Dr Bill Moreland. Moreland, who has gathered a great deal of clinical data in his time on the island, wrote to Alex requesting his assistance in organising and analysing it. Moreland proposes working on the biological aspects of it, with Alex focusing on the psychological aspects. The benefits to Alex include a very nice salary for the duration of the research and, hopefully, joint authorship of a number of journal articles - or possibly even a book.

Aruk is officially part of the Mariana Commonwealth and a self-governing US territory. It is also a very divided island. Moreland lives on the island's leeward side, near Aruk town - the windward side is home to Stanton, a US naval base. The Navy has also blocked the southern beach road, after sailors were blamed by some for the murder of a local girl. This has caused some ill-feeling on the island and has also had a damaging effect on the island's economy. Unfortunately for the Aruk, it's not the last suspicious death the locals will see...

Moreland lives on a 700-acre estate which was originally built by the Japanese and used as their official headquarters when they controlled the island. McArthur forced them out during WW2 and established an American presence. Moreland bought the estate from the government when he left the Navy in 1963 - he had been stationed at Stanton himself. In fact, his former CO is now an influential senator and a possible presidential candidate. Part of the estate now includes Moreland's own `zoo' : the exhibits include a large collection of very unappealing arachnids and a ridiculously large and dangerous centipede. There is also a Banyan forest nearby, which was apparently laid with mines by the Japanese during the war. Alex and Robin aren't the only guests around the house; the others include Jo and Lyman Picker, both scientists. Jo, who works for the defense department, is the reason for their presence - she is on the island to study wind patterns. Lyman, a botanist who works for a wildlife organisation, is a bitter, arrogant and obnoxious man. Moreland's daughter, Pam, is also living there - she has only recently returned from Philadelphia following her divorce.

"The Web" is only the second book by Kellerman I've read - the other being "Flesh and Blood" - and I found this one much better and more credible. However, I wouldn't say it's perfect either. Delaware himself has a tendency to jump to conclusions, desperately clutching at straws in a bid to justify his position. His relationship with Robin is hard to take at times - they make an extremely cheesy couple and some of their conversations can be a little over-dramatic. There's also an occasional bout of pretension, with scientists apparently trying to sound intelligent in front of their peers. However, while I wouldn't call it a classic, it is an easily read and largely enjoyable read.

Dr. Alex Delaware is invited to take a job on the island of Aruk, by the mysterious Dr.Moreland. Shortly into his assigned tasks, Alex discovers some very odd cases that the mysterious Dr. has treated in the past. One of these cases was a man who claims to have seen "worm people". As Dr. Delaware tries to unravel these mysterious cases, a brutal murder occurs on the island of Aruk. Alex inquires of Dr. Moreland about the islands history, and Dr. Moreland is very vague in his response. As the climax of this novel approaches, Alex finds cryptic messages left for him by the then missing Dr. Moreland. Robin is very much a main character in this story. However, if you are a big fan of Milo (as I am ), you may be dissapointed because his character plays a minor part in this novel. I give this story 4 stars, because it is not one of my favorite Kellerman stories. I thought the ending was a little silly.

This book is very one sided and very liberal. I have no problem with political philosophies different than my own. The problem I do have is being forced to spend $80.00 on a book that blames the "white man" for every ill of modern history. This view of history needs to be told. I just wish other viewpoints were told as well. Having said that, it is written well and gives the reader a different view of history.

I was looking for a book that would help me to understand the American Society, and this was an excelent option to acomplish it.

Let me start off by saying that I am liberal. But I have absolutely no patience for intellectual dishonesty, especially not from those teaching history to others. They have a duty to give a fair account of history, as what they teach becomes truth in the minds of those taught history. The perspective of the authors is anything but fair. The authors of this book should be ashamed. Before reading this book for a history course, I read the reviews here. I was hoping that the reviewers claiming this to be liberal propaganda were simply misguided conservatives who take offense at anything conflicting with their world view. Turns out they were right. I realize that many wrongs have been committed by the white majority of society in American history, but this is not all of what history is about.

The authors of this book are staunch supporters of conflict theory. They spend an unfairly large portion of each chapter on the plight of the underprivileged, and especially on minorities and women. The authors seem to view all of society's problems as the fault of the social/governmental/economic system. The concept of personal responsibility apparently is a lost cause. The authors seem to not only subscribe to the social belief of equal opportunity, but also equality of outcome.

Almost every chapter has a large amount of text devoted to the plight of minorities and women. Minorities are always blameless in this book, and the big bad white men can never seem to do anything with moral integrity.

The first chapter of this book, "The Union Reconstructed", is intended to tell the history of the Reconstruction Era, or post Civil-War era. It ends up talking more about the plight of blacks than it does on actual Reconstruction. Every single photograph/painting in this chapter, save for one, has to do with the plight of blacks, usually in the form of being exploited by whites. Ridiculous.

While most other chapters are not this bad, it still sets a tone that will last throughout the book. Near the end of the book, the authors even have the audacity to claim that opposition to affirmative action is rooted in racism (page 1087). If that's not an unfair account of history, then I don't know what is. The authors let their bias cloud the truth, and it is a travesty.

I would also like to note that this last chapter (which tells of the history from 1992-2002) spends not even a full three pages talking about the economy, and then goes on for almost five pages talking about the plight of minorities. Actually, let me break down, page by page, what this chapter discusses, just so you can see how people can get the impression that this isn't a history book, but liberal propaganda. 1074-1077 talks about immigration into the US. 1077-1079 talks about the Census of 2000, where it spends much time talking about... you guessed it, women and minorities. 1079-1081 talk about the economy. 1081-1082 talks about the plight of the lower classes. 1082, 1083, and 1086 talks about "Aging and Illness", which deals with the increase in the elderly population, the health concerns and social pressures that come with that, and the AIDS epidemic. (pages 1084 and 1085 are one of the "Recovering The Past" features which serve to break up the pace of the text a little bit) 1086 to 1092 talks about, what else, minorities and women! A paltry two pages is then spent on the revival of the Democrat party with Bill Clinton. 1093-1095 deal with some general political history. 1095-98 deal with the rise of George W. Bush. 1098-1102 deal with foreign policy. And then a paltry two pages are spent on September 11th, the War of Terrorism, the Afghanistan War, and the impending conflict in Iraq. And, that's the end of the chapter. It's almost as if little happened in the 1990s except blacks getting persecuted! Sounds like a fair telling of history, doesn't it?

Other examples of flagrant unfair history telling is in Chapter 17. The Native Americans are portrayed as this collection of nice little idyllic, Utopian societies that was suddenly torn to pieces by the evil white men. The whites slaughtered the Native Americans while the Native Americans were not guilty of any atrocities. Sorry, this isn't how it happened. There were atrocities on BOTH sides, and yet not once does this text mention any atrocities committed by any Native American tribes. I will concede, however, that the white settlers were probably more at fault than the Native Americans, but the Native American tribes were by no means blameless like this book would like you to think.

"But their bravery and skill could not permanentally withstand the power of the well-supplied, well-armed, and determined U.S. Army." (page 592) Their "bravery and skill"? Give me a break. Another quote: "The [buffalo slaughter], which had claimed 13 million animals by 1883, was disgraceful in retrospect. The Indians considered white men demented. " - page 592. A historian should always strive to have a neutral point of view, not call things "disgraceful".

This book is just completely unbalanced history telling. It conveniently neglects any facts which do not corroborate the authors' racist views. Not enough time is spent on what happened outside of the suffering of minorities and women. The history text that is here skips over all sorts of events, trends, people, and dates so it can fit in more diatribes about the persisting ills of society.

This book gives a great overview of the social aspects of U.S. History since 1865. It was rather refreshing to read a history book that was not so narrowly focused on the death and carnage of war in this nation. The wars are discussed, of course, in relative detail, but more weight is placed on how they affected our nation's citizens and society as a whole. The photographs and illustrations were fantastic in revealing how life truly was at a time we often have a hard time imagining, let alone comprehending these days. In addition, I found it really helpful in learning the information and doing well on my exams!

This is one of the better college texts for American history. The information is straight forward compared to the full text version, and no information is missed between its big brother. The second half highlights from 1865 onward into the 21st century. I would highly reccomend this book for students taking a introductory course in college or AP American History in high school.

This book was required for college, but I saved over $70 by going through Amazon instead of the college bookstore. Thanks Amazon!

thanks for the book. the first 100-150 pages were wrinkled quite a bit but the price makes up for it. shipping was good. thanks again.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE BOOK - IT WAS RIGHT IN TIME FOR CLASS! GREAT USED CONDITION - EXACTLY AS LISTED...THANKS AGAIN! A++++

This book is not Hardcover as stated in the ad. The book is not for sale in the US and Canada and it is clearly marked on the cover. It's violating the Copyright Act. I gave it one star because there was anything lower than that.

I had used this textbook at Ramapo College of New Jersey for Organic Chemistry I and II, and I found that the end of the chapter problems were superb in preparation for exams. I can't say much otherwise about the body of the text, reactions, mechanisms, etc., but I give this book an A+ for the End of Chapter Problems. They were tough and required a good amount of thought, which was exactly how I was tested in this class.

This book is worth its weight in gold. Because my professor is not a very good one, I'm having to teach myself a lot of what we are doing. I could not have made it this far without this manual. If you get stuck doing problems without it, you are just that: stuck. It has all of the worked out problems and answers to all of the odd numbered questions, and although some steps are not shown occasionally, , 95% of them show all you need to see. I will definitely be purchasing the Multivariable manual when I take Calculus 3 next semester, as this one only covers Cal 1 and 2 (through Chapter 12 I think).

This book is worth every penny I paid...but buy it used if possible. My professor assigns odd number problems and this book provides the solutions to these problems. Many students don't do their homework, but having a resource to check my solutions motivates me to complete all of the assigned homework.

Although it contains only the odd numbered problems, this Solutions Manual is helpful in solving similar problems without having to go to the instructor all the time. It is also helpful when studying for semester finals. It only has solutions through Chapter 12 of the 18 in the book - enough to get you through Calculus I and II.

They sent me the wrong edition of a solutions manuel I needed for a collge course, then when I attempted to contact the seller, they never returned my calls/e-mails. Would not do business with them again.

If you're buying this manual then chances are that you aren't stopping at Calculus III. This book DOES NOT include chapters beyond 12, so if you're seeking help in Calculus III, you won't find it here.

Bought this book a couple hours ago. I'm up to page 53 and so far all I've learned is that the author can talk and talk and talk and not say anything useful. This book is extremely painful and I'm not sure there will be any reward at the end. Unfortunately the O'Reilly book on the subject is out of print and this is about all there is ... nothing would almost be better.

I bought this book almost two years ago. Everytime I need to do something in XSL-FO I reach for this book. And almost everytime, I am frustrated and disappointed.

When originally learning XSL-FO, I bought this book because there were not too many options on the market and still aren't many. I felt like it made the learning process way more difficult than was necessary. I read two or three technical books per month and can usually absorb them pretty quick. This book does such a poor job of explaining concepts I struggled for a long time. I am really good with HTML, XML, XPATH and XSLT. I also have a pretty good grasp of print layout concepts and terminology. So I believe my struggle was by no means a technical or conceptual struggle. It was simply a problem of deciphering the author's language and presentation style.

As a reference, this book is even worse! It is just a bulleted list of tags and properties. Most are not defined. Two sentences and simple example of each would have made it useful, but that does not exist.

The one thing that could have saved this book would have been the index. But unfortunately, it's pretty bad also. You can't look up things by concept. You have to know what tag or property you are looking for. That's not of much use. For example, you will not find concepts such as bold, italic, underline or capitalization in the index. So if you don't know what tag or property controls those things you're out of luck. And since the author did such a bad job of teaching you're totally SOL.

I have learned XSL-FO through my own trial and error. I've done a lot of XSL-FO work and feel I have a decent understanding of the subject. Looking back on this book one last time, I can say this is one of the worst technical books I've ever bought.

Minimal examples, very little "big picture" orientation, long reference-style lists with minimal explanation of terms if any, and gives short shrift to how XSL:FO works with XSLT. The omission of fo: prefixes in examples is a an auctorial preference I find particularly annoying. Unfortunately it appears to be difficult to locate alternative books.

I'm surprised so many people have given this book a good review. I went with this book after the O'Reilly book was back ordered. What a mistake. The book might cover every formatting object in the W3C XSL-FO recommendation, but it's more like reading just that, the recommendation (which can be found online).

It's a bulleting of objects with minimal examples and sometimes difficult to understand explanations. I'm giving it two stars only because it serves as a useful quick formatting object reference to me at this point.

Avoid this book if you're new to XSL-FO. Otherwise, if you're looking for a reference guide, this might fit what you need.

There are some exposition paragraphs at the beginning of each topic. Otherwise the book is just page after page of bulleted lists. It's confusing, hard to read, and not worth your time. Read the O'Reilly book on XSL-FO instead.

...this book is pretty vacuous. I'm referring to the 2005 remake, with new artwork by Maurice Sendak (who I find very hit-or-miss...) Krauss and Sendak collaborated several times in the 1950s and '60s, but this tepid outing doesn't recapture the buoyancy of those old days, as hard as Sendak may have tried. Feels like he was just coasting here, and though many parents and longtime devotees got into this one, I thought it was just plain boring. Haven't read the 1948 original. (Axton)

Trust Maurice Sendak to remain mischievous well into his old age. When somebody somewhere proposed that he reillustrate Ruth Krauss's classic and bizarre 1948 title, "Bears", he could have done so without so much as a whimper. Instead, right on the title page, one of the first things you see is a bear hanging by a noose. BANG! Parents who are going to be shocked are shocked and parents who are pretty well aware that kids don't detect any difference between nooses and plain old ropes are nonplussed. The wheat has been separated from the chaff from the very beginning and by the time you've gotten to page 3 you know that you are deep into Sendak's brain without any turning back. "Bears" wasn't without controversy when it first came out, of course. In his book, "Dear Genius"* author Leonard S. Marcus points out that, "Some critics found this picture book, with its nonnarrative, singsong text...bewilderingly offbeat and insubstantial". Now Sendak's given it a narrative and it stars one of his best-known creations. Bizarre, funny, and overwhelmingly bearable (ho ho), the book is sure to be beloved by some and abhorred by others.

It's Max! The hero from "Where the Wild Things Are", is back and he's going to bed. Only thing is, as he goes to retire with his faithful dog at his side he sees that somebody (the grinning pup seems a likely culprit) has hung Max's favorite teddy from the ceiling. Max rescues his toy and is just snuggling down to sleep with it (as a jealous man's-best-friend looks on) when the dog finds he cannot take it anymore and runs off with Max's stuffed bear. What ensues is a chase as Max pursues his dog, stumbling all the while past odd bear-related scenes and images. He runs past them "On the stairs", and "Under chairs". With each two-page spread, Max tries to get closer to his dog and stuffed bear, all the while avoiding the very real bears that trundle around them. By the end, Max has successfully snatched back his stuffed animal but who gets to snuggle up to him in the bed? One very happy puppy.

The book has received numerous accolades with this new production. The New York Public Library, for example, decided that it deserved to be added to The Anne Carroll Moore Collection (the closest thing that library system has to a best book of the year award). The book itself is an interesting look at later Sendak. He's grown far more comfortable with a cartoonish style in his old age. There are plenty of speech bubbles and exclamations popping up all throughout the text. I know that Sendak has always been a great fan of "Little Nemo" so maybe this is his unofficial tribute to the great man (aside from the more obvious tribute, "In the Night Kitchen"). The illustrations to "Bears" are also a little sloppy but are by no means poorly done. Some artists (like William Steig, for example) come into an entirely new style as they age. Here Sendak employs thick black lines and broad details. His bears are sometimes (often, actually) threatening, sometimes unhappy, sometimes joyous, and always interesting to watch.

Of course, you can't go about reviewing a re-illustrated book if you haven't gone about finding the original title (with original pictures) as well. Originally illustrated by Phyllis Rowand, the 1948 production of "Bears" is an exercise in child-friendly surrealism. For example, the page that talks about "Millionaires" shows a group of bears, all different sizes, in top hats, smoking cigars, and swimming in luxurious pools (top hats still firmly in place). "Everywheres", by contrast, is a raucous weirdo conglomeration of images. Perhaps my favorite non sequitor is the mailbox which, for no particular reason, is addressed to the "Wallace Boatyard / Sound Boats, East Norwalk, Conn". Sendak's images, in contrast, are a bit less lighthearted. The two-page spread of "Giving Stares" is of threatening and frightened bears glaring at one another as Max relentlessly pursues his pup. "Collecting Fares", interestingly, is rather similar to Rowand's image. If Sendak were a young man I'm not so certain that a train would be the first thing that comes to mind with those words(let alone a train with the porters in uniform). Both illustrators also thought that "Stepping in squares" referred to sidewalk squares. Where Sendak exceeds Rowand without question is the spread of "Millionaires". Oh he goes all out on this one! There is a bear in a top hat smoking a cigar, yes. But there are also bears in furs, one who bears some resemblance to Josef von Sternberg, one in a turban, and multiple small bears with crowns and fawning features. Each bear-related portion of the book is full of zest and life and a kind of crackling energy. Not bad for a fellow who started in this genre in the 50s.

In "Dear Genius", the great children's book editor Ursula Nordstrom had this to say about the discovery of "Bears". "I remember one day Ruth Krauss brought in 5 manuscripts and had me read them while she sat by my desk and stared at me. I didn't like 4 of them but the 5th was the text of Bears (on half a piece of typewriter paper) and I went into hysterics and took it on the spot `I think you are insane,' Ruth said coldly. And a good thing too". Yup. A very good thing. I seriously doubt an author could walk into a publisher's house today with the same words and come up with a book that has half the originality and plumb gall of "Bears". And I doubt any illustrator would apply the same kind of manic glee that Sendak has shown here. It's a testament to the power of the picture books and capacity children have towards being amazed. It's not for everyone, but for those who get it, it's an exercise in absurd enjoyment.

* Marcus, Leonard S. (1993). Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom. New York: Harper Collins pgs. 64 & 280.

I have been looking for this book to get for my boys!

This was one of my favorite books when I was little! I loved the rhyming of it! So glad I found it so I can share it with my boys!

Wow, it's not very often that you see a little teddy bear hanging from a noose in a children's book. As a mom of a girl and boy (5 and 3) I was aghast. I mean, what the heck is up with that?!?

Still Ruth Krauss and Sendak... I thought I'd take a further look. But my goodness. Like a bad movie that they try to make 'better' with a host of over-the-top stars, this just stinks.

My children did not find the artwork cute, nor the text understandable. I read it twice myself before I realized that there just wasn't anything there.

One Star. Can't recommend it to anyone. Entire text follows so you can see for yourself.

Bears, bears, bears, bears, bears
On the Stairs
Under chairs
Washing hairs
Giving stares
Collecting fares
Stepping in squares
Millionaires
Bears, bears, bears, bears, bears
everywheres

***NOTE*** Other reviews listed here assume this is the Sendak-illustrated book. It is not. Notice that Amazon has listed ROWLAND as the illustrator! Two very different editions, folks. Two very different sensibilities.

My original review follows.

It's amazing how fabulous illustrations can make a difference! Sendak's illustrations in a later edition amplify and expand the text in Ruth Krauss' book. This original version, illustrated by Phyllis Rowand, is cute, but falls flat for me.

It came in great condition, with seal still on!! and paying a little extra for shipping didn't hurt.

Instead of the actual Child Development hardcover 7th edition by Berk I received the 3rd edition study guide. So I would say not to buy from this seller because they take your money and send the wrong product.

I would love to review this book, but I can't because the seller took my money and never shipped the book. I have filed a claim with Amazon, and I'm waiting further notice.

I didn't realize the pages would be in black and white like they were copied. And I don't see why the book was still just as much even though it was the economy edition.

I am so displeased with this publisher PEARSON I had to return and comment. The description of this book on Amazon hints to having the MyDevelopmentLab code seeing as how it's in the description. After spending over $100 I received the book with no codes. Our class is two weeks in and only a small handful of kids have the book. It was promised a month ago. Bad business of a publisher. I hope teachers re-think buying the latest editions. Not much has changed, I'm sure, in the last few years that a teacher couldn't look up herself and tell us about it. Instead we are forced to buy a book that doesn't even come with all it's parts!!