literature

We bought these books for my daughter when she was only a few months old. Every day I would open the books for her and show her the different pictures, telling her what everything was. My daughter will be two in Dec and she now sits for long periods of time reading these books by herself. She can identify nearly every object either by pointing at it when I ask her where it is or saying the word. This is a wonderful set of books that I highly reccommend to everyone.

Wow,

I'm a positive thinker so I got this set for our daughter when she was still 8 months old. Now at 18 months, they're so used we've had to duct-tape the bindings. OK all you parents, throw out the videos and gadgets and RUN straight out and buy these books. The color, the layout and the quality are all terrific. OK, I'll admit that our girl seems to love books best of all, but these are by far her favorites. She really started taking them seriously as soon as she touched them. The pictures and they way they are categorized make for fun learning and they worked so well, we had to buy the bath time versions just to get her to put them down in the bath.

Our kids will bring these books to us over and over pointiong to animals objects and look at us waiting to hear the name of the object. It's become one of our favorite things to do.

Wild Swan is one of the best books I have ever read, and there are two more books in this trilogy that are just as good!! Celeste DeBlasis has another book, The Proud Breed, which is equally good...in fact, my daughter is named for the main character in that book. Read these books, and ENJOY! you'll want to read them over and over again!!

I read Wild Swan, originally when I was 17. I'm now 32 and have read all of Ms. DeBlasis' books - I'm on my third copy. Wild Swan is the first in a series of three. Another of her books, 'The Proud Breed' is a must if you want to get a feel for her storytelling without committing yourself to three books.

"wild Swan" is the opening of a trilogy which spans close to 100 years in a family involved with smuggling, horsebreeding and racing and ship building. No one is perfect, everyone has faults and fears. From the coast of Cornwall to Maryland horse country and from the infancy of the 19th century to its near conclusion in 1892, we see portions of 6 generations of Thaines/Carringtons/Falconers and the hope of the 7th in the near future.

All of Ms. DeBlasis characters are real to the reader and generate emotional links as if we could reach out and touch them.

A definite must for anyone

I took "Wild Swan" and some of the author's other books with me on a vacation to Europe. Big mistake! I hardly saw anything except for the hotel room - all because I could not put her marvelous books down! I just loved the "Wild Swan" trilogy so much that I included a swan as part of my ranch logo. Her other books are just as compelling. Hopefully, there are more of this author's writings "in the works". These books will fill your heart :) THANK YOU CELESTE!

My two year old son absolutely loves this story. The cute rhyme-style keeps his attention...and the colorful, detailed pictures keep him pointing and talking for quite some time. We particularly like all of the colorful characters who enter the taxi...this book is a real winner in our home.

Truly one of the best children's books out there. The illustrations are incredibly rich, colorful and detailed and the story is so inventive and charming. I love Maxi! I bought this book today and read it to my 4 month old daughter. It held her attention the entire time--quite a feat! It's no wonder--the beautiful lyrical story with its rhymes and the gorgeous artwork are a delightful combination. I can't say enough about this charming story. What a plus that proceeds of the book go to a worthy animal cause. I want to see more of Maxi's adventures!

This is a wonderful story for children. I have bought several and given them as gifts. I always get comments from parents about how much their children love this book. The rhymes are enjoyable to read out loud.

Alice in Between is my favorite book in the Alice series, of 12 books. It tells about Alice McKinley, who has just turned 13 at the end of seventh grade, and expects it to be wonderful. However, being a teenager and at an "in between" age is harder than she thinks, though she and her friends still have some great, often hilarious times together. A fancy date, taking the "pencil test", and going on a train trip to Chicago are a few of the things that happen. This is a book that all girls 11 and up can relate to, I'm sure! I've never read a book that is so true to life - Phyllis Naylor is amazing! If you liked this book, be sure to read the others in the series.

Sorry, that was me freaking out at how good this book was! I found it even more realistic and even more popping! I now feel I am one of the characters in this book. I also think that the part of the story where Pamela dressed up to be nineteen, got a date with a guy, flirted with him all night, kissed him, went into her compartment, the guy followed her in and if it hadn't been for Alice and Elizabeth throwing themselves at the door and screaming, she would've been raped very cautionary! Take this story to heart, no grain of salt needed and you may be surprised at how feel when this story is over.

Blessed be!!

this book is really great. it's about alice turning 13 and she, Pamela, and Elizabeth going to Chicago over the summer for a week. To visit Aunt Sally because that was her b-day present to Alice.
At the end of the year, a teacher retires and Miss Summers gives everyone an assignment about poetry that is true. I like this book because the author indicates about friendships, going through changes when you're 13, and learning about sad things that had happened back in the past.
Like the fact Alice had accidentally memorized her wrong poem in class. The poem she had said was about her mother. It was sentimental and really sad.
So on the train to Chicago, Pamela meets a guy who is disrepectful. So read it for yourself. It explains about REAL teenage life and friendships. And Pamela gets gum in her hair and getting it cut really short.
Elizabeth tells Alice and Pamela about God. Like refusing to forgive someone is an unforgiveable sin and what God looks like in her opinion.
Alice's dad and Miss Summers go at a music conference together in Michigan when Alice gets back. So for the second time, read this if you're curious with REAL teenage life as 13.

WotF XIX is a compilation of excellent stories (with a few, notable exceptions) spanning the genre range from historical fiction through horror and fantasy to science fiction. Despite the ever-present copy-editing errors, this was a very good read.

I would put the stories in four categories of excellence (well, three of excellence and one of crap).

Group One: The best

Walking Rain - Ian Keane's tale of supernatural beings in present day America, reminiscent (but not derivative) of American Gods, is compelling. The writing is lush, the characterizations beautiful. Hands down the best of the best. I can't say enough about this story. The book is worth buying for this story alone.

Into The Gardens of Sweet Night - Algis Budrys weaves a fairy tale-like tapestry of words as a boy takes a fantastic journey into the sky looking for the fabled gardens. Sometimes the discussions on freedom get a bit thick, but still great.

Blood and Horses - Myke Cole brings us a story of military sf where rebels riding horses seek the oil that gives life, losing their own blood fighting against a technically far superior opponent.

Group Two: The very excellent (in no particular order)

From All the Work Which He Had Made - Michael Churchman's style is strikingly odd at first, but within a page he had made me a convert with this interesting tale about the development of a humanoid robot exploring the questions of his soul.

Dark Harvest - Geoffrey Girard brings us a story about what happens when you find your worst nightmare dying in a field, and it becomes a tourist attraction. Excellent writing, and a wonderful story.

Beautiful Singer - Steve Bein's story of a haunted sword is elegant in its way of presenting feudal Japanese culture and characters. Every word of this story echoes with the culture of the samurai. The only thing holding back this most savory of writing from the top slot was the way the ending rushed together (a common difficulty in short-story writing).

A Few Days North of Vienna - Brandon Butler takes us along as a band of thieves join up with a group of vampire hunters to eradicate those evil creatures. The plot is nothing new or innovative, but the writing is top notch, and that's more important anyway.

Group Three: The still excellent (still in no particular order)

A Ship That Bends - whatever Butler lacked in innovation, Luc Reid makes up for in spades with his characters who live on a flat world and must build a bending ship if they wish to sail to the other side without falling off. The ending is its great weakness, suddenly ending the story before it really reaches its climax. Fun world, great writing, but it just stops cold.

A Silky Touch to No Man - a weak ending is also the problem with Robert J. Defendi's exploration of life in the near future where virtual reality has become the only reality. For a murder mystery, it was painfully apparent "whodunit" from the very beginning. But the writing is strong and the world well conceived (almost scary, actually) which makes it fun anyway.

Gossamer - Ken Liu offers a scenario where Earth finally makes contact with an alien species, and has no idea if they can even communicate. Art seems to be the only thing the Gossamers are interested in, but what does that mean? Interesting twist on the first contact plot.

Numbers - Joel Best brings us a stark account of a world where mathematicians can do almost anything, including make animals and people. In this world one woman seeks to create the perfect mate, but learns that perfection (and creation) are about more than doing everything flawlessly.

Group Four: The stories that really don't belong

Trust Is A Child - Matthew Candelaria's overly long story of negotiations with aliens is really just a painful rehash of about a thousand other identical stories, offering no new slants or anything. That alone wouldn't make it so horrible, but the main character is painfully stupid, and the plot has a hole in it the size of a small star system (it has to do with her being stopped by Marine guards while the aliens can just cruise on by and enter her private quarters without explanation). Also, her solution to being stopped is just horrible (apparently the guard is even dumber than she is). Still, with a good edit and re-write, I think it could have been decent, so I wouldn't write off the author.

A Boy and His Bicycle - Carl Frederick offers a story about just that: a boy and his bike. They don't do anything interesting, or go anywhere fun, or give us any reason not to hope that they just crash into a bus and die. The only saving grace is that it's short and over quickly. And to think this story got first place that quarter...

Bury My Heart At the Garrick - Steve Savile takes the prize for plodding, pointlessness. This story of Houdini was confusing, but not in that good way where you want to know what's going on, more in the way where you just don't care and want to skip to the next story. I kept reading to see if it would get better (imagine a short story that took me a week to read!). It didn't.

I love short story anthologies and this is a book packed with good stories. from "Blade of the Bunny" to a thought provoking "The Price of Tea in China" every story is a must read. The tales are mixed with thoughtful tips and hints for new writers and the whole book makes a worthwhile text for anyone trying their hand at writing.

While I do not get a chance to read much science fiction, I decided to pick up this book mainly because I enjoy short stories. And I must say that this book surprised me. There are a number of well-written, very entertaining stories in this book. There is also a good amount of variety. As more than 12 authors contribute to this book, if you are not a fan of one story, you can move onto the next. There should be four stories in this book that will captivate you. From the quality of the prose and the structure of the stories, I was at first surprised to see that these are first time authors. Now realizing that these are contest winnners from L Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future contest, it makes more sense. My favorites include Oragami Cranes, Eating Drinking and Walking, Windseekers, and Rewind (for it's writing style).

A story I've read many times since it was first published, To Sir, With Love tells of an extraordinary teacher, a mentor for all of us in the profession. His teaching style was one wherein the basic values of respect and dignity were realized in every student; and what an outstanding role model he was for those students in the East End of London. I had the extreme honor of meeting the author back in 1967. He spoke at a school-wide assembly, and later welcomed my students at the Guyana Embassy in New York, where he served as United Nations Ambassador. A gentleman, an exemplary teacher, a role model, a mentor...his story reflects all these attributes. Thank you, "Sir" for your story, one that lives on and touches all who read it. Lois Finn Magovern, Longmeadow, Massachusetts

First things first. I am not related to E.R. Braithwaite. I teach high-risk students in one of the most impoverished schools in the United States, not in the United Kingdom. I am an author--my debut mystery is in its initial release. With those disclaimers in place, I want to clearly state my unequivocal admiration for TO SIR, WITH LOVE. It is a must-read book for any teacher worth her classroom. It tells the tale of Mr. Braithwaite and his struggles to teach poor teenagers on the verge of adulthood in one of the poorest neighborhoods of London. His story rings true. Being a non-Latino teaching Latino students, I understand the racial tensions in the story. The difficulties in getting students to focus on goals more distant in the future than the upcoming weekend are also painfully true. The need for creative and heartfelt approaches to these educational challenges is additionally made clear. And, of course, the inspirational tone of the book is exactly what is needed in this day and age. TO SIR, WITH LOVE should be more widely read than it already is, and I hope every teacher has similar inspirational tales to tell, as does E.R.Braithwaite and this reviewer.

To Sir, with Love is an unbelievably inspiring story. E. R. Braithwaite, the author of this memoir, captures the shame and hatred of prejudices and racism. The journey begins in the East End of London, during the 1940's. Mr. Braithwaite teaches at Greenslade Secondary School, which is surrounded by poor neighborhoods filled with social vermin. Rick Braithwaite is a young black man, born in South America, who just got out of the Air Force. Now in Britain, Braithwaite's looking for a career, mainly to pay for food, but things don't work out as planned. He came to know the virus of prejudice very well, as he was turned down from job after job. Braithwaite described feeling "caught like an insect in the tweezer grip of prejudice." Teaching became the cure to set him free.

Braithwaite is placed in a classroom full of rude, obnoxious children, but little does he know that these are the children who will change his life. In the beginning, he described that he wanted this job, "but it would be a job, not a labor of love." Then, after spending time with the students, Mr. Braithwaite began "learning from them as well as teaching them." The class may have problems in their home lives, but when they enter the classroom, Mr. Braithwaite joins them on a journey to adulthood. The students ask many questions, which allows them to acquire the knowledge they deserve. On occasion the questions touch upon people of different races, and Mr. Braithwaite gives mature answers, and speaks to them as adults. Braithwaite's theory is to treat his students older than they are so they will behave more grownup. With a teacher who respects his students, they, in return, accept him and honor him with the courtesy of "Sir".

An English woman, Gillian Blanchard, is also a new teacher at Greenslade, and she and Rick develop a relationship. Although they see themselves as a normal couple, no one else can agree with Rick and Gillian's relationship. Even strangers make judgments about them and treat Rick like he is worthless. Does Gillian have enough strength to keep their relationship together? Was she truly free from the virus of racial intolerance? In the end, they are confident with their love for each other, and Rick demonstrates his confidence by finally standing up for himself to Gillian's parents. Most of all he explained how much he cared for their daughter as he says, "I would not have cared if she had been blue or green." Their relationship contributes to Braithwaite's discovery of himself and how people treat him.

It is helpful to the story that the characters are real people with which we can relate. The dialect is detailed and interesting, which makes me think further about the text and my own life. I can really feel for the people in this story, especially Mr. Braithwaite. Reading history firsthand from someone's point of view is always interesting to me, and the author's use of metaphors and creative words influence me to get caught up with the story. This book truly interests me because of the issues it discusses, such as equal rights and self-discovery. For example, throughout the story, Mr. Braithwaite realizes that it was not his skin color holding him back, it was his attitude. He reflects that, "At first it was terrible, but gradually I'm learning what it means to live with dignity inside my black skin."

There are also some elements of this book that did take away from the story. First of all, I was somewhat confused in the beginning because I was overwhelmed with characters and their descriptions. It was hard to remember the characters, and I wasn't sure which ones were important or main characters. Some of Braithwaite's descriptions are also hard to decipher. For example, he would often describe the beauty and maturity of Pamela Dare, a student in his class. As the story progresses, Mr. Braithwaite's intentions with Pamela become unclear. On page 212, he describes Pamela when she arrives at the senior party. "She presented a picture of sheer beauty and I gazed at her in wonder." Lastly, because this story is based in Britain, I had a hard time following some of the conversations. Braithwaite also used words like Cockney, which is a British dialect of East End Londoners, glibness, and cheek by jowl. I discovered that glibness was used to describe the shallowness of Gillian's parents, and cheek by jowl is an expression, meaning tightly packed. I don't blame the author for this, but I felt that I missed out on the full effect of the story because I didn't read with a British accent.

To Sir, with Love is definitely a book I would recommend to someone probably high school level or older. I think anyone who reads this story will walk away with a broader view on life and how he or she lives it. The quotes Braithwaite uses will really make you think, and his words will stay engraved in your mind. I am someone who was never ridiculed for the color of my skin, or where I was from, which is why it is so interesting to read from someone who had to face prejudices on a regular basis. The most memorable and thought-provoking concept E. R. Braithwaite wrote was on page 45. "I realized at that moment that I was British, but evidently not a Briton, that fine differentiation was now very important". This was the reason he could not live normally. This quote also encourages me to reflect on whether or not I'm American. However, the difference between Braithwaite and me is that he was never really accepted as a British citizen. He had thought of himself as someone who had the same rights as anyone else in the country, but then came to find that the unwritten rules of prejudices would soon take charge of his life.

At first, what appealed me to this book was the beautiful illustrations by Fred Marcellino. After I read the story, I just fell in love with it all as a whole! The story is of fish, foxes, swans, sparrows, gulls, and -of course- weasels. The anthropomorphic critters live together in a weasel community. The story's heros -Zeke Whitebelly, Wendy Blackish, and Bagley Brown Jr.- are all enchanting and caught in a wistful story of love, heroism, and fish. Oh yes, the fish? Let's just say that, in this story, love can be so strong that no amount of differences can deter from that. Personally, I think of it as a wonderful story about breaking beyond people's differences and truely seeing into one's heart as they really are. It is a wonderful treat for all ages. Just perfect to be appealing for kids and adults alike. Together, with Marcellino's black & white and color pictures, this story delights!

This book is about a group of weasels that live on Long Island in the Wainscott Woods. The story is about the life of the weasels. The main characters of the book are Bagley Brown, which is famous for his name because his father built the Double-B which is used for transporting eggs from a farm. After his father made the tunnel he was never seen again because a night owl got him, but only Bagley knew. Zeke is a nice weasel and a good dancer. Wendy is a girl from the north fork. The story is about the many adventures of Bagley. It is a great book with super great illustrations, I am a nine year old boy and I loved this book.

Bagley Brown is a loner in the weasel community of Long Island's Wainscott woods. He doesn't ever dance, doesn't ever socalize. Surprising behavior of someone with a famous father, the very weasel who coordinated the digging of the famous Double B, a tunnel that leads right to a henhouse. Bagley's thinking about Bridget, a brook trout who lives in a pond down the brook from his den. But a horrific threat, from an osprey terrorising the pond, endangers Bridget's life. But what can one small weasel do about it? A beautifully written tale, with delightful illustratitons. The ending is a bit sad, however. :-( Don't overlook this book, no matter what your age!

I am a proud owner of the Big Aiiiieee. It is absolutely refreshing to hear from other voices than the popular writers such as Tan, Kingston, and Hwang. Chin certainly has made many great and valid points. Tan, Kingston, and Hwang, together, represent a body of cultural sensationalism against especially 'Asian American' men. I agree with Chin on many points; however, Tan, Kingston, and Hwang are wholly to be blamed.
First of all, the term "Asian American" should be eradicated. I am not an Asian American. I am a Chinese-Vietnamese American, as specific as that. With that in mind, this anthology is mainly composed of Chinese and Japanese-American perspectives. Where are representational voices of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, and South Asian people (India, Parkistan, Burma).
Secondly, I agree with Mr. Chin that Tan's and Kingston's portrayal of Chinese culture is primitive and backward. Tan's Joy Luck Club contains lot of images that promote cultural sensationalism and exoticism. For example, An Mei's mother cuts her flesh from her arm and dumps them into her grandmother's soup. The non-asian readers will subsequently thrive on this stereotype and apply it for all "Asians." This is like another form of canibalism. Another example of cultural sensationalism is the uncle eating live, jumping shrimps with his chopsticks (or Did I miss something?). As for Kingston, the Woman Warrior clearly was written with an intention as a feminist piece. Because there is no greatly equal novel to dispute its exaggerated feminism, mainstream readers take this as a true portrayal of Chinese/Asian men -- brutal rapists.
Furthermore and on a positive note, what makes this anthology fresh is the fact that it includes other fresh(not new)but neglected voices such as Louis Chu, John Okana, Monica Sone, Gish Jen, and so on, writers that are not given a fair chance in mainstream publishing.
Finally, I think this is a great anthology. Unfortunately, it does not truly represent me and my Vietnamese American community. What I got from reading this anthology is a sense of freshness as far as perspective is concerned; however, emotionally, I am more identified with Flannery O'connor, Toni Morrison, and Duong Thu Huong.
For those dire fans of Mr. Chin and harsh critics of interracial relationship: He married a caucasian woman, so are some of his colleagues.
Beware of whom you worship!

My boyfriend (he's Chinese) saw my copies of Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston books, he wasn't happy with my selections of these so-called Asian-American books, so he gave me the Big Aiiieeeee! I was surprised what Tan and Kingston have done (read Frank Chin's article...it's a blast!). I have to admit that I still like their (Tan and Kingston) books, but they don't represent Asian-Americans that's for sure. There are some Asian girls I know who are ashamed of being... well, Asians, so they go out with White guys (ever heard of that bimbo Margaret Cho?). I don't have a problem with that (with people going out with different races other than their own), but it seems that they're ashamed of their own heritage. They should get this book and read Sui Sin Far. Now, my favorite author! She writes about how a White woman falls in love with a Chinese man. And in spite of laws banning interracial marriage she was still not ashamed of him!

Since the publication of this book, it has been criticized for it's "machismo, misogynist" morale. Guess who these criticisms are coming from? White feminists (or those who support them). They cannot look beyond history and textual matter, instead they force and assume their principles and try (and unforunately, they succeeded) to make this a battle of Women's rights. I have read Chin's "Come All Ye Asian American Writers of the Real and of the Fake" and in nowhere is there any misogynistic dictum. Why? Because this isn't a matter of Women's views or MEN'S! It's about history and how it should be interpreted. People like Kingston, Hwang, and Tan want to deconstruct Asian American history. Feminists want to help Kingston's and Tan's deconstructive views by arbitrarily labeling Chin as a misogynist. If Chin or the editors of The Big Aiiieeeee! were misogynist why would they have women writers in this anthology? Just because there aren't that many women writers doesn't mean it's totally and utterly sexist. Could it be because there aren't that many authentic Asian American women writers?! If there are no authentic texts to Asia America, would it hurt to say that stereotypes (or whatever) are actually right?

I picked up this book from this book sale, and from the sound of it, it seemed pretty exciting. But once I started reading, it didn't sit well with me. ESP and medieval 'time travelling' is great and all that, but it didn't have the emotional aspect of it. The 'link' Juniper and Dylan shared weren't exaclty expressed properly. Overall, it wasn't what I was expecting. You may like it, but it wasn't my type of book.

I was so shocked to discover that this book is out of print. It is one of the best books I've ever read, right up there with Donna Jo Napoli's and Philip Pullman's stuff. The plot looks really weird, but once you're into it, you won't be able to put it down, read it, read it, read it!! See if it's in the library--that's probably easier than an out-of-print order. A Time Of Darkness (by the same author) is also EXCELLENT. Other out of print books I highly recommend are The Silver Crown and A Pack Of Lies: 12 stories in one.

The first Sherryl Jordan book I read was Winter of Fire, that will probably always be my favorite. Neverthess, The Juniper Game is not just a good book, it's a great book. It so thought provoking, can people really do all that mind-travelling stuff?? It is also very amusing, my favorite part is where Dylan is drunk from the Hippocras and Juniper runs out to the balcony and starts the Romeo and Juliet stuff. Very funny. If you're a fan of Sherryl Jordan's, this is a must read, and even if you're not, you must read this book!! I also recomend The Winter of Fire

According to the introductory note in the Dover Thrift Edition, "Medea," the play by Euripedes, was first produced in 431 BC. After more than two millennia, this remains a powerfully written human tragedy. The Dover Thrift edition features an English translation by Rex Warner; this very effective translation manages to sound both classic and contemporary at the same time.

"Medea" tells a story involving the classical Greek hero Jason and Medea, by whom he has fathered two children. As the play opens, Jason has angered Medea by taking on another woman to be his wife. This conflict drives the drama forward. "Medea" is a gripping story about love, parenthood, politics, betrayal, anger, and revenge. There is a subtle but fascinating theme of ethnic tension as Medea and Jason clash. Finally, I believe that, after all these centuries, Euripedes' sociological and psychological insights remain compelling.

"Medea" is a classical work that many have heard of, but few have actually read. It is the story of the wife of Jason, leader of Argonauts, and her chilling plot of revenge against an unfaithful husband and his new child-bride. The play is short, concise, and powerfully unnerving. Whether this is a history of misogyny or a warning of the vengeance of a wronged woman is a matter better left to scholarly debate. Provocative, disturbing, and at times heartbreaking, this is a definite must-read for neo-Classicists and avid readers alike. Not to be missed.

Euripides play "Medea" is a timeless reminder that certain human characteristics are universal in nature. Medea's readers will notice that, even despite they live 2,000 years after this play was written, the same types of disputes between individuals occur. Men still cheat on women, and women, just as then, had strong emotional displeasure with such behavior. What Euripides could never imagine is that this is an excellent story about evolutionary psychology. This story does not justify such behavior, and, in fact, shows that the consequences can be deadly.

We see today that the story of Medea is on every single day in our living rooms! Yes--every soap opera is about women who have been hurt by a man, while that man, because of biological instincts that encourage him to look for a variety of women--will search near and far for another female who will accept him. What most stories do not explain, however (and especially not in that time era) is that women do feel immense pain from this, mostly emotional. Medea was able to use that emotional anger she had -- and use it to cause physical and emotional pain on her philandering husband. The only question is, did she need to kill her children to make that point? That remains to be seen.

Michael Gordon