literature

This is probably not the edition of fairy tales you want to curl up with while reading to your three-year-old (primarily because of its measurable heft). This was the version I purchased after reading dozens of fairy tales to my sons and began wondering why these tales have been so enduring -- or, endearing -- over the centuries. Tatar's versions, along with her helpful introductions, helped me greatly understand why these stories have been handed down through the generations. She brings in not only the historical context of several French and German fairy tales, but remains as faithful to the "original" version as possible, given the fact that these were primarily oral stories being told. Of primary value within this volume for me were the numerous original-edition illustrations generously sprinkled throughout. These, as much as Tatar's well-written and researched narrative, helps the reader understand what portions of the fairy tales were emphasized over the years.

I loved this volume. It's great to know about all the different versions of fairy tales, and I especially liked the user-friendly format which lets you read the stories and savor the illustrations, along with the commentary, which is just right. I learned a lot from the introductions to each story, and I am reading some of these to my nephew, who adored "The Emperor's New Clothes," and even though he is six, he wanted to read the commentary!

This is a beautifully illustrated book. That has a lot of excellent background information on popular fairy tales. Fairy Tales are now mostly regarded as stories for children. When the truth of the stories, are much more fascinating.
Then one would think.

This is a wonderful, romantic tale, almost a saga. Though the main character is fictional, the story itself is set in an interesting historical period and the details are accurate.

Merewyn leaves Cornwall at fifteen, after the death of her mother. She travels into England in the company of Rumon, who is the historical figure Romieux de Provence, shipwrecked on the Cornish coast. Merewyn works for some time at England's royal court and then stays at a nunnery, following the assassination of one unfortunate English king. Fate intervenes dramatically with her life when she has to return to Cornwall after the death of the Abbess of her convent.

Anya Seton has woven a charming story around the figure of Rumon, a Cornish saint. Merewyn believes herself descended from the ancient, royal line of King Arthur. This is a sustaining myth in her life. Merewyn's actual parentage is far less romantic and has to do with Viking raids on the Cornish coast.

The story of the star-crossed love of Merewyn and Rumon is just one strand of this story. England in the tenth century was subject to periodic invasion from the Norsemen - this is a major part of the plot, which is romantic yet plausible. Merewyn does a great deal of travelling both planned and unexpected, to find her real identity.

I first read this novel many years ago, and have since read it many times. I warmly recommend it to new readers.

I was reading comments about Anya Seton's books, and there was one I had to heartily agree with.... to please have Seton's books printed again... as gift box sets, what a wonderful idea! She is one author who truly brings to life characters and the era, I find they haunt me. I read "Katherine" 33 years ago, I plan on re-reading that and probably others. She is a special author - please bring those books back!

I read Avalon about six years ago, when I was sixteen. My mother read it twenty-seven years ago, about five years before I was born. That's how I came to be named Merewyn. I hated my name until I read Avalon. Merewyn is a cool character, and now I'm proud to be named Merewyn.

If you love B*Witched and to know everything about them this is the book for you. It tells you about there History OF there life and there hopes and dreams for the future. There are plenty of pitures which are great.There are facts on B*Witched and even a quiz to test your knowledge. If you wanna know more about B*Witched this is most certaintly the book for you. Adam

The official book is a must for the true B*Witched fan ,such as myself. The book provides a delightfully fun yet informative insight about the girls, by the girls. The book doesn't take on the form of a stuffy autobiography, but rather takes on a fun narration of the story of the best group around. Simply said, a great book.

I love this book SO much. B*Witched is my favourite band, and this book gave me SO much info on the girls and wicked pics...I REALLY suggest getting this book if you like B,

I had no idea this book had been reprinted. I've had my copy for many years (since the early 70's) and re-read it every couple years. I was poking around the internet, looking for the ship's statistics (tonnage, in particular) and found this review page.

Now I'll have to order a new copy, as the pages in mine have all turned yellow and I have to be careful when reading it, lest it come apart. Come to think of it, I'll order two and put one in a plastic bag for when this one falls apart.

Needless to say, I think this book deserves five stars. It's a good book about one of the finest ships and crews to ever put to sea.

First, I'll admit I'm not an unbiased reviewer. My dad served in Enterprise for three hard years ('42-45), and I've made my own efforts to tell her story.

That said, "The Big E" is without peer, as both a history of the World War II-era carrier Enterprise, and as a record of what carrier warfare in the '40's was like. Stafford's prose is both elegant and -- given the records he had available in 1960 -- accurate. His descriptions are vivid: you can feel the decks whip violently at Santa Cruz, you can see the vibrant green of the Philippines at Leyte Gulf, you can sense the tension in the ready rooms at Midway. Her men are not just names on a page, but tangible characters: bold, fast-thinking, humble, optimistic, but sometimes very worried about their prospects.

There are a couple points about the book which the prospective reader should be aware of. Stafford's focus is primarily on the ship's squadrons, and less so on efforts of her crew. Originally published over 40 years ago, some of the language is a bit dated, though, again, overall the writing is superb.

The fact, however, that a 40-year old book about a ship that was decommissioned in 1947 is deemed fit to reprint in 2002 should tell you two things. The book is not a throwaway, but a genuine work of literature. And Enterprise was not just a warship, but a unique bonding of man and machine, that came through for her country when she was needed most.

I have had this book since it was first published and I can no longer keep the book together, so it is time to replace it. I'm was thriller to see it still in print.
My father was a plank owner of the BIG "E" and loved the ship with a special love that only someone who have faced death and servived can feel. It was a disgrace to have her scrapped and after readin Cdr Stafford's incredible story, I believe that everyone would agree she(and more importantly the men who seved on her) were and are national treasures

This book is a great book for kids to read by themselves. It's a series of seemingly four separate, odd stories (two stories on each page). One story is about a boy on a train, the other about kids and their parents' routine, the third is about passengers waiting for a train, and the fourth is about Holstein cows. They're all very odd stories; the parents come home wearing newspaper, Holstein cows are difficult to see, and there are pieces of newspaper flying in the air like snow.

Kids will enjoy this book because each time you read the stories, a different meaning occurs. The writing is creative and arranged imaginatively according to the words. There are some larger vocabulary words that may need to be looked up, such as avalanche, embankment, and udder. Because of the four stories and strange situations, this book would probably be more appropriate for more advanced readers in 2nd and 3rd grade. I even had to read it four times to figure out the stories and how they're related.

I enjoyed this book. Not knowing what to expect, my husband and I read each of the four stories individually. After finishing one we'd start over and begin with another. Macauley should be lauded for the different modes of art he employs, if nothing else. The watercolor illustrations of a boy on a train differ nicely from the pen and ink drawings of the two kids and their crazy parents. Most enjoyable, perhaps, is the series of train station commuters, waiting for the train and slowly going mad. Kids will enjoy following the escaped criminal (complete with black mask and black & white striped shirt) as he runs from story to story throughout the book. This would not read especially well to a large group of children, seeing as how the pictures are particularly small and difficult to follow from a distance. Also some of these stories lack words altogether. But individual children will enjoy finding new and different details in each of the four tales. Altogether, a fascinating book.

This book clearly deserves more than five stars for its brilliant plot, fascinating design, terrific illustrations, and thought-provoking premise. This book will stretch the imagination and thinking of anyone who sees it, no matter of what age or intellect. And the process of doing the thinking will be enormous good fun.

The book starts with a warning. "This book appears to contain a number of stories that do not necessarily occur at the same time." Then you get hints. It might contain more than one story, or it might be four stories, or then again, four parts of one story. "Careful inspection of both words and pictures is recommended." You will be a story detective, not unlike someone trying to solve a crime after the fact.

Each page is divided into four stories, each of which generally takes up one-fourth of the page. They are located in the same position relative to one another so you can keep the story thread you are following straight. Each has a title.

"Seeing Things" is about a boy taking his first train trip alone. After a long, mysterious delay, he arrives at a large station to be greeted by his parents. His mother sympathizes with his difficult journey.

"Problem Parents" relates how perfectly normal, hard-working parents return from commuting to work one night wearing costumes made out of newspapers. Soon, they have their children costumed this way too.

"A Waiting Game" shows a crowd of adults waiting for the commuter train on an outdoor platform. Pretty soon they get bored, and the fun begins.

"Udder Chaos" starts with a cow licking a man in a convict suit, and shows how cattle provide camouflage for themselves and everything around them.

An occasional element from one of the stories crosses over, and shows up in another story. From these tiny steps, you can begin to unravel the tangled plot.

The book earned the Caldecott Medal for the best illustrated children's book in 1991. I think this is outstandingly illustrated, even for a Caldecott winner. The images carry the story much more than the occasional words do. Without the fascinating visual display of the book's concept, there would be no story here that you could unravel.

Upon rereading, you and your child will grasp additional meaning in the images and words. This will give you a lot to talk and think about. As such, you will welcome this over all of the books where you read the same story in the same way, over ... and ... over ... and ... over ... again.

One of the most difficult things for a child to learn is how subjective perception is. I think this book is terrific for making that point, and helping to create an appreciation for clear communication. I suggest that every family with children purchase and regularly read this book.

After you have enjoyed this book many times, I suggest that you think about where else a partial story is presented. For example, you and your child might go to a train station or airport and watch the people. You could make up stories about what you see. Then, I suggest that you go up and interview the people to hear what they think their story is.

Find the harmony, under the muddied surface of subjective, unfocused perception!

This relatively small book (165 pages) offers an engaging peek into the mind of a brilliant novelist and scholar. Consisting of interviews, speeches, and published work, Kundera expounds on his literary beliefs about what makes a great novel. My favorite sections are the interviews because of their immediacy and accessibility, although the author's most profound insights arise from his discussion of other authors: Kafka, Cervantes, Tolstoy, Flaubert, and others.

Writers, students of literature, and Kundera's faithful readers should find much to think about in these pages. This is not a light discourse on how to write a novel; Kundera takes his art seriously, in both deeply instinctive and scholarly ways. Those looking for a how-to book would be well-served to look elsewhere.

Milan Kundera is a Czechoslavakian writer who lives in France. He's written a number of novels, among the THE BOOK OF LAUGHTER AND FORGETTING and THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING. In this, his first nonfiction effort, Kundera relates the concept of the novel to his own work. The first two essays were inspired by an interview he gave to The Paris Review on his practical experiences with the art of the novel.

His focus goes beyond his own work, however. Kundera presents some rather intense and unusual analyses of his personal favorite writers: Cervantes, Rabelais, Sterne, Diderot, Flaubert, Tolstoy and Kafka, to name just a few.

This is a book for the scholarly reader; the reader who knows literature. It is one that illuminates all sorts of possibilities for writing the novel, for Kundera points out the the novel can express life in ways that can't be achieved by any other form.

He moves from the general to the specific -- from the form of the novel, to the way others have used it, to his own work. Particularly interesting is his dictionary of 63 key words which he says are essential to understanding his fiction. His observations about the state of contemporary Russian literature -- what is being published and why -- are fascinating. He also expresses his frustration, as an author, with translators of his works and how they handle language.

"The art of reading," wrote Andre Maurois, "is in great part that of acquiring a better understanding of life from one's encounter with a book." Readers will come away from this with a better understand of the novel as an expression of life as well as deeper insight into a number of classical works.

Well it so hard to pick a favorite Kundrea book because they are all so Brilliant, but I might pick this one.

Welcome to a little paradise where a little girl named Betsy is going to go to school for the first time. She is going to first grade, I guess there was no kindergarten back then. You won't find any magic spells or dinosaurs or Sponge Bob square pants in this book. Not even a talking mouse. Instead real things happen that kids can really connect to. It all seems so real, you feel like you are there. This book shows you how to get along in class and how to make new friends. Betsy sets a good example for our children in being respectful, caring, helpful, energetic and curious: all the things you need for school. There is no danger to be scared of in this book and yet the visit to this place is so enjoyable that you don't need danger to bring excitement. The adults also set a good example for us. They are respectful and helpful and always doing their best. The best part about this book is that there's more. In the next book, Betsy goes to 2nd grade and surprise! Miss Grey has also been promoted to the 2nd grade. The children are delighted and so is Miss Grey. The book is called Betsy and Billy. Some things never change. There will always be friends and dogs and teachers and birthday parties. Something will always get lost and a good surprise will always happen. You will always have to figure out your problems cleverly and honestly. You will find in this book the things that don't change with the times. You will also find some things did change but you wish they didn't because in your heart you know that that's the way things should be.

I was introduced to this book by my third grade teacher. I quickly became a fan of Caroline Haywood's children's books after reading this creation of a masterful author. Betsy is a principal character in a number of her literary works. This book introduces us to the world of an observant and energetic little girl who ponders regularly about the complexities of growing up and facing the challenges of both internal and external conflicts.(p)

Betsy is a character who most of us can probably relate to. How many of us wish we were kids again??!!! This book is the first in a series of books by Haywood revolving around the life of the child Betsy. I would highly recommend it as a start to understanding the Betsy character and constantly reminding everyone that there is probably a Betsy in himself/herself. It is a timeless children's classic and would be light reading for kids in elementary school.

Found this lovely little book in the "discard" pile at the library, so I grabbed it for my two daughters (ages 6 & 8). The book is about 150 pages with 10 chapters and pictures throughout for personal enjoyment. I immediately enjoyed the book from chapter 1, and each night I read a chapter with my girls, asking them questions about what's happening, what's happened, and what they think is going to happen. They are really relating to the adventures. Simple, yet entertaining. Love how little educational tidbits are placed in the story. It's a wonderful learning tool. Honestly, my daughters are begging for the next chapter each night! That's why I'm online now trying to order another book by this lovely author. Never a dull moment. Recommend this little gem highly! - Happy Mom. :)

One of the many books that pushed me into enjoying the science fiction genre. The concept for this book is incredibly original and really appealed to me when I was younger and still appeals to me many years later.

This story alternates between the point of view of the two main characters - Connie, a typical American teen and Rudy, the crown prince of a small (fictional) European country. They share a secret bond that no one else is aware of - they suffer headaches and fainting spells, but when one passes out they enter the other's mind and share what they see and hear. The 'visitor' cannot communicate with them, but the 'awake' teen is aware of the other's presence in their mind. Both guard their secret relationship fiercly until one night Rudy is kidnapped while Connie is 'with' him and she has to convince her family, and his, so that she can help to rescue him.

Connie and Rudy are both extremely well developed characters. The plot is well developed and keeps the reader involved to the very end.

Something about the idea of occasionally co-existing with someone from so far away and sharing a relationship that is so close and so private is really appealing, despite the problems it caused the main characters. Every kid wants a friend who truly understands them and this is a great manifestation of that desire.

Connie ("I hate Constance") Hendrix and Rudolph (Rudy) - the crown prince of the ficticious Thulgaria - were born at the same moment, with brain waves that are nearly identical, though this is theoretically impossible. These similarities, besides making them the best of friends, even across vast distances, also give them the special gift of sharing their minds by telepathy. It was during one of these involuntary sharings that Connie is witness to Rudy's kidnapping and is the only one who can help him.

Although the plot is fantasy / sci-fi in nature, just about anyone will enjoy this wonderful story. In fact, I think this is probably the first fantasy book that I read. Hmm, and ten years later I'm still reading it! Definitely a must read!

I read this book as the mother of an advanced reading 8 yr. old and was very pleased to see a book with action and adventure WITHOUT the sex, swearing and other things so many today think is necessary to tell a story. I'd like to write the author personally to thank her!

Borgel is a classic example of Daniel Pinkwater's very imaginative, creative, and captivating writing style. A very good example of that indeed , I enjoyed it thoroughly. The basic story is as follows, a boy who lives in a relatively boring, normal family, one day is startled by a man at the front door claiming to be a relative of the family and in need of a place to stay. The family obliges and the man comes to live with them. The man (Borgel) takes the boy (Melvin Spellbound) on a long trip and they have many unexpected adventures. Good words to use when talking about this book would be unique, interesting, funny, fantastic, goofy, unexpected, ingenious, weird, and that's just to name a few. If you like hearing about new, interesting, people, places, and things, then this is a great book for you. They encounter all sorts of amazing and intriguing people and things. Everything from giant popsicle museums , to bloboforms who own root beer float stands. This book is less of a book than an experience, one must however, enter with an open mind, because without an open mind, one is doomed to monotony, which this reading experience does not provide. It instead provides a colorful, exciting, (as much as this may sound monotonous), imaginative new perspective of things. The physics of time will be revealed, the dimensions of space will be unveiled, the very reasons for life will be explained to you in this book. Someone who wants to learn about how to plant azaleas however, should read something else. I actually found this book rather refreshing, because instead of dealing with the corruption, indecency, and everything dragging our country down a moral sewer, or people going insane from war, or how hard it is to leave home and everything you love, this book shines as a golden ray of light in a mire of depressing, monotonous, dark books. Frankly, I was getting sick for a second of all those books they make you read in school about conspirators killing people and mothers killing their sons. I was ready for something new, and this was the book for me. I think it will be the for you as well.

Whenever I read any of Mr. Pinkwater's books I am amazed at the range and intelligience of this humorist.
"Borgel" has become one of my favorites. From the first chapter I was hooked. The arrival of Borgel ,a flaky, casual genius, to the home of Melvin and his family is like a spark to dry wood. The world that "Uncle Borgel" takes his "Nephew" is fantastic but oddly comparable to our own (though I don't believe you'll be able to get any french fried meteorites in your local McDonald's).
This story moves along with a series of events that keeps one's mind sparked and one's lips twitching with laughter.
Mr. Pinkwater's "Borgel" flows like melted popsicles.

Borgel is a fast-paced space adventure strongly reminiscent of Douglas Adams' 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'. At least five years after first reading it, I still tell the Aesops' Fable parodies as jokes (acknowledging their origin, of course :)).

It has been a long time, probably eight years, since I read this book, but I still remember it fondly. I'm now a senior in college, majoring in history, and as I sat in History of World War II today, I thought of how much I learned from this book. I enjoyed it, and now I really want to reread it. It is a good read, and it stays with you. A must for anyone interested in the perspective of a civilian living under Nazi and later Russian occupation. I also particularly remember the afterward and how much I enjoyed it, how the author fell in love with an American and married him. It was so touching, and it made me love the book even more.

I'm reading this book for the second time and I still love it! It's about a ballet dancer named Emmy, who struggles with the changes of World War 2 and how she copes with going from a sheltered life to poverty. I whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone

Eleven years after the first time I read this book, it is still one of my favorites. I ordered it when I was in the 7th grade from one of those Scholastic order sheets, and read it over and over and over again. Now I teach 7th grade and am excited to read it to my class. I lost my original copy, but am extremely relieved to have found a copy on-line. This copy I will keep close at all times!