The illustrations are brightly colored and engaging for babies. The text is interesting for older children and adults alike.
Its a wonderful way to introduce children to other cultures in a medium they can understand and appreciate: parenting.

I wish I'd had this book when I was teaching! A Ride On Mother's Back provides myriad opportunities for discussion and further reading. I was especially pleased to see a sister and even a grandfather 'wearing' their respective babies in this delightful world tour. The book presents a wide variety of cultures while providing a comforting commonality -- people everywhere loving their babies, and babies everywhere being included in community life. The book even provides a short appendix in which you'll find brief information about each culture presented (what a great way to encourage further research)and a pronunciation guide for the names of the cultures. One tiny criticism: the author doesn't provide pronunciation hints for the names of the individuals in the book. I'd like to be able to pronounce the names as accurately as possible. This book inspired my 3 1/2 yr. old daughter to look at the children's atlas that she'd been ignoring since last Christmas, and has sparked her interest in geography. Our well-loved copy is dog-eared and worn -- what better recommendation could a book have?

My two year old daughter and I really enjoy this book! The illustrations are very colorful and vibrant. I love the fact that she is learning about different cultures in a fun context. We really enjoy reading this book togther and discussing the pictures and what the babies and mommies and daddies and grandparents are doing. This is a truly wonderful book that depicts babies as a sweet part of daily life - not seperate from it. This book also validates our way of life for our daughter [breastfeeding and carrying her in a sling]. Its a really nice book all the way around. I look foward to reading it for years to come.

I simply fell in love with this book. The designs in this elegant book are stylish,very beautiful and grand. The life-like designs are categorized into 6 chapters:Bulb flowers,spring flowers,roses,herbal gardens,wild flowers and orchard harvest. Each includes projects(21 in all) that are described in full detail:easy enough for a beginner to follow,sophisticated enough to appeal to an advanced cross-stitcher. My fingers are itching to start on all the projects at once. The layout of this book is SUPERB to say the least,I highly recommend it to those who love floral cross-stitching.

This book is nothing short of stunning. It elevates cross stitch to a true art form, showing what a needle, a simple stitch and colored threads can do in the hands of an artist.

There are so many beautiful color photos in this book, of cross stitch designs and gardens full of flowers. Each project has a sharp color photo (many have close-up detail photos), a chart in color, a list of materials and instructions. The floral variety and colors are stunning with subtle shading. Most of the designs are suited for more advanced stitchers. Projects in this book were stitched on linen.

Stitching and finishing is described, and a list of suppliers is included (US, UK and Australia). Thea Gouverneur's floral designs are stunning and very lifelike.

This is not just a story about a First Amendment battle to keep the klan in check. This is a story about who we are. In so many of the characters, I saw a little piece of myself - sometimes liking what I saw, sometimes not, but always reading on, to see which part of me pulled for which character. It's a great American story.

It took me a few weeks to read the book, because I've had such a very hectic schedule lately. But, Sign of the Cross is a sensational True-to-Life Drama that kept me anxiously turning each and every page. The book was extremely well-written and I think we need more books like this one, so that people in our society can be aware of what's going on in society (both historically and currently).

I would love to see the book adapted as a screen-play. I think it would make for a sensational film.

If you want true legal drama at its best, with insights into the inner workings of the Klan and the prosecutor who challenged it, this book will fascinate and captivate. First Amendment issues are eloquently presented by both sides. In this case, the Klan's freedom of speech is contrasted with a community's right to be free from fear. But can any one man perservere against an unwilling legal system and the most notorious terrorist groups in America?

I recommend this book to artists who are interested in finding out ways to express their personal vision. Expanding on Arien's initial exercise of arranging the five shapes, one can develop images that come from the center of one's life rather than from outside influences. It goes without saying that a person feels better when he/she understands why he/she feel more comfortable (or uneasy)with certain aspects of their lives. This simple book can help a person to know and understand where they are in life and how they might have gotten there. I go back to it every few months and use it in teaching art classes and in art retreats.

Once again Angeles inspires and soothes my soul with her beautiful and powerful writing. This book is a treasure and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the language of the Universe.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is in process of self examination. The simplicity of the use belies the depth of the information that can be extracted from Ms Arrein's analysis. Her use of "universal" symbols clears away much of the overburden of intellectual understanding and cultural training that colors our perceptions of the world. The work in this book cuts through to base emotions and drives. This book will improve your understanding of your motivations in all aspects of your life.

HLA has awarded The Soul Bearer, by Jonathan Cross, Book of the Month Award. The Soul Bearer is a wonderful read, a highly engaging and an exciting page-turner that never lets you put the book down. If your looking for a great book to read look no further.

I picked this up at the Honolulu Bookstore while on vacation last year. I had never heard of the Soul Bearer or Jonathan Cross and my experience with most books having to do with Native American mysticism and the environment made me whince with recurring memories of boredom. This, however, is NOT one of those books. It is anything but that in fact. Instead, I found myself heavily engrossed in this highly engaging and exciting page-turner that never lets up from start to finish. It's filled with political intrigue and conspiracy reminescent of Clancy or Grisham but with an intelligence and message that is rare. I really had trouble putting it down.

A taut exciting thriller that mixes spiritualism and political intrigue with an important environmental message. The issues raised here are highly indicative of current political trends and leave one to examine their ultimate place in the world.

These designs are adorable, like others have said, but I had to add--this is not just a same ol' Peter Rabbit / Pooh Bear book. As a new mom, I was a bit tired of finding baby designs for the nursery in nothing but Peter and Pooh. Nothing against these characters, mind you, but I wanted something a little . . . different. Well, I've had great success with this book! I had heard of Duck, but really wasn't too familiar with him--but he and his pals are adorable. Ditto for the "Apple Tree Farm" section (which you can do as a sampler or separate designs). Very Britishy, and perfect for an anglophile like me! Made me a big fan of the illustrator (Stephen Cartwright). Also, this book has a section on Miffy! Wow! You don't find that just anywhere. I, too, wish Gillian Souter would do a sequel to this great book! I'd like to see Little Critter, Wild Things, Lilly (of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse), and some Rosemary Wells characters. One last note. The designs here are very well done--the transfer of an illustration to the cross-stitch format is very smooth, and my completed designs were very much like the actual illustrations! A nice addition is the alphabet patterns in the back for you to personalize your designs. They're a good couple of fonts which I've used repeatedly.

I have selected 12 of the exceptional designs from Gillian Souter's book to creat a quilt for my granddaughter. Among the choices (hard to make) were: Babar/Celeste, Madeline, Paddington, Pooh, Angelina, Spot and Duck. Her designs are easy to follow. I am using an 18-count afghan type (washable) fabric and DMC floss. I would recommend this book to "Grammies" everywhere. Many good projects; I just happen to be making a quilt at present.

A great resource for anyone who stitches for children. With hard to find cross stitch patterns for many beloved characters, such as: classic Pooh, Angelina Ballerina, Madeline, Apple Tree Farm, Spot, and others. Easy to follow charts and beautiful pictures of finished pieces. A must have for any cross stitcher!

The story takes place in the northern part of Georgia in a small town not unlike some here in North Alabama. Sutter's Cross is a book one could feel free to recommend to his or her grandparents and grandchildren. Many of the characters introduced might well be found in your own town, or at least someone with a strong resemblance. One of the central characters is a man named Harley. He is new to Sutter's Cross and has an aura of mystery about him which is revealed at least to some extent as the story evolves. The story is interesting with some mystery and occasional humor. One important observation about the book is that we are able to see both flaws and good aspects of individuals in Sutter's Cross and see how the good of each character emerges for the benefit of the people of the town. I would say the book has a religious orientation with some good lessons for life.

What a great book Sutter's Cross is! It started off a bit slow, but then it picked up to a point where you couldn't put it down. It takes you through the whole emotional spectrum and I haven't stopped thinking about the book since I finished it a few days ago. It's a book that draws you closer to the Lord -- this book is a definite keeper!

Having been born and raised in Tennessee, I know places like the one called Sutter's Cross. It is vivid, colorful and interesting to read, the characters are there for you to meet and know. This is a great work for a first-time author and I would encourage everyone to enjoy it and wait for more of the same! I also recommend to those who like Sutter's Cross, the novel "This Rock" by Robert Morgan.

I used this book for putting designs on my 2 childrens tee-shirts. They are the perfect size charts and they are so beautiful on clothing. Its been the book I have been searching for, for years. The best.

Lori Gardner's book was published in hardback in 1997, and has been my favourite source of bright and energetic American Country designs ever since. The designs are clear and simple to do,(very few fractional stitches) but are far from plain when done. There's a feeling of Alma Lynne in them, but somehow these are more satisfying to do. Charts are grouped into the four seasons and include gardens, angels, holiday, 'quilted' designs etc. They range from around 31 x 23 stitches to the 200 x 100+ stuff, so lots of choice here. There aren't too many photographs of the finished articles, so you have to work on trust - but so far I've not been disappointed once. Does anyone know if Lori has produced (or is going to produce)any more books?

Out of all the cross stitch books I have ever owned, this one is my absolute favorite! The patterns are colorful and cute. They are adaptable to so many different projects. I cannot put this book down.

Illustrator Stephen Biesty carved out his own niche in books by grabbing a concept and doing it well, over and over again. The concept was to take well-known but complex things, like locomotives, ocean liners, airliners, castles, churches, and the space shuttle, and make them more understandable by giving a series of drawings, for each object, showing what that object would look like if it were sliced in sections. Kind of sounds like an MRI in medicine! The drawings are bright, colorful, and extremely detailed. With each item, there is a short, clearly-written description of the object and some of its aspects. These books make great gifts for older kids, who will get a kick out of the fact that most items show the bathrooms in use, and don't be surprised if an adult or two peeks at the book several times.

Wow! This book is really great! From opera houses to medieval cathedrals and castles, this incredible book of cross sections pinpoints every last detail! It shows all the different parts, what they are used for, and tons more! Buy this book today. You won't be disappointed.

Who of us can't remember the excitement of looking at some wonderful building or structure and wondering *what was going on in there*? Stephen Biesty deserves an entry in Who's Who for thinking of this wonderful format for readers who wonder. This is a wonderful and exciting book for older kids and adults who are curious about how things work behind-the-scenes. While it can be tricky for younger children to envision how the objects go back together, there will ample material for others to enjoy. Eighteen human-made objects are cross-sectioned: a castle, an observatory, a galleon, ocean liner and submarine, a coal mine, military tank, oil rig, cathedral, jumbo jet and car factory, a helicopter, an opera house, a steam train and a subway station, a fishing trawler, the Empire State Building and the space shuttle. The sections are filled with defining activity, and Richard Platt's accompanying text is informative and amusing.

First published in 1992, this book is also a fascinating testament to the breathtaking pace of change we experience. Many of the objects have changed a great deal in the past decade, so this is more a snapshot of one era's mechanisms than a blueprint of state-of-the-art technology. For that reason the book succeeds spectacularly with historic objects such as the castle and galleon, and only slightly less so with outdated items like the tank and helicopter.

If you are interested in how things work, these unique views of engineering marvels in operation will thrill you.

After the initial shock caused by the 09/11/2002 terrorist attacks on the United States, the need to better understand the mechanisms of terrorism, and above all the existing tools to fight it, has become more pressing and has been felt throughout the globe. As rarely a day goes by without some media reference to a possible or an actual terrorist attack, awareness of the available international instruments to fight terrorism is the key to understanding current affairs and the world of today. In the book Terrorism and the International Legal Order, Peter J. van Krieken shares with the reader his in-depth knowledge over international legal institutions.

In spite the complexity of the subject, the reader will be guided through some of the major legal instruments - UN and non-UN, international and regional - available in the fight against terrorism with relative ease. The detailed table of contents also offers the reader the possibility of glancing through the whole spectrum quickly and choosing, for example, to learn more precisely about the role of the UN or of some of its bodies (Security Council, General Assembly, ECOSOC, Trusteeship Council, ICJ) in the fight against international terrorism. Before the end of the book, the reader will come to grasp that these present instruments only need to have their effectiveness increased and that, with enhanced cooperation, they can serve as efficient tools in the fight against international terrorism.

Terrorism and the International Legal Order is recommended reading for anyone who wishes to understand more clearly and in a very concrete manner the challenges of today's world in the face of terrorism. It is equally recommended to all of those who remain shocked and unconditionally condemn terrorist acts of any kind. It is also recommended to those who realize that civil liberties cannot exist without safety and that at times concessions on the former must be made. Finally, to those rightly concerned about the balance between civil liberties and security, this book is a serious way of understanding the dangers posed by terrorism and possibly a new way to look at the balancing of both.

Terrorism and the International Legal Order is an excellent compilation of international law regarding terrorism. The book reviews important UN resolutions passed before and after September 11th, it presents definitions of terrorism throughout recent history in order to determine exactly what terrorism is, and it supplies information on the treatment of the topic by several UN bodies. Further, Van Kieken explores the connection between international terrorism and migration (laws), and refers to several cases while putting them in an international law context. The book also includes most relevant texts of UN conventions, resolutions, etc.
Overall, this book provides a clear and concise insight into the legal aspects regarding (international) terrorism. It is especially recommended to those who have a previous understanding of international law/institutions/relations, without which this volume might prove somewhat challenging to read. Also, it is very useful for students of international law/relations, or anyone attempting to grasp these issues surrounding terrorism.

I find this book to be an excellent addition for those who already have some sort of background or knowledge of international relations and international law etc. It looks into certain aspects of terrorism - examning certain cases. By looking to each organ of the United Nations and its role within combatting terrorism, I find it to be of great use to my studies. The author not only offers facts and documentation - he deeply examines the issues at hand with reference to those facts and documents. By doing so he clarifies somewhat difficult to read UN documents and non-UN documents - explaining them in clear english. Not only did I add to my knowledge of international relations, I learned a lot of new things as well.