My Patient With Tales is a great book, easy to read and veryenjoyable. Even if Dr. Pope was not my vet (he has been for 22 years), I would still recommend this book to everyone I know. I could not put it down until the last tale was told. This is the kind of book that can be enjoyed by everyone whether they have a pet or not.

Dr. Robert Pope tells sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always touching tales of his life as a Wisconsin veterinarian. He often ends his tales with a quote from Scripture and a lesson he learned or a realization. I enjoyed his wife's simple drawings. Anyone who loves animals or has pets should read this book. Through Dr. Pope's words, you too can learn some of the things that animals can teach us about life.

This book is tales about the tails in the life of a vet in WI. The series of short stories are written so that one does picture the scene of the moment. Dr. Pope brings life to each of these moments in the mind of the reader while giving some Wisconsin philosophy to the reader. I would suggest this book as a book for a Father's Day gift, or a gift to yourself. The illustrations by Marjorie Pope, also bring smiles, especially the cow pictures.

This book was on a "LIST" that I found while I was looking for something completely different. The person who recommended it had also read and loved some of my other childhood favorites, like Robin McKinley's The BLue Sword. I figured I would give it a try, and I was very glad that I did.

The Perilous Gard manages to straddle a fine line between historical fiction and fantasy, taking the reader to pre-Elizabethan England, and to a world where superstition is not entirely unfounded. Pope also straddles the line between fear and awe for the Elven folk. Without actually liking them, or what they have done, her heroine feels sorrow for a world and a time lost, that can never be regained.

The only reason that this book didn't get a 5 was that it could've been 100 pages longer, and I still would've loved it. The other characters needed a chance to develop more depth, and I would've liked a little longer in the Faerie world. Still, if you are an adult fan of YA fantasy books, like Quest for a Maid, or The Blue Sword, you should read this book. And if you have children who read fantasy, and want a book that is fantastical, and yet still grounded in reality, buy this one, now!

My mother brought this book home for me about 8 years ago when I was in high school, and I absolutely could not put it down!!! Without going into too much plot detail (since other reviewers have already done a fine job of this), I would have to recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Elizabethan England, the folklore of Great Britain, or good solid fantasy novels in general. It's a great read for anyone over the age of 12, and it's especially great for girls and young women to read because of the heroine, Kate. There is something so real and appealing about her. She is very strong and intelligent when faced with an impossible situation, and in the end she finally gets recognized for the person she really is. Overall, this is an exceptional book, and will always rank among my all-time favorites.

I'm 20 now, and I first read this book when I was about 10. I've reread it at least once a month since then (after the initial five times I read it in a row) because I absolutely adore The Perilous Guard. There's a whole host of reasons for my adoration, but the main ones are, one, that I *love* historical fiction, two, that novels set in the same time period (1558, to be exact, although anything within a few hundred years works nicely, too) are one of my favorite things to read, three, that Elisabeth Marie Pope is a fantastic storyteller, four, that I love the ballads the book is peppered with (particularly "Tam-Lin," the ballad that helps form much of the plot),, and five, because the characters are all so well-drawn. I feel as if I really know them, that I could walk out on the street and see them there (if I lived in the appropriate time period, of course). I highly recomend this book to anyone of an appropriate age (above ten, in my opinion) to read and understand it, particularly if you like historical fiction mixed with "fantasy," a term I hesitate to use (although I am doing so as I cannot, at the moment, come up with anything better) since nothing that happens in the book is presented with a very fantasy-ish tone.

This is an exciting book. Jack and Annie go back in time and end up at a castle. I liked the part where Jack fell out of the castle and into the moat. They meet a mysterious knight. Jack and Annie find another "M" clue at the end of the story.

If you like the Magic Treehouse series and adventure and knights, this is the book for you - The Knight at Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne. In the book, Annie and Jack went back in time when there were knights in castles. They went in an Amory Room. Jack found a secret passage, it lead to the storeroom to a precipice over the moat. Jack thought that there must be a window. It was a foot away from the window to the ground. So he put his foot outside the window and dangled it. Read the book to find out more.

Two kids named Jack and Annie go on an adventure back in time. The Magic Tree House takes them there. Sometimes the exploring is scary and sometimes it's funny. You will enjoy this book, Dinosaurs Before Dark. Mrs. Swafford's Third Grade Reading Class

"Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling" by Ross King tells the story of four years (1508-1512) in the lives of three great figures in history: Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, and Raphael.

The author's latest nonfiction historical "thriller" is, however, more than a story of the four years that Michelangelo spent laboring over the twelve thousand square feet of the vast ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In King's skilled hands it becomes an early 16th century soap opera, starring Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, and Raphael, and featuring all the intrigue, passion, violence, and pettiness of a General Hospital episode. Amzingly none of the action is fiction, but an accurate re-telling of historical facts.

This is how the author sees the three heroes of his book:

"Pope Julius II was not a man one wished to offend.... A sturdily built sixty-three-year old with snow-white hair and a ruddy face, he was known as il papa terrible , the 'dreadful' or 'terrifying' pope.... His violent rages, in which he punched underlings or thrashed them with his stick were legendary.... In body and soul he had the nature of a giant. Everything about him is on a magnified scale, both his undertakings and passions."

"Almost as renowned for his moody temper and aloof, suspicious nature as he was for his amazing skill with the hammer and chisel, Michelangelo could be arrogant, insolent, and impulsive....If Michelangelo was slovenly and, at times, melancholy and antisocial, Raphael was, by contrast, the perfect gentleman. Contemporaries fell over themselves to praise his polite manner, his gentle disposition, his generosity toward others....Raphael's appealing personality were accompanied by his good looks: a long neck, oval face, large eyes, and olive skin -- handsome, delicate features that further made him the antithesis of the flat-nosed, jug-eared Michelangelo."

For the millions out there who are fascinated by the mere existence of the unparalleled genius responsible for the creation of Michelangelo's commissioned work for Pope Julius II, and for those with a knack for detailed historical accounts, this book certainly delivers! With less interest in the fine arts, yet great interest in history, I deeply appreciate "Michaelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling".*****

Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King tells the story of four years, 1508-1512, in the life of three larger than life personalities: Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, and Raphael. Mr. King's latest nonfiction historical "thriller" is, however, more than a story of the four years that Michelangelo spent laboring over the twelve thousand square feet of the vast ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In Mr. King's able hands it becomes an early 16th century soap opera, starring Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, and Raphael, and featuring all the intrigue, passion, violence, and pettiness of a Sopranos' episode. What's so astonishing is that all that is told actually happened -- it's history.
Ross King's gift is his ability to bring us, his readers, back through the maze of time and lead us to an understanding of all that coalesced -- politically, socially, and artistically -- to create great art, great history and, for us, great reading.
According to King:
"Pope Julius II was not a man one wished to offend.... A sturdily built sixty-three-year old with snow-white hair and a ruddy face, he was known as il papa terrible , the 'dreadful' or 'terrifying' pope.... His violent rages, in which he punched underlings or thrashed them with his stick were legendary.... In body and soul he had the nature of a giant. Everything about him is on a magnified scale, both his undertakings and passions."
Michelangelo and Raphael as portrayed by King:
"Almost as renowned for his moody temper and aloof, suspicious nature as he was for his amazing skill with the hammer and chisel, Michelangelo could be arrogant, insolent, and impulsive....If Michelangelo was slovenly and, at times, melancholy and antisocial, Raphael was, by contrast, the perfect gentleman. Contemporaries fell over themselves to praise his polite manner, his gentle disposition, his generosity toward others....Raphael's appealing personality were accompanied by his good looks: a long neck, oval face, large eyes, and olive skin -- handsome, delicate features that further made him the antithesis of the flat-nosed, jug-eared Michelangelo."
The stories of these three men during this extraordinary four year period and the art they produced is the story embodied in Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling. The confrontations between Julius II and Michelangelo are legendary. "The major problem seems to have been that Michelangelo and Julius were remarkably alike in temperament. Michelangelo was one of the few people in Rome who refused to cringe before Julius."
For almost the entire four years Michelangelo was shadowed by the brilliant young painter Raphael, who was working in fresco on the neighboring Papal apartments. This rivalry the Pope seemed to enjoy and encourage. To help us better understand the friction between these two great artists King introduces us to Edmund Burke's treatise on the sublime and the beautiful:
"For Burke, those things we call beautiful have the properties of smoothness, delicacy, softness of color, and elegance of movement. The sublime, on the other hand, comprehends the vast, the obscure, the powerful, the rugged, the difficult -- attributes which produce in the spectator a kind of astonished wonder and even terror. For the people of Rome in 1511, Raphael was beautiful but Michelangelo sublime."
For me, reading a book like Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling is the way to read history. Mr. King transported me back to those four years during which Michelangelo and Raphael created art both beautiful and sublime. I was there with and among the players, engrossed in the anecdotes King skillfully wove into his narrative. This is history -- up close and personal -- and yet far, far away from the pain, anguish, anger and turmoil that pervaded so much of the lives of Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, and Raphael. As I read, I learned, I felt, and I understood. Isn't that what reading is all about? I certainly could not ask for anything more.

MICHELANGELO AND THE POPE'S CEILING is an engaging book about the completion of one of the world's most splendid work(s) of art. The Sistine Chapel contains many artistic masterpieces, yet its history is as fascinating. The artist's frescoes reveal as much about his character as they do the subject matter. A major challenge (Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor, before a painter), the ceiling represents not only the artist's work, but his development as an artist. The drama of his own development unfolds in the tapestry of his relationship with the powerful Pope Julius II, a worldly, mercurial, "Il Papa Terrible."

Ross King is the author of several other fine books including as BRUNELLESCHI'S DOME: HOW A RENAISSANCE GENIUS REINVENTED ARCHITECTURE, an esoteric, yet engaging account of the design for the dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence (considered one of the great achievements of the Renaissance). He blends a craftsmanlike approach to research with a narrative as engaging as any first-rate novel. He paints a vivid picture of two major world personalities: that of the temperamental artist as well as the worldly, militaristic pontiff. The book provides a splendid historical account of the project, yet also offers a detailed perspective upon the Catholic Church of the time as well as Italian culture and society as well.

The only shortcoming of the book (in my opinion) is that there were too few photographs of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. One needs a magnifying glass to examine and admire the ceiling pictures. However, this is a minor shortcoming and it spurred me to delve further into the artwork of the chapel. One notable publication is MICHELANGELO: THE FRESCOES OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL by Marcia Hall and Takashi Okamura (photographer) which provides more than 150 full color photographs, including specific close-up detail. Another fine work is MICHELANGELO: THE VATICAN FRESCOES by Pierluigi De Vecchi, Gianluigi Colalucci (Contributor). This particular volume, while rather pricy, thoroughly documents the restoration efforts, offering 250+ photographs of the frescoes before and after the restoration.

That being said, this particular text is a fine example historical writing from an author who can tell a compelling story.

The magic treehouse takes them to an island and they get stuck on a sinking sub. Jack and Annie escape of course, so there can be more magic tree house books. If you like dolphins and underwater adventures,this will be your favorite too.

"Dolphins At Daybreak" is a good Magic Tree House book about Jack and Annie exploring the ocean and meeting some dolphins. This book had a few parts that were frightening, like the hammerhead shark, but really, they weren't that frightening. My favorite part was when they were rescued by the dolphins, and it was fun when they went underwater. Also, the action is written well, and the plot is written wonderfully as well. If you want my opinion, I really, really, really, enjoyed this book, and I highly reccomend it to anyone. Happy reading!!!

Doliphins at Daybreak is about to kids Jack and Annie. Jack is sometimes mean to Annie. Jack does not like to do eneything. Annie likes to do lots of stuff.They also have a dog teddy.Teddy always gets lost. Ilike their dog teddy.
On this inventer they go to the ocean. They see lots of different creatures. They see Doliphins,sharks,hammer heads,and octopus.
The sharks try to eat Jack and Annie!! Then the Doliphins come to the reasue and fight the sharks. At the end of the book they get to ride on the Doliphins.
Then they find the tree house.And they make their journey home.

this book will take you to the moon. It's an exiting adventure where Jack and Annie get wisked off in another adventure to the moon. they need to know how to live on the moon but thet find somthing that helps them.I wonder what it was? find out and read!

Three... two... one... BLAST OFF!! The Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie off to the moon- and the feature. Their mission? To find the last "M" thing that will free Morgan from the spell. Can they do it before the air in their oxygen tanks run out? And why is Peanut the mouse acting so strange?

The only way to find out is to read Midnight On The Moon.

This is great book for you if you like adventure books. It is magic tree houes book it is called "Midnight on the Moon". The characters are Jack and Annie are sister and borther. The author is Mary Osborne. She is a good author. Jack and Annie learn about space like how hot it is in space. I like this book because I like adventure books. If you like astronauts read this book

This excellent book is about two kids named Jack and Annie. One day they were walking in Frog Creek Woods and they found a magic treehouse. Then they travelled back to Ancient Japan where two ninjas capture them. Read to find out what happens next.
This is an exelent book and one of my favorites! I would recommend this book to any one that likes adventure.

If you like ninjas then you'll want to read night of the ninjas.

If you are a fraidy cat you might like Jack and if you like to imagine,then you will like Annie. If you like mice, then you will like Peanut in the story.

The story keeps you guessing because the mouse acts like a human.

I liked Night of the Ninjas, because it's exciting and you will like it, too.

I'm a 10 year boy who loves the Magic Tree House series. I especially like when Jack and Annie went to England and met William Shakespeare. This is an easy chapter book to read. It keeps your interest.

Im a fifth grader.This was a very good book. The best thing about this book is when the monkey started throwing big fruits at Annie and Jack who were stranded in a canoe on the Amazon River. It was humorous to imagin this. One thing I did not like is how the author had keept describing how often they saw green when they first climed out of the tree house. I would recommend this book to is a first grader through fifth grade because its easy to read. Have a fast fun adventure.

I read this book for summer reading and it was one of my favorites. I love the Magic Tree House series, and I have read every one of them. In this book Morgan Le Fay was turned into a mouse by the wicked Merlin. Jack and Annie had to get four M words to rescue her. In the Amazon they got a mangoe.

The book was exciting and fun to read [I read it over lunch at Tatnuck Booksellers].
Jack and Annie travel to lots of cool places but this was the best because of all of the bugs. Jack and Annie are very lucky to have found the magic tree house.
This is the tenth Magic Tree House book I have read and I can hardly wait to read the next one.

The children's publishing market is bursting with opportunity. Tap into the industry with more than 800 editors and art directors searching for your work.

The "2002 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market" contains complete details on current needs, submission guidelines, contact information, pay rates, illustration terms and tips straight from the publisher.

Plus, new articles cover every aspect of the children's market, from quick tips to getting started to how to negotiate contracts. New insider reports take a look at innovative people in the market as well.

If the numerous in-depth articles aren't enough, there's also a comprehensive list of helpful books, publications and online resources. In addition, you'll find a thorough glossary of terms related to the industry.

This 100 percent updated guide has markets broken up into categories like:

' Book publishers
' Magazines
' Greeting cards, puzzles and games
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' Young writer's and illustrator's markets
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' Contests, awards and grants

Stop wasting your time and money. Listings identify exactly what editors are seeking so you can eliminate the guesswork.

Imagine close to 400 pages of editors actively pursuing your work. Make 2002 the year you see your work in print. Use the "2002 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market" and your new challenge won't be finding editors - it will be how you're going to decide between them all.

I had to laugh when I read the review complaining about the lack of gender balance in CWIM. I am a male children's book editor, and I know that it's a simple fact of life in my profession that most other editors and most writers for children are, in fact, women. So it's perfectly reasonable to use "she" to refer to a generic editor or writer. It's also perfectly reasonable to interview mostly or all women for a feature in the book.

OK, but what about the book? This is a valuable standard reference for a children's writer or illustrator. For the publisher listings alone, you have to have CWIM on your desk. It also has good basic information about the business, and interviews with a wide spectrum of practitioners. This year's edition includes an interview with Linda Sue Park, who won the Newbery Medal for 2001. (It also includes an interview with me, which I mention to provide full disclosure.)

An excellent annual reference book for writers and Illustrators. Very informative; with publisher, magazine, club and workshop listings; business sections; how-to articles; to first-time authors who share their experiences and advice to beginning writers & illustrators. A true necessity. I've been a loyal reader/fan of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market since 1989.

Catharine Carey Logan, or better known a Catey, is a Quaker girl living in the Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania. Catey and her family are frightened by reports of Indian raids, but they believe that the Indians will leave them alone if they show trust and love to them.
That all changes when Catey and her brother Tomas are captured while on their way to school.
Catey is determined not to keep the Indian ways, but she finds herself liking it after a while. And she falls in love with an Indian brave named Snow Hunter who was actually a captive white like her. But when given the chance to go back to her village, will Catey follow the leading of her heart?

I absolutely love this book. Even though it's sad enough to make you want to cry, it possesses a sort of charm that keeps you reading till the end.
I felt so sorry for Catey. And you will too, once you read this book. I won't spill the beans regarding the ending, so you'll just have to read it your self. I promise you, you won't be sorry!

Standing in the Light was a wonderful Dear America book, and one I could read over and over.

It tells, in diary form, about 13 year old Caty Logan who is growing up in her Quaker village in the 1760's. She is perfectly happy, with boys, learning housewifery, and schoolwork to keep her busy - but that all changes one day when she and her younger brother are captured by Lenape Indians.

At first Caty is desperate: she hates living with the rough Indians, who watch her diary writing curiously and force her to follow their Indian ways. But later, she learns that they are good people, though different than the Quakers, and she begins to make friends - and loved ones.

This was a great book! You really care about what will happen, if Caty will stay with them or return to her village. It was sad, but I love it!

I'd recommend this for ages 10 - 14, and I'd recommend some other captive stories: Trouble's Daughter, I Am Regina, Indian Captive, and Calico Captive.

The book called Standing in the Light by Mary Pope Osborne is a very good book. It is written in diary form. The story takes place in Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania in 1763. The main characters are Catharine Logan and her little brother, Thomas Logan. In Standing in the Light, Catharine realizes that she likes a guy who she's known for a long time. Later she finds out that there are Indiansnear where she lives that have beencapturing and killing people. One day when she and her brother were walking to school they get captured by Indians. They separated Catharine from Thomas. In Catharine's camp she meetsan Indian boy named Wine-lo-wich, which means Snow Hunter,who was also captured by Indians when he was young. Catharine laterrealizes that she loves Snow Hunter. Soon after that Snow Hunter disappearsafter he goes on a hunting trip. If you want to find out what happened to Snow Hunter and if Catharine and Thomas ever get home, you'll have to read Standing in the Light by Mary Pope Osborne. I thought that it was a wonderful book.